{"id":13298,"date":"2026-05-30T00:28:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T00:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/05\/30\/the-latest-trump-says-hell-back-away-from-kennedy-center-overhaul-after-judge-orders-name-removal-kob-com\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T00:28:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T00:28:25","slug":"the-latest-trump-says-hell-back-away-from-kennedy-center-overhaul-after-judge-orders-name-removal-kob-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/05\/30\/the-latest-trump-says-hell-back-away-from-kennedy-center-overhaul-after-judge-orders-name-removal-kob-com\/","title":{"rendered":"The Latest: Trump says he\u2019ll back away from Kennedy Center overhaul after judge orders name removal &#8211; KOB.com"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"storyContent\">\n<p>A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump\u2019s name was <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-kennedy-center-renovations-closure-1857159baf8db4692324acb7ef62f249\">illegally added to the Kennedy Center<\/a> and blocked the administration from <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-kennedy-center-lawsuit-renovations-f85861dc66e5a1a8619926dd0bc76273\">closing it for major renovations<\/a>. Congress gave the cultural and arts venue its name, the judge said, and only Congress can change it. Hours later the president said in a social media post that he would cease involvement in Kennedy Center renovations and return control of the historic venue to Congress. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile Trump held a White House Situation Room meeting with his advisers as he looks to <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-us-war-ceasefire-nuclear-talks-cac5206df0f0c7b79fe9321c08d63096\">make a \u201cfinal determination\u201d<\/a> on moving forward on a deal to extend a ceasefire with Iran. Trump confirmed the high-level talks a day after the AP reported that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-us-war-oil-may-28-2026-8f5ed2813ba63df7ae9ccbe991688d29\">reached a tentative agreement<\/a> to extend the fragile <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-us-israel-trump-lebanon-april-7-2026-421ee64fdc9a5c26460df8119c7d1b3f\">ceasefire<\/a> by 60 days and start new talks on <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-us-nuclear-timeline-war-146b4072f1f6cc43cfd3bde740313a5c\">Iran\u2019s nuclear program<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And former Attorney General <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/pam-bondi\">Pam Bondi<\/a> refused to answer questions on Trump\u2019s involvement in the release of case files on <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/jeffrey-epstein\">Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> as she defended the administration\u2019s actions in a closed-door interview before House lawmakers. Lawmakers have scrutinized the Justice Department\u2019s release of the files, which was delayed and revealed the personal information of potential victims.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the latest:<\/p>\n<p>              Trump claims he\u2019s making food more affordable, but his examples ignore the big picture<\/p>\n<p>In a Truth Social <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/116647792196617911\">post<\/a> on Wednesday, the president proclaimed \u201cTRUMP\u2019S MAKING FOOD AFFORDABLE,\u201d and cited falling prices for a range of groceries, including avocados, fresh berries, and a variety of pantry staples. Yet just two weeks earlier the Labor Department had released inflation figures showing grocery prices up nearly 3% in April from a year earlier.<\/p>\n<p>So where\u2019s the reality?<\/p>\n<p>The graphic shared by Trump may be correct about the specific items he listed. It\u2019s hard to know because he used data that isn\u2019t publicly available and he didn\u2019t specify what time frame he used.<\/p>\n<p>But specific grocery items go up and down all the time, and his post ignores the broader reality consumers are facing at the supermarket: Overall, food prices <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/consumer-prices-food-groceries-war-fuel-f5e442ef60858c96a2fc4b4ee9e18780\">have risen<\/a> since his inauguration, and at a faster pace than they typically did before the pandemic. Most economists expect them to continue to do so in the coming months as a spike in diesel fuel prices lifts the cost of shipping groceries to stores around the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-food-prices-cheaper-fact-check-cd9cc431819a1bb3564bc616b1e1cc03\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>              Pentagon-led talks between Israel and Lebanon conclude<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon said the security-related talks were \u201cproductive\u201d but stopped short of noting any accomplishments or achievements.<\/p>\n<p>The statement released late Friday said the \u201cmilitary-to-military talks focused on building practical frameworks for regional security and stability\u201d and \u201ctangible outcomes\u201d from the discussions will directly inform negotiations with political leaders conducted by the State Department next week.<\/p>\n<p>Talks between senior Israeli and Lebanese officials have been going on since last month but are complicated by the fact that Hezbollah, Israel\u2019s target, is not participating and has refused to accept their results.