Today's five.

A $400 million ballroom has reached the Supreme Court, which is a sentence that would have sounded made-up five years ago. Trump demolished the 123-year-old East Wing and Jacqueline Kennedy Garden to make way for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom, historic preservationists sued, and now the administration is telling the justices the project is "beyond the point of no return." The Louisiana Illuminator led with the congressional approval angle; ABC led with the irreversibility argument. The injunction kicks in August 21 unless the Court acts. The Solicitor General's framing: one district judge shouldn't control White House construction. The preservationists' framing: someone should.

Luigi Mangione stood in federal court Friday and said out loud what everyone already knew: "On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died." He pleaded guilty to two federal stalking charges — both carrying possible life sentences — with no plea agreement, which is either principled or reckless depending on who you ask. He said years of pain from a broken back and health insurance obstacles motivated him. Thompson's widow was in the room wiping tears. Thompson's mother glared. The state trial was weeks away. He didn't wait for it.

A federal regulator gave conditional approval Friday for World Liberty Financial — 38% owned by an entity tied to Donald Trump and his family — to charter a national trust bank. The practical upshot: the company can now issue and manage its USD1 stablecoin under official OCC supervision. "Conditional" is doing a lot of work here — final approval still requires clearing several pre-opening hurdles. CNBC led with the ownership details; Fox Business led with the stablecoin mechanics. The OCC posted the approval letter on its website on a Friday afternoon, which is traditionally when you post things quietly.

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit western Colombia earlier this week and the official death toll is already past 280, with hundreds still missing and nearly 11,000 homes destroyed. The scale runs from cities like Cali and Pereira all the way into the remote department of Chocó — which is the part that makes search and rescue genuinely hard. Responders have pulled about 350 people out alive. In Elizabeth, New Jersey, local Colombian residents didn't wait for instructions — they started collecting and shipping supplies themselves. The government has promised a robust response. The community apparently didn't love the timeline on that.

Committee supporting Clearwater candidate has ties to Scientology.