The Trump-aligned Kennedy Center board voted on Tuesday to close most of the iconic performing arts venue just hours after a federal judge blocked the institution from returning President Donald Trump’s name to the building.
In a social media post, Trump said the closure was needed for safety repairs. But he said the repairs, which Congress has allocated $257 million to cover, would only happen if the board was allowed to move forward with plans to add
his name to the building. A federal judge has twice said that can’t happen without the approval of Congress.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump denounced the Supreme Court after it rejected his push to restrict mail-in voting in this year’s midterm elections, saying justices who opposed him are “not the people I interviewed.” His last-minute push to empower the U.S. Postal Service to refuse to deliver ballots in states that didn’t submit a list of eligible voters was opposed by election officials, who argued that the changes weren't necessary or even possible with ballots already being mailed.
Appearing before a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, FBI Director Kash Patel defended the bureau’s loose hiring requirements regarding prostitution and bestiality. Patel said the changes were meant to protect people forced into such acts from automatic disqualification.
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The Trump administration has announced that it will impose travel bans on South African officials it believes are responsible for discrimination against white and other minority groups.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday he would revoke U.S. visas or reject visa applications from South Africans found to be responsible for, or complicit in, enacting or enforcing laws and policies that allow for uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination and the incitement of violence against minority ethnic and racial groups.
“The United States will not allow such behavior to go unchecked,” Rubio said in a statement. “These actions directly undermine peace, economic stability, and the rule of law, and they are incompatible with the pillars of America’s foreign policy.”
Rubio did not identify any officials who would be targeted.
The House has blocked Democratic Rep. Al Green’s effort to impeach President Donald Trump for the actions of federal immigration officers in the death of Renee Good, Alex Pretti and others.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and other members of his leadership team were dismissive of Green’s effort, saying impeachment requires a comprehensive investigation as well as congressional hearings. They announced beforehand they would vote present.
Republicans unanimously voted to table Green’s resolution, except for Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who voted present.
Meanwhile, the large majority of Democrats, 147, voted not to table. Nearly four dozen more voted present.
Green’s resolution says the Trump administration has encouraged and condoned “unjustified killings” by protecting the federal officers involved in the shootings and by obstructing state and local investigations.
Kevin McCarthy was the first House speaker to be booted from office, but as the 55th person to wield the gavel he’s still entitled to an official portrait.
The painting was unveiled with tributes to the former Republican leader – and an introduction by the colleague elected to replace him, Speaker Mike Johnson.
McCarthy of California said he loved every minute of his time in office, “the good days and the bad days, and I’d do it all again.”
The 49-50 vote on whether to move forward with the legislation was a pivotal election-year test for the $2.3 trillion cryptocurrency market as the industry has pushed aggressively for a uniform set of rules. The Senate debate came as cryptocurrency companies have become a major political force, and as Trump has amassed significant wealth in crypto while in office.
While some Democrats are friendly toward the industry and support the idea of regulation, they have been adamant that the bill include strong ethics safeguards to prevent the president and his family from enriching themselves while he’s in office. The opposition appears to have only solidified two months before the midterm elections, despite significant donations that crypto groups have given to some Democrats in recent years.
Blanche indicated that recent reports about rogue AI agents conducting cyberattacks were somehow leaked to hurt Republicans in November’s midterm elections.
His statements were unusual as the concerns were raised by the leading AI companies such as Anthropic, OpenAI and Google DeepMind that would profit from wider adoption of the technology.
Blanche noted that “every Democrat senator suddenly races to a microphone to talk about” the AI risks and the need for regulation “after being eerily silent for months and months and months.”
Blanche then said the timing was evidence “of this as being nothing but an effort to to influence the midterms.”
“I shouldn’t have to say that out loud, of course,” Blanche said.
He says the Supreme Court’s ruling rejecting Trump’s efforts to restrict mail ballots in the midterm elections will not impact ongoing investigations into voter fraud.
“The Supreme Court’s decision today or yesterday doesn’t affect ongoing criminal investigations into illegal voting, no,” the attorney general told reporters at a Rose Garden press briefing.
He also said the administration’s work to combat fraud will continue.
Attorney General Todd Blanche says the alleged “grand conspiracy” investigation in Florida into Trump’s perceived adversaries is continuing even after the resignation of the prosecutor who’d been leading it.
Joe diGenova, an 81-year-old former Justice Department lawyer during the Reagan administration, was brought back to government in April to lead an investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired against Trump over the last decade during their various inquiries into the Republican president.
DiGenova resigned last week. He told The New York Post that “If you want indictments where there’s no evidence, you have an ethical problem.” He made different comments later to The Associated Press.
