U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked the Kennedy Center from adding Donald Trump’s name to its facade, asserting that Congress has prohibited such changes and that the law must be amended. The center’s board responded by closing the venue for two years for renovations, a move Trump framed as necessary to save the institution, despite evidence that his name once led to reduced donations and ticket sales. Meanwhile, Representative Thomas Massey introduced eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, citing war crimes, civilian casualties, suppression of free speech, and foreign kidnapping, sparking debate over national security and accountability. House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled scheduled votes, arguing the situation required members to reconnect with constituents after the midterms. Additionally, Trump faced a Supreme Court rejection of his proposal to screen mail-in ballots, which he claimed would prevent election fraud, calling the Court biased and unrepresentative. He criticized his own Supreme Court nominees, accusing them of being compromised by “radical left” influence and asserting that only his leadership could ensure a fair and secure election process. These events highlight tensions over institutional authority, political influence, and the rule of law in the U.S. government.
September 16th, 2026.
Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper of the District of Columbia refused
to permit the Kennedy Center Board, stacked by Trump with his own loyalists, to return
Trump's name to the facade of the building.
Cooper reiterated that Congress had prohibited such an addition and would have to change
that law in order to make the addition of Trump's name legal.
The board of the Kennedy Center promptly appealed and voted to close the venue for two years
for renovations.
Then, Trump posted on social media that those renovations couldn't take place unless the
court approved the addition of his name to the building.
Without that, he posted, unfortunately, the building is destined to doom.
Isn't that too bad?
Although the Kennedy Center Board insisted that only Trump's name on the building would
restore donations, in fact, the Washington Post reports that ticket sales and fundraising
plunged when Trump added his name to the building in the first place.
Nonetheless, Trump posted that he is the only one who can save it, because I have the ability
to raise the money and the ability to construct that few others have.
I also have the strength and power of the president.
I have the ability to do what I can do.
I have the ability to do what I can do."
to pass the measure by a vote of 220 to 204. Yesterday, Representative Thomas Massey,
a Republican of Kentucky, blindsided House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican of Louisiana,
by introducing eight counts of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The first three articles accuse him of waging war in contravention of the War Powers Resolution of
1973. The fourth accuses him of ignoring laws that minimize civilian casualties.
The fifth accuses him of directing the extrajudicial killings of at least 221 persons
aboard seagoing vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. The sixth accuses him of suppressing
free speech through his attempts to silence Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat of Arizona,
a Navy veteran.
The seventh article accuses him of the kidnapping of a sovereign foreign leader,
Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro. The final article charges Hegseth with waging
an unlawful war in Yemen in 2025. Massey told CNN that he had kept his plans secret
to prevent House leadership from keeping him from the floor to read the articles,
to protect Republican lawmakers from having to take a stand either for,
or against the Iran war. Speaker Johnson canceled votes set for Thursday and sent the House home
until November 9th, 2026, after the midterm elections. Johnson blasted Massey, saying,
Secretary Hegseth has done an extraordinary job, the Department of War. We're in the middle of
international conflicts right now, and we should not be playing games with national security.
As for sending lawmakers home early, he said,
It's time for our members to go home to their districts and make their case to the American
people, to go and explain all the great things we've done. Trump, apparently, does not think
voters will swing behind the Republicans based on their record. News broke on Monday that the
Supreme Court would not allow him to implement new rules that would allow the United States
Postal Service to screen mail-in ballots, something Trump insisted was imperative,
to purify voting. On Tuesday, he dropped the facade that the rule was about anything other
than rigging the election, and expressed anger that his three hand-picked appointees to the
Supreme Court did not do his bidding. Republicans just got another bad decision from the United
States Supreme Court, he posted. This Supreme Court is bullied and cajoled by the radical left
into making decisions that have set America back.
At least 100 years. These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme
Court. They are merely a shell of their original selves.
News by Michael Moss.
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked the Kennedy Center board from adding Trump’s name to the building, citing a congressional prohibition that would need to be amended.
The Kennedy Center board responded by voting to close the venue for two years for renovations, citing financial and reputational concerns.
Trump claimed the renovation could only proceed if his name was legally added, asserting his personal power to save the center through fundraising and influence.
Evidence from the Washington Post shows that adding Trump’s name initially led to a decline in ticket sales and donations, contradicting the board’s claims.
Representative Thomas Massey introduced eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of war crimes, extrajudicial killings, free speech suppression, and foreign kidnapping.
House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled votes and delayed action, citing national security concerns and urging members to return to their districts to explain Republican achievements.
The Supreme Court refused to allow Trump’s proposed mail-in ballot screening rules, prompting Trump to accuse the Court of being influenced by the “radical left.”
Trump criticized his three Supreme Court nominees, claiming they failed to reflect his values and that the Court has been compromised by ideological pressures.
Summary:
S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked the Kennedy Center from adding Donald Trump’s name to its facade, asserting that Congress has prohibited such changes and that the law must be amended. The center’s board responded by closing the venue for two years for renovations, a move Trump framed as necessary to save the institution, despite evidence that his name once led to reduced donations and ticket sales.
Meanwhile, Representative Thomas Massey introduced eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, citing war crimes, civilian casualties, suppression of free speech, and foreign kidnapping, sparking debate over national security and accountability. House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled scheduled votes, arguing the situation required members to reconnect with constituents after the midterms. Additionally, Trump faced a Supreme Court rejection of his proposal to screen mail-in ballots, which he claimed would prevent election fraud, calling the Court biased and unrepresentative.
He criticized his own Supreme Court nominees, accusing them of being compromised by “radical left” influence and asserting that only his leadership could ensure a fair and secure election process. S. government.
FAQs
Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Congress had explicitly prohibited adding Trump's name to the building, and such a change would require a legislative amendment to make it legal.
The board appealed the decision and voted to close the venue for two years to undertake renovations.
No, according to the Washington Post, ticket sales and fundraising actually declined after Trump's name was added to the building.
Trump argued that he could raise funds and has the power of a president to restore donations and save the venue, claiming his influence and strength are unmatched.
Massey introduced eight impeachment articles, accusing Hegseth of war violations, civilian casualties, extrajudicial killings, suppressing free speech, kidnapping a foreign leader, and waging an unlawful war in Yemen.
Speaker Johnson canceled votes to avoid political backlash and to allow members to return to their districts and explain the government's actions to voters before the midterms.
Chat with AI
Loading...
Pro features
Go deeper with this episode
Unlock creator-grade tools that turn any transcript into show notes and subtitle files.
PodcastTranscript AI