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(WASHINGTON) — Tuesday’s meeting of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ board will now focus exclusively on the “necessary closure” of the center, and not on additional ways to honor President Donald Trump, the Trump administration said in an overnight federal court filing.

In their late-night court filing, Justice Department lawyers included an email sent to the board at 7 p.m. Monday by Kennedy Center official Joe LaFauci, indicating that a separate draft resolution proposing ten new ways to honor Trump would not be considered, and that the board “stands by” its earlier vote to recognize the president.

LaFauci in his email said the update to Tuesday’s agenda was due “to the recently exacerbated structural emergencies” at the center, the court filing said.

Late on Monday night, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick separately posted security video of a partial ceiling collapse that occurred during a rainstorm earlier this month. The video shows a chunk of debris crashing onto an empty red carpet.

“If a performance had been underway, patrons could have been killed,” Lutnick said in his post on social media. “People cannot be allowed to go into this building any longer.”

The center voted in December to add Trump’s name on the outside of the building before a federal judge, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, ordered its removal in May.

The board voted 23-3 last month on a resolution to close the facility for two years as part of a $285 million renovation plan, according to a court filing. The board, members of which were largely appointed by Trump, also voted to add Trump’s name back onto the Kennedy Center building as many as two more times, according to the filing.

While Congress already appropriated $257 million for the project, the board has argued that Trump would raise another $100 million for the center.

The board as it voted last month said it would re-add Trump’s name to the building as the man who “renovated and restored” the center, adding, if a fundraising goal is hit, that it had been endowed by the “Trump Kennedy Center Fund.”

But Cooper is currently weighing whether that would violate a statute prohibiting additional memorials at D.C.’s only memorial to former President John F. Kennedy. Cooper is set to hold a 10 a.m. ET scheduling conference on the future plans for the center and the board is preparing to meet privately at 12:30 p.m. ET. 

Trustees are expected to vote on Tuesday afternoon on a measure declaring the Kennedy Center’s main building “unsafe for continued occupancy,” and ordering that it be “closed to patrons forthwith.”

Cooper is also positioned to eventually decide whether the board can move forward with its latest plans to close the center, plans that have taken on new urgency following the ceiling collapse and the new claim of center officials that the entity is quickly running out of money to remain operational. 

An attorney for Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who has filed a lawsuit challenging the planned closure and renaming, praised the decision not to move forward with another resolution honoring the president.

“Trump & cronies back down on HALF of the crazy,” lawyer Norm Eisen wrote on social media on Tuesday. But Eisen added that the plan to immediately close the center amounts to “foolishness” that he said Beatty’s legal team will fight.

Programming at the Kennedy Center, which normally funds its operations, effectively ended in early July. Ticket sales had reportedly been dropping off for months prior, following the board’s vote last December to rename the facility. Cooper ruled that move unlawful in May.

Despite Congress-approve funding that’s already on the table, center officials last weekend again underscored the need to honor Trump so that he might be enticed to lead additional efforts at raising money and oversee the renovation.  

“The Board understands that without such appropriate recognition it is unlikely that President Trump will provide the fundamental oversight of the renovation of the main building and lead the fiscal rescue of the Center,” read the text of a draft resolution that is — according to LaFauci — no longer up for consideration today. 

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(WASHINGTON) — FBI Director Kash Patel is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday morning for an oversight hearing, the first time Patel is testifying since he clashed with lawmakers over reports of job performance issues more than four months ago.

The hearing comes after the committee’s top Democrat called on Patel to be replaced following a report published in The Atlantic in May that alleged Patel had “bouts of excessive drinking” and job performance issues.

Sen. Dick Durbin, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that Patel lacks “the experience, judgment, and temperament to lead the FBI” and should be “replaced immediately.” Durbin reiterated those comments in his opening statements on Tuesday morning.

The report in The Atlantic was a focus of several lawmakers’ questions when Patel last testified on Capitol Hill in May with several heated exchanges over Patel’s drinking habits and job performance.

Patel said earlier this year that he’s “never been intoxicated on the job,” following the report. Patel sued The Atlantic over the article, demanding $250 million in damages.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Patel is expected to tout decreased crime nationwide, according to a source familiar with his testimony. President Donald Trump has frequently promoted a decrease in crime, saying on Friday that crime is “under control.”

