The Latest: Federal judge orders Kennedy Center to provide 30 days' notice of any building changes
A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it, as President Donald Trump has threatened. Trump said Wednesday that without his efforts to restore the aging building, “it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down.”
Earlier on Thursday, a top official at the Kennedy Center said he closed the iconic performing arts center temporarily due to “acute risks to public safety resulting from continued structural deterioration” of the building. The temporary closure occurred without notice Wednesday and was separate from a vote a day earlier by the Kennedy Center’s board to close the performing arts center indefinitely for repairs, officials said.
Trump is withdrawing his nomination of Lance Schroyer to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the White House said Thursday. The former Oklahoma state trooper has little experience with immigration. The step ensures that an agency at the forefront of Trump’s domestic agenda will remain without a Senate-confirmed leader for at least a while longer.
Here's the latest:
US piles more pressure on Iran to disrupt sanctions evasion efforts
The Trump administration is stepping up efforts to combat Iranian attempts to circumvent U.S. sanctions.
The U.S. is now going after digital currency networks it says are illegally providing sanctioned Iranian entities with access to the international financial system.
The Treasury and State Departments announced on Thursday that they had targeted two companies and three individuals who have played a role in helping Iran evade sanctions.
The companies are Bitbank and the Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company and three associates of BitBank’s previously sanctioned chief Babak Zajani.
The move freezes any assets those affected may have in U.S. jurisdictions or that come into contact with U.S. financial institutions, bar Americans from doing business with them and could result in criminal action against foreign entities that violate the sanctions.
Data centers figure prominently in former interior secretary’s campaign for New Mexico governor
Data centers are emerging as a flashpoint in New Mexico’s governor’s race with both major party candidates staking out positions on the rapidly growing industry.
Former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland vowed Thursday to place a moratorium on new large-scale data center construction in New Mexico if elected governor.
“The bottom line is we don’t have water to waste,” the Democrat said in Albuquerque.
Haaland’s campaign said her proposed moratorium would not affect projects already underway but would remain until “strong, clear” regulations are enacted.
Campaign finance filings showed companies and executives tied to a massive Project Jupiter data center planned in southern New Mexico donated tens of thousands of dollars to Haaland’s campaign.
Those interests didn’t donate to GOP nominee Gregg Hull in the same period. Hull opposes a moratorium, arguing the state should compete to attract data center investment while regulating its environmental and other impacts.
Man accused of ties to bin Laden has 20-year Guantanamo detention reviewed
A man initially accused of being a high-profile al-Qaida figure appeared at a hearing Thursday at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he’s been held without charges for 20 years.
A U.S. government official said at the detention review hearing that Abu Zubaydah had “probably” served as one of Osama bin Laden’s most trusted facilitators.
The brief hearing offered a rare glimpse into the secretive military court proceedings of a suspect who had been tortured at CIA black sites during the U.S. war on terrorism. His case remains unresolved 25 years after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
The man’s private attorney, Annika Conrad, acknowledged he had known bin Laden. But she said he never belonged to the militant group of the 9/11 mastermind. She argued Zubaydah poses no security threat to the U.S. and should be transferred out of Guantanamo.
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White House slams finding from UN human rights body
The White House issued a scathing statement after experts commissioned by the U.N.’s top human rights body say they found “reasonable grounds” to believe the United States committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran.
“The UN Human Rights Council has accomplished nothing for human rights while spouting unserious nonsense for decades,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Thursday.
She added: “The only party in this conflict that has committed war crimes is the Iranian regime, which has murdered thousands of its own people, killed Americans overseas, executed acts of terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz, and launched indiscriminate attacks against its neighbors in the region.”
US approves visas for top Iranian officials for UN meetings in New York
The State Department says it had approved visas for Iran’s “core delegation” and essential staffers.
The core delegation includes President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity due visa privacy laws.
The move is unusual due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States and no sign that agreements to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or return to talks on Iran’s nuclear program are close.
And, according to the U.S. government, Iran remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.
Senate blocks House-passed measure on data centers
The Senate has blocked a House-passed bill that aims to have data centers pay for their substantial energy needs.
Republican Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio sought to pass the measure through unanimous consent. He’s been facing attack ads on the issue as he seeks reelection and as people gather signatures in his state for a referendum to outright ban their construction.
The legislation that Husted sought to pass would require state utility regulators to consider a standard ensuring that data centers pay the full cost of the infrastructure needed to serve them.
“If you create the costs you should pay the costs,” Husted said.
But Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico objected. Heinrich says the bill falls short of what’s needed.
“Rather than voluntary pledges or suggestions to states, Congress needs to pass real legislation with real teeth,” Heinrich said.
US OKs to $24 billion sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia
The Trump administration’s approval of the sale of the advanced warplanes to Saudi Arabia signals a boost in U.S. military cooperation with Gulf Arab states at a time when the war against Iran is at a stalemate.
The State Department said Thursday it has given the green light for the Saudis to purchase 48 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. Also included in the deal are jet engines, secure communication and navigational systems, spare parts and training.
The statement released by the State Department said the sale supports U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by improving the security of a major non-NATO ally. It called Saudi Arabia “a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf region.”
Judge says Kennedy Center must give notice before making any major changes to building
The judge’s order says the Kennedy Center must provide 30 days’ notice before making significant changes to the building, including demolishing it as President Donald Trump has threatened.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said his ruling would “avoid any confusion on that score given more recent events.”
Trump was named the Kennedy Center’s chairman last year by loyalists on the center’s board.
He said Wednesday that his efforts to restore the aging building deserve recognition, saying “if we don’t do that, it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down. It’s in very, very bad s