Proud Boys members call for Pam Bondi's resignation for seeking to dismiss their $100 million lawsuit
Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department are facing blowback over their effort to block a lawsuit from members of the far-right Proud Boys, who are seeking financial reimbursement for their criminal cases and imprisonment for offenses stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
The Proud Boys Jan. 6 rioters, who met in a social media "X spaces" gathering last month, are calling for Bondi's resignation, after the Justice Department filed a motion in federal court in Florida last week, asking a judge to dismiss a civil lawsuit filed by Enrique Tarrio, Zachary Rehl, Domenic Pezzola and other Proud Boys. All the men were imprisoned for their roles in the riot before President Trump pardoned them on the day he was inaugurated for his second term.
The Proud Boys' lawsuit seeks more than $100 million in damages and alleges the men suffered "A parade of horribles: egregious and systemic abuse of the legal system and the United States Constitution to punish and oppress political allies of President Trump, by any and all means necessary, legal, or illegal."
"Through the use of evidence tampering, witness intimidation, violations of attorney-client privilege, and placing spies to report on trial strategy, the government got its fondest wish of imprisoning the J6 Defendants," the lawsuit claims.
In a filing on Aug. 25, the Justice Department responded that the Jan. 6 defendants had not yet exhausted administrative remedies before they filed suit and also argued the U.S. enjoys sovereign immunity from such claims.
An attorney for Jan. 6 defendants sent a statement to CBS News, saying, "Motions to dismiss are a common reaction to a civil complaint, and we anticipated that the attorney the government assigned to the case would make such a motion. We are confident that the Court will see that the Federal government's outrageous treatment of my clients justifies allowing the suit to continue. "
In their publicly posted X spaces meeting video, Jan. 6 defendants and supporters blistered the Justice Department for opposing the Proud Boys' civil challenge.
Isaac Thomas, a pardoned Jan. 6 defendant from Michigan who participated in the meeting, said, "Unfortunately, Pam Bondi's DOJ seems to be advocating for the same things that the Biden regime was advocating for. A long time ago, I joined the call of Trump supporters saying that Pam Bondi needs to step down." Thomas said the Jan. 6 defendants "have been dumped out."
Mark McCloskey, an attorney who said he is seeking financial payments for Capitol riot defendants, said in the video he was "very disappointed" in the Justice Department's challenge to the Proud Boys lawsuit. He said if the Justice Department opposes other legal challenges seeking restitution or financial awards for Jan. 6 defendants, "It's going to make our lives very difficult."
He predicted more legal challenges would be coming, as some of the more than 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants pursue financial compensation, and he referenced "hundreds" of people who could be impacted.
The Justice Department did not have an immediate comment to the recent Jan. 6 defendants' online meeting.
The civil lawsuit filed by Proud Boys members also alleges malicious prosecution and violation of Fourth Amendment protections, claims that the Justice Department rebutted in its response to the suit.
In their Aug. 25 filing, the Justice Department argued the Proud Boys defendants failed to sufficiently demonstrate the case was "malicious" and that their constitutional rights had been violated. The 17-page filing from the department did not address whether the men had been rightfully or wrongfully convicted by a jury.
The Proud Boys also allege harsh conditions in jail in their lawsuit, and it referenced the language used in President Trump's pardon order for Capitol insurrection defendants, which said, "This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and is a process of national reconciliation."
An attorney who filed the suit did not immediately respond to requests for comment from CBS News.
A Justice Department attorney who filed the motion to dismiss the Jan. 6 defendants' lawsuit has been harshly criticized by name on social media. In one instance, the attorney was referred to as being one of the "swamp rats." News of the Justice Department court filing also triggered a wave of critical comments about the department in a weekend social media post by a media outlet aligned with Trump supporter Mike Lindell, who made baseless claims about the 2020 election.
Graham says he would support third Trump term in 2028 Alexander Bolton Wed, September 24, 2025 at 8:07 AM EDT
Graham says he would support third Trump term in 2028
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says he would like to see President Trump run for a third term in 2028, even though the 22nd Amendment limits a president to serving two terms.
“Trump 2028. I hope this never ends,” Graham told Fox News host Sean Hannity late Tuesday.
