A Trump-Kennedy Center official warned a federal judge that stripping the president’s name from the renowned arts institution would cause unbearable financial damage, marking the latest twist in a months-long legal battle.

Charles Matthew Floca, the center’s 39-year-old executive director, filed a declaration Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, arguing the institution’s funding is inextricably linked to President Donald Trump.

“President Trump’s fundraising on behalf of the Center is exemplified by the tens of millions of dollars already raised,” Floca wrote. “Further, the President has committed to raise $150 billion on its behalf from private donors over the next two years.”

“Should President Trump’s name be removed from the Center, that vital fundraising connection will be severed, causing irreparable harm and fundamentally destabilizing the Center’s development efforts, severely impairing its trust-fund artistic programming, and rendering the continuation of ongoing trust-funded operations financially nonviable,” he continued.

Floca’s declaration is part of a lawsuit filed in December 2025 by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat, challenging the board’s decision to permanently add Trump’s name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, following his installation as board chair. Since he took charge, Trump reportedly wants to move away from “woke culture” and push for performances that cater to a broader audience.

The Independent has reached out to Beatty and the White House for comment.

Beatty, an ex officio trustee of the center, described the rebranding as an unlawful “personal vanity project.” She also said she was silenced during a board meeting when she attempted to oppose the name change.

“Only Congress has the authority to rename the Kennedy Center. President Trump and his cronies must not be allowed to trample federal law and bypass Congress to feed his ego,” Beatty said in a December 22 news release. “This entire process has been a complete disgrace to this cherished institution and the people it serves. These unlawful actions must be blocked before any further damage is done.”

Her lawsuit also challenges the 79-year-old president’s plan to close the center for two years to carry out restoration and renovation work.

The center remains open for now but is scheduled to shut down after the Fourth of July. Its website and signage have already been updated to reflect the board’s name change, and large lettering bearing Trump’s name was installed on the building’s marble facade in December.

In March, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper partially sided with Beatty, ruling that she must be given a “meaningful opportunity to provide input.” He did not address the name change, however, saying that issue would be taken up later, according to ABC News.

At an April hearing, Cooper pressed Trump administration attorneys on why a complete two-year closure of the center was necessary.

Trump-Kennedy Center officials have argued that renovations are necessary to repair water damage and upgrade seating.

More Americans than not side with Beatty, according to a December 2025 YouGov poll. In the survey, 66 percent of respondents said they disapproved of renaming the center after Trump, while just 18 percent approved.

New guidance from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) sets out stricter penalties for benefit fraud, with claimants potentially losing payments for up to three years – and facing court or a prison sentence in the most serious cases

Individuals receiving benefits could see their payments suspended for months or even years if found guilty of fraud, under new guidance issued by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The updated regulations reveal that even a first-time offence can result in benefit payments being halted for 13 weeks, with more severe sanctions for subsequent violations or particularly grave cases. A ‘loss of benefit’ penalty may be imposed when someone is convicted of benefit fraud, accepts a caution, or agrees to settle an administrative penalty rather than facing court proceedings.

For an initial offence, claimants may have their benefits suspended for 13 weeks – an increase from four weeks. A second violation committed within a five-year period can trigger a 26-week suspension.

Should a third benefit fraud offence occur within five years of the second (and within 10 years of the first), and the third offence leads to a conviction, the loss of benefit penalty will extend to three years.

In particularly severe instances, such as organised fraud or using someone else’s identity, the maximum three-year penalty can be imposed straightaway, reports the Daily Record.

Nevertheless, the regulations also clarify that not all benefits will necessarily cease entirely. Where a person receives multiple benefits, the DWP may alternatively reduce other payments to enforce the penalty.

Independently of the loss of benefit penalty, anyone found to have committed fraud will typically be required to repay any overpaid sums in full. Offenders may also be hit with further financial penalties. In certain instances, the DWP can propose an administrative penalty instead of prosecution, typically amounting to up to 50 per cent of the overpayment, with a maximum limit of £5,000.

Even agreeing to this form of penalty can still result in a separate loss of benefit sanction for a four-week period.

For more severe violations, proceedings can be brought before the courts, where individuals could face heftier fines or, in the most extreme circumstances, imprisonment.

The DWP states that benefit fraud encompasses deliberately supplying false information, neglecting to report a change in circumstances, or claiming support to which someone is not entitled.

Which benefits can be reduced or stopped?

