Ahead of the Christmas holiday for millions of Americans across the country, major headlines break – from the passing of National Park Service ranger Betty Reid Soskin to President Donald Trump’s name being added to a 61 year-old living memorial to President John F. Kennedy as well as a new development on the potential TikTok ban.
Name Change to Kennedy Center Without Congressional Approval Sparks Protests
President Donald Trump’s name was added to the official name of The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, now known as The Trump Kennedy Center as a result of a board voting in favor of making the change.
The center has historically been known as the federal building that sits as a living memorial of former President John F. Kennedy. In 1958, a bipartisan legislation was signed by President Dwight Eisenhower for the national culture center to be developed. After the assination of President Kennedy, Congress passed a bill, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, naming the center after the late president.
Outrage from citizens has risen as only Congress has authority to rename the Kennedy Center. However, the Trump administration moved forward without congressional approval. The Trump appointed board elected the President as board chair and claims to have voted unanimously.
In a tweet from Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the board, “For the record. This was not unanimous. I was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition to this move.”
Protests are currently being held outside of the building.
Betty Reid Soskin, America’s Oldest U.S. Park Ranger, Passes at 104.
America’s oldest serving Park Ranger Betty Reid Soskin has passed at 104 years old in Richmond, California.
The New Orleans raised ranger joined the National Park Service 18 years ago at the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Park Museum. She retired in 2022 at age 100.
“She was a powerful voice for sharing personal experiences, highlighting untold stories, and honoring the contributions of women from diverse backgrounds who worked on the WWII Home Front,” said in a post from the National Park Service.
Soskin’s family asked in a message on Facebook for donations to be sent to a middle school named in her honor in El Sobrante, California or to support an upcoming film about her titled “Sign My Name to Freedom.”
Racial Discrimination Towards a Black Navy SEAL Leads to Disciplinary Actions
After years of complaints from a Black Navy SEAL, more than a dozen SEALs were disciplined for participating in sharing racist memes in a private Signal group chat between 2021 and 2024.
The Navy issued disciplinary actions earlier this year, however no reports were made public on the incident before last week. The memes from 2022 were described in a Navy investigation as “slave in chains” and “money face.”
The Black Navy SEAL filed a harassment complaint that shared, “the racism I experienced…was persistent, targeted and deeply dehumanizing.” He also described how his name was scratched off two plaques.
Punishments included a reduction in rank, counseling and some resulting in no pay to the SEALs who participated in the racial discrimination.
TikTok Secures Deal with U.S. Investors, Ending Years of Threats to Ban App
An agreement has been made between the social media platform TikTok and investors based in the United States – Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX – to manage the U.S. portion of the app.
The deal is expected to close in January 2026 giving the new investors access to control U.S. TikTok users’ experience to “ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation,” said in a memo. The investors will be responsible for U.S. content moderation and policies.
Several extensions to the TikTok ban were made throughout this year to secure a deal with U.S. investors as Congress has warned of Chinese interference and the vulnerability of U.S. users’ data.
The deal ensures that the 170 million U.S. users of TikTok now have access to the platform for the foreseeable future.
Criminal Complaint Filed Against Texas State Trooper from University of South Carolina Football Player
One month after a Texas state trooper bumped into two South Carolina football players and was relieved of his game-day duties, a criminal complaint against the trooper has been filed.
The incident at the University of South Carolina versus Texas A&M University game made national headlines when the broadcast caught the trooper bumping into South Carolina players Oscar Adaway III and Nyck Harbor, causing a brief altercation.
The trooper pointed his finger and yelled, “get out of here!” Addaway’s legal counsel said in a statement, that the trooper “was there to protect the public and he assaulted the public. He assaulted the student-athlete.”
The complaint could possibly lead to actual charges and an arrest.