Graham made the comment in response to Hannity’s questions about Trump’s handling of the war in Ukraine and recent Russian incursions into the airspace of NATO allies, including Estonia and Poland.
The South Carolina senator said Trump doesn’t want to provoke a war with Moscow but is doing everything he can to deter Russian aggression in Europe.
“He tried to go out of his way to get Putin to the table. We don’t want to humiliate Russia, we just want to end the war, and to our friends in Russia, here’s what Trump did today. He told NATO, ‘I’ll sell you all the weapons you want to, you can provide them to Ukraine, and as to Ukraine, you can use them anyway you want,’” Graham said.
Trump earlier this year did not rule out running for a third term, telling NBC News: “A lot of people want me to do it.”
“But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration,” he said.
When asked if he would want to serve a third term, Trump said, “I like working.”
Graham says he would support third Trump term in 2028 Alexander Bolton Wed, September 24, 2025 at 8:07 AM EDT
Graham says he would support third Trump term in 2028
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says he would like to see President Trump run for a third term in 2028, even though the 22nd Amendment limits a president to serving two terms.
“Trump 2028. I hope this never ends,” Graham told Fox News host Sean Hannity late Tuesday.
Graham made the comment in response to Hannity’s questions about Trump’s handling of the war in Ukraine and recent Russian incursions into the airspace of NATO allies, including Estonia and Poland.
The South Carolina senator said Trump doesn’t want to provoke a war with Moscow but is doing everything he can to deter Russian aggression in Europe.
“He tried to go out of his way to get Putin to the table. We don’t want to humiliate Russia, we just want to end the war, and to our friends in Russia, here’s what Trump did today. He told NATO, ‘I’ll sell you all the weapons you want to, you can provide them to Ukraine, and as to Ukraine, you can use them anyway you want,’” Graham said.
Trump earlier this year did not rule out running for a third term, telling NBC News: “A lot of people want me to do it.”
“But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration,” he said.
When asked if he would want to serve a third term, Trump said, “I like working.”
I know you don't like facts and history getting in the way of things, but here goes...
1. The 22nd amendment was passed AFTER FDR's death. The 2-term thing was an informal precedent set by Washington, but there were no laws in place to prevent it (several had tried but weren't as popular as FDR).
2. There was a World War going on that was preceded by the Great Depression. It's easy to see the argument for established leadership during a time like that.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
Graham says he would support third Trump term in 2028 Alexander Bolton Wed, September 24, 2025 at 8:07 AM EDT
Graham says he would support third Trump term in 2028
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says he would like to see President Trump run for a third term in 2028, even though the 22nd Amendment limits a president to serving two terms.
“Trump 2028. I hope this never ends,” Graham told Fox News host Sean Hannity late Tuesday.
Graham made the comment in response to Hannity’s questions about Trump’s handling of the war in Ukraine and recent Russian incursions into the airspace of NATO allies, including Estonia and Poland.
The South Carolina senator said Trump doesn’t want to provoke a war with Moscow but is doing everything he can to deter Russian aggression in Europe.
“He tried to go out of his way to get Putin to the table. We don’t want to humiliate Russia, we just want to end the war, and to our friends in Russia, here’s what Trump did today. He told NATO, ‘I’ll sell you all the weapons you want to, you can provide them to Ukraine, and as to Ukraine, you can use them anyway you want,’” Graham said.
Trump earlier this year did not rule out running for a third term, telling NBC News: “A lot of people want me to do it.”
“But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration,” he said.
When asked if he would want to serve a third term, Trump said, “I like working.”
I wasn't alive when the Dems did that to everyone with FDR but I would be aligned.
Exactly what did Dems do? I mean, there wasn't a law or rule against electing FDR to 4 terms. so what it came down to is, the american people loved FDR and wanted him to stay in office.
Today we have a law/rule/amendment against that and to prevent that from happening again.
So tell me again what did Dems do and exactly what would you be aligned with?
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
I know you don't like facts and history getting in the way of things, but here goes...
1. The 22nd amendment was passed AFTER FDR's death. The 2-term thing was an informal precedent set by Washington, but there were no laws in place to prevent it (several had tried but weren't as popular as FDR).
