In a potential landmark action, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has privately urged President Donald Trump’s administration to reconsider a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action against climate change.
Zeldin called for a rewrite of the agency’s finding that determined planet-warming greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, according to four people who were briefed on the matter but spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the recommendation is not public. The 2009 finding under the Clean Air Act is the legal underpinning of a host of climate regulations for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources.
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Trump signs executive order seeking more power for Musk’s government efficiency team
Trump has signed an executive order meant to expand the power and reach of his governmental cost-cutting effort led by Elon Musk.
The lengthy order directs federal agencies to develop new systems for distributing and justifying payments so they could be monitored by Musk’s representatives.
It also limits federal employee travel and freezes most agency credit cards unless they’re used for disaster relief or supervisors create an exception.
The order intends a “transformation” in federal spending on contracts, grants and loans. It says it’s meant to make such transactions “transparent” and that government employees “are accountable to the American public.”
Democratic senator asks FAA for documents on SpaceX deal to make sure it wasn’t due to political favoritism
Sen. Edward Markey, of Massachusetts, asked Wednesday in a letter to the agency overseeing airplane safety whether a deal to install equipment from SpaceX unit Starlink at several air traffic control facilities was part of a competitive bidding process.
The senator also asked whether employees at Musk’s satellite company now deployed to FAA facilities had signed “ethics agreements” making sure they weren’t using their access to reward their employer.
The Associated Press has reported that at least three SpaceX employees have gotten special “ethics waivers” releasing them from normal rules requiring them to recuse themselves from government projects that could help Musk’s company.
“I urge the FAA to be transparent about this agreement and ensure that Musk does not wrongfully steer federal funds to his companies,” Markey wrote.
▶ Read more about the deal
House Democrat urges Trump to rescind order seeking greater control of independent regulators
A top Democrat in the U.S. House is urging Trump to reverse a recent executive order seeking to give the White House direct control of independent federal regulatory agencies such as the Federal Election Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Rep. Joe Morelle from New York, a ranking member of the Committee on House Administration, called Trump’s directive “an unprecedented violation of American rule of law” in the letter sent Wednesday. Morelle said Trump’s order ignores that Congress “specifically designed certain independent regulatory agencies to exist outside of White House control.”
The order signed Feb. 18 by Trump says the change is needed so the federal government can be “truly accountable to the American people.” It argues the president must be able to supervise and control officials who “wield vast executive power.”
Head of EPA privately urges Trump administration to reconsider finding behind US action against climate change
In a potential landmark action, the head of the EPA has privately urged the Trump administration to reconsider a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action against climate change.
In a report to the White House, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called for a rewrite of the agency’s finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. Four people who were briefed on the matter spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the recommendation is not public.
The 2009 finding under the Clean Air Act is the legal underpinning of a host of climate regulations for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources.
A spokesperson for the EPA on Wednesday declined to reveal Zeldin’s recommendation, which was made last week under an executive order from Trump.
The Washington Post first reported that Zeldin had urged the White House to strike down the endangerment finding.
▶ Read more about Zeldin’s recommendation
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Associated Press reporter Matthew Daly contributed to this report from Washington.
Musk said USAID funds to fight Ebola are flowing. Agency officials say that’s not true
No U.S. Agency on International Development funds for Ebola response have been released since Trump froze foreign aid Jan. 20, a USAID official said Wednesday.
Musk said during Trump’s first Cabinet meeting that as his team rushes to cut spending, “one of the things we accidentally canceled very briefly was Ebola prevention.”
The administration has yet to approve any release of USAID funds for the current Ebola outbreak in Uganda, the official said.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation after the administration banned employees from commenting publicly.
USAID staffers and partner organizations say all payments have stopped even after a judge temporarily blocked the funding freeze.
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Associated Press reporter Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report from Washington.
Democratic governors pitch state jobs to federal workers cut by Trump
Some of America’s governors — mostly Democrats — have a message for the wave of fired federal workers: We want you.
The governors are welcoming former federal staffers who lost their jobs in the Trump administration’s widespread cost-cutting agenda to apply for government jobs in their states. Some places are holding job fairs, while Hawaii’s governor says the state is fast-tracking hiring for these applicants.
