Daily Headlines: Arts Judge orders Kennedy Center renovation plans turned over to Democratic board member before Monday closure vote after calling administration secrecy “preposterous.” March 15, 2026 View Details Grenell steps down as Kennedy Center president, replaced by facilities VP Trump has been calling personally to discuss paint colors, seating, and marble. March 14, 2026 View Details Rep. Beatty accused Trump of excluding her from a Kennedy Center board meeting in a court filing, then found the invitation in her email spam folder. March 13, 2026 View Details National Symphony Orchestra’s executive director quits the Kennedy Center, blaming 50% attendance drops, artist cancellations, and the opera company’s departure over Trump’s takeover. March 7, 2026 View Details San Francisco Ballet cancels Kennedy Center performances, the most prominent dance company yet to withdraw from Trump’s takeover of the institution. March 2, 2026 View Details Radiohead demands ICE remove its song from anti-immigrant propaganda video and tells Department of Homeland Security to “go fuck yourselves.” February 28, 2026 View Details Trump settles copyright lawsuit with Isaac Hayes estate over unauthorized use of “Hold On, I’m Coming” at least 133 times at campaign rallies. February 24, 2026 View Details U.S. women’s hockey team declines Trump’s State of the Union invitation, one day after he told the men’s team he’d “be impeached” if he didn’t invite them. February 24, 2026 View Details Trump-appointed Fine Arts Commission unanimously approves White House ballroom after receiving 2,000 public comments that were “over 99%” in opposition. February 20, 2026 View Details Trump appoints his 26-year-old assistant to the arts commission set to vote Thursday on advancing his controversial White House ballroom project. February 18, 2026 View Details Los Angeles Mayor Bass calls on LA28 Olympics chair Casey Wasserman to resign over Epstein-related emails with Ghislaine Maxwell after board voted to keep him. February 17, 2026 View Details University of North Texas silently removes an art exhibit critical of ICE, covering its windows and erasing it from university channels without explanation to the artist, students or faculty. February 14, 2026 View Details Trump calls Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance “an affront to the Greatness of America,” criticizing the Puerto Rican singer’s use of Spanish. February 9, 2026 View Details Trump plans to install reconstructed Columbus statue at White House, rebuilt from pieces protesters dumped in Baltimore harbor in 2020. February 5, 2026 View Details Trump says Kennedy Center will close for two years for $200 million renovation, won’t be demolished, after his board added his name and overhauled programming. February 3, 2026 View Details Trump announces two-year closure of Kennedy Center starting July 4 after firing its board, renaming it for himself, and installing allies who approved $257 million renovation. February 2, 2026 View Details Kennedy Center lists no Black History Month events for the first time after Trump-installed board renamed venue, drove out artists and lost its programming chief in under two weeks. February 1, 2026 View Details Trump pushes for 250-foot permanent triumphal arch near the Potomac that would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial and obstruct views of Arlington National Cemetery. February 1, 2026 View Details Kennedy Center’s new programming chief resigns less than two weeks after Grenell announced his hire to “expand commonsense programming.” January 29, 2026 View Details Bruce Springsteen releases “Streets of Minneapolis” four days after Pretti killing, calling out “King Trump’s private army” and naming Miller and Noem in lyrics. January 29, 2026 View Details Philip Glass withdraws premiere of his Lincoln symphony from the Kennedy Center, citing “direct conflict” between the work’s values and the venue under Trump’s leadership. January 28, 2026 View Details Trump blames Kennedy Center’s “massive deficits” on prior leadership nearly a year after his takeover drove ticket sales to three-year low and ended the Washington National Opera’s 50-year residency. January 27, 2026 View Details Soprano Renée Fleming cancels National Symphony Orchestra concert at Kennedy Center, the latest artist to withdraw after board added Trump’s name to venue built to honor JFK. January 24, 2026 View Details Ten-foot replica of Trump’s alleged birthday message to Jeffrey Epstein appears on National Mall, permitted through Friday, as DOJ has released less than 1% of Epstein files. January 21, 2026 View Details Trump says he will sign executive order giving Army-Navy football game an exclusive television window that would block competing playoff games. January 19, 2026 View Details Trump appointed the architect