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President of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou N'Guesso casts his ballot at a polling station in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Vivace Mambouana)

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An election official check for the name of a voter in a register at a polling station in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Vivace Mambouana)

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A voter cast his ballot at a polling station in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Vivace Mambouana)

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Voters check for their names at a polling station in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Vivace Mambouana)

A federal judge says a Democratic lawmaker is entitled to participate at a board meeting for discussing President Donald Trump’s plan to close down the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for two years of renovations. But the court isn't forcing the board to let Joyce Beatty vote at Monday's meeting. The Ohio congresswoman is an ex officio member through her position in Congress. She sued to preclude the Trump administration from excluding her from the session where board members are expected to decide whether to approve the Republican president’s proposal to shutter the center during the construction project. There's no immediate response from Beatty and the Kennedy Center on the ruling.

Congressional Republicans are pushing voting legislation that's backed by President Donald Trump and would require voters to produce documentary proof of citizenship in order to register for federal elections. Obtaining those records and paying for them may not be as easy as the bill’s promoters make it sound. There's a range of hurdles, including the time and money involved in getting birth certificates or passports. A University of Maryland study estimates that 21.3 million Americans who are eligible to vote don’t have documents to prove their citizenship or don't have easy access to them. The House-passed legislation is scheduled to come up next week in the Senate.