A federal judge ruled today that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts could not reaffix President Trump's name on the institution's exterior. The judge said that Congress must weigh in before anyone is honored on the building's walls. In response, Trump posted a stark ultimatum to social media: If an appeals court does not allow his name back on the building, he said, he would block a $257 million renovation that he has championed. Earlier, the center's Trump-allied board voted, for the third time, to close the building for renovations, citing conditions that it deemed "hazardous." Trump said the building would be shuttered "immediately," despite a court order blocking the move.

In other Trump administration news: The president criticized the Supreme Court over its mail-in ballot ruling, particularly the justices he had appointed. "These are not the people I interviewed," he said. "They are merely a shell of their original selves." The F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, suggested that he was open to sending federal agents to polling places. A Pentagon official acknowledged for the first time that the U.S. has deployed weapons in space.

The Senate voted this afternoon to block a landmark, business friendly cryptocurrency bill. The outcome was a bitter disappointment for crypto executives, who had made the legislation, called the Clarity Act, their most important policy priority. Most Republican senators supported the bill, as did Trump. But Democrats decided to oppose it, citing the president's crypto riches and calling for stronger language to prevent public officials from using crypto to make money.

In Portugal, angry drivers have blocked traffic to protest rising fuel prices, which have spiked since the U.S. went to war against Iran. In Guatemala and Syria, demonstrators have burned tires and cars. And in the Philippines, bus drivers have walked off the job, which they said was now barely paying them enough for a meal. In the U.S., fuel prices have also spiked, and 10-year Treasury bonds, a major gauge of borrowing costs, reached their highest level in 19 years. Testifying before Congress today, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sought to blame Joe Biden for persistent inflation.

The Houthis, a Yemeni militia backed by Iran, have over the past few months become a major player in the ongoing Middle East conflict. They have seized the strategic port of Mokha and claimed control over the Red Sea's crucial southern passageway. That may seem like a lot for a group better known for firing AK-47s out of pickup trucks. But as my colleague Nicholas Kulish explains, the Houthis have demonstrated a growing ambition to produce advanced weaponry on their own, making them less reliant on Iran. Anthropic suggested that the Houthis used the company's A.I. tool in an effort to develop guided weapons. For more: The Houthis and Saudi Arabia accused each other today of launching attacks at their territories. Yes, your mocha drink got its name from the city of Mokha.