he hired to design the White House ballroom to the Commission of Fine Arts, which will now review and approve the $400 million project. January 17, 2026 View Details Smithsonian submits more exhibit documents to White House after administration demanded lists of all displays, objects, and wall text ahead of 250th anniversary. January 14, 2026 View Details PBS shuts down weekend newscasts after Congress cut $1.1 billion in public broadcasting funding, replacing breaking news coverage with pre-taped single-topic shows. January 13, 2026 View Details Smithsonian replaces Trump portrait at National Portrait Gallery and removes text about his two impeachments and January 6; Clinton’s impeachment text remains. January 11, 2026 View Details Washington National Opera announces departure from Kennedy Center after 54 years, citing declining attendance and donations following Trump’s takeover and renaming. January 10, 2026 View Details Grammy-nominated artist Sonia De Los Santos cancels Kennedy Center children’s concerts, joining growing list of performers refusing to appear at Trump-chaired venue. January 9, 2026 View Details 19-time Grammy winner Béla Fleck withdraws from three Kennedy Center concerts with National Symphony Orchestra, joining growing artist boycott over Trump name addition. January 7, 2026 View Details Corporation for Public Broadcasting board votes to dissolve 59-year-old organization five months after Congress clawed back $1.1 billion in allocated funds. January 6, 2026 View Details Stephen Schwartz, who performed at the Kennedy Center’s 1971 opening, says he will not appear at planned May opera gala after board voted to add Trump’s name to the venue. January 3, 2026 View Details Trump moves to reconstitute Commission of Fine Arts with loyalists months after firing all six Biden holdovers, as panel faces reviews of his ballroom and triumphal arch. January 2, 2026 View Details Trump says construction of his “Triumphal Arch” will begin within two months on federally protected land near the Lincoln Memorial, bypassing all legal requirements that took the Women’s Suffrage Monument years to complete. January 1, 2026 View Details Kennedy Center revised bylaws in May to strip congressional trustees of voting rights, months before Trump appointees “unanimously” voted to add his name to the building. January 1, 2026 View Details Trump shares MAGA posts mocking Kennedy family on Truth Social hours after JFK’s granddaughter Tatiana Schlossberg died at 35 from leukemia. December 31, 2025 View Details Jazz supergroup The Cookers cancels Kennedy Center New Year’s Eve shows, with saxophonist citing “overt racism” as subscription rates fall 50% below projections. December 30, 2025 View Details Trump previews marble armrests for Kennedy Center, calling them “unlike anything ever done or seen before,” while lawsuit challenges disputed unanimous vote to add his name. December 28, 2025 View Details Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell threatens $1 million lawsuit against jazz musician who canceled 19-year Christmas Eve concert tradition after Trump’s name was added to building. December 27, 2025 View Details Jazz musician cancels 19-year Christmas Eve concert tradition at Kennedy Center days after Trump’s handpicked board added president’s name to JFK memorial. December 25, 2025 View Details Trump threatens to withhold Smithsonian funding unless it surrenders internal records and presents a “positive view of American history,” third escalation since March. December 21, 2025 View Details Workers add Trump’s name to Kennedy Center façade despite legal experts saying the name, established by Act of Congress in 1964, cannot be changed without Congressional action. December 20, 2025 View Details Trump announces “Patriot Games,” a four-day high school athletics competition where each state sends one male and one female athlete to compete for the nation’s 250th birthday. December 19, 2025 View Details Kennedy Center board Trump installed after firing all members votes to add his name to facility, but Congress must approve and ticket sales are down 50%. December 19, 2025 View Details Jared Kushner exits Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery bid one day after withdrawing from Trump hotel deal in Serbia, as foreign investor scrutiny intensifies. December 17, 2025 View Details Capitol unveils statue of Barbara Rose Johns, the 16-year-old who led 1951 school strike that became part of Brown v. Board, replacing Robert E. Lee after 111 years. December 16, 2025 View Details Arkansas public television votes to disaffiliate from PBS after Corporation for Public Broadcasting lost federal funding this summer, projecting $6 million deficit by 2030 without separation. December 12, 2025 View Details Trump signals he will be “involved” in decision on $82.7 billion