News Wrap: Trump takes aim at Kennedy Center’s board of trustees

Ali Rogin:

President Trump is also taking aim at another Washington institution, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In a post On Truth Social, Mr. Trump said he plans to name himself chairman and fire members of the center's traditionally bipartisan board of trustees. The president took issue with drag events held in 2024 and said they would stop.

The Kennedy Center said it did not receive any official communications from the White House, but that some individual board members received termination notices.

President Trump signed an executive order Friday to prioritize the resettlement of white South Africans in the United states through the U.S. refugee program, which he had suspended on his first day in office. Mr. Trump alleged that white South Africans are now the target of oppression by the country's government, claiming a new South African law allows the racially motivated seizures of their land.

Trump administration adviser and South African born Elon Musk has previously criticized the South African government's policies as anti-white.

To the Middle East now, where the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has held up through the latest round of hostage and prisoner exchanges. Three Israeli hostages were handed over to the Red Cross today after Hamas militants paraded the men onto a stage and forced them to speak at a ceremony. Their emaciated appearance shocked family members in Israel. Despite their joy at being reunited, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said their shocking frailty will not go unaddressed.

Shortly after the hostages were returned, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, some of whom were serving sentences for militant attacks on Israel or lesser offenses like rock throwing. Seven prisoners convicted of the most serious crimes will be transferred to Egypt.

Authorities are racing to recover the wreckage of a small commuter plane after it crashed off the coast of western Alaska. Officials lost communication with the plane Thursday about 30 miles from its destination of Nome. All 10 people aboard were killed.

Crews are now working to recover the victims and the wreckage from unstable sea ice before a winter storm hits the area in a matter of hours.