2. There was a World War going on that was preceded by the Great Depression. It's easy to see the argument for established leadership during a time like that.
Exactly.
I like President Trump but talk about him running is moot. I think most of that talk is on agitate a Dem day.
If it actually stated to gain traction, I would actively be against it. Not because it was President Trump. It would simply be that I don't ever want to see any President gain 3 terms.
The only exception would be is if a VP took office mid term because the President died or whatever. Then the former VP should be allowed to run for their 2 elected terms, as is currently the case.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
I think most of that talk is on agitate a Dem day.
This got me to chuckle. To your point, if we're going to get riled up about this I think it'd be more about what a stooge Graham is vs anything else.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
Even Graham knows it won't happen. He was asked about it and said he would be for it...kind of goes back to agitate a Dem.
If the question was "would he vote to change the law of the land" I think his answer would be much different...it might not be a no, but more in the lines of word salad with nothing being said to avoid being on record of saying yes.
As you know, politicians are pretty good at doing that.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
Even Graham knows it won't happen. He was asked about it and said he would be for it...kind of goes back to agitate a Dem.
If the question was "would he vote to change the law of the land" I think his answer would be much different...it might not be a no, but more in the lines of word salad with nothing being said to avoid being on record of saying yes.
As you know, politicians are pretty good at doing that.
I agree with your 'agitate a dem' point. I just think the rest is giving Graham more benefit of the doubt than he's earned.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
Yet congress is investigating every democrat trump considers a political enemy and he is calling for them to be prosecuted. Yet nobody seems to know what crimes it is they committed to be charged for. That goes quite a bit further than agitate a Dem.
At some point people who think the way you do need to look around and realize the depth of what's happening.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
A SurveyUSA poll of 2,491 registered voters found that 21 percent of all respondents said Trump was eligible for a third term in the White House, while 49 percent of MAGA-identifying Republicans said the same.
Just looking at this board you have someone so twisted and f'd up they have declard they are also behind Trump running for a 3rd term ... I think dismissing this might be premature.
Last edited by mgh888; 09/25/2511:13 AM.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Trump demands investigation into escalator 'triple sabotage' despite U.N. explanation
The United Nations said it has launched a probe into Trump's concerns, though it had already made clear that the escalator was likely halted by a White House staffer.
The escalator escalation keeps escalating.
President Donald Trump has demanded an investigation into what he called a “triple sabotage” at the United Nations General Assembly, including his allegation that an escalator was deliberately halted while he and first lady Melania Trump were riding it.
The U.N. says the escalator was likely stopped when a White House videographer accidentally triggered a safety mechanism. Nonetheless, Secretary-General António Guterres' office said late Wednesday that it had ordered a "thorough investigation" into the three incidents mentioned by Trump, and was "ready to cooperate in full transparency" to find out what caused them.
That came after Trump posted a 358-word complaint on Truth Social detailing “three very sinister events.”
Aside from the escalator issue, he saw malice in faults with his teleprompter and audio during his speech to the assembly, in which he had initially made light of the issues and told Western nations “your countries are going to hell” over immigration.
“This wasn’t a coincidence, this was triple sabotage at the UN,” Trump wrote. “They ought to be ashamed of themselves. I’m sending a copy of this letter to the Secretary General, and I demand an immediate investigation.”
In what has become a fraught back-and-forth between the White House and the General Assembly, U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric detailed the sequence of events that caused the escalator to halt.
"A readout of the machine's central processing unit indicated that the escalator had stopped after a built-in safety mechanism" was "triggered at the top of the escalator," likely by the White House videographer who had boarded before the president and first lady, Dujarric said. That safety mechanism "is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing," he said.
That did not appear to satisfy Trump, who described the escalator as coming to a “screeching halt.”
“It stopped on a dime. It’s amazing that Melania and I didn’t fall forward onto the sharp edges of these steel steps, face first,” he wrote. “It was only that we were each holding the handrail tightly or, it would have been a disaster.”
He referenced reporting in Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper that had said that U.N. staff had been overheard joking about turning off the building’s escalators and elevators to highlight a funding shortfall caused by White House cuts. This reporting has not been confirmed by NBC News.