The effort amounts to a small level of resistance against the Republican president and potentially a bit of political maneuvering from the leaders in blue states, eager to be seen as the party helping workers in need. In most cases, the governors are trying to fill up long lists of job openings in their states, and in some the effort involved simply directing people to an online jobs page.
▶ Read more about governors and fired federal workers
Sen. Patty Murray calls Trump and Musk ‘out of touch billionaires’
Speaking during a news conference with three fired federal workers, the Democrat from Washington state also said Trump and Musk don’t care if they “burn down something really important.”
“The Trump/Musk firing spree continues to be as surgical as a wrecking ball,” Murray said. “That is no way to treat people who have dedicated themselves to our country, often for years. And many of them, by the way, are veterans. Nearly a third of our federal workforce are veterans, people who are literally put their lives on the line for our country, and now we’re all seeing what Trump and Musk think about that.”
Emily Connor, a grants specialist for the Federal Transit Administration, was fired Feb. 14 along with about 10% of the staff in their regional office, which covers Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
“Whoever’s left is stuck picking up the pieces of what is literally an impossible workload with no transition plan whatsoever,” she said.
EU-US diplomatic talks are called off as political tensions increase
A planned meeting between European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was abruptly canceled Wednesday.
Both sides blamed scheduling challenges, but European officials said they were caught off-guard. Notably, Kallas had previewed her planned talks with Rubio to reporters in Brussels just two days ago.
Political tensions have increased between Europe and the United States recently and the cancellation comes after the State Department instructed U.S. diplomats in a memo seen by The Associated Press to step up demands on Europe to protect free speech and end what the Trump administration says are loose migration policies.
Musk said his team’s rush to cut spending mistakenly led to canceling Ebola virus prevention efforts
“We will make mistakes,” Musk said during Trump’s first Cabinet meeting Wednesday.
He cited as an example that, while hustling to dramatically shrink the U.S. Agency on International Development, “One of the things we accidentally canceled very briefly was Ebola prevention.”
U.S. officials familiar with the matter had said as of last week in court filings, and interviews, that no USAID money was flowing — including for efforts to combat the spread of Ebola.
China will try to influence Musk, a Republican lawmaker says
“I do believe that (the Chinese Communist leaders) will try and leverage any opportunity,” said Rep. John Moolenaar, Republican chairman of the House Select Committee on China, during a Tuesday talk at the Brookings Institution in Washington.
Musk, a close Trump ally, has extensive business connections in China, including a gigafactory to make Tesla vehicles and a battery factory in Shanghai.
Moolenaar went on to say of Musk: “Are people going to be looking for that and make sure that his lane is one that is not influencing China policy? I believe that is the case.” He didn’t elaborate.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the Democratic ranking member of the committee, said Chinese leaders would try to use Musk to bypass more hawkish voices on China in the Trump administration.
“My hope is that the president is going to be listening to everybody very carefully,” said Krishnamoorthi, who appeared with Moolenaar at the event.
Trump says Ukraine could ‘forget about’ joining NATO as he prepares to host Zelenskyy for talks
Trump also said Wednesday that he hopes to soon speak face to face with Russian President Vladimir Putin in hopes of reaching an agreement to end the war in Ukraine that began when Moscow invaded in February 2022.
The Republican president declined to detail what concessions he would ask the two sides to make, but he underscored his administration’s position that Ukraine’s aspiration to join NATO, the Western military alliance, is not tenable.
“NATO, you can forget about it,” Trump said. “I think that’s probably the reason the whole thing started.”
During Cabinet meeting, Trump says tariffs are coming, but struggles on specific timelines
The president had some confusion about his tariff timelines, but he appeared to suggest he’ll impose them broadly.
Asked if he planned to impose his tariffs on Canada and Mexico on March 4 after a 30-day suspension, Trump said the tariffs would start April 2. He appeared to be conflating these taxes on imports with his separate plan to raise import taxes to match the rates charged by other countries, which could target Europe, based off the U.S. president’s statements.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick clarified for Trump on Canada and Mexico that they needed to show progress on stopping illegal immigration and drug smuggling. Trump claims border crossings have dropped because of his own domestic policies, not the actions of America’s two largest trading partners.
