The first architect on Trump's White House ballroom quit after warning the design was unsafe, a bad sign for how the project is being managed.

• The architect withdrew last October after saying the plans lacked enough emergency exits and fire protection.
• Trump waved off the warnings, saying no building codes apply to White House construction — "I am the code."
• The work is being routed through the executive residence, a tiny office exempt from the rules that bind federal agencies.
• Early designs also skimped on bathrooms for the building's maximum crowd size.
• Meanwhile gas sits near $4.50, Trump has threatened Iran, and Iran calls the threats a sign of desperation while floating conditions for reopening talks.

Outlook: More details of the ballroom's design fight are likely to surface, and polling now shows Democrats leading Republicans by double digits heading into the midterms with Trump's approval near 39%.