The curtain may have come down for President Donald Trump at the Kennedy Center but the tarp stays up for now.

Matt Floca, executive director and chief operating officer of the performing arts venue, told a federal court Saturday that the institution had complied with an order to remove Trump's name from the facade. In a filing, Floca said the board of trustees and the center had removed "all physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds, including the front portico, that purports to rename the Kennedy Center after President Trump."

But for onlookers who have gathered on the plaza in front of the center over the past day hoping to witness a dramatic moment symbolizing the limits of Trump's power, it was virtually impossible to see whether the signage was gone. A tarp hung over the scaffolding constructed for workers to perform that task. It was unclear when the tarp might be removed to reveal the original lettering that had endured for decades: "The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."

A reporter was able to peer through a slight opening in the tarp, which was pulled tightly against the wall, and saw that the letters for Trump's name were no longer affixed to the building.

By the end, the Kennedy Center's leadership had dug in against a federal judge's order to erase Trump's name from the building. Two courts rejected the institution's last-minute request to retain Trump's name pending an appeal. After severe thunderstorms raked Washington on Friday evening, the Kennedy Center sought one more extension before complying with a noon Saturday deadline.

Those who pushed for the scrubbing of Trump's name were in a celebratory mood. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex officio member of the board who sued to remove references to the president from the building and the center's operations, was spotted in the plaza late Friday and Saturday morning. She posted a video to social media that purported to show her performing the "Trump dance" in one of the Kennedy Center's great halls.

"Today's victory is the beginning of returning the Kennedy Center to the American people," Beatty said in a statement. "The rule of law prevailed, and that is worth celebrating."

Leo Bartholomaus, a recent graduate of Syracuse University who lives in Virginia, said he was walking by the Kennedy Center on Friday afternoon after visiting the National Mall to see events related to this weekend's UFC match at the White House. He said he was not happy that Trump added his name to the building.

"My grandmother had a big love of the arts," he said. "I've been here to see 'The Lion King.' I wasn't a fan of Donald Trump putting his name on it. I thought it was better as the Kennedy Center."

The removal of Trump's name closes one of the more unusual chapters in the history of the Kennedy Center, which began construction in 1964 and was dedicated to the memory of the slain president, Democrat John F. Kennedy. At what is typically one of the few relatively nonpartisan spaces in Washington, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his second term.

Though he rarely discussed the Kennedy Center during his 2024 campaign, Trump moved quickly to oust the institution's leadership when he returned to office in January 2025 and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. His name was quickly added to the building.

While the removal of his name marks a setback for Trump, he is moving forward with plans to reshape the physical landscape of the nation's capital in ways that have few modern parallels.

IN LIMBO: Explanation is not filed by attroney general.
Anchorage Daily News

The 5 p.m. eastern time deadline came and went Saturday and no explanation was filed by the Attorney General in U.S. District Court in Washington about how an Alaska-based FBI agent's complaint was handled by the Justice Department.

A Justice Department official said nothing was filed because the government appealed the unusual order on Friday by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan directing Attorney General Michael Mukasey to account for the agent's complaint. A stay of Sullivan's order was granted in the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, said the official, who spoke on the condition of not being identified by name.

A copy of the appeal or the stay couldn't be obtained independently from the court on Saturday. With pre-inaugural plans and events taking over Washington, the normally difficult job of finding official information on a Saturday became nearly impossible.

Sullivan, the trial judge in whose courtroom former Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, was convicted in October of felony disclosure violations, has been dealing with a number of post-trial issues, including the complaint by FBI agent Chad Joy. Joy, one of the agents investigating political corruption in Alaska, asserted that the lead agent in the case engaged in unethical and possible illegal activities during the investigation. He also charged that Justice Department attorneys intentionally withheld information that Stevens' lawyers were entitled to.

Sullivan said he was dissatisfied with explanations from prosecutors about how Joy's complaint was handled and demanded a sworn statement from Mukasey himself or one of his top deputies.

Richard E. Vollertsen of the Alaska Personal Injury Law Group has been selected for inclusion in the "Best Lawyers In America" 2009 publication. He is now in a distinguished group of attorneys listed in the publication for over 10 years. Selection to the "Best Lawyers In America" listing is based on exhaustive and rigorous peer-review evaluations by the top attorneys in the country.

Published by Richard E. Vollertsen

By Anne Sutton | The Associated Press

State lawmakers on Wednesday said they don't plan to pursue abuse of power findings against Gov. Sarah Palin, but they do want to know why their subpoenas were ignored in last fall's Troopergate investigation.

Some are steamed that possible witnesses, including several of Palin's top aides, snubbed a September legislative hearing into Palin's firing of her public safety director Walt Monegan.

They want to talk to Attorney General Talis Colberg about why the witnesses didn't show.

"Did he tell them not to answer the subpoenas? It concerns me that if we let it go, next time we try to subpoena people, they'll think there's no authority there," said House Speaker Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski.

Colberg and Palin did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

The Legislative Council last year, in an unanimous bipartisan vote, ordered an investigation into Monegan's firing, and Palin agreed to cooperate - until she was named John McCain's running mate.

Palin - through her campaign - accused lawmakers of manipulating the probe to be potentially damaging ahead of the November election.

Palin said she would cooperate only with a separate probe by the Alaska State Personnel Board.

Meanwhile Colberg, a Republican appointed by Palin, filed a lawsuit challenging the subpoenas issued in the legislative probe. He claimed the Senate Judiciary Committee had no jurisdiction to issue them and questioned whether the Legislative Council had the authority to begin a probe.

At the time, Colberg said he advised the state employees to either show up and testify or don't and join the lawsuit, which was ultimately dismissed by a judge.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jay Ramras, R-Fairbanks, could hold hearings as early as next week.

"My own interest is in examination of the process and the relationship of the Attorney General: whether he works for the citizens of Alaska, the governor or the people whom he advised to ignore subpoenas issued by the Legislature," Ramras said.

He asked committee member and attorney Lindsey Holmes, D-Anchorage, to look into whether Colberg could refuse to testify, claiming attorney-client privilege.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Hollis French, D-Anchorage, said the Senate is still discussing whether to hold hearings.

The 14 people who were subpoenaed did ultimately testify or provide written statements, "which was good but doesn't undo fact that you were ordered to show up and didn't," French said.

State statute provides for fines and a maximum of six months in jail for contempt of legislative subpoenas, but French said the statute is rarely used.

The Troopergate investigation was looking into whether Palin and others pressured Monegan to fire a state trooper who was involved in a contentious divorce with Palin's sister, and then fired Monegan when he wouldn't dismiss the trooper.

Palin maintains that Monegan was ousted over budget disagreements.

Special counsel Stephen Branchflower found that Palin had abused her office but the firing was legal since Monegan was an at-will employee.

A subsequent investigation by the Alaska State Personnel Board found there was no probable cause to believe Palin or any other state official violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act.