The following benefits can be reduced or stopped as a penalty for benefit fraud:

• Carer’s Allowance
• Employment and Support Allowance
• Incapacity Benefit
• Income Support
• Industrial Death Benefit
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
• Industrial Injuries Reduced Earnings Allowance
• Industrial Injuries Retirement Allowance
• Industrial Injuries Unemployability Supplement
• Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Severe Disablement Allowance
• Housing Benefit
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit
• War Disablement Pension
• War Widow’s Pension
• War Pension Unemployability Supplement
• War Pension Allowance for Lower Standard of Occupation
• Widowed Mother’s or Widowed Parent’s Allowance
• Widow’s Pension or Bereavement Allowance
• Working Tax Credit

The DWP clarified that the following benefits cannot be reduced or stopped as a penalty in their own right, but if they are implicated in benefit fraud, any benefit listed above may be reduced or stopped as a penalty instead.

• Attendance Allowance
• Bereavement Payment
• Child Benefit
• Child Tax Credit
• Christmas Bonus
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• Council Tax Benefit
• Disability Living Allowance
• Graduated Retirement Benefit
• Guardian’s Allowance
• Industrial Injuries Constant Attendance Allowance (if a Disablement Pension is payable)
• Industrial Injuries Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance (if a Disablement Pension is payable)
• Personal Independence Payment
• State Pension
• Social Fund payments
• War Pension Constant Attendance Allowance
• War Pension Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance
• War Pension Mobility Supplement

Claimants are advised to maintain accurate records and report any change of circumstances without delay.

Anyone uncertain about their situation or concerned they may have made an error is encouraged to contact the appropriate department or seek independent advice.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he plans to attend the NBA Finals game between his hometown team, the New York Knicks, and the winner of the Thunder-Spurs series.

“I think I’ll be going to one of the games, I was invited by numerous people,” Trump told reporters at a Cabinet meeting when asked if he planned to attend the championship.

The president, a longtime Knicks fan, will return to Madison Square Garden in June to watch the team play in the championship that fans have been hoping for since 1999, the last time the Knicks played in the NBA Finals.

“Great to see it,” Trump said of the team’s success. “The Knicks have really suffered for years.”

If the president follows through, the NBA Finals will join the list of major sporting events Trump has taken time out of his schedule to witness since returning to the White House. Last year, the president attended the Super Bowl, Daytona 500, U.S. Open men’s finals, FIFA Club World Cup Final, the Ryder Cup and several Ultimate Fighting Championship events

The New York Times was the first to report that the president was considering attending the NBA Finals.

Had the Knicks lost Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, the president would have made a surprise appearance at Madison Square Garden Wednesday for Game 5, those familiar with the planning told the New York Times.

Trump confirmed that he was going to see the team play Wednesday, but since the Knicks won 130-90 against the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday evening, he will head to the NBA championship series.

The Independent has asked the White House for comment

The president told TalkRadio 77 earlier this month that he was still a fan of the New York Knicks and said he was impressed that the Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers.

Not only is Trump a fan of the New York Knicks, but he has a good relationship with James Dolan, the CEO and executive chairman of Madison Square Garden Sports, the company that owns the Knicks.

“I get along with Jim Dolan, and I think he’s a really nice guy, and he’s entitled to a good team because he’s suffered a little bit,” Trump told TalkRadio 77.

He reiterated the strength of his relationship with Dolan Wednesday, telling reporters that Dolan directly invited him to watch the Knicks play.

“He’s having a good year,” Trump said of Dolan. “Boy, what a team. They win all their games. They have some great players.”

While Trump is known to attend golf games and UFC fights as president, he is less likely to attend NBA games – though he has a long history of doing so. Trump frequently took his family to NBA games in the 1990s and 2000s, before he became a politician.

Like Trump’s appearance at the Super Bowl, attending the NBA Finals would make him the first sitting president to attend the championship series.

Former President Barack Obama attended Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors in 2019, but he was already out of office. Former President George W. Bush attended Game 2 of the 1999 NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs, though he was governor of Texas at the time.

EastEnders fans were left “confused” by scenes that played out in Wednesday night’s episode as Vicki Fowler prepared to walk down the aisle but got waylaid on the tube

EastEnders fans were left “confused” by scenes that played out in Wednesday night’s episode. On the latest instalment of the long-running BBC soap, Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) was due to tie the knot with Ross Marshall at Walford Park, and her adoptive half-sister Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) even popped back for the occasion.

When Vicki’s half-brother Mark called to say there was a problem with the wedding car, the pair of them ended up on the tube. Forced to travel in her wedding dress, Vicki’s fellow passengers couldn’t help but laugh at her as they took pictures. Mark found the humour in situation and gladly posed for photos as he enjoyed a bar of chocolate.

