00:02President Trump's plans for a massive triumphal arch in Washington just hit a major roadblock.
00:07A federal judge has blocked construction less than two hours after the project won final approval.
00:13Last night, Judge Tanya Chutkin ordered a 14-day halt to any construction work,
00:18siding with D.C. and Virginia officials who argue the project lacks proper authorization
00:22and will cause major traffic disruptions. The ruling came shortly after a federal planning
00:28commission approved the arch in an eight to four vote, despite hours of opposition from
00:33veterans and other critics. The 250-foot structure would stand between the Lincoln Memorial and
00:38Arlington National Cemetery, towering over even Paris' Arc de Triomphe, and the legal fight is
00:44far from over. Three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian have also sued to stop
00:50the project. Trump also signed a proclamation Thursday designating the Oval Office and Cabinet
00:56room as a national monument. He says the move will protect the historic spaces from being
01:00altered or destroyed by future presidents. It won't be able to be taken down, destroyed,
01:07touched, or anything else. It's called actually a national monument. It's a federal landmark.
01:14And when completed and when we get the documentation fully done and legally binding,
01:22it'll make it impossible for anybody ever to destroy this incredible space.
01:27But the proclamation doesn't go nearly that far. Future presidents can still redecorate the rooms and
01:32could reverse the designation entirely. In fact, Trump himself has reversed national monument designations
01:38made by his predecessors.
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