“At the end of that 30 days, they have to prove to the president that they satisfied him,” Lutnick said of Canada and Mexico.
Senate confirms Jamieson Greer to be Trump’s top trade negotiator as battles loom
The Senate has confirmed Jamieson Greer, a veteran of Trump’s first-term economic battles with China, Mexico and Canada, to be America’s top trade negotiator.
As U.S. trade representative, Greer will work with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a billionaire financier, to oversee Trump’s aggressive trade agenda. Greer’s nomination cleared the Senate by a 56-43 vote Wednesday.
Economists warn that Trump’s planned tariffs will raise prices and risk rekindling inflation while drawing retaliation from other countries.
Greer, a former Air Force lawyer, was chief of staff to Trump’s first-term trade representative, Robert Lighthizer. In that position, Greer was involved in talks with China at a time when the world’s two largest economies were hitting each other’s products with tariffs in the biggest trade brawl since the 1930s.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. describes major measles outbreak as ‘not unusual’
The nation’s top health official was asked about a child who died in Texas’ largest measles outbreak in 30 years.
The child’s death in West Texas, where officials say at least 124 people have been infected by the deadly virus, is the first U.S. measles death in about a decade.
Kennedy was asked about the unvaccinated child’s passing during Trump’s first official meeting with his Cabinet on Wednesday.
Kennedy said his agency is “watching” the outbreak, but didn’t provide specifics on how.
Pair of Senate Democrats say layoffs threaten modernization of organ transplant system
Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Bernie Sanders of Vermont wrote newly installed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday, saying he “committed to ensure proper staffing” for the congressionally mandated transplant overhaul during his confirmation hearings.
“You have a duty to fulfill your commitment,” the pair wrote.
Among thousands of workers purged from U.S. health agencies in recent weeks are some experts specially hired by the Health Resources and Services Administration to implement the 2023 law. Patient groups including the National Kidney Foundation are urging their reinstatement.
The senators asked Kennedy to respond by next week to questions about the dismissals, how he will ensure improvements to organ donation and transplantation and when they’ll be completed.
Supreme Court seems likely to rule for Ohio woman claiming job bias because she’s straight
The outcome of the case could remove an additional requirement that some courts apply when members of a majority group, including those who are white and heterosexual, sue for discrimination under federal law.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh stated a way of resolving the case that seemed to enjoy broad support among his colleagues. “Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, whether you are gay or straight, is prohibited. The rules are the same whichever way it goes,” Kavanaugh said.
The justices heard arguments in an appeal from Marlean Ames, who’s worked for the Ohio Department of Youth Services for more than 20 years. Ames contends she was passed over for a promotion and then demoted because she is heterosexual. Both the job she sought and the one she had held were given to LGBTQ+ people.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars sex discrimination in the workplace. A trial court and an appeals court ruled against Ames.
▶ Read more about the Supreme Court hearing
Cuts to federal agencies could also mean moving out of the Washington area
The Trump administration’s memo calling for agencies to prepare for sweeping cuts includes a provision allowing them to consider moving federal offices to cheaper-rent areas.
That would open the door to a longtime Republican priority of relocating much of the federal bureaucracy from Washington, D.C., to conservative parts of the country.
Trump tried this in his first term, moving the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management to the mid-sized Colorado city of Grand Junction, about 250 miles west of Denver. About 300 staffers quit or retired rather than make the move, which, of course, may be exactly the outcome the new administration wants.
Biden moved BLM’s headquarters back to Denver in 2021 and its western headquarters remains in Grand Junction.
Justice Department nominee doesn’t commit to not firing attorneys over their political views
Harmeet Dhillon, nominee for the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, said she “cannot commit to any particular personnel decision” when asked if she would vow to not fire or reassign career attorneys in the division over who they voted for or their views on the 2020 election, which Trump has falsely claimed was stolen from him.
But she said it is her “general practice to not react to people based solely on their political views.”
