Daily Headlines: Arts 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
