Saturday, July 5, 2025

‘Hamilton’ Cancels Kennedy Center Run to Protest Chairman Trump.

The producers of Hamilton have announced the cancellation of the musical’s 2026 performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. According to the musical’s producers, the decision is in response to recent changes at the arts institution following President Donald J.  Trump‘s takeover of its board of trustees.

Jeffrey Seller, one of the musical’s producers, released a statement explaining the rationale behind the cancellation. “Our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center,” Seller stated. Hamilton, created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, was initially scheduled to run at the Kennedy Center from March 3 to April 26, 2026. The cancellation occurred before tickets were available for purchase.

The Kennedy Center has undergone notable changes since President Trump became chairman of its board last month. Richard Grenell was named interim president in one of Trump’s first moves, replacing Deborah Rutter. Subsequently, Grenell moved to fire several Kennedy Center executives whose salaries totaled approximately $2.4 million.

Notably, several celebrities affiliated with the Kennedy Center exited their roles after Trump assumed control. Shonda Rhimes, a key figure in television and former Kennedy Center treasurer, immediately left her position. Performing and recording artist Ben Folds, who served as an artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra, also decided to leave. Additionally, Renee Fleming, an opera singer, exited her role as an artistic advisor at large.

Trump appointed all current board members after removing several appointees from the previous Biden government.

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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The producers of Hamilton have announced the cancellation of the musical's 2026 performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. According to the musical's producers, the decision is in response to recent changes at the arts institution following President Donald J.  Trump's takeover of its board of trustees. show more

Trump Effect: The D.C. Mayor Is Giving Up on ‘Black Lives Matter Plaza.’

Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., is set to be renamed after a Republican lawmaker tabled legislation to cut off federal funding to the city if it is not changed. Mayor Muriel Bowser has announced plans to rename the plaza, which is located only a few blocks from the White House.

The decision follows pressure from Republican Congressman Andrew Clyde of Georgia. According to Bowser’s office, the plaza will be renamed and adorned with a new mural created by local schoolchildren. However, the exact timeline for the change has not been determined.

The plaza, previously known as 16th Street Northwest and, for a time, the Avenue of the Presidents, was rebranded in June 2020 in honor of the radical left Black Lives Matter movement. This was in response to the riots following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mayor Bowser described the change as permanent.

Nearby businesses, including restaurants and hotels, have also previously expressed concerns about the economic impact of the plaza’s 2020 name change. The roadway was closed to motorists, which reportedly contributed to financial challenges for these establishments.

Congressman Clyde’s legislation echoes tactics used by President Donald J. Trump and his administration to cut federal funding from other woke initiatives.

Image by Ted Eytan.

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Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., is set to be renamed after a Republican lawmaker tabled legislation to cut off federal funding to the city if it is not changed. Mayor Muriel Bowser has announced plans to rename the plaza, which is located only a few blocks from the White House. show more

Renowned Scottish Artist Jack Vettriano Passes Away at 73.

Scottish painter Jack Vettriano has passed away at the age of 73. His publicist confirmed that he was found in his Nice, France apartment on Saturday. Authorities have indicated there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

Born in Methil, Fife, in November 1951 under the name Jack Hoggan, Vettriano left school at 15 to work as a mining engineer. His passion for painting was sparked at 21 when a girlfriend gifted him a box of watercolors. Vettriano taught himself, drawing inspiration from masterpieces at Kirkcaldy Galleries.

His breakthrough in the art world came in 1998. After submitting two paintings to the Royal Scottish Academy’s annual exhibition, both sold on the first day. One of his most renowned works, The Singing Butler, gained tremendous fame. The 1992 painting depicts a couple dancing on a windy beach, attended by a butler and maid, and became one of Britain’s best-selling images.

Throughout his career, Vettriano’s works received international acclaim and were exhibited in cities such as Edinburgh, London, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, and New York. Notable collectors of his paintings included Jack Nicholson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Tim Rice, and Robbie Coltrane. Although his net worth wasn’t publicly disclosed, some of Vettriano’s paintings fetched up to £500,000 at auction.

Vettriano was part of a trio of artists in 2017 selected to paint portraits of comedian Billy Connolly for his 75th birthday, alongside John Byrne and Rachel Maclean. His work was celebrated in retrospectives, including a prominent exhibition in 2013 at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, which attracted over 136,000 visitors.