Dhillon, who has represented Trump multiple times in court, also dodged questions asking what she would do if the president asked her to do something she believed was illegal or unconstitutional.
“In all of those years in multiple cases in multiple jurisdictions, the president has never asked me to do anything I found objectionable, immoral, unlawful or illegal, so I really can’t fathom the circumstances you’re describing,” she told the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary during an initial hearing Wednesday.
Trump thinks they’l
l sell ‘a lot’ of ‘gold cards’ with a path to citizenship
The president said he plans to start selling the so-called “gold cards” for $5 million, and they’ll include a path to citizenship.
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnik said that would replace the EB-5 program offered to investors who spent about $1 million on a company that employs at least 10 people.
“If we sell a million, that’s $5 trillion dollars,” Trump said, adding he wants to use that money to pay off the country’s debt.
“I think we will sell a lot because I think there’s really a thirst,” Trump said. “No other country can do this because people don’t want to go to other countries. They want to come here. Everybody wants to come here, especially since Nov. 5.”
Justice Department nominee pressed on birthright citizenship
Aaron Reitz, nominee for assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s legal policy office, was pressed multiple times over previous comments that birthright citizenship is “not a thing” during an initial Senate committee hearing Wednesday hearing.
“There are reasonable debates to be had about the meaning and application and scope about what is commonly called birthright citizenship,” he said.
Trump has attempted to eliminate birthright citizenship, upending more than a century of precedent.
Assistant attorney general nominee speaks about DEI, anti-Semitism on college campuses
Conservative attorney Harmeet Dhillon, Trump’s nominee for the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, slammed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and anti-Semitism on college campuses during an initial Senate hearing Wednesday morning.
“The president and Attorney General Bondi have made clear that diversity, equity and inclusion as it’s been applied to use racial quotas to deny people equal access to education, employment, even potentially housing and other aspects of civil life are inappropriate,” she said. “So we’ll certainly be taking a look at all of those and enforcing the law equally for all Americans.”
When urged to “root out” DEI on college campuses and asked if “reverse racism is still racism,” Dhillon responded by saying, “I don’t even use the term ‘reverse racism.’ It’s just racism.”
Dhillon also committed to “defending people of faith equally” when asked multiple times about harassment of typically religiously affiliated anti-abortion centers commonly referred to as pregnancy crisis centers.
Trump says a deal on earth minerals with Ukraine can bring the US ‘great wealth’
The president suggested that a deal can help make up for all the military aid the Biden administration sent to Ukraine over the years — while potentially generating a lot more revenue.
Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “coming to sign the dealt and it’s a great thing. It’s a great deal for Ukraine too.”
Trump told members of his Cabinet they should be looking to make deep cuts at their agencies
In one example, the president said Lee Zeldin, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, should cut 65% of employees at the agency.
Trump says, so far, he’s ‘impressed’ with all of his Cabinet
He noted that only a month has passed since he took the White House anew but, “Right now, I’m impressed with everybody” in his Cabinet.
The president singled out for praise Secretary of State Marco Rubio. But he talked at length about Musk and his mass federal firings, saying “we’re cutting down government.”
“We’re cutting down the size of government,” Trump said. “We have to.”
Trump says Zelenskyy will visit White House to sign critical minerals deal
Trump made the announcement Wednesday at start of his first Cabinet meeting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the framework of the economic deal with the United States is ready but it doesn’t yet offer U.S. security guarantees Kyiv views as vital for its war against the Russian invasion.
Since returning to office last month, Trump let Ukraine know that he wanted something in return for tens of billions of dollars in U.S. help fending off the Russian forces that launched a full-scale invasion just over three years ago on Feb. 24, 2022.
Assistant attorney general nominee questioned on election integrity
Harmeet Dhillon, a conservative attorney who’s represented Trump and is now his nominee for the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, was questioned over election integrity during a Wednesday morning Senate hearing.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, asked Dhillon about her views on voter roll challenges, which Democrats and voting rights advocates have called unfounded attempts to sow distrust in the voting process and disenfranchise voters as states are already required to maintain their rolls.
Dhillon responded by applauding Tennessee for “cleaning up your voter rolls” and said she’s “100% in favor of clean voter rolls.”
