Judge blocks moves to add Trump to Kennedy Center name

WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Washington on Friday blocked the Trump administration’s moves to rename the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump and close the center for two years — and gave two weeks for removal of the changed signage on the building’s facade.

The opinion and order came in a lawsuit filed in December by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, a member of the center’s board, which argued the name change and subsequent closure of the center violated federal law.

Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia wrote in Friday’s order that the name change, as well as board votes to close the center and strip ex officio members like Beatty of voting rights, violated the law.

“The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” Cooper wrote.

—CQ-Roll Call

Some Idaho immigrants now face million-dollar fines. Here’s why

BOISE, Idaho — First, the undocumented Idaho mother’s partner of 18 years was detained by U.S. immigration authorities. Sick in detention, she said in Spanish, he opted to leave the country rather than fight.

Then came the notification of fines the U.S. government says he racked up by staying in America years after a deportation order — more than $1 million worth.

The woman’s partner is one of at least several Idaho immigrants who have received fines that local lawyers say they have never seen enforced before. She said in an interview that she’s afraid her family could be further traumatized by the government’s actions while she is fighting for her dream of a stable life.

“I don’t have material things ... it’s a simple life,” the woman told the Idaho Statesman on condition of anonymity because she fears she could be separated from her kids. “You’ve already done enough damage.”

—Idaho Statesman

Former California mayor pleads guilty to secretly working as foreign agent of China

The former mayor of Arcadia pleaded guilty Friday to acting as an illegal agent of China.

Eileen Wang, 56, was charged last month and agreed to plead guilty to accusations that she was directed by the Chinese government to promote propaganda in the United States between 2020 and 2022, according to court filings.

Wang was elected to the City Council in November 2022 and eventually assumed the job of mayor, a position that rotates among the council members. She stepped down as mayor hours after the plea agreement was unsealed earlier this month. Arcadia officials and Wang’s attorneys said the conduct described by federal authorities occurred before Wang took office.

Wang, who is out on a $25,000 bond, appeared in federal court in downtown Los Angeles to enter her plea. She faces up to 10 years in prison when she is sentenced Oct. 6.

—Los Angeles Times

Romania accuses Russia of escalation as drone hits building

Romania accused Russia of a “serious and irresponsible escalation” after a drone entered its airspace early on Friday and crashed into an apartment building, injuring two people.

The incident was the most serious of its kind for the eastern-flank NATO member since Moscow invaded neighboring Ukraine more than four years ago and drew an immediate response from leaders in the region.

It follows a series of incursions across the Baltic states, Finland and Poland that have grown in intensity as the warring parties respond by trying to jam and spoof drones sending them to neighboring countries.

“Russia’s war of aggression has crossed yet another line,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X. The European Union is preparing a fresh package of Russian sanctions to increase the pressure on Moscow, she said.

—Bloomberg News