Upon his passing, tributes poured in, including from Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, both recognizing his significant impact on Scottish art. Vettriano’s legacy will endure through his evocative and timeless works.

Image by Taylor Herring.

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Scottish painter Jack Vettriano has passed away at the age of 73. His publicist confirmed that he was found in his Nice, France apartment on Saturday. Authorities have indicated there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. show more

President Trump to Issue Executive Order Declaring English the Official Language of the U.S.

President Donald J. Trump is set to issue an executive order on Friday declaring English the official language of the United States. The order will rescind a directive by former President Bill Clinton mandating federal agencies and entities receiving federal funding provide alternatives for non-English speakers.

Since its founding, the United States has never had an official language at the federal level. However, surveys consistently show elevating English to official status is politically popular and that most Americans believe those residing in the country should speak the predominantly native language. According to Pew Research, just over eight in ten American adults say speaking English is very or somewhat important to “truly be American.

While President Trump’s executive order rescinds the Clinton-era directive, it does not bar federal agencies from continuing to provide language assistance for non-English speakers. The Trump White House contends the President’s order will help to establish greater civic cohesion, promote national unity, and streamline government services.

Individuals seeking to become naturalized U.S. citizens already have to demonstrate an ability to speak, read, and write in English—which nearly 80 percent of Americans speak at home. Around 30 states have also passed laws making English the official language at the state level.

Notably, during his time in the U.S. Senate, Vice President J.D. Vance introduced legislation along with Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) that directed the federal government to conduct all official business in English.

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President Donald J. Trump is set to issue an executive order on Friday declaring English the official language of the United States. The order will rescind a directive by former President Bill Clinton mandating federal agencies and entities receiving federal funding provide alternatives for non-English speakers. show more

Trans Activists Storm State Capitol.

Pro-transgender activists stormed the state capitol building in Des Moines, Iowa, on February 27 amid discussions on a bill to scrap gender identity protections. Hundreds of protesters were seen entering the capitol rotunda while holding pro-transgender signs and demanding the bill be scrapped.

The bill was introduced last week and seeks to remove gender identity from the state civil rights code. The legislature, then Democrat-controlled, added it in 2007. The bill will explicitly define gender as male and female, and Republicans in the state argue the change will stop biological males from entering women’s spaces and playing in women’s sports.

A 90-minute hearing took place on Thursday, February 27, but faced repeated delays as pro-trans activists interrupted the proceedings by yelling slogans each time the chamber’s door was opened. State police later blocked off part of the hall outside the hearing in an effort to allow the debate to proceed.

Similar legislation is being advanced by Republicans in Georgia, who want to change hate crime legislation to restrict males from competing in women’s and girls’ sports in colleges and universities. High schools in the state already have a ban in place.

The new changes come after President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order restricting federal funding of sex changes for minors. New orders also restrict federal funds for research or education that promote gender ideology and bodies, including males in female sports.

WATCH HERE:

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Pro-transgender activists stormed the state capitol building in Des Moines, Iowa, on February 27 amid discussions on a bill to scrap gender identity protections. Hundreds of protesters were seen entering the capitol rotunda while holding pro-transgender signs and demanding the bill be scrapped. show more

‘Trust in Allah’ Signs Blanket London as King Charles Hands Out Ramadan Treats.

Public lampposts in London, England, governed by Muslim Mayor Sadiq Khan, have been festooned with banners instructing viewers to ‘Trust in Allah’ and ‘Give Zakat’—a form of charitable donation mandated by Islam. The banners were produced by Islamic Relief, an Islamic charity likely hoping to benefit financially from such Zakat donations.

Images of the Islamic Relief banners went viral on social media after being flagged by Shahar Ali of the far-left Green Party, who argued, “These are public lampposts & public sphere must remain secular, without fear or favour to any particular religion or lack of faith.” Social conservatives agreed the banners were inappropriate but for different reasons, with Anglican minister Calvin Robinson arguing, “The United Kingdom is not a secular state. It is a Christian country… I have a problem with this level of religious advertising [because it] should be distinctly Christian in nature.”

