Kennedy Center Board Orders Trump’s Name Restored to Performing Arts Center, Flouting Court Order

In Washington, D.C., the board of directors for the Kennedy Center has voted to once again inscribe Donald Trump’s name on the building — and to shutter it for two years, allegedly to make renovations to the performing arts institution. Thursday’s vote by Trump’s hand-picked board comes despite a federal judge’s order barring closure of the Kennedy Center and ordering the Trump administration to remove Trump’s name from the building. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are seeking an audit of spending on the White House East Wing and ballroom, after The Washington Post reported the Trump administration plans to spend at least $900 million on new construction. When Trump announced his plans to build a ballroom last year, he repeatedly promised the project would be funded entirely by private donors. www.democracynow.org

Congressional Black Caucus Calls for Federal Probe into Death of Nolan Wells

The Congressional Black Caucus is calling on the Department of Justice to investigate the mysterious death of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old Black college athlete whose body was found in July on a barrier island in Mississippi. Wells vanished after taking a boat to the island with a group of white friends over the July Fourth holiday. His body was recovered several days later. Authorities say Wells may have accidentally drowned, but his family has questioned the official story, in part because Wells’s cellphone was found not with his body, but in the possession of one of his friends, who returned home. This is Georgia Democratic Congressmember Lucy McBath. Rep. Lucy McBath: “This brings back so many vivid memories for me and my own family, having lost Jordan to unnecessary gun violence in November 2012, Black Friday, simply because he was Black and playing loud music in his car. And so, here we are again today, here for the loss of another Black young man in our community, and we find ourselves asking the same questions.” www.democracynow.org

Federal Judge Tosses Trump Administration’s “Antisemitism” Lawsuit Against Harvard

A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit accusing Harvard University of failing to combat antisemitism on campus. The government had argued the university failed to protect Jewish community members during campus protests over Harvard’s ties to Israel’s assault on Gaza and Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. A U.S. district judge in Massachusetts called incidents of antisemitism “isolated and episodic.” www.democracynow.org

Indiana Declares Statewide Disaster Emergency Amid Historic Flooding

Indiana’s governor has declared a statewide disaster emergency and deployed the National Guard, following severe storms that brought what officials called a “once-in-a-millennium” flooding event. More rain is expected this week in Indiana and neighboring Illinois, which also suffered flooding. Some 36 million people across the Midwest were under flood alerts on Thursday. www.democracynow.org

Activists Try to Halt Border Wall Construction as Contractors Bulldoze Landmarks

In Texas, bulldozers have rolled into Big Bend National Park to tear down portions of the environmental landmark as part of the Trump administration’s $46.5 billion effort to expand a massive border wall and other security infrastructure along the border with Mexico. Protesters gathered Thursday at Big Bend seeking to block construction of the wall, after the Department of Homeland Security waived requirements that federal contractors comply with a broad slate of environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act. Meanwhile, in southern Arizona, a protest camp predominantly led by queer and femme activists in the small border town of Lochiel is seeking to protect ancient cottonwood trees, as federal contractors race to build another portion of Trump’s border barrier with Mexico at a cost of about a half a billion dollars. At the center of the protest camp is a 200-year-old cottonwood known as a “grandmother” tree. www.democracynow.org

140 Immigrants Hold Hunger Strike at For-Profit ICE Jail in Tacoma, Washington

In Washington state, over 140 immigrants are entering the third day of a hunger strike at the notorious Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma. That’s according to the advocacy group La Resistencia, which confirmed the action began on August 11. Among their demands is proper medical care, as several detainees with broken or dislocated bones reportedly have not received treatment. Northwest and Delaney Hall are both operated by the for-profit prison company GEO Group. www.democracynow.org

ICE Confirms Death of Third Immigrant at Privately Run ICE Jail in New Jersey

In New Jersey, ICE has confirmed the death of a third immigrant in Newark that was first disclosed by Democratic Congressmember Rob Menendez last week. José Chajón Raxón from Guatemala reportedly suffered what appeared to be seizures and later died at the hospital, according to DHS. Chajón Raxón was detained at the privately run ICE jail known as Delaney Hall after being arrested on July 18. ICE claimed he was released from custody four days later, but provided no further details. ICE previously failed to notify of his death due to a new policy that no longer requires the agency to report on deaths that occur within 30 days after an immigrant is released from custody. This is the third reported death connected to Delaney Hall since December, as detainees and advocates have widely condemned chronic medical neglect inside the facility. Nationwide, more than 50 immigrants have died in ICE custody since Trump returned to office. www.democracynow.org