The so-called Department of Government Efficiency, a project that President Donald Trump’s administration touted as the flagship endeavor in its “war on waste,” has generated $21.7 billion in waste since its launch, Democrats claimed in a new report Thursday.

The staggering figure comes from Democrats on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, spearheaded by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), who released their findings in a 55-page report on losses accrued by DOGE, the brainchild of Trump and his billionaire friend-turned-enemy Elon Musk.

The results, the Democrats say, are the unsurprising outcome of a tech CEO with zero government experience taking charge of a massive federal spending overhaul, promising it was “going to be a revolution.”

“By prioritizing disruption over governance and failing to identify solutions for any of the problems it purported to solve, DOGE has created its own forms of waste,” the report stated.

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Construction is set to begin in September on a new ballroom inside the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Thursday.

The $200 million ballroom will be built adjacent to the White House where the East Wing sits. Leavitt said the East Wing will be “modernized,” with offices in that area relocated during construction.

The cost of the project will be covered by President Trump and other donors, the White House said.

“The White House state ballroom will be a much needed and exquisite addition of 90,000 square feet,” Leavitt said, adding that it would have a seated capacity of 650 people and would eliminate the need for a “large and unsightly tent” to host state dinners and other large events.

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Brown University on Wednesday announced a deal with the Trump administration to regain access to federal research funding and end investigations into alleged discrimination.

The Ivy League school agreed to pay $50 million to workforce development organizations in Rhode Island over 10 years as part of the agreement, along with other concessions in line with President Donald Trump’s political agenda. Brown will adopt the government’s definition of “male” and “female,” for example, and must remove any consideration of race from the admissions process.

Brown President Christina H. Paxson said the deal preserves Brown’s academic independence. The terms include a clause saying the government cannot dictate curriculum or the content of academic speech at Brown.

“The University’s foremost priority throughout discussions with the government was remaining true to our academic mission, our core values and who we are as a community at Brown,” Paxson wrote.

The three-year deal has numerous similarities with one signed last week by Columbia University that the government called a roadmap for other universities. Unlike that agreement, however, Brown’s does not include an outside monitor.

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"South Park" isn't finished with President Donald Trump.

The Comedy Central show has dropped a trailer for its next episode, which suggests the series will continue mocking Trump after making waves for going after him in its Season 27 premiere.

The 20-second trailer includes a shot of Trump attending a dinner, where he is sitting at a table with Satan. As a speaker is heard talking about honoring Trump's courage, the president rubs Satan's leg under the table, and Satan tells him to stop.

It's unclear whether this scene will appear in the next episode, airing Aug. 6, or whether it was created solely for the trailer. "South Park" is notorious for not having episodes finished until soon before they air, and during a Comic-Con panel last week, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone acknowledged they created scenes just to use in a trailer for Season 27.

But the trailer at least implies that Trump and his relationship with Satan will be a continuing storyline throughout the season, rather than a one-off plot.

In its Season 27 premiere, which aired on July 23, "South Park" skewered Trump and showed him literally getting into bed with Satan. He was animated using real photos of the president placed on an animated body, a parody almost identical to the way the show's 1999 movie depicted Saddam Hussein.

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