Adding another layer of controversy to the situation, Islamic Relief has received millions of pounds in taxpayer funding through government grants and contracts in recent years. This is despite the fact the charity and its worldwide branches are frequently mired in controversy, with the U.S. State Department cutting ties in 2020 over the “anti-Semitism exhibited repeatedly by [its] leadership” and the German government accusing it of “significant connections” to the Muslim Brotherhood the same year.

In another sign of Islam’s growing influence over Britain’s national life, King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, shared a video of themselves packing dates to be sent to Muslims as special treats during Ramadan, which they described as a “holy month” despite the King’s status as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and his Coronation Oath to “maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel” and “to the utmost of my power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law.”

Other forms of Islamic appeasement are more sinister, with a man who was stabbed by a Muslim man and kicked by a passing Muslim delivery driver during a Koran-burning demonstration in London being charged with religiously motivated harassment in recent weeks.

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Public lampposts in London, England, governed by Muslim Mayor Sadiq Khan, have been festooned with banners instructing viewers to 'Trust in Allah' and 'Give Zakat'—a form of charitable donation mandated by Islam. The banners were produced by Islamic Relief, an Islamic charity likely hoping to benefit financially from such Zakat donations. show more

Apple Shareholders Vote to Keep DEI Program.

Apple shareholders have rejected a proposal to halt the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program, as many other companies are ditching DEI. The initiative to end woke DEI policies at Apple was led by the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank.

In the proposal, the center cited potential litigation and financial risks linked to DEI programs as a primary concern for shareholders. A similar proposal was previously rejected at Costco’s annual meeting. Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company’s culture relies on hiring exceptional talent and fostering collaboration. “We’ve never had quotas or targets for Apple,” Cook claimed.

In recent months, businesses like Google, Target, and Disney have reduced or eliminated their DEI programs. Conservative activism and court decisions have largely influenced the policy changes, with many companies scrapping DEI after President Trump’s election win last November.

In the first days of his administration, President Trump signed an executive order to eliminate DEI within the federal government and among federal government contractors. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also ended its DEI policies shortly before Trump’s inauguration.

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Apple shareholders have rejected a proposal to halt the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program, as many other companies are ditching DEI. The initiative to end woke DEI policies at Apple was led by the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank. show more

Alleged Leader of Cult of Transgender Killers Found in Backcountry.

Maryland State Police arrested Jack LaSota, a 34-year-old man who identifies as a transgender woman under the alias Andrea Phelps, on Sunday in the state’s western backcountry. The suspected ringleader of the so-called “Zizians,” a transgender terror cult tied to at least five murders nationwide, including the killing of Border Patrol agent David Maland last month, is charged with trespassing, obstructing justice, and illegal weapons possession.

LaSota had been on the run since he skipped a December trial. Previously, he faked his death to duck prosecution and was even declared deceased in San Mateo County, California.

Alongside LaSota, police hauled in Michelle Zajko, another transgender, on similar charges. Both face a bail hearing Tuesday morning in Allegany District Court.

LaSota, who posts deranged ramblings on a blog under the name “Ziz,” styles himself as the cult’s messiah but has dodged direct charges for his followers’ alleged attacks since 2022. Federal authorities accuse alleged cult member Teresa “Milo” Consuelo Youngblut of gunning down Agent Maland in a January shootout near Vermont’s Canadian border. Felix “Ophelia” Bauckholt—also transgender—was slain in the firefight. Youngblut has pleaded not guilty.

Zajko is accused of peddling the guns used to kill Maland and is a prime suspect in the 2022 execution-style murders of parents Richard and Rita Zajko.

In November 2022, LaSota lurked at the scene of a savage stabbing in Vallejo, California, where 80-year-old landlord Curtis Lind fought off a mob of squatters—alleged cult affiliates living in vans and box trucks on his property. Lind took a sword to the chest but managed to shoot dead one attacker, Emma Borhanian. He survived the encounter but was killed last month in a second stabbing prosecutors say was a hit to silence his upcoming testimony.

The suspect in Lind’s killing is Maximillian Bentley Snyder, who applied for a marriage license with Youngblut.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents who raided Youngblut’s Toyota Prius found guns, ammunition, a ballistic helmet, night-vision gear, and respirators.