“This was absolutely sabotage,” Trump said, adding that the Secret Service were now involved. “The people that did it should be arrested!”
The is just the latest show of hostility by Trump and his supporters toward the U.N. and other such global bodies.
During his speech Tuesday, he accused the U.N. of leading a “globalist migration agenda” and “funding an assault on Western countries and their borders,” adding that “the U.N. is supposed to stop invasions, not create them and finance them.”
I know you don't like facts and history getting in the way of things, but here goes...
1. The 22nd amendment was passed AFTER FDR's death. The 2-term thing was an informal precedent set by Washington, but there were no laws in place to prevent it (several had tried but weren't as popular as FDR).
2. There was a World War going on that was preceded by the Great Depression. It's easy to see the argument for established leadership during a time like that.
Exactly.
I like President Trump but talk about him running is moot. I think most of that talk is on agitate a Dem day.
If it actually stated to gain traction, I would actively be against it. Not because it was President Trump. It would simply be that I don't ever want to see any President gain 3 terms.
The only exception would be is if a VP took office mid term because the President died or whatever. Then the former VP should be allowed to run for their 2 elected terms, as is currently the case.
I appreciate your sentiment and agree Dem or Rep => no more than 2 elected terms
As for if the VP takes over, that has been clearly delineated. If he takes over before the mid point, then that counts as one term and he can only be elected one more time If he takes over after the mid point then he can be elected to 2 additional terms
So definitely the 25th amendment will never be invoked until 2 years and one day into a president's term That applies to trump now As well as biden and trump's 1st And for future presidents
Caveat, the 25th actually gets invoked all the time on a temporary basis If the president ever needs surgery or a colonoscopy or something where he gets sedated I am referring just to the permanent removal of a president based on the 25th
The difference between Jesus and religion Religion mocks you for having dirty feet Jesus gets down on his knees and washes them
Let the orange dick-tater try to run again. He’s lost his extra votes…. No latino, no black, and few independents would vote for him. He would have no chance without cheating…. Again.
Even Graham knows it won't happen. He was asked about it and said he would be for it...kind of goes back to agitate a Dem.
If the question was "would he vote to change the law of the land" I think his answer would be much different...it might not be a no, but more in the lines of word salad with nothing being said to avoid being on record of saying yes.
As you know, politicians are pretty good at doing that.
First, if he and MAGA are doing that to agitate Dems, then it's a waste of time and energy. It's childish and petty.
Secondly, I don't think he's kidding. I believe he wants a third term.. I believe he'll do anything Stephen Miller tells him to do to get that next term.
I'm happy you would be against it, but like a lot of things that trump does, when he talks about it, you fluff it off as not likely, then he commits and you fall in line.
I'm not at all sure what Trump has on all these Republicans... I mean Old School Republicans. But whatever it is, it's ugly.
But if Trump tries it, Maybe Obama should run again. You wanna talk about ruffling feathers,,, YIKES
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
According to the way some people post about random idiots and claiming they represent 'The Left' or 'The Libs' or all of 'The Dems' .... it must mean they think this ICE agent represents all of the ICE agents. And this happened in a Courthouse, imagine what they are doing out there in the back streets and alleys.
ICE officer disciplined after shoving woman to ground in courthouse
The Department of Homeland Security has placed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on leave after he was filmed shoving a woman to the ground at a New York immigration court.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
According to the way some people post about random idiots and claiming they represent 'The Left' or 'The Libs' or all of 'The Dems' .... it must mean they think this ICE agent represents all of the ICE agents. And this happened in a Courthouse, imagine what they are doing out there in the back streets and alleys.
ICE officer disciplined after shoving woman to ground in courthouse
The Department of Homeland Security has placed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer on leave after he was filmed shoving a woman to the ground at a New York immigration court.
That's one, how many ICE agents are there and how many have been involved in an incident?
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Has this ICE officer been identified? If not, why not? He needs to be fired. That’s a firing offense IMO.
Dont touch law enforcement
What nonsense.
Yes - don't touch law enforcement. Listen to them when they tell you to do somethig. 100%.
