Outrage spread Monday over President Trump’s effort to mock the huge No Kings protests over the weekend by posting an AI video of himself dumping waste on demonstrators.

Supporters of the sprawling rallies that drew millions slammed Trump for posting the 18-second clip depicting him wearing a crown and piloting a KING TRUMP warplane over some of the sprawling crowds that gathered on Saturday to protest his hard-line second term in power.

The phony plane was shown dumping foul brown waste on some of the throngs of people who marched through Times Square.

“Anybody who would depict himself as dumping waste on the American people … doesn’t really warrant [holding] the powers of the presidency,” said Mike Zamore of the American Civil Liberties Union, told CNN on Monday. “It’s another reflection of the lack of regard the president has for the people of this country,”

“The GOP can smear these protests all they want, but they can’t silence the truth,” tweeted Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-Brooklyn), who participated in the Times Square rally.

Rocker Kenny Loggins, whose hit “Danger Zone” is used in the Trump clip, demanded that the song be removed.

“I can’t imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us,” the “Footloose” singer said in a statement.

House Speaker Mike Johnson Monday accused protesters of inciting violence because some carried signs with the slogan “86 47,” a euphemism for ousting Trump, who is the 47th president.

“He’s using satire to make a point,” Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill. “He’s not calling for the murder of his political opponents.”

Trump didn’t immediately comment on the reaction to the video, which was created by a right-wing Artificial Intelligence meme creator.

But he derided the nationwide crowds, estimated at up to 7 million people in cities and towns from coast to coast, as being unrepresentative of the country and said the rallies were bankrolled by “radical left lunatics.”

The White House has recently stepped up its use of AI-generated fake videos to needle political opponents.

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It posted a fake short video featuring Democratic congressional leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, with the latter wearing a Mexican-style sombrero, to dramatize the false GOP claim that Democrats want to fund health care for undocumented immigrants.

Vice President JD Vance said the sombrero video was all in good fun.

A Republican campaign committee last week used AI to create a realistic-looking video of Schumer boasting about the political impact of the government shutdown.

But critics say it’s no joke to depict a president attacking his constituents.

Los defensores de los inmigrantes han elaborado una serie de planes de preparación familiar con el objetivo de proporcionar herramientas prácticas para afrontar situaciones de emergencia, como la detención de un familiar por parte de la Oficina de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE por sus siglas en inglés). 

Una manifestación del Consejo Municipal de Nueva York en 2018, en la que se pedía la expulsión de los agentes del ICE de los juzgados. (John McCarten/Consejo Municipal de Nueva York)

Con la llegada de la segunda presidencia de Donald Trump y su afán de deportar a un millón de personas al año, las interacciones con agentes del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE por sus siglas en inglés) están ocurriendo en distintos lugares.

Este año, ICE no solo está arrestando en los lugares de trabajo o en los hogares de los inmigrantes, sino que también lo está haciendo en cortes y en interacciones con algunas policías locales a través de acuerdos 287(g).

Las organizaciones que apoyan y defienden a los inmigrantes se han dado cuenta de estos cambios y han reorganizado sus guías para crear un plan de acción que incluye formularios preparativos en caso de un cambio en la situación familiar, lo que llaman un plan de planificación familiar para familias inmigrantes.

Estos documentos se preparan si detienen, deportan o separan a un familiar o tutor por temas de inmigración.

Estos documentos se pueden catalogar en cuatro tipos: preparativos legales, preparativos para emergencias familiares, preparativos para el cuidado de un menor y preparativos financieros.

Los documentos legales deben incluir el poder de representación (Power of Attorney), que permite que una persona de confianza tome decisiones o cuide de los niños en caso de detención o deportación. También se deben incluir todos los documentos migratorios (pasaportes y otros formularios), los documentos de identidad, contactos de emergencia, como números de teléfono importantes (abogado de inmigración, consulado, escuelas y personas de confianza) y copias de documentos importantes.

Para los planes de preparación familiar, es crucial crear y practicar un plan que detalle qué hacer en caso de que un miembro de la familia sea detenido por ICE y asegurarse de que todos los hijos tengan pasaportes.

Los planes para preparativos de menores incluyen el permiso para que viaje un menor, documentos de custodia provisional y el formulario de autorización de designación parental.

El plan financiero debe incluir cosas como permiso para recoger un cheque, datos bancarios, contratos de alquiler o hipoteca—para que continúen sin interrupciones—, y las pólizas de seguro médico y de vida. 

Así que para explicar la importancia de cada uno de estos preparativos, invitamos a Laura García, directora de estrategia en el área de Mid-Hudson de la New York Immigration Coalition.

Más detalles en nuestra conversación a continuación.

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By DARLENE SUPERVILLE

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Monday started tearing down part of the East Wing, the traditional base of operations for the first lady, to build President Donald Trump’s ballroom despite lacking approval for construction from the federal agency that oversees such projects.

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Dramatic photos of the demolition work showed a backhoe tearing into the East Wing façade and windows and other building parts in tatters on the ground. Some reporters watched from a park near the Treasury Department, which is next door to the East Wing.

Trump announced the start of construction in a social media post and referenced the work while hosting 2025 college baseball champs Louisiana State University and LSU-Shreveport in the East Room. He noted the work was happening “right behind us.”