Netflix acquisition of Warner Bros., citing “big market share” concerns days after meeting with Netflix CEO. December 8, 2025 View Details Trump wore tuxedo in Oval Office Saturday to present new Tiffany-designed medals replacing 47-year-old Kennedy Center ribbons, will become first president to host gala Sunday. December 7, 2025 View Details Institute of Museum and Library Services reinstates all terminated grants after federal judge ruled Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle the agency was unlawful, reversing months of frozen funding. December 5, 2025 View Details GSA agrees not to paint 137-year-old Eisenhower Executive Office Building before 2026 after preservation groups sue, three days after Trump called the National Historic Landmark “ugly” and said “gray is for funerals.” November 20, 2025 View Details DC Preservation League sues Trump over plan to paint 137-year-old Eisenhower building white, alleging violations of historic preservation laws and risk of permanent moisture damage to National Historic Landmark. November 15, 2025 View Details Trump-Epstein statue depicting pair holding hands returns to display outside DC restaurant after Park Police removed it from National Mall. November 14, 2025 View Details Trump convinces FIFA to use federally-funded Kennedy Center for free for three weeks, displacing National Symphony Orchestra performances as venue already faces ticket sales decline under his leadership. November 14, 2025 View Details Trump admits he could have built White House ballroom without destroying East Wing but chose demolition because historic structure “looked like hell” after renovations. November 11, 2025 View Details Kennedy Center ticket sales collapse to 43% unsold after Trump takeover as board chair promising to “make it hot again” and eliminate “woke” programming. November 1, 2025 View Details National Park Service reinstalls Confederate general Albert Pike statue in DC’s Judiciary Square after protesters toppled and burned it on Juneteenth 2020, following Trump executive order on “restoring truth.” October 29, 2025 View Details White House fires all six members of US Commission on Fine Arts one week after demolishing East Wing for $300 million ballroom, before commission could advise on design. October 29, 2025 View Details The National Symphony Orchestra now opens all performances with the national anthem at Richard Grenell’s direction after Trump made himself Kennedy Center chairman and purged the formerly bipartisan board. October 24, 2025 View Details Smithsonian museums, research centers and National Zoo close on shutdown’s 12th day after exhausting prior-year funding used to remain open. October 13, 2025 View Details Trump posts artist’s rendering of planned triumphal arch near Lincoln Memorial in early Saturday social media post, drawing comparisons to Nazi architect Albert Speer’s unbuilt design. October 12, 2025 View Details Wyoming librarian fired after refusing to remove LGBTQ+ books and defending Pride Month wins $700,000 settlement from Campbell County after nearly 30 years of service. October 9, 2025 View Details Country star and fourth-generation Navy vet Zach Bryan says song snippet criticizing ICE and police was “misconstrued” after White House denounced lyrics and Homeland Security official told him to “stick to Pink Skies.” October 8, 2025 View Details Statue depicting Trump and Epstein holding hands returns to National Mall after activists repair damage from removal and obtain new permit from ranger defying Deputy Director’s order to ban the group permanently. October 3, 2025 View Details Trump dismisses 22 of 26 National Council on the Humanities members, keeping only his own appointees one month after federal judge ruled his grant terminations unlawful. October 2, 2025 View Details U.S. Park Police remove a Trump-Epstein protest statue from the National Mall one day after it appeared, offering a vague justification. September 25, 2025 View Details Trump continues using White House decor to settle political scores by substituting a picture of an autopen for former President Biden’s portrait. September 25, 2025 View Details A statue depicting Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands and skipping appears on the National Mall, contradicting the president’s denials of their relationship. September 24, 2025 View Details Sinclair will pre-empt Jimmy Kimmel’s return on its more than 35 affiliate stations despite ABC’s decision to reinstate the show. September 23, 2025 View Details Disney reinstates Jimmy Kimmel six days after suspending him under pressure from the FCC chair and following a free speech protest led by the ACLU. September 23, 2025 View Details ABC will pay the crew of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ two days after pulling the show over Kimmel’s refusal to