Trump’s Kennedy Center changes are back in court

It’s Thursday. The Guiness Book of World Records was first published on this day in 1955. Is there a record for the oldest book of world records?

Trump EO declares U.S. electric grid national emergency

Programming note : We’re Claire Leibowitz and Abigail Walker, filling in for Cate today. Please send us your tips, comments and story ideas to cleibowitz@thehill.com and awalker@thehill.com .

President Trump’s battle to renovate and attach his name to the Kennedy Center returns to court today.

A Department of Justice (DOJ) legal filing earlier this week argued that the arts complex could suffer financial ruin without the president’s name on the facade and may need to be demolished.

The site will “deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure,” without renovations, the DOJ said.

Trump, Trump and more Trump: The Kennedy Center board voted on a resolution this month that would add two inscriptions to the facility: “renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump,” and “endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.” They also voted to name the site itself the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”

Loooong overhaul: The two-year project would shut down most of the performance venues and cost at least $250 million.

Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) originally sued for the removal of Trump’s name, which was completed in June. She filed an emergency motion last week after the board’s vote, saying that the effort to put Trump’s name back on is “a new and breathtaking act of defiance of Congress and of this Court.”

For now, the board agreed to hold off on re-adding Trump’s name until Sept. 8.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer was released from a Texas jail on Thursday morning, a day after a judge declined to force his extradition.

Christian Castro is accused of shooting a Venezuelan man in the leg in Minnesota earlier this year during Operation Metro Surge and has been jailed in Brownsville, Texas, since late May.

He is facing four counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime.

Castro cannot legally be held for longer than 90 days while awaiting extradition. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) last week, alleging that Abbott had refused to sign the paperwork that authorized the ICE officer’s transfer.

A U.S. district judge ruled Wednesday that Walz’s bid could not be considered because no final action had been taken yet.

Castro was freed from custody just before 7 a.m. local time, Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Treviño confirmed in an email to The Hill.

As the midterms approach, President Trump has mellowed his stance on data centers as both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have expressed uneasiness about the AI facilities.

Last week Trump told reporters that GOP candidates should “do what they want” regarding data centers, implying that Republicans should message to voters as they see fit.

“If Republicans are against a data center, that’s OK with me,” Trump said.

The president’s lukewarm take is a recent development. In response to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) decision last month to freeze the construction of “hyperscale data centers,” Trump lashed out , calling the developments “tremendous WINS for the States and Communities that are lucky enough to get them.”

His changing rhetoric comes amid growing skepticism from Republicans including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton , who on Monday vowed to place restrictions on data centers if elected to the U.S. Senate in November.

Today is Karoline Leavitt’s last day as White House press secretary.

Leavitt has been the face of the second Trump administration’s communication strategy. Her replacement has been the subject of significant discussion since the president announced her departure earlier this month.

“As for who the president chooses next it is a decision that is entirely up to him,” Leavitt said on NewsNation Thursday.

Trump pointed at various members of the press, saying, “I don’t know, maybe you,” when talking to reporters last week

“I will tell you this, and Karoline will tell you this, I have never seen so many job applications in my life,” he added.

One contender is conservative commentator Scott Jennings , who frequents CNN to defend the president and his policies.

Jennings brushed off his potential as a successor, saying “I don’t know what’s going to happen” on Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The travel center chain Buc-ee’s has announced that it will prioritize “conservative, business friendly” states as it works to expand its business.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) posted a video clip featuring Buc-ee’s CEO Arch Aplin III.

“We have a lot of opportunities. We’re growing. We’re building in a lot of places, but when you find a conservative, business-friendly state with a phenomenal workforce, it makes a difference,” Alpin said.

The announcement follows backlash the organization received after deciding to take legal action against smaller companies with similar logos.

On Wednesday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said it launched an investigation into a “major” cybersecurity incident.

“Upon discovery of the incident, ATF immediately terminated connections to the affected environment and initiated incident‑response and forensic activities,” the agency said. “ATF is coordinating closely with the Department of Justice to investigate.”

ATF did not specify when the breach took place, nor did it clarify what data was obtained. The organization also did not confirm if Russian ransomware group Qilim, which took credit for the incident, was responsible.

Trump has declared a national emergency seeking to block some foreign equipment from being used in the U.S. electric grid.

Republicans on Capitol Hill are divided over whether to make a last-ditch push to enact legislation to stimulate the economy and cheer up voters before Election Day as the latest federal data shows the economy is slowing and inflation remains a problem.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly warned Russia against attacking NATO countries during his surprise visit on Monday.

Associated Press : Catastrophic floods kill over 350 in Nepal and Tibet

Politico : Trump-aligned Morocco dials up political heat on Spain’s Sánchez

New York Times : Nvidia’s Profit Doubles to $59.69 Billion Thanks to A.I. Spending

NBC News : U.S. declares drought disaster for parts of Puerto Rico as dry conditions persist

The House and Senate out. President Trump is headed to Houston for a Republican National Committee fundraiser. (All times EDT)

7 p.m. Trump headlines RNC fundraising event for Texas Attorney General and Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

🤷‍♀️ Celebrate: Today is National Just Because Day . We’re tossing in this video of a puppy and a duck . Just because.

Because you made it this far, here’s a baby donkey enjoying its walk . Hope you make it outside today.