GOP seek $1 billion from taxpayers for Trump’s ballroom

The episode of 'The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell' delivers a scathing critique of Donald Trump's ongoing war in Iran, which has driven gas prices to $4.55 a gallon and triggered a record low in consumer sentiment. The host highlights the war's staggering economic toll—estimated in the hundreds of billions or even trillions—far exceeding the Pentagon’s claimed $25 billion cost. Amid this crisis, Republican lawmakers are pushing a $1 billion allocation in the reconciliation bill for Trump’s private ballroom, a move condemned as a symbol of misplaced priorities. The segment features Congressman Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, who underscores the human cost of the war through the story of a five-generation dairy farm forced to close due to skyrocketing input costs and tariffs. The episode also turns to the erosion of democratic norms, with the Virginia Supreme Court overturning a voter-approved redistricting map, while Southern states like Tennessee and South Carolina aggressively dismantle majority-Black congressional districts. Legal analyst Melissa Murray draws parallels to Reconstruction-era backsliding, warning that attacks on voting rights and civil liberties threaten all Americans. The episode closes with a chilling report from stranded seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz, describing missile strikes, burning ships, and life-threatening conditions, underscoring the global consequences of Trump’s reckless foreign policy.