FiveStack LIVE: Trump’s Palace, America’s Pain: Jobs Stall, Iran Escalates, Tillis Breaks Ranks—and a Reckoning at Cornell

Donald Trump is reshaping the White House while the American labor market slows. September brought just 29,000 new jobs. On this FiveStack, those two stories bookend a countdown about what power protects—and who absorbs the cost.

Between them: a new prosecutor in the Cornell sexual-assault investigation, a Republican senator’s private rebuke of Trump, and another military deployment toward the Middle East. Together, they put accountability at the center of the month before the midterms.

Anne P. Mitchell and Lev Parnas join Zev Shalev for a discussion that refuses to treat an election result as the end of the struggle. They disagree about Trump’s next move. They agree that the public needs to understand what is happening and prepare to defend its rights. Dean returns next week.

5️⃣ The People’s House—or Trump’s palace?

Trump says he is exploring federal-landmark status for the Oval Office. [The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/01/trump-says-secret-service-wants-him-take-down-oval-office/) reports his remarks. Separately, a federal panel has approved the final design and building plans for an underground White House visitor-screening facility.

The show asks what these projects reveal about Trump’s priorities. Zev describes the accumulating construction as a presidential palace; Lev reads it as a statement about Trump’s desire to remain in power. Those are the panel’s interpretations, not proof of a plan to demolish the remaining White House or stay beyond his term.

Anne’s response is to keep the focus on resistance: presidential ambition does not guarantee presidential success. Courts, election officials and voters still have decisions to make.

4️⃣ Cornell: the investigation changes hands

Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Attorney General Letitia James’s office as special prosecutor to investigate the alleged October 2024 sexual assault at Cornell. James confirmed the appointment on October 1.

A former student’s civil lawsuit alleges that members of the Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted her. The appointment follows criticism of the original handling of her allegations. The allegations remain allegations; a new investigation must establish the facts.

For the panel, the issue reaches beyond one campus. Who gets heard when someone reports sexual violence? Who takes responsibility when institutions fail to act? Anne discusses Hochul’s call to address intoxication and consent in state law. Lev calls on men with influence to