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Maryland State Police arrested Jack LaSota, a 34-year-old man who identifies as a transgender woman under the alias Andrea Phelps, on Sunday in the state’s western backcountry. The suspected ringleader of the so-called “Zizians,” a transgender terror cult tied to at least five murders nationwide, including the killing of Border Patrol agent David Maland last month, is charged with trespassing, obstructing justice, and illegal weapons possession. show more

WATCH: Knifeman and Passing Deliveryman Attack Protestor Burning Koran in London.

A protestor burning a Koran near the Turkish consulate in London, England, was attacked by a knife-wielding Muslim on Thursday. A passing cyclist working for Deliveroo, an Uber Eats-like food delivery service, also paused to kick the protestor while he was on the ground.

The incident follows the assassination of Salwan Momika in the middle of a livestream in Sweden. Momika, originally from Iraq, had been hoping to claim asylum in the U.S., as the authorities were prosecuting him for incitement against an ethnic group for his own Koran-burning protest.

Video of the incident in London shows a white-haired man with a foreign accent rushing the Koran-burning protestor, slashing and stabbing at him with a knife. The protestor falls to the ground as he flees, and the knifeman begins kicking, slashing, and spitting at him, shouting, “That’s my religion; you don’t burn Koran!” A Deliveroo cyclist watching the scene also delivers a kick to the protestor, seemingly opportunistically, while he is on the ground.

A man claiming to be the protestor wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he burned the Koran to “protest the Islamist government of [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, who has made Turkey a base for radical Islamists and is trying to establish a sharia regime.”

London’s Metropolitan Police have confirmed they arrested “a man” following an “assault in Knightsbridge.”

“The victim was taken to hospital with injuries to his finger. He did not receive any stab wounds. Officers attended within minutes and arrested a man on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and grievous bodily harm,” they state.

WATCH:

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A protestor burning a Koran near the Turkish consulate in London, England, was attacked by a knife-wielding Muslim on Thursday. A passing cyclist working for Deliveroo, an Uber Eats-like food delivery service, also paused to kick the protestor while he was on the ground. show more

Christian School Worker Wins Appeal After Firing for Criticism of ‘The LGBT Crowd.’

A Christian former school employee in Gloucestershire, England, has successfully appealed her dismissal over social media posts criticizing LGBT relationship teaching. In a recent judgment, a panel comprised of Lord Justice Underhill, Lord Justice Bean, and Lady Justice Falk ruled in favor of Kristie Higgs, who was terminated from Farmor’s School in 2019. Higgs had shared posts on social media expressing concerns over the ‘No Outsiders In Our School’ program, which educates primary school students on the Equality Act. Her comments included references to “brainwashing our children” regarding the teaching’s focus on gender fluidity and same-sex marriage.

Higgs was initially dismissed for gross misconduct following an anonymous complaint suggesting her views could harm the school’s reputation. However, the latest court ruling found an initial decision to remand the case to an employment tribunal was “unlawfully discriminatory.”

“In the present case the claimant, who was employed in a secondary school, had posted messages, mostly quoted from other sources, objecting to Government policy on sex education in primary schools because of its promotion of ‘gender fluidity’ and its equation of same-sex marriage with marriage between a man and a woman,” noted Lord Justice Underhill.

“It was not in dispute… that the claimant’s beliefs that gender is binary and that same-sex marriage cannot be equated with marriage between a man and a woman are protected by the Equality Act,” he added.

He described how the school had justified Higgs’s firing “on the basis that the posts in question were intemperately expressed and included insulting references to the promoters of gender fluidity and ‘the LGBT crowd,'” but said this was not sufficient cause, given there was no evidence she had expressed her beliefs at school or discriminated against any of her students.

The ruling comes as President Donald J. Trump is instructing Attorney General Pam Bondi to root out “anti-Christian bias” in the U.S.

Image by Benoît Prieur.

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A Christian former school employee in Gloucestershire, England, has successfully appealed her dismissal over social media posts criticizing LGBT relationship teaching. In a recent judgment, a panel comprised of Lord Justice Underhill, Lord Justice Bean, and Lady Justice Falk ruled in favor of Kristie Higgs, who was terminated from Farmor’s School in 2019. Higgs had shared posts on social media expressing concerns over the 'No Outsiders In Our School' program, which educates primary school students on the Equality Act. Her comments included references to “brainwashing our children” regarding the teaching's focus on gender fluidity and same-sex marriage. show more