Trump Insists Iran Is Lying About Peace Deal in Crazed Rant

Kennedy Center filing 'dunks' on Trump over small crowd sizes

A court filing Friday documented the wreckage of President Donald Trump's Kennedy Center vanity project — highlighting fleeing artists, cratering ticket sales, and an Honors broadcast nobody watched.The midnight deadline to scrub Trump's name from the Kennedy Center was still ticking Friday. Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and ex officio board member — meaning she holds her seat by virtue of her congressional position, not a Trump appointment — had just fired back at Trump's lawyers, who'd asked the judge to freeze his own order.The numbers in Beatty's filing claimed after the renaming, "many artists canceled upcoming performances," and ticket sales "experienced a precipitous drop as compared to prior years, as did viewership of the Kennedy Center Honors broadcast." CBS News congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane posted on X that the filing "dunks on the name change itself and 'crowd size.'"The 94-page ruling that led to the deadline cited a Wall Street Journal analysis that found ticket sales plunged 70% in a single week after the renaming, compared with the prior three years.For days, it looked like Trump's team was waving the white flag. Workers slapped new stickers with the original Kennedy Center name onto buses parked outside. The website dropped Trump's name. Staff got a memo telling them to scrub it from email signatures immediately — CNN reported the website was already clean by June 8.Then Trump himself joined a virtual board meeting Thursday night, and the board voted to fight back, according to the New York Times. Their lawyers raced a last-minute motion to court — essentially asking the judge to hit pause on his own order — arguing that removing the name would be "wasteful" and "incredibly confusing for the public."Beatty's filing shot back. "'It should go without saying that the Court can, and should, reject out of hand Defendants' rather silly suggestion that enforcing the law would be 'incredibly confusing for the public."Beatty's lawyers also argued in the filing that the Trump administration "waited two weeks and within hours of the deadline" before asking for emergency relief — proof, they say, that no real harm is at stake. The whole move, they wrote, is a "frivolous" eleventh-hour gambit.If the judge says no, Trump's lawyers could take the fight to a federal appeals court.

Judge won’t halt deadline to take Trump’s name off Kennedy Center

A federal judge on Friday rejected an eleventh-hour attempt by the Kennedy Center to pause the removal of President Trump’s name from the renowned performing arts center while an appeal plays out. The institution’s board had asked Judge Christopher Cooper to halt his previous order requiring that Trump’s name come off the façade of the…

Trump asking Congress for symbolic expunging of his two impeachments

President is first in US history to be impeached twice, over abuse of power and inciting an insurrectionDonald Trump is pressing Congress to erase one of the darkest chapters of his political career, urging Republicans to pass a resolution that would symbolically nullify the two impeachments he suffered during his first term in office.The effort, first reported by the Wall Street Journal and confirmed by a White House official, would allow Trump to claim a symbolic victory on a key grievance from his first term. But experts say it would have little legal significance, since the constitution provides no procedure for undoing an impeachment. Continue reading...

'Big loss for Trump' on slush fund draws cheers – and skepticism: 'Don't be fooled'

A federal judge expressed doubts that President Donald Trump's slush fund is truly dead, and she's not alone in her skepticism.U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a court order Friday blocking the so-called "anti-weaponization" fund and gave the Department of Justice one week to decide whether Attorney General Todd Blanche or another top-ranking Justice Department official would provide a sworn statement declaring the fund dead.The Bill Clinton nominee's injunction extends a previous order prohibiting the government from creating or dispersing money from the $1.776 billion settlement agreement the president reached with the IRS.Social media users welcomed the judge's action and shared her suspicions about whether the fund was truly defunct — and made some predictions about what comes next."Gonna make a thrilling appeal to Sammy Alito," predicted legal expert Marcy Wheeler."The Justice Dept has one week to produce EVIDENCE that the slush fund is abandoned and won’t move forward ever, or she’ll allow civil case to go forward," reported MeidasTouch correspondent Scott MacFarlane. "Big loss for team Trump.""Contrary to some claims, judges have had no problem finding standing for plaintiffs - here the National Abortion Federation - to challenge Trump's Slush Fund," argued attorney Eric Lisann. "And this judge found the issue is not moot so long as Blanche refuses to backup his words in writing.""Don't be fooled, this is still a TEMPORARY block," cautioned Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV). "Donald Trump has made it clear he still wants this slush fund to pay out his buddies and January 6 rioters who beat up police officers, and I don’t trust his cronies to put an end to it.""As we've said all along, the slush fund is ILLEGAL," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). "Donald Trump: Stop it once and for all and start focusing on things people care about, not yourself.""We’ve successfully blocked the President’s personal slush fund, for now," announced Common Cause, one of the plaintiffs in the challenge. "We will keep the pressure on until it's shut down for good. The Trump administration cannot be trusted with the public's money and today's ruling is a massive win to protect taxpayer dollars.""The corruption doesn't ever go away; like reptiles, it sometimes dives back into the swampy muck and resurfaces elsewhere," opined conservative attorney George Conway.

Cornyn predicts Trump midterm 'disaster,' then 'the most miserable two years of his life'

Outgoing Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas predicted that President Donald Trump will experience "disaster" in the 2026 midterm elections.

Kennedy Center board to appeal judge's order to remove Trump's name

The Kennedy Center plans to appeal a judge's order requiring President Trump's name to be removed from the performing arts center, according to multiple reports.Why it matters: An appeal could extend the controversy over Trump's name and the future of the famed center.Driving the news: The board of trustees appointed by Trump voted to pursue the appeal ahead of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper's Friday deadline to remove the signage from the building in Washington, D.C., CNN first reported.Cooper sided with a lawsuit brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, ruling ruling last month that the board had "overstepped its statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center after President Trump."State of play: The center had indicated it would adhere to the ruling, this week removing Trump's name from its website and social media accounts.Spokesperson Roma Daravi told the Washington Post: "We are complying with the court's order while evaluating all legal options to preserve this revitalization and recognize President Trump's leadership."Representatives for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout.

Judge upholds order to remove Trump's name from Kennedy Center

A judge has denied President Trump's request to pause a ruling requiring his name to be removed from the Kennedy Center.Why it matters: The request was a last-minute bid to avoid removing the president's name from the building and accompanying signage, as a previous judge ordered. The deadline for compliance is Friday.Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

Vice President JD Vance Blasts 'Leaked' Iran Deal, Says Final Agreement Will Lead to Lasting Peace