She said: “I am on a tube in my wedding dress! I don’t wanna hear your excuses, Mark, and keep those chocolatey fingers away from me! I could’ve got in the car with Kathy and Sharon.“

Mark said: “I wanted you on my own, didn’t I? It’s my last chance to tell you that even though you’re becoming a Marshall, you’ll always be a Fowler to me,” to which Vicki smiled and said: “Once a Fowler, always a Fowler. But I’m still fuming with you!”

It was then that the lights flickered on the tube and the carriage ground to a halt, as it was announced there was a delay on the District line due to a broken down train ahead of them.

Just as the panic began to set in, the tube sprang to life again and they were on their way to the wedding and a short time later, Mark was seen carrying Vicki over his shoulder into the service.

All this time, Ross had been convinced that she had “done a runner” but she insisted that was not the case, although Ross was confused as to why best man Zack Hudson, who Vicki has been having an affair with, also hadn’t turned up.

Zack eventually turned up in a bad mood, and the celebrant started speaking, Ross began to put two and two together. Ross said to Vicki: “He’s been telling me not to trust you. Why would he do that? Was it him? Is he the bloke you slept with?” Vicki didn’t answer, but her silence and the look on her face pretty much confirmed all Ross needed to know.

However, despite the high drama of that moment, fans were actually left wondering what the whole farce on the tube was for, given that the wedding venue should’ve been walking distance from Vicki’s house.

Taking to Reddit, one fan said: What on earth were they doing on the tube? I thought that park area was literally a 2 minute walk away I do accept with soaps/dramas that not everything can be completely realistic, but there’s a line surely!”

A second wrote: “I literally said the same thing when i watched it. I was like isn’t it just down the road?!” and a third said: “Didn’t the announcer say there was a broken down train in front of them… But the lights flickered off in THEIR train?”

“I’m confused as to why Vicky and Mark needed to get the tube on #EastEnders.. I always assumed the container junction is where The Dagmar was originally. I could have that wrong, I’m just going by set pictures.”

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Palace ended the Premier League season down in 15th place amid a seven-match winless run, though have long since had their main focus on this competition after brushing aside the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk and Fiorentina in the knockout stages. They are now favourites to overcome a Rayo team who are preparing for their first top-level final of any description as they continue to defy the odds under Inigo Perez, finishing eighth in LaLiga for the second successive campaign despite a tiny budget while overcoming Strasbourg in the last four of the Conference League.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alabama on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year’s elections, despite a lower court’s ruling that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people.

The state’s Republican leadership filed an emergency appeal with the justices a day after a three-judge court refused to let the state use a map it adopted three years ago that has a majority Black population in just one of its seven congressional districts.

The judges instead required Alabama to continue using a court-ordered map that was put in place for the 2024 elections that includes two districts where Black residents comprise a majority or close to it.

Attorney General Steve Marshall told the court that the state did not intentionally discriminate against Black residents and should be allowed to hold elections this year under a map chosen by lawmakers, not judges.

The appeal is the latest development in the fallout from last month’s Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. That ruling has led Republicans in several Southern states, including Alabama, to take steps to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Matthew Perry’s live-in personal assistant, who had a central role in the “Friends” star’s descent into ketamine addiction and injected him with the fatal dose of the drug, was sentenced Wednesday to three years and five months in prison.

Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence to 60-year-old Kenneth Iwamasa in federal court in Los Angeles. He was also sentenced to two years of probation and a $10,000 fine.

It was the fifth and final sentencing in the 2 1/2-year investigation and prosecution that followed Perry’s death at age 54 on Oct. 28, 2023.

“You were privy to his struggle with addiction,” Judge Garnett said before handing down the sentence. “Your conduct was reckless, not just on the day of his death but in the days leading up to his death.”

The sentence was exactly what prosecutors had sought, though Garnett disagreed on some of the details. She found that Iwamasa did not abuse a position of trust, which could’ve brought more prison time.

and she said “there is no hard evidence that you acted with malicious intent, though some would disagree.”

Iwamasa was at Perry’s side through the final days of his life, acting as the actor’s enabler, drug messenger and de facto doctor. He was the last person to see Perry alive, and he was the one who found him dead in his Jacuzzi.

He was the first person to reach a deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty in August of 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death, and became their most important witness.

Iwamasa’s lawyer Alan Eisner argued for a six month prison term with six months of home confinement, emphasizing he was always acting at the direction of a boss with much more power than he had.

“His loyalty to Mr. Perry was paramount,” Eisner told the judge. “He worshipped Mr. Perry, he looked up to Mr. Perry. All he did was please and accommodate Mr. Perry.”

When Eisner said Iwamasa was unable to act differently than he did, the judge cut him off and said: “Unwilling. Not unable. He could have said no.”