<\/p>\n<p>              ICE officer arrested in shooting during Minneapolis immigration crackdown<\/p>\n<p>Christian Castro, who was wanted in the shooting of a Venezuelan man during the Trump administration\u2019s crackdown, was arrested Friday in Texas, authorities said.<\/p>\n<p>Castro, 52, was taken into custody 11 days after Minneapolis prosecutors <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/minneapolis-immigration-crackdown-charges-sosacelis-bd78efd7f341a9bd9c1acc2c0037a958\">charged him with assault<\/a> and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 nonfatal shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors in Hennepin County, Minnesota, said the state\u2019s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension located Castro in Texas, and the Texas Rangers said they assisted in the arrest in Cameron County, which borders Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>Online court records did not list an attorney for Castro, and it was not immediately clear if he has one.<\/p>\n<p>Castro is the second federal agent to be charged over conduct during the Minnesota crackdown and one of two agents that ICE Director Todd Lyons said lied about the circumstances of the incident.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors say Castro fired through a home\u2019s front door and shot Sosa-Celis in the thigh after Castro and another officer chased a different man to the Minneapolis apartment duplex where he and Sosa-Celis lived.<\/p>\n<p>              Tomatoes become latest symbol of America\u2019s affordability squeeze<\/p>\n<p>Tomatoes, ubiquitous in everything from fast-food burgers to haute cuisine, are taking on a new role beyond the plate: A nagging reminder of rising costs.<\/p>\n<p>Prices for those red orbs have soared more than any other food product over the past year to cement a spot as one of the consumer headaches du jour.<\/p>\n<p>Tomato prices are up about 40% over a year ago, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/us-inflation-consumer-iran-war-3f11b7fdd20ea56d2f0895e5241af7b6\">latest Consumer Price Index<\/a>, dwarfing increases for other groceries, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/coffee-inflation-prices-starbucks-1a809b2d3e650d5e92e2c0f5a5f4f85b\">including coffee (up 18.5%)<\/a>, beef roasts (up 17.8%) and frozen fish and seafood (up 12%), among other products that have become symbols of America\u2019s affordability squeeze.<\/p>\n<p>Alongside crop yields, experts blame price increases for tomatoes, in part, on two pillars of President Donald Trump\u2019s second-term policies: the Iran war and tariffs. The war spiked gas prices and increased shipping costs. Meantime, the U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/mexico-tomatoes-duty-commerce-e1b113bfb9458d2443d5bb999795375c\">withdrew from a deal allowing duty-free imports of tomatoes<\/a> from Mexico, which grows most of America\u2019s supply.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/tomatoes-inflation-prices-groceries-mexico-tariffs-trump-1176fd9d4213f2b568181809937c2170\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>              Trump jumps into GOP governor primaries in South Carolina and Iowa<\/p>\n<p>The president waded into primary contests that have pitted allies against each other in a fierce competition for their party leader\u2019s blessing. In a pair of social media posts, he gave his backing to South Carolina Lt. Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/pamela-evette-south-carolina-governor-election-2026-496ef055e03f5a37273b070e2874cb32\">Pamela Evette<\/a> and Iowa Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iowa-governor-race-2026-randy-feenstra-election-a8f4d14ff0034a060a2c50ea4c67931b\">Randy Feenstra<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Trump expressed appreciation for Evette and her state, noting that she stumped for him in 2024. He also said \u201cA BIG added plus\u201d for her is that Henry McMaster Jr. \u2014 the sitting governor\u2019s son \u2014 may be Evette\u2019s running mate.<\/p>\n<p>Separately Trump described Feenstra as \u201cMAGA all the way\u201d and said he would \u201cfight tirelessly\u201d on issues including the economy, border security and support of law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>Both Evette and Feenstra have been vocal about wanting Trump\u2019s endorsement, in the hopes that it would carry weight in states that helped propel his return to office in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>              What to know about the artists backing out of the Trump-linked Freedom 250 concerts<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Great American State Fair\u201d is a series of concerts, exhibits, tributes and other programs scheduled for June 25 to July 10 on Washington\u2019s National Mall. It was organized by Freedom 250, which is billed as a nonpartisan organization but was launched last year by the president and is headed by a Trump State Department appointee from his first term.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, Freedom 250 announced that Bret Michaels, the Commodores and Martina McBride would be among the musical performers. But by late Thursday, all three <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/freedom-250-milli-vanilli-young-mc-bb9c58cb68d3af91cd8aeb5c5c5d26a1\">dropped out<\/a>, as did Morris Day and Young MC.