apologize for political commentary. September 20, 2025 View Details Disney’s ABC pulls ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after major station owner Nexstar Media and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr pressured the network over the host’s commentary on Charlie Kirk’s murder. September 18, 2025 View Details Trump says he is increasing the size of the new $200 million White House ballroom by nearly 40 percent. September 14, 2025 View Details Trump celebrates a West Point alumni group’s cancellation of an award for Tom Hanks days after the group faced increased administration scrutiny. September 9, 2025 View Details A West Point alumni group abruptly cancels an award for Tom Hanks, a Biden supporter lauded for his military films, citing a need to prepare officers for war. September 7, 2025 View Details The Smithsonian’s leader asserts the institution’s independence while forming an internal team to review the White House’s concerns. September 5, 2025 View Details President Trump is exploring a federal takeover of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, an institution chaired by his political rival Michael Bloomberg. September 5, 2025 View Details After publicly attacking the Smithsonian’s art and calling its chief a ‘rabid partisan,’ Trump held what the White House described as a cordial lunch with him. August 30, 2025 View Details Trump orders federal building design to default to classical architecture, extending his control over government aesthetics and requiring White House review of other designs. August 29, 2025 View Details After golfing with Roger Clemens, Trump demands the accused steroid user be put in the Baseball Hall of Fame, ignoring that MLB has no control over it. August 25, 2025 View Details Kennedy Center eliminates dance programming team after union organizers fired and top producers resign under Trump’s takeover. August 23, 2025 View Details White House targets Smithsonian artworks including refugee and Fauci portraits as Trump orders legal review of museum independence. August 22, 2025 View Details Trump launches review to purge Smithsonian museums of exhibits on slavery and other “divisive” history, attacking focus on racial injustice as partisan. August 20, 2025 View Details PBS Slashes Budget 21 Percent After Congress Eliminates Public Broadcasting Funds August 15, 2025 View Details Trump will host Kennedy Center Honors and personally vetted honorees he deemed not “too woke” as he tightens conservative control over the arts. August 14, 2025 View Details Trump will visit Kennedy Center as chairman on honors announcement day and teases renaming it “TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER” after replacing board with loyalists. August 13, 2025 View Details White House demands comprehensive review of eight Smithsonian museums to remove “divisive narratives” and align with Trump’s cultural directives before 2026 anniversary. August 13, 2025 View Details Smithsonian restores Trump’s impeachments in museum exhibit with softened language after temporary removal sparked backlash. August 9, 2025 View Details Federal judge blocks Trump administration from canceling humanities grants citing constitutional violation of congressional spending power. August 7, 2025 View Details Smithsonian history museum removes Trump impeachment references from exhibit after White House-pressured content review. August 1, 2025 View Details Thomas Kinkade family threatens legal action after DHS uses late artist’s painting without permission to promote anti-immigrant message. July 30, 2025 View Details A House subcommittee has advanced a proposal to rename the Kennedy Center opera house for Melania Trump, months after the president took control of the institution’s board. July 23, 2025 View Details With Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie, the Senate advanced a Trump-backed plan to rescind $1.1 billion in previously approved funding for public media. July 16, 2025 View Details Phoenix billboard depicts Trump as shirtless “Swamp King” surrounded by a MAGA alligator and Tesla with swastika. July 8, 2025 View Details Second anti-Trump statue appears on National Mall, features gold TV playing loop of Trump dancing. June 27, 2025 View Details Trump has historic White House Rose Garden bulldozed to pave over space created by Ellen Wilson and redesigned by Jackie Kennedy. June 21, 2025 View Details “Dictator Approved” statue appears on National Mall showing gold thumb crushing Statue of Liberty, featuring quotes from Putin and Kim Jong Un praising Trump. June 19, 2025 View Details GAO finds Trump administration’s second violation of federal spending law after cutting library and museum funding by more than half despite congressional approval. June 17, 2025 View Details National Portrait Gallery director