The director will tout the increase in violent crime arrests, which are up 90%, arresting violent gang members are up 31% and he is expected to say it is the “most prolific run of crime reduction in history,” according to a source. 

The FBI says violent crime is down 9.3% from 2024 to 2025.

Patel is also expected to discuss the FBI’s efforts to thwart major terrorist incidents and highlight information sharing among law enforcement partners, according to a source familiar with his testimony.

He is expected to talk about how he has made the FBI more nimble as director, accelerating the reduction of bureaucracy of the agency.

Patel’s time at the helm of the FBI has been marked by several controversies, which lawmakers may question him about. Earlier this year, Patel joined in on Team USA hockey’s locker room celebrations in Italy shortly after the team won the gold medal, which drew scrutiny about his use of FBI resources to attend. He was also grilled during a House hearing late last year about his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

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(WASHINGTON) — Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate on Monday for the first time since being hospitalized in June following a fall.

“Today, I’ll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June,” McConnell said in a statement. “I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues.”

McConnell, who was in a wheelchair, briefly addressed journalists outside the Senate chamber this afternoon before heading to the floor to cast his first vote since June 11.

“After two years — two decades — of dodging your questions, I wasn’t sure how many of you would be here today,” McConnell joked at the outset. “So I am glad to see you. It is time to get back to work and finish the job for this Congress.” 

McConnell said he would be focused on the farm bill — which previously failed to advance out of committee due to McConnell’s absence. 

“As you know, I have an ongoing interest in NATO and backing up our good friends who are totally in the fight against the Russians,” he said.

McConnell said in his Monday statement that he was not yet fully recovered but that he would try to be present for critical votes.

“My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier. I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me,” McConnell said.

McConnell was hospitalized on June 14 for reasons that were initially undisclosed in statements from his office. Subsequent statements from the senator revealed that he had suffered a fall that left him hospitalized. 

After weeks of inpatient rehabilitation treatment, McConnell announced in an Aug. 6 statement that he’d be continuing his recovery at home.

Before Monday, the senator had not been seen publicly since the June 14 fall. McConnell has missed six weeks of Senate business in Washington since his injury.

In statements issued during his recovery, the senator has said he’s keeping up with his work in the Senate.

“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,” McConnell said in an Aug. 6 statement.

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(WASHINGTON) — A Russian oligarch with ties to President Vladimir Putin allegedly contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars for events around Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding to Bettina Anderson earlier this year, according to a report from ProPublica published Monday, with Anderson not disputing the “gift.”

The president’s son held his May wedding at an exclusive island in the Bahamas, with the oligarch — Umar Kremlev — footing a large portion of the bill for the events later that weekend, according to records reviewed by ProPublica, as well as three people familiar with the event who spoke with the outlet.

ABC News has not independently confirmed the details of the ProPublica report.

Kremlev covered expenses including renting out a private island and paying for a firework show, according to the ProPublica report. Payments for the expenses allegedly came from an entity affiliated with the controversial International Boxing Association — where Kremlev serves as president. 

When ABC News asked about the report, the White House and a spokesperson for Donald Trump Jr. pointed to a recent Instagram post from his new wife, Anderson, which does not dispute that Kremlev paid for part of the post-wedding celebrations, but stressed their wedding ceremony was attended “ONLY by our family.”

“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful,” Anderson wrote in her post.

“It’s unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be recast as something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or where they come from,” Anderson continued.

“So, for anyone determined not to let the facts get in the way of a good story: NO CONSPIRACY, NO MYSTERY,” said Anderson, who added that the weekend celebrations were initially planned to be a “fun weekend with friends,” but when plans “changed,” they decided to get married before the trip and celebrate as newlyweds.

In response to detailed questions from ProPublica, the outlet said that a spokesperson for Trump Jr. also did not dispute the payments from Kremlev.

“Umar is a personal friend of Don,” the spokesperson told ProPublica. 

It’s not clear why Kremlev paid for parts of Trump Jr.’s wedding celebration.

ProPublica reported that Kremlev had recently traveled to China as part of the delegation accompanying Putin, and that Putin had recently awarded him the state honor of the Order of Friendship.

The Russian government and Putin have led coordinated campaigns to interfere in U.S. elections in both 2016 and 2020, according to national security reports.

While Trump Jr. leads the Trump business empire with his brother, Eric Trump, he still has major influence inside his father’s political orbit — including pushing for his friend, JD Vance, to be named as Trump’s running mate for 2024.

