Disability Rights Are at Risk as 7 States Back Case Attacking Key Protections
Advocates for disability rights are fighting the lawsuit, which would push more people to be warehoused in institutions.

More than a dozen legislators are already confirmed to not return to the next Congress as voters prepare to elect all 435 members of the House and […]
Advocates for disability rights are fighting the lawsuit, which would push more people to be warehoused in institutions.
Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper said in his ruling.
The decision by an Obama-appointed judge regarding the future of the Trump Kennedy Center evidently proved “too much for the president,” as he issued a statement with […]
North Carolina, Ohio, Maine and Alaska are key targets for a party bullish after a bruising Republican primary in TexasAfter Texas Republicans chose the beleaguered attorney general, Ken Paxton, as their party’s nominee for US Senate on Tuesday, Democrats are feeling bullish that they could pull off a victory in the red-leaning state – and maybe win back the Senate in this year’s midterm elections.Paxton – whose history includes an impeachment, fraud charges and an alleged affair – beat incumbent John Cornyn after receiving Trump’s blessing in the most expensive primary this year. In November he will face James Talarico, a young state lawmaker and pastor, who won the Democratic primary amid a rising national profile. Continue reading...
Reality star Spencer Pratt racks up celebrity endorsements from Joe Rogan, Dennis Quaid and Paris Hilton as he runs for Los Angeles mayor in the June 2 race.
The performing arts centre must also remain open despite Trump announcing a two-year closure for extensive renovations.
President Trump's name must be removed from the Kennedy Center, according to an order signed Friday by a D.C. district judge. The big picture: The ruling is a hit to the president's effort to renovate the performing arts venue, which was scheduled to close later this year so work could begin. Friday's order also halted the closure. Trump has two weeks to remove his name from the building and signage around the facility, per the order.What they're saying: "The Court has concluded that the Board overstepped its statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center after President Trump," U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper wrote in a 94-page ruling."In 1964, Congress deliberately rechristened the 'National Cultural Center' the 'John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,'" Cooper wrote."The text, structure, and evolution of the organic statute makes the institution's name abundantly clear. Congress likewise took pains to ensure that no other memorial-like dedication would grace the Center's public spaces.""As stated at the outset, Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it."Catch up quick: Trump dismissed several of the Kennedy Center's board members in February 2025 and appointed others of his choosing. The new board — which includes Trump administration officials and allies like former Attorney General Pam Bondi and Sergio Gor, the U.S. Ambassador to India — elected Trump as chair, approved changing the name of the building and renovating the facility. The board was previously comprised of three dozen members appointed to six-year terms, relatively evenly split between President Biden and Trump's appointees.Friday's ruling arose from a suit filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who claimed in the suit that her voting rights as a board member were stripped in 2025 when the Kennedy Center's bylaws were amended. Beatty also entered a declaration to the court saying that all board members had held voting rights prior to the board making "ex officio" positions "non-voting members." Beatty told Axios in an emailed statement that the ruling reaffirms that the renaming had "no basis in law." "The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity. I am proud to have fought for the rule of law and to protect this sacred institution."The other side: Roma Daravi, a spokesperson for the Kennedy Center, told Axios that they are "confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board's will to recognize President Trump's historic contributions to our nation's cultural center." "We will review the decision carefully, though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration." Zoom in: Trump had previously announced the facility would undergo significant repairs and remodeling, and that while it could remain open as work was done, "you can't do the same quality job."Repairs would include remediating water drainage to electrical rooms and the parking garage, as well as upgrading theater seats and production improvements.Cooper wrote in his decision that while the board and external reports "recommended an assortment of renovation projects, none called for the complete closure of the Center in order to accomplish the repairs."Instead, renovations would be done in phases to allow the building to remain open.Editor's note: This story was updated with more information throughout.
Judge rules that Washington DC performing arts venue cannot be renamed without an act of CongressA judge on Friday ordered the removal of Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ruling that the prestigious Washington DC venue cannot be renamed without an act of Congress.US district judge Christopher Cooper in Washington directed the Trump administration to take down all physical signage bearing Trump’s name and to eliminate any references to a “Trump Kennedy Center” from official materials within 14 days. Continue reading...