Donald Trump says "strength and power of the Presidency" needed for Kennedy Center rebuild

A Republican senator blocked a bill Monday that would bar demolition of the Kennedy Center without congressional approval. Utah Sen. Mike Lee objected to Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley and Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski seeking unanimous consent; Lee told other outlets Democrats were wasting the chamber’s time. The dispute follows the administration’s suggestion that it has plans to raze the venue and President Donald Trump’s push to remake it, including asking its board to rename it for him and pursuing reconstruction. In an earlier Truth Social post, Trump wrote that the center’s leadership had chosen to keep it, that he could secure financing and oversee building work, and that his office’s authority was required for the project. A federal judge required a month’s notice before demolition, and Congress is about to recess, making immediate legislation unlikely.