The New York TIMES and other media are reporting tonight that President Trump’s plan to add an expansive ballroom to the White House will mean the demolition of the entire East Wing, which was expected to be fully torn down by this weekend, according to a senior administration official.
Trump had pledged that the East Wing would not be touched by the construction, one of the largest renovations to the building in decades even before the change in plans. Read more ›
As part of a legal settlement reached last month with Trump, Alphabet, which owns YouTube, is contributing $22 million toward Trump’s White House construction plans. Trump sued the tech giant after it suspended his YouTube channel for two years, following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Images showing demolition work on the East Wing to make way for the ballroom have sparked scrutiny this week and renewed the question over who’s paying for the estimated $250 million, 90,000-square-foot addition.
According to court filings in Oakland, California, Alphabet’s contribution, which accounts for roughly 10% of the total projected cost, will be made on Trump’s behalf to the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit entity dedicated to restoring and preserving the National Mall.
“The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly,” Trump said Monday on his social media platform Truth Social.
The Melancholy of Halloween: Why Halloween 4 and Halloween 3 Still Make us Glow!
There are certain things about Halloween that never quite leave you. When you’re younger, it might be a family party, trick-or-treat night, or the excitement of dressing up for school. Maybe it’s the sound of leaves scraping across the pavement, or the cool autumn wind beneath a sky that can’t decide whether it’s sunny or gray.
It’s melancholy. It’s nostalgic. It’s Halloween.
And for many of us, two particular Halloween movies bring that feeling back stronger than anything else. Not because of scares or kills.. not even the music, despite that setting a certain tone to the films.
Maybe you’re one of those people .. maybe you feel it too.
The Opening of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
The fourth installment movie begins not with screams or murders, but with a quiet, haunting montage of rural Americana. There’s no Haddonfield, Illinois because that town doesn’t exist .. but the landscape during the opening scene of the film feels like it could be anywhere in your back yard or field nearby. In this case it was actually filmed in Corinne Utah..
Cornfields. A lone scarecrow. A rusted fence line. A jack-o’-lantern sitting in the dusk. All of it set to Alan Howarth’s mournful score and the sound of wind whispering through half-bare trees.
I promise you cannot watch this and NOT feel it in your bones…
Before Michael Myers even appears, the tone is already perfect. It’s not about the horror — it’s about the feeling. That sense of October. That moment when daylight fades a little too early, and you can smell the wood smoke in the air. For many fans, that opening sequence is Halloween. It captures the essence of the season better than any pumpkin-spice latte or store-bought decoration ever could.
The Beauty Within Halloween 3: Season of the Witch
Then there’s Halloween 3: Season of the Witch — the most debated entry in the franchise. Some fans love it. Others can’t stand that it doesn’t feature Michael Myers. But beyond its odd plot about a mask-maker’s deadly plan, there’s something poetic hidden in the chaos.
As the Silver Shamrock jingle plays and the movie cuts to shots of kids across America — trick-or-treating, laughing, wearing those creepy masks — it taps into something universal. For a few brief moments, the film isn’t about terror at all; it’s about childhood, innocence, and the fragile glow of Halloween night.
And then, there’s that breathtaking final image: three silhouettes walking into the orange-gold horizon, the sun setting behind them. For a film so divisive, that single scene is pure cinematic beauty — a quiet, haunting symbol of the season itself.
Nostalgia in the Shadows
We all have our own movies that summon that peculiar Halloween nostalgia — the ones that make us feel ten years old again for just a moment. But for many of us, it’s these two films — and these two scenes in particular — that stir something deeper.
I don’t know if movie makers envisioned it.. but beneath the Shatner mask and the famed John Carpenter music, Halloween has always been about more than fear. It’s about the passage of time, the changing light, the melancholy of autumn itself. Samhain….
So as the season of the witch arrives once more .. Don’t forget to be in front of your television set for the big giveaway.
The website Bloody Disgusting has recently showcased a fan-made Halloween movie titled Halloween: Aftermath. The setting falls between Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, filling in that eerie gap of time in the saga.
At the time of this writing, the film has already pulled in well over a hundred thousand views on YouTube. Clocking in at 135 minutes, it’s not a short watch — but for die-hard Michael Myers fans, that might just be a good thing.
The story is set in October 2020, when Michael Myers has once again vanished. A lucky survivor of the 2018 massacre is trying to heal and move on, unaware that the voices — and the evil — still linger nearby. The film was produced by A63 Pictures and GrimNox Productions, with James Grim directing from a script by Cole Tatham.
Grim recently posted on Facebook about his film getting attention from one of the biggest horror sites in the world, calling it both surreal and exciting. But with that attention comes judgment — and the horror fandom has plenty of opinions.
Many viewers have criticized the movie for being a little slow or drawn out, while others praise it for its high production quality, especially for a fan-made project. Even critics admit that, visually and technically, it’s a level above the average YouTube fan film.
What everyone seems to agree on, however, is just how divisive Halloween Ends remains. Few films in the franchise have sparked as much frustration as that one — and comments under Aftermath echo the same sentiment.
Over time, perceptions of other Halloween entries have shifted (Halloween III went from hated to beloved, and Halloween 4 and 5 have both found new appreciation). But it’s hard to imagine Halloween Ends getting that same redemption arc anytime soon — many fans still find it to be a disappointing finale.
As for Aftermath, some viewers have noted that while it captures the atmosphere and charm of a classic Halloween movie, the long runtime and slower dialogue sequences may test patience. Still, considering this is a fan-made feature that feels remarkably professional, credit where credit is due: James Grim and his team delivered something ambitious, bold, and worth talking about.You can watch Halloween: Aftermath for yourself on YouTube — and decide whether two hours and fifteen minutes with Michael Myers is worth your time.