She also said requiring proof of citizenship “would be a tremendous boost to voter confidence in the integrity of elections in the states if there is an insurance that only citizens are voting, similarly that they’re only voting once.”
Trump’s convenes the first Cabinet meeting of his second term
Trump convened the meeting along with Musk, who is not a Cabinet member.
Many of Trump’s top picks have been confirmed by the Senate. Musk, a senior adviser who’s leading an effort shrink the federal government, didn’t require confirmation.
“We’re gonna solve a lot of problems,” Trump said at the top of the meeting.
Trump invited Musk to speak first at the meeting, saying his cost-cutting work “seems to be of great interest to everyone.” He said there were many Americans who have “such admiration” for the mass firings and government cuts Musk is leading.
Musk, as he has in the past, described himself as simple “tech support” for the government, saying “it’s ironic, but it’s true.”
Cabinet members were asked if they were happy with Musk a few minutes into the meeting. Musk started to answer the question. But Trump interjected and said he might want to let Cabinet members answer, before joking that if anyone disagreed, he might “throw them out.”
Trump posts a video promoting his proposal for redeveloping the Gaza Strip
The video posted to the president’s Truth Social account late Tuesday shows photographs of what appears to be decimated Gaza streets and neighborhoods replaced with images of beach hotels, dancing women and shops selling gold over a pulsating soundtrack.
Trump’s proposal to develop Gaza’s Mediterranean coast into a Riviera replete with luxury casinos and resorts has met with significant criticism in the Middle East.
The song lyrics, in English, appear intended to appeal to Palestinians, many thousands of which would be displaced by the plan and are absolutely opposed to it, but there was no immediate way to gauge reaction.
“Donald’s coming to set you free,” the song says.
The video closes with a photoshopped image of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reclining poolside and sipping brightly colored drinks.
Trump administration sets stage for large-scale federal worker layoffs in new memo
Federal agencies must develop plans to eliminate employee positions, according to a memo distributed by Trump’s administration that sets in motion what could become a sweeping realignment of American government.
The memo expands the Republican president’s effort to downsize the federal workforce, which he’s described as bloated and impediment to his agenda. Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired, and now his administration is turning its attention to career officials with civil service protection.
Agencies are directed to submit by March 13 their plans for what is known as a reduction in force, which would not only lay off employees but eliminate the position altogether. The result could be extensive changes in how government functions.
▶ Read more about the government layoffs
US sanctions Iranian drone procurement firms in China and Hong Kong
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets sanctioned the six companies which are accused of helping procure drone parts for sanctioned Iranian firm Pishtazan Kavosh Gostar Boshra and its subsidiary Narin Sepehr Mobin Isatis.
Treasury says the entities sanctioned Wednesday operate as front companies for the benefit of the Iranian firms.
“Iran continues to try to find new ways to procure the key components it needs to bolster its UAV weapons program through new front companies and third-country suppliers,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
Trump earlier this month issued a memorandum which calls for the U.S. to “drive Iran’s export of oil to zero.” It also states Iran “can never be allowed to acquire or develop nuclear weapons.”
Not known for political coverage, Wired takes a leading role in tracking Musk’s team
Shortly after becoming Wired’s global editorial director in 2023, Katie Drummond acted on an early morning idea. With a presidential election coming, the tech-focused news outlet needed a team to report on technology’s intersection with politics.
She couldn’t have predicted how much the decision would pay off.
Wired has attracted broad attention for its aggressive coverage of the Trump administration, particularly Musk’s efforts at reducing federal employment. It has identified and traced the backgrounds of Musk’s young team and how they are burrowing their way into government operations.
“I think we were very well positioned to jump on that coverage,” Drummond said.
▶ Read more about Wired and Musk
UK prime minister heads to Washington with defense spending pledge to help sway Trump over Ukraine
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s trip Wednesday comes after announcing a big increase in the British defense budget, an investment he hopes will help persuade Trump to maintain support for Ukraine as Washington pushes to end the war.
