A federal judge on Thursday rejected a preservationist group's request to block the Trump administration from continuing construction of a USD 400 million ballroom where it demolished the East Wing of the White House. US District Judge Richard Leon ruled that The National Trust for Historic Preservation was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its bid to temporarily halt President Donald Trump's project. Leon said the group has a better chance of success if it amended its lawsuit. "Unfortunately, because both sides initially focused on the President's constitutional authority to destruct and construct the East Wing of the White House, Plaintiff didn't bring the necessary cause of action to test the statutory authority the President claims is the basis to do this construction project without the blessing of Congress and with private funds," he wrote. The privately funded group sued for an order pausing the ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and wins ...