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** Chicago, Portland and the National Guard
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With so much discussion about ballrooms in Washington, D.C., this week, we wanted to make sure readers didn't miss our coverage of what has been happening with the National Guard in Chicago and Portland.

Director Lori Robertson, Deputy Director Robert Farley and Staff Writer Saranac Spencer teamed up on a story ([link removed]) that unravels some of the rhetoric surrounding President Donald Trump's attempts to send National Guard troops to those cities, which he has argued is all about fighting crime. But Trump has even shocked himself by going "many, many steps above" the crime agenda he campaigned on in 2024, he said.

First, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo on Sept. 28, mobilizing 200 Oregon National Guard troops for 60 days. Then, on Oct. 4, he federalized 300 Illinois National Guard members and deployed 200-plus members of the Texas National Guard to Chicago as backup.

The deployments were opposed by the mayors in both cities and the state governors, who said the president was only ratcheting up tensions between residents and federal agents doing immigration enforcement. Courts stepped in and temporarily halted troops from being deployed in both cities.

Under what authority can the president mobilize the National Guard in states? What’s the Insurrection Act that Trump has threatened to invoke? And what exactly have the courts said about what's going on?

These are some of the questions that Lori, Rob and Sara answer in "Q&A on Trump’s Attempt to Deploy National Guard to Portland and Chicago ([link removed]) ."
HOW WE KNOW
After former National Security Adviser John Bolton was charged with 18 counts of unlawfully retaining or transmitting classified national defense information, we read the 26-page federal indictment ([link removed]) . We also contacted Barbara McQuade, a law professor and former U.S. attorney, who said the indictment "stands in stark contrast to the indictments against James Comey and Letitia James," two other Trump critics, "in its detailed recitation of the allegations and the serious nature of the charges." Read more: "What’s in the Bolton Indictment? ([link removed]) "
FEATURED FACT
Military pay will increase by 3.8% in 2026. That raise falls short of other recent increases, as military pay went up by 4.6%, 5.2% and 4.5% in 2023, 2024 and 2025, respectively. Federal law requires military pay raises to equal the change in the Labor Department’s annual Employment Cost Index, or ECI, that measures the increase in private sector wages. Presidents can propose a higher or lower raise, which Congress can agree to or override. Read more: "Trump’s False Claims About Military Pay Raises and Recruitment ([link removed]) ."
REPLY ALL

Reader: Is President Donald Trump paying in full for the new ballroom at the White House, and what is the cost?

FactCheck.org Staff Writer D'Angelo Gore: We said there has been a lot of talk about ballrooms in the nation's capital lately.

The many emails we received from readers asking about the cost and the source of funding for the ballroom being constructed as part of the White House complex prompted our latest Ask FactCheck story ([link removed]) from Assignment Editor Alan Jaffe.

As Alan writes, President Donald Trump most recently estimated that construction of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom would cost $300 million, which is an increase from his previous claims that the price tag would be $200 million or $250 million. The White House said Trump and “other patriot donors” would pay for the ballroom, and a White House spokesperson told Alan in an email that "nearly $200 million has so far been pledged to fund the new ballroom."

However, the spokesperson did not say how much Trump planned to contribute. The White House has named 37 companies and individuals that have donated so far, but has not revealed the amount each gave or pledged.

Alan also notes that the fundraising process for the ballroom has been met with criticism from Democrats and experts in government ethics, who say the project's fundraising may violate federal law.

For more, read "Trump’s White House Ballroom Sparks Questions About Funding and Ethics. ([link removed]) "


** Wrapping Up
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Here's what else we've got for you this week:
* RFK Jr.’s Inaccurate Claims About Tylenol, Circumcision and Autism ([link removed])
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. further added to the Trump administration’s problematic claims about Tylenol and autism on Oct. 9, alleging during a Cabinet meeting that circumcision-related studies provide evidence that the drug causes the condition when given to children. The studies, however, do no such thing.

Y lo que publicamos en español ([link removed]) (English versions are accessible in each story):
* Afirmaciones inexactas de RFK Jr. sobre el Tylenol, la circuncisión y el autismo ([link removed])
El secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., añadió más a las problemáticas afirmaciones de la administración Trump sobre el Tylenol y el autismo el 9 de octubre, al afirmar durante una reunión de gabinete que investigaciones relacionadas con la circuncisión proporcionan evidencia de que el medicamento causa autismo cuando se administra a niños. Sin embargo, los estudios no demuestran tal cosa.

* El salón de baile de Trump en la Casa Blanca genera preguntas sobre financiación y ética ([link removed])
P: ¿El presidente Donald Trump está pagando la totalidad del nuevo salón de baile de la Casa Blanca? ¿Y cuál es el costo?
R: La Casa Blanca afirmó que Trump y “otros donantes patriotas” financiarían el salón de baile, cuyo costo, según el presidente, sería de 300 millones de dólares. Hasta el momento, se han prometido 200 millones de dólares, según la Casa Blanca, que no especificó la cantidad que donaría el presidente. Líderes demócratas y expertos en ética han cuestionado el proyecto y la influencia que tendrían los donantes en las políticas federales.

* Preguntas y respuestas sobre el intento de Trump de desplegar la Guardia Nacional en Portland y Chicago ([link removed])
Si bien la retórica del presidente Donald Trump sobre Portland y Chicago se ha centrado en gran medida en el crimen en general, los despliegues de la Guardia Nacional están específicamente dirigidos a proteger las operaciones e instalaciones de inmigración federal. Aquí, desentrañaremos parte de la retórica sobre lo que está sucediendo en esas ciudades, lo que está haciendo la administración Trump y bajo qué autoridad, y lo que los tribunales han tenido que decir al respecto hasta ahora.
* RFK Jr. engaña sobre uso de antidepresivos y tiroteos escolares ([link removed])
Un día después de un tiroteo en una escuela de Minnesota, el secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., afirmó, como ya lo ha dicho antes, que ciertos antidepresivos, conocidos como ISRS (SSRIs, en inglés), “podrían estar contribuyendo a la violencia” de estos casos. Los expertos afirman que no hay evidencia directa que vincule los ISRS con los tiroteos masivos. Kennedy también afirmó falsamente que los ISRS contienen advertencias de riesgo de pensamientos homicidas.

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