The spokesperson told ProPublica that Kremlev is “not someone he has a business relationship with” and that the men met through a mutual friend in the hunting world and bonded over their love of boxing and the outdoors.Kremlev’s press office told ProPublica that “Mr. Kremlev and Mr. Trump Jr have a friendly relationship” and they first met “a couple of years ago.” ABC News has also reached out to Kremlev for comment.

The intimate guest list for the celebration made the presence of Kremlev, among a “large group” of other Russian guests, puzzling for attendees, according to ProPublica.

President Donald Trump notably did not attend Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding, posting on social media that “circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America” prevented him from joining the celebration in the Bahamas. He had also canceled his originally planned travel to his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club and remained in Washington that weekend. 

The day prior, Trump said he was going to “try and make it” and noted that it was a “small, little private affair” — though he said the event is “not good timing” for him given his responsibilities surrounding the war in Iran.

“I said, ‘You know, this is not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things,'” Trump had said in the Oval Office in May.

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(WASHINGTON) — Lawmakers from both chambers return to Washington this week for the final legislative push before the November midterm elections, the first time since July 23 that both chambers will be in Washington.

The House is in session for its final week of legislative business before the election after Speaker Mike Johnson scrapped two previously scheduled weeks of votes. The Senate has three weeks of business ahead of it — as no changes to the Senate schedule have been announced — though it’s possible Majority Leader John Thune could decide to dispatch his members to the campaign trail earlier than planned as well.

The September session is often plagued by a looming government funding deadline. But lawmakers have already passed a stopgap funding bill that President Donald Trump has signed to keep the lights on until Dec. 11, alleviating any immediate deadline pressure this month. Senate Republicans are also increasingly unlikely to take up a massive budget bill before the midterms.

The move to kick the can on government funding and delay a potential budget reconciliation bill means both items could be at the top of a large pile of priorities facing lawmakers in the lame duck session. 

But freedom from a fiscal showdown doesn’t mean lawmakers won’t feel the pressure — both now and in the lame duck — to produce.

Here’s what the House and Senate have ahead of them:

Funding the military: Over the summer recess, new concerns were stoked about leadership at the top of the military following Dan Driscoll’s resignation as Army secretary. Larger concerns about strained military resources and funding for the war in Iran also became more pressing, as the conflict stretches into its seventh month.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle will likely need to chart a path forward on military funding, especially as the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act continues to stall and the Senate has effectively thrown in the towel on Reconciliation 3.0 — the $95 billion GOP package that aimed at replenishing the military as the Iran war drags on, as well as billions in relief for American farmers and some aspects of the SAVE America Act.

The NDAA doesn’t need to be approved until the end of the year, but if lawmakers don’t find a bipartisan path for it soon, they’ll add to a potential lame duck pileup.

Russia sanctions: Next week, House Republicans will attempt to pass the Russia sanctions bill — despite objections from many Democrats — as GOP leaders will bring the bipartisan legislation to the floor under a rule, requiring only a simple majority for passage while also signaling that there isn’t sufficient bipartisan support in the House to suspend the rules and pass it via a two-thirds majority.

Though the House passed a budget resolution, it’s not clear whether Republicans in the Senate will attempt to take that up before they leave. Doing so would expose members to potentially challenging votes in a vote-a-rama, and it’s also not clear whether Thune even has the votes in his unruly majority to pass it.

Anti-fraud measures: The House will also aim to close out its pre-election legislative blitz by debating several fraud-related measures on the floor this week, including the Preventing Ripoffs and Obtaining Oversight of Funds Act, another bill to protect taxpayers from healthcare fraudsters, and a bill to establish a National Fraud Enforcement Division within the Department of Justice under the authority of the attorney general.

Regulating AI: A renewed focus on regulating artificial intelligence is also likely to come following reports this week that raise significant concerns about AI security. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have demanded information from OpenAI and launched investigations. 

Crypto and NIL could come up: Other major bills could also finally get their time in the sun during this stretch of session. The Senate is expected to take up a Name, Image and Likeness [NIL] bill as soon as this week. A controversial bill aimed at regulating cryptocurrency could also find its way to the Senate floor, though that bipartisan legislation is currently plagued by concerns from Democrats that the bill includes ethics carve-outs that may be favorable to Trump.