Speaking at a White House press briefing, Blanche said that diGenova had made different comments to different news organizations. He declined to discuss his conversations with diGenova but pledged that the investigation would proceed.
Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon doesn’t always align himself with Sen. Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist from Vermont. But he said threats posed by artificial intelligence span political ideology.
“We have to rise above it,” Bannon said at the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington, a conference focused on prioritizing humans as AI develops. “This is a hinge in history.”
Bannon blasted the “arrogance” of AI leaders and warned of “oligarchs” in much the same way Sanders does regularly.
Speaking from the same stage earlier in the afternoon, Sanders called AI and robotics “the most transformational technologies in the history of the world” and said the public should have a greater say in how the industry develops.
“If the lives of every man, woman and child are going to be fundamentally changed by this technology, then the people of this country must make the decisions about AI, and not just a handful of oligarchs,” Sanders said.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said it was proper for Trump to vent about the Supreme Court decision to decline the changes that the president wanted for mail-in-voting.
“He is very frustrated,” Blanche said at the White House briefing. “He has every right and, indeed, he should communicate his concerns with the Supreme Court whenever he has them. This isn’t the first time that he’s done it, and it won’t be the last.”
Blanche said that the administration would comply with the Supreme Court.
Trump said on social media that the justices ruling against his plans for mail-in-voting were different once on the bench than when he had interviewed them as part of the nominations process.
Blanche said Trump’s complaints do not undermine the independence of the Supreme Court.
Attorney General Todd Blanche is speaking at an unusual White House press briefing.
The Justice Department has historically maintained a degree of independence from the White House, but the Trump administration has blurred those lines with Blanche saying that President Donald Trump has the right to weigh in on prosecutorial decision-making.
Blanche opened his appearance by touting the Trump administration’s efforts to combat violent crime, saying that “crime is the lowest it has been in modern history.”
He also is taking questions on a broad array of topics, including Justice Department efforts against voter fraud.
Earlier Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the Kennedy Center from returning name to the iconic performing arts venue in a move meant to recognize his renovation efforts, saying it would violate an earlier ruling that his name was illegally added to the building.
Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that, “Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing.”
The board of the Kennedy Center voted to close over financial issues and a dispute over putting President Donald Trump’s name on the iconic performing arts venue, according to people familiar with the matter. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General said in a report released Tuesday that Krome North Processing Center was 25% over its maximum capacity at a time of an unexpected visit on May 28, 2025.
There were 1,102 detainees at the facility, which had a maximum capacity of 882, the report said. It noted that the overcrowded conditions were seen in intake rooms where immigrants were waiting for more than 12 hours, and in the housing units.
“Housing detainees in crowded conditions for extended period of time jeopardizes de safe and orderly operations within the facility,” the 36-page report said. “We found several areas of non-compliance with detention standards.”
As examples it said that Krome staff did not provide the minimum required number of toilets, sinks and showers, thaw food properly or store perishable foods at required temperatures, and provide detainees with outdoor recreational equipment.
Krome is the United States’ oldest immigration detention facility and one with a long history of abuse.
The secretary of state made the call to discuss the Gulf Arab country’s efforts to salvage a U.S.-Iran ceasefire and reopen the strait.
The State Department said Tuesday that Rubio had spoken with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi to thank him for Oman’s role in trying to deescalate tensions in the Gulf. Rubio “acknowledged Oman’s important role in deescalation in the region and condemned recent Iranian attacks on commercial ships and countries in the region,” the department said in a statement.
“He reiterated the United States’ commitment to ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon and to freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz,” it said.
Oman, which has been a frequent mediator between the U.S. and Iran, had unsuccessfully tried to arrange a meeting earlier this week between Iran and Gulf Arab states to explore ways to clear the strait.
The campaign arm of U.S. House Democrats has added independent Bill Hill to its “red to blue” program, as Democrats hope to flip Alaska’s only House seat.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s move follows the state Democratic Party’s endorsement of Hill earlier this month. Hill is the main challenger facing Republican Rep. Nick Begich.
The DCCC says the program provides organization and fundraising support. But the Republican National Committee described the DCCC’s support of Hill as “ripping off Hill’s independent mask.”
Hill, a fisherman and former educator, has previously declined to say who he’d caucus with if elected. Earlier this year, he said he can work with progressives and conservatives.
“I believe I can work with all Alaskans, as long as we can have a reasonable conversation about what’s best for Alaska,” he said.
The country’s top Border Patrol official said Tuesday that plans to build a border wall through Texas’ remote Big Bend region is legal, brushing off a lawsuit filed to stop the project.
“We remain confident in our legal authorities and committed to securing the ENTIRE border while preserving the unique landscape of the Big Bend region,” Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement. “We cannot allow any region—including Big Bend—to be exploited again.”
