Home · Politics · Sep 14 archive
Kennedy Center on Brink of Bankruptcy, May Close Tuesday
Confirmed
In Short: The Kennedy Center, facing financial crisis and potential closure, is on the brink of bankruptcy, according to reports.
On Sunday evening, reported that the Kennedy Center administration told its board that the arts institution is on the brink of bankruptcy and might be forced to close as soon as Tuesday. This comes amid a federal lawsuit brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty to stop the renaming of the center to honor President Trump, which is set for a status hearing on the same day. The board, which was largely selected by President Trump, has stated that the center is in a "precarious fiscal position" and unable to support its payroll obligations or routine maintenance contracts within weeks.
The collapse of a portion of the ceiling in the main building's grand foyer due to rain damage on Sept. 5 further exacerbated the center's financial and structural issues. The board has called the center "unsafe for continued occupancy," a claim disputed by Rep. Beatty, who claims that construction consultants have never made such a statement. Most of the center's staff have either been fired or departed, leaving those who remain largely loyal to President Trump.
In a move that critics say may not be coincidental, the board approved a plan to close the center temporarily, citing the need for faster and higher-quality construction. However, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who ruled in May that only Congress can rename the Kennedy Center and ordered Trump's name removed, blocked the building's closure. The center's financial challenges were documented in a 57-page packet distributed to the board of trustees ahead of a special meeting on Tuesday, revealing that the center would make only about $124 million of the $220 million budgeted for the fiscal year.
The timing of the report and the potential closure has raised concerns among entertainers and participants, with some announcing an end to performances at the center. The center's administration, however, is planning to shut down the center immediately, citing safety concerns. The controversy surrounding the center's administration and its potential closure has put the institution in a precarious position, with the future of the Kennedy Center hanging in the balance.
What's confirmed
- On Sunday evening, reported that the Kennedy Center administration told its board that the arts institution is on the brink of bankruptcy and might be forced to close as soon as Tuesday. This comes amid a federal lawsuit brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty to stop the renaming of the center to honor President Trump, which is set for a status hearing on the same day. The board, which was largely selected by President Trump, has stated that the center is in a "precarious fiscal position" and unable to support its payroll obligations or routine maintenance contracts within weeks.
- The collapse of a portion of the ceiling in the main building's grand foyer due to rain damage on Sept. 5 further exacerbated the center's financial and structural issues. The board has called the center "unsafe for continued occupancy," a claim disputed by Rep. Beatty, who claims that construction consultants have never made such a statement. Most of the center's staff have either been fired or departed, leaving those who remain largely loyal to President Trump.
- In a move that critics say may not be coincidental, the board approved a plan to close the center temporarily, citing the need for faster and higher-quality construction. However, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who ruled in May that only Congress can rename the Kennedy Center and ordered Trump's name removed, blocked the building's closure. The center's financial challenges were documented in a 57-page packet distributed to the board of trustees ahead of a special meeting on Tuesday, revealing that the center would make only about $124 million of the $220 million budgeted for the fiscal year.
- The timing of the report and the potential closure has raised concerns among entertainers and participants, with some announcing an end to performances at the center. The center's administration, however, is planning to shut down the center immediately, citing safety concerns. The controversy surrounding the center's administration and its potential closure has put the institution in a precarious position, with the future of the Kennedy Center hanging in the balance.
What's still developing
- The Democrat from Ohio is an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board.
- Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette to start with the end.
- Inspired by Elizabeth Beller ’s 2024 book Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Love Story was shrouded in controversy from conception.
- Security cameras at a wildlife center captured a black bear approaching a rear entrance carrying a wounded raccoon in its mouth.
- StoryTime, much like the other Facebook pages telling the story, doesn't name the wildlife center or the worker quoted, or describe any geographic details about where these events took place. (Even without those identifiers, the wildlife center's statement, which isn't directly quoted in the post, should have showed up in search engine results, if real.) When we input the text of StoryTime's version of the claim and that of another version of it into Pangram, which is widely considered the most reliable AI-text detection tool available as of this writing, it concluded that 100% of both versions were written or assisted by AI.
- In September 2026, a rumor circulated online about a black bear that apparently took a wounded raccoon, and later a wounded fox, to a wildlife center where the bear itself had been treated.
- Years earlier, the same bear had been rescued, treated at that very wildlife center, and released back into the wild.
- He’s now running for governor, and says that data centers are nudging out affordability issues once thought to be the election’s main focus.