Kennedy Center Removes Trump's Name but Fails to Approve NSO Budget

The Kennedy Center ordered President Trump's name removed from all email signatures, voicemails, and letterheads, yet has not approved the National Symphony Orchestra's budget, preventing the orchestra from booking venues, announcing a season, or selling subscriptions. This contrast between symbolic action and operational paralysis highlights institutional dysfunction. Separately, Arkansas viewers raised funds themselves to keep PBS programming in the state after officials threatened cuts. SAG-AFTRA actors ratified a contract focused on protections against synthetic performers, effectively writing their own AI policy. The music business lacks infrastructure to treat superfans as customers, per Music Business Worldwide. Literary editors may be ill-equipped to detect AI-generated prose due to limited exposure, according to the London Review of Books. The West End will host its first phone-ban production, requiring sealed pouches for audience devices.