Trump news at a glance: Kennedy Center to close; Epstein case ‘over’, says deputy US attorney general | Trump administration

Trump announces closure of Kennedy Center for two years

Trump announced the closure of the Kennedy Center for two years, citing construction needs to make it “the finest performing arts facility of its kind anywhere in the world.”

Writing on Truth Social on Sunday evening, Trump added that closing the center would pave the way for a “spectacular new entertainment complex.” The announcement follows a series of artist cancellations in recent months, as well as a record high in ticket sales amid backlash over Trump’s overhaul of the center’s leadership.

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Review of Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case ‘complete,’ Blanche says

Assistant U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, responsible for the Trump administration’s release of the Epstein files, told ABC News on Sunday that prosecutors’ review of the Jeffrey Epstein-Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking case “is complete.” Blanche acknowledged that “there are a lot of horrific photographs that appear to have been taken by Mr. Epstein or by people around him…that doesn’t necessarily allow us to prosecute someone.”

Blanche’s comments were aimed at survivors who greeted Friday’s release with calls demanding more accountability for Epstein and Maxwell’s alleged clients.

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Two federal agents reportedly identified in fatal shooting of Alex Pretti

Government documents identified the two federal agents who killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis as Jesus Ochoa, a Border Patrol agent, and Raymundo Gutierrez, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer, according to ProPublica.

According to those records, Ochoa, 43, and Gutierrez, 35, were the officers who fired their weapons during last weekend’s confrontation that resulted in Pretti’s death. The shooting sparked widespread protests and new calls for criminal investigations into federal immigration enforcement. Immediately following Pretti’s killing, the Trump administration repeatedly made false allegations regarding the shooting.

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Five-year-old and father released from ICE detention

A five-year-old boy and his father were back in Minneapolis on Sunday after being released from a Texas immigration detention center where they were held for more than a week, according to U.S. House Representative Joaquin Castro.

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US in talks with Cuban leaders on possible deal

Trump said his administration was in talks with Cuban leaders about a possible deal, following his earlier threats to block the country from importing oil.

“Cuba is a failed nation. It’s been a failed nation for a long time, but now it doesn’t have Venezuela to support it. So we’re talking with the Cuban people, the highest people in Cuba, to see what’s going on,” Trump told reporters on Sunday.

“I think we are going to make a deal with Cuba,” he added without disclosing details of a potential agreement.

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Partial US government shutdown expected to continue amid financial crisis

The ongoing partial shutdown of the U.S. government is expected to continue until early next week, with no reopening likely before Tuesday, if federal officials on both sides of the country’s political aisle are to be believed.

House Democrats have so far said they are refusing to secure the votes needed to fast-track passage of a funding measure that would restore government operations.

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American committee reviews all vaccine recommendations

All vaccine recommendations are being reviewed by the U.S. Vaccine Committee, according to its top adviser, who in recent interviews has criticized requirements for attending school and said vaccines should be taken on the advice of each individual’s doctor.

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Democrat flips red Texas district in victory that stuns GOP

Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a special election for Texas state Senate on Saturday, flipping a reliably Republican district that Donald Trump won by 17 points when he clinched a second presidency in 2024.

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What else happened today:

• Gregory Bovino, recently demoted Border Patrol officialwho served as the face of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in several U.S. cities, was compared to a Confederate general in an email sent to him by a colleague in 2018, according to multiple reports.

• Amazon’s Melania Trump Documentary apparently exceeded box office expectations and had the strongest start for any documentary in over a decade, raking in more than $8 million at the US box office in its heavily promoted opening weekend. At the same time, however, Melania failed to turn a profit, as it cost $40 million to make and $35 million to promote.

• A bomb cyclone has brought freezing temperatures to much of the United States. from the Gulf Coast to New England, bringing heavy snow to North Carolina, where two people were killed in storm-related conditions, and setting records in Florida, where authorities warned of ice and falling iguanas.

• Man identified in court documents as having affair with former senator Kyrsten Sinema allegedly received nearly $9,000 from Sinema’s former campaign committee in October, according to newly filed documents. The complaints come just weeks after the man’s ex-wife accused Sinema of destroying their marriage.