<\/p>\n<p>Michaels and others have said they were misled about the theme of the shows or were otherwise wary of being caught up in a political fight.<\/p>\n<p>Freedom 250 organizers have yet to respond to AP requests for comment. Spokesperson Rachel Reisner told The New York Times that \u201cFreedom 250 is focused on our signature celebrations and events that honor our history and engage all Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/freedom-250-concerts-cancellations-what-to-know-8f506ad99fc1aee7413514e37ce59604\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>              US and China trade journalist expulsions days after Trump visits Xi in Beijing<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration has revoked the visa of a Chinese national working for state news agency Xinhua, an apparent reciprocal act to Beijing\u2019s decision to expel a New York Times reporter.<\/p>\n<p>A person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because it involves visa privacy confirmed the visa had been revoked. A State Department official confirmed there was a plan to revoke it.<\/p>\n<p>The move followed China\u2019s expulsion of Times correspondent Vivian Wang, apparently over the appearance of the Taiwanese leader in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=iP8noIxQ94A\">a DealBook event<\/a> in which Wang had no role.<\/p>\n<p>The Times, which first reported the reciprocal move, said it does not ask governments to revoke media credentials or otherwise interfere with the work of any journalist. It called for Wang\u2019s reinstatement and urged both governments to \u201creverse this deterioration in journalist access.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Didi Tang and Matthew Lee<\/p>\n<p>              US commander meets with Cuban military officials as Trump continues pressure on island nation<\/p>\n<p>The top U.S. military leader in Latin America and the Cuban officials met Friday in what Southern Command characterized as a \u201cbrief exchange on operational security matters\u201d near the U.S. Navy base on Guantanamo Bay.<\/p>\n<p>Gen. Francis L. Donovan also \u201cled a perimeter security assessment of the naval base and discussed force protection, safety of service members and their families, and operational readiness with base officials,\u201d Southern Command said on the social platform X.<\/p>\n<p>The meeting comes as the U.S. military maintains a presence of warships in the Caribbean Sea and the Trump administration applies pressure on Cuba with an oil blockade. Trump has warned that Cuba \u201cis next\u201d after capturing Venezuela\u2019s autocratic leader in a January military operation.<\/p>\n<p>              Trump says he\u2019s backing away from Kennedy Center renovation and returning control to Congress<\/p>\n<p>Hours after a federal judge ordered his name removed from the arts institution, the president said the judge \u201cshould be ashamed of himself\u201d in a social media post.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into \u2018NEVER NEVER LAND,\u2019\u201d Trump said on his Truth Social platform.<\/p>\n<p>Trump also said he has instructed his administration to \u201cmake all necessary arrangements\u201d to have the center transferred to Congress.<\/p>\n<p>              Federal judge says New Hampshire must loosen requirements to prove citizenship to vote<\/p>\n<p>New Hampshire must make voter registration easier by allowing applicants to attest to their U.S. citizenship if they don\u2019t have the documents to prove it, the judge said.<\/p>\n<p>The case was seen as the first major legal test of an election reform that has been <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/voting-elections-trump-executive-order-4e9edb53f47e61e241a43ceef8164022\">pushed nationally by Trump<\/a> and has gained favor among many Republicans, although U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliot said she was not deciding whether requiring proof of citizenship itself is constitutional.<\/p>\n<p>Her ruling late Thursday night on a narrower question of New Hampshire law was significant, however, because it underscored the potential perils of implementing strict requirements for voters to document their U.S. citizenship so they can cast a ballot.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/voting-citizenship-new-hampshire-court-ruling-a69ed324cc6e242cb9061e9a37d3e293\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>              Kennedy Center board broke the law putting Trump\u2019s name on the building, judge says, and blocks its closure for renovations<\/p>\n<p>U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper concluded Friday that the board \u201coverstepped its statutory bounds\u201d by unilaterally adding Trump\u2019s name to the center. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, he said, and only Congress can change it.<\/p>\n<p>The judge also ruled that the board\u2019s March 16 vote to close the facility was \u201cill-informed and seemingly preordained\u201d with no regard for its legal obligations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe trustees might have assessed the propriety of closure in a number of prudent ways. This was not one,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-kennedy-center-renovations-closure-1857159baf8db4692324acb7ef62f249\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>              Iran\u2019s nuclear issues remain unresolved<\/p>\n<p>A deal to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz \u201chas not yet been finalized,\u201d Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told a state broadcaster on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance suggested negotiators were trying to strike general terms on Iran\u2019s nuclear program, with the specifics to be hammered out in the ensuing talks.