A federal judge continued to block the Justice Department's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, expressing skepticism with the administration's claims that the program is not moving forward.
In a ruling on Friday, Judge Amit P. Mehta wrote that the lawsuit arrived last minute and failed to show how the event irreversibly harmed the individuals who sued.
Assistant US attorney in California questions why the state won't open its records: 'What are they afraid of?'
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is facing another catastrophic financial blow after the Washington National Opera filed a $17 million lawsuit against the troubled institution for refusing to release funds the company claims belong to them.According to New York Times reporting, the suit filed Thursday accuses Kennedy Center officials of withholding "endowment funds, donor gifts, and other contributions" collected for the opera's benefit since the company struck out on its own earlier this year."W.N.O. reluctantly files this case to preserve its future and to protect its donors and artists," lawyers for the opera said in court papers, identifying the funds as donor gifts received over years that are "critical" to its operations.The opera's attempt at negotiation went nowhere, it said. "For months, W.N.O. repeatedly tried to address these issues with the Kennedy Center, including through written requests, requests for meetings, and meetings with Kennedy Center leadership. Those efforts were met with indifference," the suit states.According to the Times, the opera's departure in January marked a dramatic rupture with an institution where the company had performed since 1971. Kennedy Center officials claimed at the time they decided to part ways "due to a financially challenging relationship"— but the lawsuit suggests a more sinister financial maneuver.The timing is damning, according to the Times' Julia Jacobs. The day before the separation announcement, Kennedy Center CFO Donna Arduin allegedly told opera leaders in an email that money in a fund containing bequests and contributions designated for the opera was being used as collateral for a line of credit for the center itself.Arduin asserted the funds belonged to the Kennedy Center. The opera company contends they were expressly reserved for its benefit. The suit does not specify how much money was used as collateral.The Kennedy Center's institutional collapse accelerated after President Trump assumed the chairmanship at the start of his second term and installed his allies as leadership. The move triggered an exodus of audiences, artists, and donors.The report noted that the opera's lawsuit comes amid broader institutional chaos at the Kennedy Center. A federal judge recently ordered Donald Trump's name removed from the center and temporarily blocked his plan to close the institution for two years of renovations. Trump and Kennedy Center lawyers appealed the decision Thursday.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Friday announced that she is declassifying evidence of US-funded biolabs and gain-of-function research around the world as one of her final acts before stepping down as DNI. "After months of searching through intelligence community holdings and files, today I'm releasing longstanding US government funding of more than 120 bio labs in over 30 countries," including Ukraine, she said in a video statement. The post NEW: Tulsi Gabbard Announces She’s Releasing Evidence of US Funding to Over 120 Biolabs in Over 30 Countries, Including Ukraine, for Gain of Function Research (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
A federal judge on Friday refused two Virginia residents’ request to block this weekend’s UFC event on the White House South Lawn, ruling they have no right to challenge the fight. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said the two had no legal standing because they hadn’t shown the event, timed to Flag Day and President Trump’s 80th…
A federal judge in Virginia will allow a lawsuit to proceed challenging the Trump administration’s plans for a $1.8 billion fund for alleged victims of political “weaponization,” despite assurances from US officials that the plan won’t move forward.
A federal judge on Friday rejected a long-shot effort to block the Ultimate Fighting Championship event set to take place at the White House this weekend.