steps down two weeks after Trump claims he fired her for partisan content, despite Smithsonian initially asserting president lacks authority over museum personnel. June 14, 2025 View Details Smithsonian board asserts independence after Trump claimed he fired National Portrait Gallery director, stating Secretary Bunch makes all personnel decisions with board oversight. June 10, 2025 View Details Federal judge clears way for Trump to dismantle Institute of Museum and Library Services, reversing earlier order as ongoing legal battles continue over agency funding libraries nationwide. June 7, 2025 View Details National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet defies Trump’s firing order and continues working as Smithsonian Board of Regents prepares to meet Monday to address presidential overreach. June 5, 2025 View Details Trump fires Kim Sajet, National Portrait Gallery director since 2013, for allegedly promoting DEI and being “highly partisan” and “totally inappropriate” for the position. May 31, 2025 View Details Bruce Springsteen releases EP calling Trump administration “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous” as Trump shares meme showing himself hitting Springsteen with golf ball. May 22, 2025 View Details Trump vows to “turn around” Kennedy Center at White House dinner with loyalist board members, criticizes “phantom revenue” and previous “woke” programming. May 20, 2025 View Details Trump posts online telling Springsteen to “KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT” until he returns to U.S. and “then we’ll all see how it goes for him” after musician called president corrupt and treasonous. May 17, 2025 View Details Oregon Humanities and state councils sue Trump administration over terminated federal funding they claim violates congressional appropriations and separation of powers. May 17, 2025 View Details Dutch museum director reconsiders loaning artwork to U.S. museums due to Trump administration’s proposed funding cuts. May 9, 2025 View Details Trump nominated Mary Anne Carter to reassume leadership of the National Endowment for the Arts. May 9, 2025 Trump appoints 5 allies to Holocaust museum board, including ‘Real Housewives’ star and political consultant. May 8, 2025 View Details Every arts director at the National Endowment for the Arts exits as Trump administration pushes to shutter the agency. May 8, 2025 View Details Federal judge blocks Trump plan to slash funding for library, minority business, and labor mediation agencies. May 7, 2025 View Details R.E.M. reissues 1981 debut single to support Radio Free Europe after Trump admin freezes funding. May 3, 2025 View Details Trump proposes 2026 budget eliminating NEA, NEH, CPB, and other cultural agencies. May 3, 2025 View Details Rev. Amos Brown says Smithsonian notified him it may return his civil rights artifacts during Trump-ordered review of African American museum. May 2, 2025 View Details Kennedy Center cancellations following Trump board takeover lead World Pride DC to relocate Pride week events. April 26, 2025 View Details White House Easter Egg Roll draws thousands as Trump solicits corporate sponsorship for first time in event’s history. April 22, 2025 View Details After firing staff and canceling nearly all humanities grants, the Trump administration will use federal arts funding to build its long-promised “Garden of American Heroes”—a patriotic sculpture park celebrating historical figures in “realistic” form. April 11, 2025 View Details Kevin Young resigns as director of Smithsonian’s African American museum weeks after being placed on leave, as Trump targets institution. April 5, 2025 View Details Trump White House posts AI meme of ICE arrest in Studio Ghibli anime style, using viral trend to mock deportations. March 30, 2025 View Details White House Correspondents Association cancels comedian Amber Ruffin after post-inauguration booking, following backlash from Trump’s deputy chief of staff. March 30, 2025 View Details Trump orders Vance to purge ‘race-centered ideology’ from Smithsonian, block funds for exhibits that defy federal policy March 28, 2025 View Details Trump complains his Colorado Capitol portrait is distorted and demands it be taken down, saying Obama’s looked “wonderful” by comparison. March 25, 2025 View Details U.S. restricts Canadian access to historic border-straddling library, sparking backlash in Quebec tow March 22, 2025 View Details Trump chairs Kennedy Center board, trashes venue, floats honoring politicians, suggests himself as host. March 18, 2025 View Details Semisonic Slams Use of ‘Closing Time’ in White House Immigration Video: ‘They Have Missed the Point Entirely’ March 18, 2025 View Details Trump to address Kennedy Center board Monday as he pushes for more control over honoree selection. March 16, 2025 View Details
