President Trump to add his own name to the Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will now have a new name — the “Trump-Kennedy Center.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the news on social media Thursday, saying that the board of the center voted unanimously for the change, “Because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building.”
Shortly after the announcement, Ohio Democrat Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the board, refuted the claim that it was a unanimous vote. “Each time I tried to speak, I was muted,” she said in a video posted to social media. “Participants were not allowed to voice their concern.”
When asked about the call, Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations at the Kennedy Center, sent a statement reiterating the vote was unanimous: “The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for America’s cultural center for generations to come.”
Earlier this year, Trump installed himself as the chairman of the center, firing former president Deborah Rutter and ousting the previous board chair David Rubenstein, along with board members appointed by President Biden. He then appointed a new board, including second lady Usha Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Fox News host Laura Ingraham and more.
Trump hinted at the name change earlier this month, when he took questions before becoming the first president to host the Kennedy Center Honors. He deferred to the board when asked directly about changing the name but said “we are saving the Kennedy Center.”
The president was mostly hands off with the Kennedy Center during his first term, as most presidents have been. But he’s taking a special interest in it in his second term, touring the center and promising to weed out programming he doesn’t approve of. His “One Big Beautiful Bill” included $257 million for the building’s repairs and maintenance.
Originally, it was called The National Cultural Center. In 1963, two months after President Kennedy was assassinated, President Johnson signed legislation authorizing funds to build what would become the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
American Jordan Stolz speedskates to a third Olympic medal — silver this time
U.S. speedskater Jordan Stolz had a lot of hype accompanying him in these Winter Olympic Games. He's now got two gold medals, one silver, with one event to go.
Bad Bunny and J. Cole rule the pop charts
These days, the Super Bowl halftime show is a massive driver of the streaming, airplay and sales that fuel the Billboard charts. This week, Bad Bunny benefits from that influence.
Reporter’s notebook: My Olympic Lunar New Year
An NPR reporter covering the Olympics in Milan takes us on cultural side quests, to a hospitality house and a candy store.
Michael Pollan says AI may ‘think’ — but it will never be conscious
"Consciousness is under siege," says author Michael Pollan. His new book, A World Appears, explores consciousness on both a personal and technological level.
The U.S. and Canada set to square off in Olympic women’s ice hockey gold medal match
Canada was long the top dog of Olympic women's hockey. But with a win Thursday, the Americans could do more than earn a third gold medal — they could prove the sport's balance of power has shifted.
Amazon dethrones Walmart as the world’s biggest company by sales
In a slow-motion race of two retail behemoths, Amazon's trump card was its lucrative cloud-computing business.