But where and when does a proportional response matter? There was nothing about the ICE officer's response that was controlled or proportional. Absolutely nothing. The guy is clearly not fit to be in the role he is. Period.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Has this ICE officer been identified? If not, why not? He needs to be fired. That’s a firing offense IMO.
Dont touch law enforcement
What nonsense.
Yes - don't touch law enforcement. Listen to them when they tell you to do somethig. 100%.
But where and when does a proportional response matter? There was nothing about the ICE officer's response that was controlled or proportional. Absolutely nothing. The guy is clearly not fit to be in the role he is. Period.
The officer has a right to defend himself when he is touched.
"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money." Margarat Thatcher
Trump posted about a medical conspiracy theory called 'medbeds.' Here's what's going on.
On Sept. 27, President Donald Trump shared an apparently AI-generated video of himself promoting a cure-all "medbed" – a medical conspiracy theory.
The video, which has since been deleted from his Truth Social account, resembled a Fox News segment on the show hosted by the president’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, but it never aired on the network.
“Every American will soon receive their own medbed card,” said the AI rendering of Trump.
But much like the mock news report, “medbeds” don’t actually exist.
The “medbed” conspiracy has roots in the QAnon movement and falsely claims that cure-all medical beds exist and are being kept from the public.
This moment is a reminder that medical misinformation can run rampant on social media, and it's important to be watchful for AI-generated content − even when posts come from prominent public figures or seemingly verified sources. It's true that recent innovations in health technology have prompted wellness and longevity movements, but “medbeds” are not one of these new treatments.
According to a 2024 poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, most Americans encounter false health information online, and many are unsure whether it is accurate.
People should learn to recognize the difference between accidental misinformation and intentional disinformation, experts explained. Medical misinformation shared online has real-life consequences
Nearly 70% of doctors polled said they think patient trust declined from 2020 to 2022, but only 21% of Americans said the same, according to a 2023 poll.
"Misinformation isn't a point of view, it does actual harm," Brian Castrucci, president of the de Beaumont Foundation, the public health philanthropy that commissioned the poll, previously told USA TODAY. "It's hurting physicians. It's hurting medical practice. And it's hurting the American public."
For example, during the height of the pandemic, some people with autoimmune disease couldn't get their prescription hydroxychloroquine because so many others were misled to believe it could help fight COVID-19, Castrucci said.
While the poll focused on COVID, Castrucci said it goes well beyond the pandemic.
Most doctors and the public get their information online, but they look for somewhat different sources. The vast majority of doctors said they trust medical or scientific journals, internet searches and colleagues, while other adults mainly put their faith in internet searches. These general internet searches can pull up an array of posts and websites, not just trusted, verified sources.
Castrucci has type 2 diabetes and said he often sees ads on social media for "Diabetes Cures!" even though there aren't any.
Social media has made it easier to spread medical misinformation "not from town to town but to millions with one click," he said. Doctors left her in the dark. Online, other women stepped in.
By promoting fear or false hope, misinformation causes mental and physical fatigue, said David Novillo Ortiz, unit head on data digital health literacy for the World Health Organization.
It has a direct impact on trust in government, government response and public health messaging, which then disempowers people and risks their health, he previously told USA TODAY.
Disinformation is also a lie against which people can fight back, philosopher and author Lee McIntyre argued.
"I want people to train themselves," McIntyre suggested, to ask where the information in question is coming from, what's at stake, who's behind it and what benefit does it serve to get that information out to the public?
If several typically reliable sources agree, such as the CDC, along with experts or websites from well-known hospitals and universities, the information is more likely to be accurate, Dr. Richard Baron, president and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine, told USA TODAY.
"When you start to see information converging from reliable sources, that is trustworthy information," he added.
And while social media can provide insight into your own health, Dr. Franziska Haydanek, an OBGYN and online health educator, advises that new information should be discussed with your own doctor: “You might say, ‘Hey, I learned about this condition.’ I feel it might apply to me. Can we talk about if I meet the diagnosis criteria?’"
"Much lesser things... Things that take place in the home they call crime," he continued. "You know they'll do anything they can to find something. If a man has a little fight with the wife they say 'This was a crime. See?' So now I can't claim 100% but uh... We are a safe city." - Donald Trump.
MDVGA - Make domestic Violence Great Again!