The lawsuit, filed Monday by landowners and a nonprofit, argues that the government’s own statistics show the region sees few illegal crossings, and that the $46 billion effort, which includes a collection of three-story steel walls, vehicle barriers, and detection technology, are a particular threat to Big Bend National Park.
The park’s remote, rugged location, steep canyon walls and clear night skies attract visitors from around the world.
Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that, “Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing.”
The Trump-aligned board at the Kennedy Center voted in August to inscribe the president’s name on the venue’s facade so it would read “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.”
If the Trump Kennedy Center Fund reached $100 million, another inscription would be added reading: “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.”
The plaza in front of the Kennedy Center would have also been renamed in Trump’s honor, as part of the board’s vote.
The renegade Republican lawmaker is presenting the longshot resolution against the defense secretary on the floor of the House, potentially forcing a vote within days.
Massie said Hegseth abused his powers by deploying the U.S. military in the war against Iran without seeking congressional approval under the War Powers Act. He said these are “unlawful orders” and “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
While the House under control by Republicans is not expected to approve the resolution, it would put lawmakers on record over Hegseth’s leadership and the now seven-month war.
The State Department on Tuesday notified Congress that it will reprogram $52 million in foreign military financing, known as FMF, from Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia, and Iraq to Panama, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Colombia, Ecuador and Peru just last week and pledged additional support to them as the administration has prioritized the Western Hemisphere in its foreign policy with an emphasis on combatting drug trafficking and illegal immigration.
“Mr. Patel is the least qualified and most partisan FBI director in our nation’s history,” Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the judiciary committee, said in his opening statement at Tuesday’s hearing. He accused the FBI director of wielding the bureau’s law enforcement powers to seek retribution against Trump’s political opponents and pursue the president’s grievances, including his false claims that the 2020 election he lost was stolen.
Patel has made multiple appearances before Congress as FBI director. This is his first since last September before the bureau’s oversight committee. That hearing featured feisty and personal exchanges with Democrats, with Patel at one point shouting over Sen. Adam Schiff of California as he called him an “utter disgrace” and a “coward.”
“You can make an internet troll the FBI director, but he will always be an internet troll,” Schiff shot back.
Both Democratic nominee for Senate Abdul El-Sayed and United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain adopted anti-corporation rhetoric as they spoke to more than 200 union members at their first community action conference since 2018, an effort to revive the UAW’s political relevancy in Michigan.
“There are only two sides on this fight, only two. There’s the rich and there’s everybody else,” Fain said. “We ain’t the rich.”
El-Sayed referenced his father’s work as an automotive engineer, criticized stock buybacks and said investments are needed in both combustion and electric vehicles. He also said the U.S.’s trade relationships needed a revamp. He called the USMCA a terrible deal, but said Trump’s erratic tariff policies were not the best way forward for the auto industry.
“We’re going to need smart tariffs to protect our market,” said El-Sayed, who has the UAW’s endorsement in his race against Republican Mike Rogers.
Johnson said he has been speaking to Trump, including late Monday, about gathering industry leaders to address public concerns.
“So all the big names you know, I think within the next week, we’ll be together,” he said.
The speaker blamed AI fears on the media and Democratic lawmakers who he said “are all spun up” about the technology.
“We’ve seen this movie before,” Johnson said, comparing doomsday fears about AI to warnings about climate change.
The U.S. military says it has opened fire and destroyed two Iranian boats whose crews were trying to steal a drone ship in the waters off Iran.
“Iranian small boats recently attempted to take possession of a U.S. unmanned surface vessel, but they were unsuccessful after CENTCOM forcefully responded,” Capt. Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesman, said Tuesday.
Iranian state media reported Monday that a pair of fishing boats came under attack in Hormozgan province on Iran’s southern coast and that several fishermen were reported missing, citing a provincial official.
Hawkins said the drone involved is a “Saildrone” — a small, roughly 25-foot (8-meter) craft — that can operate by itself. U.S. Central Command has been using them in the region for several years to surveil maritime traffic.
Hawkins said all of the command’s surface drones “remain fully accounted for.”
President Trump’s new White House helipad appears complete. Photos taken by The Associated Press on Tuesday show workers putting the final touches on the black-and-white landing pad, fashioned to look like a presidential seal.
In a post on Truth Social Monday, Trump said the new "Heliport Landing Zone” on the South Lawn “is magnificently made of carved granite in shades of Black and White” and is “truly a work of art” as well as “essentially indestructible.”
The helipad is just the latest stamp that Trump, a former builder, is putting on the White House during his second term, from decorating the Oval Office with gold — and more gold — to knocking down the East Wing to construct a ballroom.
He claims that before he began the alterations, the White House “was a badly maintained ‘dump.’ Now, it is a Palace!”