“We have a lot of construction going on, which you might hear periodically,” he said, adding, “It just started today.”

The White House has moved ahead with the massive construction project despite not yet having sign-off from the National Capital Planning Commission, which approves construction work and major renovations to government buildings in the Washington area.

Its chairman, Will Scharf, who is also the White House staff secretary and one of Trump’s top aides, said at the commission’s September meeting that agency does not have jurisdiction over demolition or site preparation work for buildings on federal property.

“What we deal with is essentially construction, vertical build,” Scharf said last month.

A model is seen as President Donald Trump addresses a dinner for donors who have contributed to build the new ballroom at the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

It was unclear whether the White House had submitted the ballroom plans for the agency’s review and approval. The White House did not respond to a request for comment and the commission’s offices are closed because of the government shutdown.

The Republican president had said in July when the project was announced that the ballroom would not interfere with the mansion itself.

“It’ll be near it but not touching it and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” he said of the White House. “It’s my favorite. It’s my favorite place. I love it.”

The East Wing houses several offices, including the office of the first lady. It was constructed in 1902 and and has been renovated over the years, and a second story was added in 1942, according to the White House.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said those East Wing offices will be temporarily relocated during construction and that wing of the building will be modernized and renovated.

Work begins on the demolition of a part of the East Wing of the White House, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Washington, before construction of a new ballroom. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“Nothing will be torn down,” Leavitt said when she announced the project in July.

Trump insists that such a ballroom has been desired for 150 years and that he’s adding the massive 90,000-square-foot, glass-walled space because the East Room, which is the largest room in the White House with an approximately 200-person capacity, is too small. He also has said he does not like the idea of hosting kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers in pavilions on the South Lawn.

The ballroom will be the biggest structural change to the Executive Mansion since the addition of the Truman Balcony overlooking the South Lawn in 1948, even dwarfing the building itself.

Barricades are in place for construction work for the planned new White House ballroom Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

At a dinner he hosted last week for some of the wealthy business executives who are donating money toward the $250 million construction cost, Trump said the project had grown in size and now will accommodate 999 people. The capacity was 650 seated people at the July announcement.

The clearing of trees on the south grounds and other site preparation work started in September. Plans call for the ballroom to be ready before Trump’s term ends in January 2029.

“It is time for New York City to pave the way to a modern, functioning FOIL landscape. The public is unable to understand, debate, and challenge government practices if it is kept in the dark about what they are.”

Government documents City Limits previously obtained via FOIL requests. (City Limits)

The New York City Office of Technology and Innovation recently extended its deadline to respond to a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request by The Legal Aid Society—for a whopping 40th time. The request, which was submitted back in January of 2021, sought access to records related to the agency’s purchase and/or use of surveillance giant Palantir’s products.  

This more-than-four-year wait for records is not an aberration. Legal Aid is still waiting on responses to a 2022 FOIL request to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for records related to the accuracy of ShotSpotter (a tool the NYPD uses to try to detect gunshots), a 2023 FOIL request to the NYPD for video from the Knightscope K5 Times Square Robot from a single day, and many more. 

Legal Aid is a nonprofit law firm for New York City residents who are unable to afford private counsel, and our Digital Forensics Unit submits FOIL requests like these to maintain an up-to-date understanding of the surveillance technologies and practices that affect the people we serve. We believe—and the text of FOIL itself recognizes—that “government is the public’s business.” But agencies’ seemingly endless delays leave us, our clients, and the public at large, without access to information about how our government is using its power and resources. 

That’s why we’ve been pushing for legislation both in Albany and at City Hall that would significantly improve FOIL processes. This year, the full New York State Legislature passed the FOIL Timeline Act, which would have imposed limitations on agencies’ delays in producing responsive records. Unfortunately, Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed it. 

But there is still hope for greater transparency in New York City. Intro 1235 aims to make the FOIL process more efficient and auditable by allowing the public to access and search all records produced by city agencies in response to FOIL requests, and by providing statistics on city agencies’ FOIL practices—including their average response times.

All requests to city agencies would be processed through an online portal that would also indicate relevant dates, extensions, and decisions with respect to each request. The portal would also contain information about any appeals to agencies’ denials of FOIL requests and any subsequent lawsuits. And the portal would show the amount that the requester paid to the agency in fees, and any attorney’s fees that the agency was required to pay to a requester in a FOIL-related lawsuit against the agency.  

Intro 1235 would reduce unnecessary inefficiencies in the FOIL process for both requesters and agencies. The ability to access other FOIL requests and responses through the portal would obviate the need to submit duplicative requests—which in turn would obviate the need to fulfill duplicative requests. And publicizing agencies’ patterns and practices with respect to producing records would make clear where additional reforms or resources are necessary.  

It is time for New York City to pave the way to a modern, functioning FOIL landscape. The public is unable to understand, debate, and challenge government practices if it is kept in the dark about what they are. Intro 1235 is urgently needed to allow FOIL to serve its intended purposes, and improving the portal would demonstrate that FOIL reforms can be not only workable, but also more efficient for all parties involved.

We support the passage of Intro 1235, and we hope New Yorkers will join us in pushing for greater transparency across our city.  

Laura Moraff is a staff attorney with the Digitial Forensics Unit at The Legal Aid Society.

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