McConnell’s still absent: It’s also not yet clear whether Sen. Mitch McConnell, who has not been on Capitol Hill since a June 14 fall put him in the hospital, will be present this week. A spokesperson for McConnell did not provide an update when reached by ABC News on Friday.

Trump officials on the Hill: Several high-level Trump officials are also slated to appear on the Hill this week. Senators on the Judiciary Committee will hear from FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is slated to appear before the House Financial Services Committee on the same day.

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(WASHINGTON) — Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, joined others in the artificial intelligence industry in saying that his company would welcome a slower development pace for AI to ensure that the technology’s capabilities don’t “get ahead of alignment and monitoring,” as President Donald Trump said there would be “more good than bad” from the technology.

The president, who spoke with reporters on Sunday as he traveled back to Washington from Ireland, said he wouldn’t downplay concerns about AI advancements. He also sought to position the AI race as a competition between the United States and other countries — including China.

“I’ve said it from the beginning,” Trump said. “Whoever wins AI — and we’re leading by a lot. Whoever wins AI wins.”

In a social media post on Monday, Trump reiterated the message, saying “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!”

He added that there is a “SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China,” and that the U.S. is “leading China” as well as other countries in the technology.

Vice President JD Vance said Monday that the the administration is “concerned” about the technology, but any regulations that may occur need to be done “smartly” — with the current situation feeling like a “Trojan horse.”

“It’s something that we’re concerned by, but we want to make sure that we actually regulate smartly, and we’re thoughtful about the risk here. So, there are obviously risks to AI. There are some benefits to AI. I have to say, just personally, I feel a little bit weird about the fact that you have so many Frontier AI tech companies kind of coming to the government and begging the government to regulate them — it feels a little bit to me like a bit of a Trojan horse,” Vance said.

The comments from Altman, Trump and Vance followed a warning issued last week by Jacob Coxon, a former safety researcher for Anthropic and OpenAI, two prominent tech companies, who said that he was resigning from Anthropic.

Coxon said in a social media post that neither Anthropic nor OpenAI “is acting responsibly. They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.” He also highlighted the fear within the industry about the potential for an AI takeover.

“The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade,” Coxon wrote.

Altman said late on Sunday that his company would welcome a federal framework “that sets consistent safety requirements for frontier AI.”

“But we do not believe we need to wait for an anti-trust exemption or legislation to begin the work of providing this confidence,” Altman said on social media. “Consistent rules to manage frontier risk so that we can maximize the benefits are a good idea (and we are excited by ideas like independent auditors).”

That statement came after House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday that lawmakers need to take urgent action on the growing threat of AI.

“We certainly need to begin to act urgently to address the challenges that exist,” Jeffries said on ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”

“We should take decisive action now so that we can slow down, as the CEOs have recently acknowledged, slow down the pace of development in order to protect the American people and ensure that AI is proceeding safely,” Jeffries added. 

Lawmakers from both chambers return to Washington this week for the final legislative push before the November midterm elections, a renewed focus on regulating artificial intelligence is also likely to come following reports this week that raise significant concerns about AI security. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have demanded information from OpenAI and launched investigations.

Altman on Sunday detailed “two ways AI progress could go very badly and that we must avoid.”

The first, he said, would be an “unacceptable” loss of control over AI. The second, Altman said, would be to “end up in a world with too much concentration of power.”

“If an extraordinarily powerful AI is used by one person or company to impress their worldview onto everyone else, the results could be extremely dystopian,” he said. “Avoiding these two threats requires walking a narrow middle path; for example, one country could gain too much power. Another example is one lab ending up with too much power.”

Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, published a blog post last week, in which he said that “we must pace the frontier,” as in slow the pace of AI development.

“We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models,” he wrote. “Progress will still seem fast, and we must make wise use of the time we gain.”

Altman on Sunday said, “When we talk about ‘pacing,’ we do not mean ‘stopping.'”

“Progress has been rapid and will continue to be. But it should be slower than it otherwise could be; interventions like safety cases and monitoring have significant costs,” he wrote. “Pacing will be well worth this cost; no amount of American competitive pressure should justify recklessness, or let capabilities get ahead of alignment and monitoring.”

“Where we will need the help of our government is for international coordination,” he added. “But first we should do what we can ourselves.”

The president on Sunday also confirmed that he personally uses AI, but did not say which systems or for what purposes he uses it for.

ABC News’ Zunaira Zaki and Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

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