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Republicans in the House of Representatives have put forward proposals to rename the Kennedy Center's Opera House after Melania Trump. There has also been a separate proposal to rename the entire performing arts center after Donald J. Trump......................
Renaming the Kennedy Center for Donald and Melania Trump would violate the law that created it
The Kennedy Center can’t include new memorials or plaques — for donors or presidents — under U.S. law. Republicans would need to change that to rename it for the Trumps.
WASHINGTON — House Republican proposals to name the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump and its opera house after first lady Melania Trump would violate the law by which the Kennedy Center was created, four sources familiar with the issue told NBC News.
Republicans last week passed an amendment through committee that would rename the opera house after Melania Trump, saying it was a way to recognize her support for and commitment to the arts. The measure, sponsored by GOP Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho, is now part of key legislation to fund the Interior Department, but it would still need to pass through the full House and the Senate to become law.
The next day, Rep. Bob Onder, R-Mo., introduced the “Make Entertainment Great Again Act” to rename the whole center the “Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts.” The House has not yet taken any action on it.
Three former board members for the Kennedy Center told NBC News that the law creating the center prohibited any of the facilities from being renamed, other than the Eisenhower Theater, after the president whose administration first authorized its construction in 1958. The project stalled and was revived under President John F. Kennedy, whose family led an effort to get the center built and named in his honor following his assassination. Two months later, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the legislation making it a living memorial to Kennedy.
According to U.S. code, “After December 2, 1983, no additional memorials or plaques in the nature of memorials shall be designated or installed in the public areas of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.”
Republicans would have to pass legislation to change that. “Legally, they can’t just slap her name on it without congressional action,” said a spokesperson for Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine, the lead Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee on the interior.
“If Republicans can’t pass their budget — which they usually can’t — the Melania Trump renaming provision dies,” the spokesperson continued. “The only real wildcard is whether Trump or his allies ignore the law entirely and try to do it unilaterally. But that would have no legal basis — and would almost certainly trigger a court fight.”
A spokesperson for Simpson said the White House and the first lady's office were not aware of his amendment before he offered it, nor was Trump-appointed Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell. The first lady's office did call Simpson's office to say thank you afterward, the spokesperson said. The White House declined to comment.
Simpson sponsored the amendment because "he understands that the first lady has always been a very avid supporter of the arts as well. She’s had a long-standing commitment to the arts. ... It really did come from his heart.”
As for the chance the amendment could die in the appropriations process, the Simpson spokesperson said it could “definitely” make it through in a short-term funding bill, known as a "continuing resolution," later in the year.
The first lady is the honorary chair of the center, following tradition. But in a striking departure from their practice during the first Trump term, when they did not attend events there, reacting to widespread criticism of his policies by prominent artists, this year the president has shown a great interest in the arts. He has named himself the Kennedy Center chairman and fired the previous bipartisan Board of Trustees, along with its veteran president, Deborah Rutter, and its chairman, David M. Rubenstein. Rubenstein had donated $111 million and was the center’s biggest individual donor, the center said.
Trump replaced Rutter with Grenell, his White House special envoy and former ambassador to Germany. Trump wrote on social media that Grenell “shares my Vision for a GOLDEN AGE of American Arts and Culture” and would ensure there was no more “ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA.”
In particular, Trump objected to a drag show, which he found offensive, among the 2,200 events the Kennedy Center typically produces in a year. He also told reporters on Air Force One in February, “We don’t need woke at the Kennedy Center.”
In addition to firing 18 of the 36 board members whom President Joe Biden appointed for six-year terms, the Trump administration has ordered different programming. Notably, there are also now four large portraits of the first and second couples in the center’s Hall of Nations, the main entryway to the facility. Until this year, the public spaces included only a bronze bust of President John F. Kennedy.
Trump’s recently enacted domestic spending bill also included more than $250 million to renovate the facility, more than six times the previous $43 million federal subsidy that was earmarked for operations and maintenance, not programming. The center also removed all references to diversity, equity and inclusion from its website.