Perry’s family members, some of whom may speak in court, made it clear in letters to the judge that there is no one they blame for his death more than Iwamasa — a longtime friend they thought would help the actor maintain sobriety but instead indulged the worst impulses of a lifelong addict.

“Mathew trusted Kenny. We trusted Kenny. Kenny’s most important job — by far — was to be my son’s companion and guardian in his fight against addiction,” wrote Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison. “We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price.”

Perry’s family members, some of whom may speak in court, made it clear in letters to the judge that there is no one they blame for his death more than Iwamasa — a longtime friend they thought would help the actor maintain sobriety but instead indulged the worst impulses of a lifelong addict.

“Matthew trusted Kenny. We trusted Kenny. Kenny’s most important job — by far — was to be my son’s companion and guardian in his fight against addiction,” wrote Perry’s mother, Suzanne Morrison. “We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price.”

Perry had hired Iwamasa in 2022, and he was paying him $150,000 a year to live at his Los Angeles home and act as his assistant.

The actor had been taking the surgical anesthetic ketamine legally for depression, an increasingly common off-label use. But he wanted more than his doctor would give him.

According to Iwamasa’s plea agreement, he bought off-the-books ketamine from another doctor, Salvador Plasencia, who taught him how to inject it. Plasencia was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison in July.

Iwamasa also began buying ketamine from Perry acquaintance Erik Fleming, who was getting it from a street dealer. Fleming was sentenced to two years in prison two weeks ago.

The dealer, Jasveen Sangha, dubbed “The Ketamine Queen,” was sentenced to 15 years on April 8.

In the final days of Perry’s life, Iwamasa was injecting him six to eight times per day. On Oct. 23, 2023, he shot the 54-year-old actor full of a large dose and left to run errands. He returned to find Perry dead in the Jacuzzi. The LA County Medical Examiner found that ketamine was the primary cause of death. Drowning was a secondary cause.

At first, Iwamasa lied to police, omitting ketamine from the list of medications Perry was using, and saying nothing about his injections. But when investigators served a search warrant in January of 2024, he began coming clean.

Perry became one of the biggest stars of his generation along with Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow on “Friends,” NBC’s megahit sitcom that ran from 1994 to 2004.

Jakub Mensik collapsed on court after his second-round win and Novak Djokovic sweltered for almost four hours as players were made to work hard on another hot Paris day at the French Open.

Temperatures reached the mid-30s in Celsius as the heatwave in France continued.

Mensik, 20, was overcome with emotion and cramp as he fell to the floor after beating Argentina’s Mariano Navone 6-3 2-6 6-4 1-6 7-6 (13-11) in four hours and 40 minutes.

The Czech – whose flashes of brilliance in his young career have been beset by injury – was struggling to move and needed eight match points to close out victory.

After he fell the floor, opponent Navone crossed the net to congratulate him and also help him up, but Mensik was unable to move.

The 26th seed lay on the floor for several minutes and was attended to by a number of medical staff, who placed ice packs on his head, neck and chest to help.

An ice pack was also laid on the floor for Mensik to rest his head on like a pillow.

Eventually, Mensik was helped to his feet and was able to walk off court, only to struggle again as he headed towards the locker room.

He was then placed in a wheelchair and taken away – it remains to be seen if he will recover for his third-round match against eighth seed Alex de Minaur on Friday.

Mensik was competing on one of the outer courts at Roland Garros, which offer no shade.

“It’s the boats, the immigrants, every conversation I’m having with everybody is about that,” says Brian McKay, speaking in Worsley Mesnes in Wigan.

He’s not the first person in the area to mention the issue – it’s a hot topic in this area, which is part of the Makerfield constituency.

While speaking to voters brings up a raft of local issues that people want sorted out, immigration comes up again and again.

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Brian, who moved to this corner of Makerfield from his native Scotland in 1972, said it is the number one issue which could sway votes in the crunch by-election being held on June 18.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “If you’re asking who I would vote for, I’ve already done a postal vote, a change is as good as a rest, so I voted for Reform.

“I don’t know if they’re going to be good enough, they’re not tried and tested, but we’ve had a Labour government in, and they’re making a right hash of things, we’ve had a Conservative government in, we’ve had Brexit, no improvement whatsoever, so Reform I voted for.

“I hope I don’t regret it.”

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Immigration isn’t the first thing Brian mentioned. He thinks there are issues with drugs and alcoholism in the area, and feels there has been a loss of local shops. He also points to different ways that he thinks the council could be spending money to fix the roads.

But when asked what the biggest issue which could sway how people vote in the Makerfield by-election, Brian said straight away: “Nobody is doing anything about immigration, they talk about it a lot, but nothing is ever happening.