<\/p>\n<p>Baghaei, however, said Friday that Iranian officials were \u201cfocused on the end of war and are not discussing the details of the nuclear plan at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>              Trump\u2019s Situation Room meeting on Iran ceasefire has concluded<\/p>\n<p>Trump has finished his meeting with national security aides to weigh a framework of an agreement that would extend the U.S. ceasefire with Iran by 60 days and kickstart new talks on Iran\u2019s nuclear program, according to a senior administration official.<\/p>\n<p>The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, would not comment on whether Trump had made a decision to sign off on the tentative agreement following the roughly two-hour meeting.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Aamer Madhani<\/p>\n<p>              Kennedy Center board broke the law putting Trump\u2019s name on the building, judge says, and blocks its closure for renovations<\/p>\n<p>U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper concluded Friday that the board \u201coverstepped its statutory bounds\u201d by unilaterally adding Trump\u2019s name to the center. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, he said, and only Congress can change it.<\/p>\n<p>The judge also ruled that the board\u2019s March 16 vote to close the facility was \u201cill-informed and seemingly preordained\u201d with no regard for its legal obligations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe trustees might have assessed the propriety of closure in a number of prudent ways. This was not one,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>              Rubio calls Lebanese president as Israel-Lebanon security talks begin at the Pentagon<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. secretary of state had a phone call with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to praise him for pursuing peace talks with Israel, as Israel and Lebanon held their first security-related meeting in Washington at the Pentagon.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio \u201ccommended President Aoun\u2019s courage and vision in pursuing direct negotiations with Israel, even as Hezbollah continues its attempts to derail those talks at the expense of the Lebanese people,\u201d the State Department said in a statement Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Talks between senior officials from Israel and Lebanon have been going on since last month but are complicated by the fact that Hezbollah, Israel\u2019s target, is not participating in the discussions and has refused to accept their results.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio told Aoun that Hezbollah \u201cis entirely responsible for the ongoing fighting and emphasized the need for Hezbollah to immediately cease its attacks and provocations to enable de-escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>              Trump administration grants a rare reprieve, shielding 11,000 Lebanese from deportation<\/p>\n<p>The decision on their Temporary Protected Status allows them to stay and work in the United States for another six months.<\/p>\n<p>Unusually, the decision was automatic, meaning the administration missed the deadline to decide on whether to extend TPS for Lebanese people covered by the program.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday that officials \u201cwere unable to make an informed determination on Lebanon\u2019s TPS designation.\u201d It comes amid ongoing fighting in southern Lebanon between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans have harshly criticized the TPS program, which was created by Congress in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife.<\/p>\n<p>              White House moves to give political appointees more power over federal grants<\/p>\n<p>Scientists say this would put critical research funding into the hands of partisans without relevant expertise. It would be the most sweeping change to the federal grantmaking process in years.<\/p>\n<p>The proposed regulations would require senior appointees to review funding to see if it complies with the law and the president\u2019s priorities. The rules would also give administration officials more freedom to terminate grants that have already been awarded, a process that could jeopardize millions of dollars in ongoing research.<\/p>\n<p>The Office of Management and Budget claims the reforms are needed for greater accountability. It says the Biden administration wasted taxpayer dollars on \u201cwoke\u201d programs.<\/p>\n<p>Published Friday, the plan will enter a public comment period before a final rule will be issued.