News Wrap: Kennedy Center warns of 'fiscal collapse' without Trump's name on building

Geoff Bennett:

And we start today's other headlines in Washington, D.C.

Officials at the Kennedy Center are warning of certain fiscal collapse unless President Trump's name is added to the exterior of the building. The warning is laid out in a new court filing in the lawsuit brought by Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board who has been fighting the effort to put Mr. Trump's name on the building.

The president's handpicked board is set to meet tomorrow to consider 10 possible inscriptions bearing his name. The board says that, without what it calls appropriate recognition, Mr. Trump is unlikely to help lead the fiscal rescue of the center.

Several state election officials tell the "News Hour" they are bracing for uncertainty over mail-in ballots ahead of this year's midterms, but pushed back on recent headlines suggesting chaos over the rules. That's as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule on President Trump's executive order seeking to restrict mail-in voting.

Late last night, a second federal judge blocked the order, warning it could increase the risk that some valid mail-in ballots go uncounted. And the timing is critical. At least three states have already started sending ballots, with some military and overseas ballots set to go out later this week.

Turning now to the war in Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte condemned Russia's attacks near Ukraine's border with Poland today. A Russian drone struck a train in Western Ukraine this weekend shortly after several European officials had passed through. The E.U.'s top diplomat said today the attacks were meant to scare Western countries from supporting Ukraine.

And speaking in Brussels, Rutte said the strikes show that Russian President Vladimir Putin is -- quote -- "desperate" and that the NATO alliance is solid.

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary-General:

He thinks that he can stop us from supporting Ukraine and that he can undermine our unity. He is wrong. Our answer is to increase support to Ukraine so it has what it needs to defend itself.

Geoff Bennett:

Also, today President Trump posted on social media that both Ukraine and Russia had agreed to stop attacking each other's energy targets, though he did not provide any specifics. A Kremlin spokesperson says Moscow welcomes the idea, but also said Russian forces will continue their strikes across the entire territory of Ukraine.

And Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says his country has pushed for such a proposal, but adds that Ukraine is not convinced that Russia would adhere to any agreement.

The National Weather Service is warning of possible flooding across parts of the Central Plains and the Midwest, even as the Northeast recovers from this weekend's torrential storms.

Man:

Bro, this is nuts.

Geoff Bennett:

In Northern New Jersey, runners found themselves trudging through water midway through a local half-marathon, while, in Connecticut, cars were fully underwater, barely visible from above. Officials in one town called it the worst flooding in three decades.

The state's governor blamed what's known as a rain bomb, a phenomenon that is getting worse, in part due to human-caused climate change.

Gov. Ned Lamont (D-CT):

It's how sudden the intense rainfall is, five, seven, nine inches in a very limited period of time. When air gets warmer, it holds more water. That's why these rain bombs are more severe.

Geoff Bennett:

The conditions wreaked havoc on plane and train schedules while emergency crews rescued dozens of people across the region. No deaths or injuries have been reported.

Officials in Pennsylvania reported a third measles related death this weekend. Local health officials say the unvaccinated 40-year-old woman lived in a rural area in a county northeast of Pittsburgh. It's more than 200 miles from the county where Pennsylvania's first two deaths involving measles were reported this year. Both of those involved infants.

Pennsylvania's Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro and Trump administration officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have clashed over measles reporting this year.

Wall Street ended lower today as A.I. stocks struggled. The Dow Jones industrial average lost about 150 points. The Nasdaq fell about a half-a-percent. The S&P 500 also started the week in negative territory.

And fashion designer Bob Mackie has died. Known as the Sultan of Sequins, Mackie helped define 1970s glamour by dressing countless stars in his signature style, sometimes shimmering and sleek, and other times campy and outrageous.

He created costumes for all 11 seasons of "The Carol Burnett Show," including the iconic "Gone With the Wind" dress, curtain rod and all. He also worked closely with Cher on her variety shows and crafted some of her most famous red carpet looks.

In 2018, he reflected on his design philosophy.

Bob Mackie, Fashion Designer:

I always try to enhance the image that they already have the people -- that people think of them as. If you're going to appear on stage, you don't want to come on and say, oh, is that her? I'm not sure that's her. You want you want them to say yes. And that's very important. You don't try to change anybody. You just try to make them look better than ever.

Geoff Bennett:

Over the years, Mackie won nine Emmy Awards and a Tony and was nominated for three Oscars. Bob Mackie was 87 years old.