The Kennedy Center Gets Its Name Back

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Amid the daily carnage of American norms and traditions, it is easy to miss the moments when those institutions — battered and wheezing — actually prevail. Today is one such day.

The iconic performing arts center in Washington, D.C., will once again be known as the Kennedy Center. A federal judge rejected Trump’s attempt to rename it the Trump Kennedy Center, writing that “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name and only Congress can change it.”

In January 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the John F. Kennedy Center Act, after Congress designated the center a “living memorial” to Kennedy through ongoing creativity. It opened in 1971 with a piece composed by Leonard Bernstein. At the time, Ted Kennedy said that “to really serve his memory [it] has to be available to the people and exhibit the best in American culture.”

Trump is backing down — though, naturally, not in silence. In a Truth Social post, he railed against the judge, the financial state of the Kennedy Center, and the apparent civic tragedy of rejecting his effort to turn it into a “Great and Prestigious WINNER for Washington DC.” Here’s the important part: He relented, writing, “We are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it.”

Maria Shriver noted that today was JFK’s birthday and called the decision “a great birthday gift.”

In today’s newsletter: Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund hits a wall in court. Pam Bondi delegated her answers about the Epstein files. The Treasury’s living president problem. Alito has a pattern. The guest list for Trump’s UFC fight has a weight limit. America’s 250th has a lot of missing performers. What’s inside an ICE detention center, the administration doesn’t want officials to see?

And this weekend, something rare in the sky that’s not exactly what it promises to be.

Breaking: A federal judgereopened Trump’s lawsuitagainst the IRS, the one he settled with the DOJ to create his $1.8 billion slush fund. The court said it willinvestigate“grievous allegations” that the settlement the president reached with the IRS was “premised on deception” — and that the court was a “victim of a fraud.”Slush Fund, Frozen: Trump’sunprecedentedslush fund is facing challenges on other fronts, too. A separate judgetemporarily blockedthe fund while a lawsuit over it proceeds. She wrote that theunusually urgent moveis necessary to prevent funds from being “irreversibly disbursed.” One of the people who brought thelawsuitis a former federal prosecutor who pursued Jan 6 cases and was dismissed by the Trump administration last year. Heargues that the administration isillegally trying to “rush money out the door to perceived political allies, while treating me and people like me as disfavored enemies.” In California, Gavin Newsomannounced that the statewill “tax 100%” of any money residents receive from the fund. (One way to reclaim funds Californiapays to the federal government, but doesn’t get backin federal support.) Lawmakers in other blue states, including New York, Illinois, and New Jersey, areconsidering doing the same.Wider Retribution: The Justice Department isinvestigating a nonprofitfounded by Democratic megadonor Reid Hoffman that helped fund E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit against Trump. That lawsuitresulted in a jury finding Trump liablefor sexual abuse and defamation. Hoffmanfired back, calling the investigation “an attempt to turn solidarity and support into a crime.” Officials arereportedly also examining whether Carroll committed perjurywhen she testified that nobody was helping her pay her legal fees. When an appeals courtupheld the verdict against Trump, itnoted there was no evidenceCarroll was involved with securing the funding or interacted with the funder, and that she had “plausibly represented that she had forgotten about” it. Trump asked the Supreme Court to overturn the verdict; this week itdeferred its decision for the twelfth time. “Trump cannot be allowed to use the full weight and power of the US Government to come after women who speak up,”𝕏Hoffman wrote. “Trump hopes that these fraudulent investigations will silence those who stand up to him. He is wrong. I will not bend the knee.” Read Hoffman’s full statementhere. As a reminder it is not illegal for donors to pay your legal fees,as Trump himself can attest. His team reportedlydirected $100 million in donor fundstoward legal defense for himself and allies.