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/white-house-federal-grants-political-appointees-trump-3322627ce23162d55179484184ea5d8b\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>              Ex-Iowa school district leader who was arrested in Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown gets 2 years in prison<\/p>\n<p>Ian Roberts pleaded guilty in January to <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ian-roberts-ice-superintendent-iowa-schools-8bc3cc1a8605814b4d650071d71e967e\">falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen<\/a> and illegally possessing firearms, which together carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>He would serve the sentence before he is likely deported to his native Guyana in South America.<\/p>\n<p>His lawyers had proposed that he be put on probation \u201cto facilitate his removal from the United States.\u201d Prosecutors recommended a sentence of more than three years, saying his likely deportation should not be a factor.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ian-roberts-ice-superintendent-iowa-schools-87a22ce7f208fc29b26bcae1c6e0b2d6\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>              Louisiana lawmakers pass a new congressional map designed to pick up a Republican seat<\/p>\n<p>The new map is also likely to leave the state with just one of its two majority-Black House districts represented by Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>Approval of the new House map came a month after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state\u2019s current map as an illegal racial gerrymander, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/supreme-court-voting-rights-act-louisiana-alabama-4e3225083caccda5ec73a98533a79add\">weakening the landmark 1965 federal Voting Rights Act<\/a>. That decision intensified <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/redistricting-house-congress-gerrymander-voting-rights-f78310aed323bfeec3430f236f7b6e03\">a national redistricting battle<\/a> fueled by Trump\u2019s efforts to protect the Republicans\u2019 slim House majority in the midterm elections.<\/p>\n<p>Louisiana Republicans <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/congress-redistricting-voting-rights-louisiana-1b02199b18bad2efe259a24f5e3278bf\">had considered<\/a> drawing a map giving the party a shot at winning all six of the state\u2019s U.S. House seats. But that would have required adding more Black voters to Republican-held districts, potentially backfiring with losses. Some Republicans said a 5-1 map better protects U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from facing a difficult reelection.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Gov. Jeff Landry is expected to sign the new map into law.<\/p>\n<p>              Bondi interview concludes after 4 hours<\/p>\n<p>Democratic lawmakers say former attorney general told them she would not answer questions about Trump\u2019s involvement in the release of case files on Jeffrey Epstein. <\/p>\n<p>She also said Todd Blanche, her former deputy who is now the acting attorney general, had overseen the publication of case files.<\/p>\n<p>              Bondi refuses to answer lawmakers\u2019 questions about Trump\u2019s involvement in Epstein files release<\/p>\n<p>Bondi was on Capitol Hill for a closed-door interview in which she defended the administration\u2019s actions before House lawmakers who are scrutinizing a process that was delayed and included personal information of potential victims.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic lawmakers said Bondi told them she would not speak about the president in Friday\u2019s interview and, accompanied by a lawyer from the Department of Justice, cited her ability to decline questions because she agreed to appear before the committee voluntarily.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a sham in there. They are not answering any questions,\u201d said Democratic Rep. Dave Min during a break in the interview.<\/p>\n<p>              Trump says only the US and China are capable of removing Iran\u2019s enriched uranium<\/p>\n<p>The president in his online post also turned back to his on-and-off demand that the highly-enriched uranium buried under nuclear sites badly damaged during last year\u2019s U.S. air bombardment of Iran be removed as part of a deal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe enriched material, sometimes referred to as \u2018Nuclear Dust,\u2019 which is buried deep underground with virtually collapsed mountains, caused by our powerful B2 Bomber attack 11 months ago, sitting on top of it, will be unearthed by the United States (which, it is agreed, is the only Country, along with China, with the mechanical capability of doing so!), in close coordination and conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has offered mixed messages over the course of the three-month conflict on the importance of removing the enriched uranium. Earlier this month, he told Fox News\u2019 Sean Hannity he\u2019d \u201cjust feel better if I got\u201d the uranium, but that \u201cit\u2019s more for public relations than it is for anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>              Louisiana Republicans are poised to pass new US House districts in wider redistricting fight<\/p>\n<p>The state\u2019s Republican-controlled Senate is poised to pass a plan Friday to help the GOP maintain control of the U.S. House in November, potentially becoming the latest Southern state to eliminate a majority-Black congressional district that elected a Democrat.