The opera house, with more than 2,300 seats, is the center’s second-largest theater and the venue for the institution’s signature annual concert for cultural honorees, the Kennedy Center Honors — a formal event and major fundraiser launched in 1978 and attended by all the former first couples, except the Trumps, and recorded every December for broadcast by CBS. The gala, star-studded weekend in the nation’s capital every holiday season has, in the past, always included a Sunday afternoon awards ceremony hosted by the president and the first lady at the White House and a celebratory Saturday night dinner at the State Department hosted by the secretary of state.
During his first term, the Trumps did not host the Sunday ceremony or attend the concert after some of the honorees said they would not attend the White House event in opposition to some of the Trump policies and his controversial comments about the white nationalist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, that year. Past honorees have included a broad spectrum of actors, musicians and other performers.
The Trumps attended a performance of “Les Misérables” in the opera house in June, and some members of the audience booed their arrival. Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, were also booed when attending a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra.
President Kennedy’s grandson Jack Schlossberg posted strong criticism of the opera house’s renaming proposal last week. Schlossberg, Caroline Kennedy’s son, wrote, “JFK believed the arts made our country great and could be our most effective weapon in the fight for civil rights and against authoritarian governments around the world,” adding, “The Trump administration stands for freedom of oppression, not expression.”
Associated Press Former Republican election official buys Dominion Voting — a target of 2020 conspiracy theories NICHOLAS RICCARDI Thu, October 9, 2025 at 7:25 PM EDT
DENVER (AP) — Voting equipment company Dominion Voting Systems, a target of false conspiracy theories from President Donald Trump and his supporters since the 2020 election, has been bought by a firm run by a former Republican elections official, the new company announced Thursday.
The newly formed company, Liberty Vote, also vowed to follow the executive order Donald Trump signed last spring seeking sweeping changes to election policies that multiple judges have put on hold for violating the Constitution.
KNOWiNK, a St. Louis-based provider of electronic poll books that allow election officials to confirm voter information, announced the deal and the name change. In a possible nod to a groundless conspiracy theory that linked Dominion to the late Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez, the release highlighted that the company would become “100% American-owned.”
The announcement also quotes KNOWiNK's owner, former St. Louis elections director Scott Leiendecker, as vowing to provide “election technology that prioritizes paper-based transparency,” one of the longtime demands of election conspiracy theorists. Almost all U.S. voting equipment already leaves a paper trail.
Dominion’s former CEO confirmed the sale in a single-sentence statement on Thursday: “Liberty Vote has acquired Dominion Voting Systems,” John Poulos said.
The release from the new company vows to reintroduce “hand-marked paper ballots” and adjust company policies to follow Trump's executive order on voting procedures, which is not in effect because judges have ruled that Trump doesn't have the power to mandate them. Part of the president's order sought to prohibit voting equipment that produces a paper record with “a barcode or quick-response code” — equipment that is currently in use in hundreds of counties across 19 states.
Denver-based Dominion was at the heart of some of the most fevered conspiracy theories about Trump's loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election., Those false allegations sparked a number of defamation lawsuits against conservative-leaning media and the president's allies, including a settlement in 2023 in which Fox News agreed to pay Dominion $787 million and one this year that Newsmax settled for $67 million.
The announcement from the new company does not disclose the cost of the transaction, but a spokesman said all the money was put up by Leiendecker. Both companies involved are privately held.
The false allegations against Dominion made its brand toxic in many Republican-leaning states and counties. But voting machine companies are usually careful about making overt political statements, given that the market for their equipment is split between places under Republican and Democratic control.
The statements by Liberty Vote saying it will align with Trump's executive order, which has been challenged by Democratic state attorneys general, the Democratic National Committee and an array of voting and civil rights groups, could lead to concerns in blue states that currently use Dominion equipment.
But some election officials said Thursday that KNOWiNK had seemed to steer clear of 2020 conspiracy theories and acted like a typical, nonpartisan firm.
“They have a good reputation in the field,” Stephen Richer, a Republican who was targeted by Trump and his allies when he served as the top elections official in Arizona's Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix.
Despite years of detailed debunking of the Dominion conspiracy theories, Trump has continued to repeat them even as recently as a few weeks ago, when he vowed to get rid of voting machines
![[Linked Image]](http://www.dawgtalkers.net/uploads/small-gator-chomp.gif)