Though Starmer is likely to tout the trans-Atlantic “special relationship” that’s endured since World War II, he faces an uncertain reception. Trump has upended decades of U.S. foreign policy during his first weeks in office.
Ukraine and its European allies are scrambling to respond after the Trump administration engaged directly with Moscow on ending the war in Ukraine. Starmer’s visit to the White House on Thursday is part of European efforts — following a trip to Washington by French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this week — to ensure Kyiv gets a voice in negotiations, and that the U.S. still backs Europe in dealing with an aggressive Russia on its doorstep.
▶ Read more about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
The Trump administration announces a plan to combat surging egg prices
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins rolled out the five-part plan Wednesday but acknowledged it could take some time before consumers see an effect at the checkout counter.
The plan calls for $500 million investment to help farmers bolster biosecurity measures, $400 million in aid for farmers whose flocks have been impacted by avian flu, $100 million to research and potentially develop vaccines and therapeutics for U.S. chicken flocks and explore rolling back what the administration sees as restrictive animal welfare rules in some states.
The administration is also in talks to import about 70 million to 100 million eggs from other countries in the coming months, Rollins said.
Rollins said the administration is anticipating egg prices could still further climb heading toward the Easter holiday, a time when demand has been historically high.
Cabinet picks with hearings Wednesday would have influence over access to reproductive health care
Three of Trump’s Cabinet picks — Dean John Sauer, the nominee for Solicitor General; Harmeet Dhillon, nominee for the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights; and Aaron Reitz, nominee for assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s legal policy office — face initial hearings Wednesday and, if confirmed, would have influence over reproductive health care access nationwide.
All three also have long anti-abortion histories.
Sauer has been involved in several significant anti-abortion cases, including challenging a St. Louis reproductive equity fund and has argued against the FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone.
Dhillon has called herself a “lawyer for the pro-life movement” in 2022 and has represented anti-abortion groups. She said last year that laws that protect abortion providers from prosecution for treating out-of-state patients are unconstitutional.
Reitz has repeatedly called himself pro-life and said life begins at conception. His legal career has included challenging medication abortion access, and he’s served as a fellow for the anti-abortion coalition Alliance Defending Freedom, which was behind attempts to undo FDA approval of mifepristone.
Musk will attend Trump’s first Cabinet meeting Wednesday
Musk’s attendance highlights his influence over the administration.
“Elon is working with the Cabinet secretaries and their staff every single day to identify waste and fraud and abuse at these respective agencies,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. “All of the Cabinet secretaries take the advice and direction of DOGE.”
Leavitt said members of Trump’s Cabinet would provide updates on their work at the meeting, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.
Emergency fundraisers offer a lifeline to groups who’ve lost foreign aid
Though they know they can never replace all the money lost due to the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign assistance, nonprofits are fundraising to help organizations struggling with the cuts.
Unlock Aid, which advocates for U.S. Agency for International Development reforms, started the Foreign Aid Bridge Fund last week. It will take donations and make grants to groups around the world to try to avert some of the worst impacts of the policy change.
Other groups including Founders Pledge and The Life You Can Save have also launched fundraising campaigns. The Network for Empowered Aid Response, a coalition of civil society organizations from developing countries, has opened a fund, though it’s not accepting donations from individuals. GlobalGiving, a nonprofit that fundraises for grassroots international organizations, was one of the first to launch a campaign to support impacted groups.
▶ Read more about fundraisers for foreign aid
What’s going on with the Kennedy Center under Trump?
Until a few weeks ago, the biggest news to come out of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., was its annual celebration of notable American artists.
That has changed since Trump's return
In the first month of his second term, the president has ousted the arts institution’s leadership, filled the board of trustees with his supporters and announced he had been elected the board’s chair — unanimously. Some artists have responded by canceling appearances.
In a statement this month to The Wall Street Journal, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “The Kennedy Center learned the hard way that if you go woke, you will go broke. Trump and the members of his newly appointed board are devoted to rebuilding the Kennedy Center into a thriving and highly respected institution where all Americans, and visitors from around the world, can enjoy the arts with respect to America’s great history and traditions.”
▶ Read more about the Kennedy Center under Trump’s leadership
The Associated Press