<\/p>\n<p>The state Senate is set to vote on a redistricting plan that would give Republicans a chance to pick up an additional seat in response to late April\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/supreme-court-voting-rights-congressional-redistricting-louisiana-aa5d7dbde7c13654f341d152c2ad5229\">U.S. Supreme Court ruling<\/a> that Louisiana\u2019s congressional district map constituted an illegal racial gerrymander.<\/p>\n<p>An amended map <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/congress-redistricting-voting-rights-louisiana-1b02199b18bad2efe259a24f5e3278bf\">overwhelmingly passed the House<\/a> on Thursday. Once the final map clears the Legislature, Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is expected to sign it.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/congress-redistricting-voting-rights-louisiana-de8084df5f9c96ce90c4a7aa0a45e902\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>              Hegseth meets with leaders of Vietnam and Singapore at Asian defense conference<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has met with leaders from Vietnam and Singapore to discuss shared security interests, the Pentagon said Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The separate meetings occurred on the sidelines during the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-trump-shangrila-singapore-hegseth-vietnam-22a71b2d8b20f69c397bd87a63c6ed0a\">Asia\u2019s annual defense and security forum<\/a> in Singapore.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth praised Vietnam\u2019s decision to join the Board of Peace and for committing troops and police to the International Stabilization Force in Gaza. Hegseth also applauded the modernization of Vietnam\u2019s military and discussed opportunities to deepen cooperation, including on unmanned naval capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth and Singapore\u2019s leaders discussed expanding the U.S. military\u2019s presence in Singapore with rotational deployments from the Navy and Air Force. Meanwhile, Hegseth reaffirmed the American commitment to support advanced training for Singapore\u2019s military in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>              Pam Bondi defends administration\u2019s release of Epstein case files as she testifies before lawmakers<\/p>\n<p>The former attorney general stood behind the Trump administration\u2019s release of the case files on <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/jeffrey-epstein\">Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> as she testified Friday before House lawmakers scrutinizing a process that was delayed and included personal information of potential victims.<\/p>\n<p>Bondi, who arrived Friday morning on Capitol Hill for her closed-door interview, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/pam-bondi-house-judiciary-committee-justice-department-6d7502b80e42e9e9454264e242507bbd\">was defiant<\/a> in previous public testimony when she was confronted by lawmakers about the Epstein investigation. In her opening statement, she kept to the same tack.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe bottom line is: justice and transparency in this matter have been delivered at the direction of President Trump and his administration,\u201d she said, according to a written copy of her opening statement.<\/p>\n<p>The transcribed Bondi interview gave lawmakers a chance to dig for information on the Trump administration\u2019s handling of the Epstein files and other related matters, including the prison sentence of Epstein\u2019s former girlfriend and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/pam-bondi-jeffrey-epstein-trump-9ca5612e397ff8365dfb212a214c97c9\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>              Trump meeting with aides to make \u2018final determination\u2019 on moving forward with Iran deal<\/p>\n<p>The president says he\u2019s holding a White House Situation Room meeting with his advisers.<\/p>\n<p>Trump confirmed the high-level White House talks Friday, a day after The Associated Press and other news outlets reported that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had come to terms on a tentative agreement.<\/p>\n<p>The deal would extend the fragile ceasefire by 60 days as new talks are held on Iran\u2019s disputed nuclear program.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-us-war-ceasefire-nuclear-talks-cac5206df0f0c7b79fe9321c08d63096\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>              White House declines comment on judge\u2019s ruling blocking payouts from \u2018anti-weaponization\u2019 fund<\/p>\n<p>The White House referred all questions to the Justice Department, which didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Plaintiffs\u2019 attorneys from the legal advocacy group Democracy Forward are seeking a court order halting the fund\u2019s implementation and preventing the Trump administration from disbursing any payouts from it. The federal suit claims there\u2019s no legal basis or accountability behind the fund.<\/p>\n<p>At least two other lawsuits, both filed separately in Washington, also are challenging the fund\u2019s creation. <\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump\u2019s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center and blocked the administration from closing it for major renovations. Congress gave the cultural and arts venue its name, the judge said, and only Congress can change it. Hours later the president said in a social media post [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}