“I’m sick of hearing ‘we’ll do this, we’ll do that, we’ll do the next thing’, but they’re still coming over and over and over and over.”

He later added: “I’m not racist by any means, but I can see the problem, most people can see the problem, I don’t know why Labour or the Conservatives can’t see the problem, because they’re coming over by the boat load.”

Polls suggest the Makerfield by-election could be close. Labour and Reform UK appear to be both in the running to win the race.

But voters in the constituency keep saying that the election could be decided by what the candidates say about immigration.

Worsley Mesnes Community Centre sits on Clifton Street. A woman is sitting outside in her car, waiting for her partner and son inside.

She doesn’t give her name, but asked about the election, she says: “I’m not very political, I’m not sure how I’ll vote.

“I live on the estate over there, and everyone is talking about immigration and voting Reform.

“I don’t know enough about it to know if that’s right, but it’s what everyone is saying.”

Bob Shearer is parked outside the community centre in Worsley Mesnes after dropping off his daughter.

He lives in Ashton-in-Makerfield, and is planning to vote for Reform UK in the by-election as a protest vote.

Asked about the key local issues, he says: “Rented housing is certainly in shortage, we are building rented houses but who is getting them?

“I’m not going to use the racism word, because it may not be them, but unfortunately there’s not enough houses to rent, especially for single people and young couples, families with children, there’s just the lack of rented accommodation.

“That’s the government who have taken some perks away from the landlords, who need an incentive to buy a house and rent it out.

“Put too many restrictions, like the latest ones, you’re bound to get shortages. There will be no point in being a landlord.”

A short drive down the road families were gathering at the Three Sisters Nature Reserve in Bryn.

The sun was out and children were enjoying the playground as their parents and grandparents watched on.

Julie Ellis, 51, was one of those making the most of the good weather. She’s got three grown up children and six grandchildren.

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She said: “I’ve not decided how I’m going to vote yet, I just don’t know. A lot of people are talking about Reform or Labour, but I think you need to know what they are planning to do.

“Someone from The Times came into the salon in Ashton recently and asked us about it, but it can be difficult to talk about politics there.

“People will come to their appointment and talk about things like immigration, it does come up a lot.

“As for the things affecting this area, it’s the cost of living, how difficult everything is. Some of my family are teachers, they’re working every given hour of the day and they still can’t get on the housing ladder.

“It does make you feel angry about it all.”

Sharon Hardman, 56, is also from Ashton and is at the park with her daughter and grandchildren.

She said: “There are families in this area who are struggling. A lot of people rely on places like this because it’s free to go to.

“I would say there are some families who can’t afford to feed their kids in this area, it’s a big problem.”

Mohamed Nassar, a Tesco security guard, is critically ill in hospital after choking and suffering a cardiac arrest during his shift

A Tesco security guard is critically ill in hospital after suffering brain damage following a choking incident during his shift, his family has said.

Mohamed Nassar, 58, was working at the Tesco Express store on New Bailey Street in Salford, close to Manchester city centre, on May 8 when the tragic incident occurred.

The dad of three was on a break when he began choking on a doughnut and suffered a cardiac arrest, his family say. Paramedics attended the scene and eventually managed to resuscitate him.

However, his heart stopped for a total of 23 minutes and his heartbroken loved ones say they have been told he has been left severely brain damaged as a result, the Manchester Evening News reports.

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Mr Nassar and his family, moved to Manchester from London in 2020 and live in Ardwick. Previously a musician, he is employed by a third party security company for whom he has worked for around five years.

His 23-year-old son Seif Abdelwaneis said his mum, Nancy Elkarnshawy, and his sisters Nariman, 28, and Malak, 14, were left in a state of shock when they received a phone call telling them he had collapsed at work.

“It was very emotional finding this out” Seif said. “Especially for my mum, she was crying a lot. We went straight to the hospital.”

Mr Nassar is currently on life support in intensive care, where he is undergoing tests to determine the extent of his brain damage. Doctors have told his family that it will be ‘very difficult’ for him to survive, Seif said. His family are keeping a regular vigil at his bedside at the Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI).

Seif described his dad as “the kindest person”. “He would do anything to help people” he said.

“He’s very outgoing, very social. All the customers know him and have a good relationship with him. He’s known for helping them and carrying their bags and things like that. But more than anything he’s a very loving dad. He cares so deeply about his family.

“All his friends and colleagues have said that, that all he ever talked about was us. He spent so much time with my little sister. He had also become a grandad as well and loved that.”

Mr Nassar was the family’s sole provider and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help support them financially as they navigate “the most devastating time of their lives”. For more information and to donate click here.