The $250 Question: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed theTreasury Department has prepared designsfor a $250 bill featuring Trump, before Congress has approved it. Bessent said hedoesn’t think there is“anything untoward” about the idea, and acknowledged itwould only go forward with congressional approval. A federal law hasprohibited living people from being depictedon US currency since 1866.Why So Secretive: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s son, Philip, has beenquietly working as an attorney-adviserfor the Treasury Department. A former officialtold NOTUS“there’s no doubt he got that position because of who he is.” Philip’s appointment was kept as “a closely guarded secret” — until now. Meanwhile, Justice Alito has not recused himself from cases involving the Treasury department. That includes the high stakes tariffs case, in whichAlito dissentedand ruled in Trump’s favor. The Court may also be asked to determine the legality of Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund. When asked whether Alito should recuse himself from cases involving his department, Treasury SecretaryBessent insistedhe is confident the Justice “follows all legal and ethical guidelines,” and said the Treasury does the same. The Supreme Court is theone bench not required to follow strict,enforceable ethics rules(Alitoclaimed it would be unconstitutionalfor Congress to impose them). Instead, Justices are encouraged to do so based on the honor system.Course of Conduct: Justice Alito has ahistory of controversies, includingapparent conflicts of interest. Just one example: Last year hecalled Trump personally to recommenda former clerk for a job in the administration. Hours later Trump asked the Supreme Court tointervene in his criminal hush money case. The Court refused.Alito dissented.

Inhumane: New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrillestablished a protected peaceful protest zoneoutside Delaney Hall migrant detention center after ICE agents arrested several protestors. Sherrill called on agents, who have deployed pepper spray against protestorsand a lawmaker, to “act humanely.” Advocacy groups and family members say hundreds of detainees inside areon a hunger strike for basic human rights. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) said detainees were given meagre portions of food that “very often” contained maggots. Multiple lawmakers whoconducted an inspection this weekcondemned the “inhumane” conditions in the facility and called for its closure. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrillwas not allowed inside. Sherrillsaid the facilityalso “denied full access” tostate health department officials, which she warned “raises serious questions about what ICE is trying to hide from public view.” The city of Newark issuing the private contractorrunning the facility, GEO group, whichrecently confirmedstaff used “chemical agents” on detainees. DHSdenied the hunger strike and dismissed allegations of abuseas political attacks. “We’re giving them the calories they want,” DHS SecretaryMarkwayne Mullin said. “This isn’t Holiday Inn. We’re giving them sanitation.” Trumpdismissed the protestorsas “fake” and “paid for”and said“there’s nobody that runs a facility like we do.”Facing Justice: ICE agent Christian Castrowas arrested in Texas. He’s charged withshooting a Venezuelan man during the crackdown in Minnesotaand filing a false police report. Morehere.Cruel: A federal judgeordered the Trump administration to releasea pregnant woman and her young child from a “windowless room” in Washington Dulles airport, where they have been held for more than a week. Immigration officials, her lawyers allege, denied repeated requests for more food and didn’t let the family shower — until the woman agreed to drop her asylum request and be deported. She and her child will now return home to Ghana.

Sad State of Affairs: The Trump-created nonprofit Freedom 250announced nine featured artiststo perform at The Great American State Fair,a celebration ofAmerica’s 250th anniversary on the National Mall.At least seven of those artistsdropped out within 48 hours. Onecalled the nonprofit’s claim of nonpartisanship“misleading.” Anotherdismissed their supposed participationas a “rumor.” The lineup, at this point, exists mainly as a concept. One remaining headliner is the infamous Milli Vanilli — just𝕏without the original studio vocalists, who say theyweren’t asked, and without Rob Pilatus, one half of the pop duo. Pilatus has beendead for more than a quarter century.

Keep reading to find out…

What Pam Bondi said (and refused to say) about the Epstein filesThe cost, consequences, and effect on cocaine of the Trump administration’s strikes on small boatsWhy Iran and the US are trading strikes while supposedly striking a dealThe nail-biting, record-breaking saga of this year’s National Spelling BeeHow to witness a once-in-a-blue-moon astronomical event (literally)

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