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Good afternoon and welcome to your afternoon news update from AP. Today, the Kennedy Center renaming prompts a new round of cancellations from artists; Israel says it will halt operations of several humanitarian organizations in Gaza; and Walmart and other US companies want to build a pipeline of skilled tradespeople.

UP FIRST

Demonstrators, including Nadine Siler, of Waldorf, Md., dressed in a pink frog costume, hold up signs at a designated protest point in front of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, a day after a Trump-appointed board voted to add President Donald Trump's name to the Kennedy Center, Dec. 20 in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Kennedy Center renaming prompts new round of cancellations from artists

More artists have canceled scheduled performances at the Kennedy Center following the addition of President Trump’s name to the facility, with jazz supergroup The Cookers pulling out of a planned New Year’s Eve concert. Read more. 

TOP STORIES

Israel says it will halt operations of several humanitarian organizations in Gaza starting in 2026

Israel says it will suspend several humanitarian organizations for failing to meet its new rules to vet international organizations working in Gaza. The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said on Tuesday that the organizations that will be banned on Jan. 1 did not meet its new requirements for sharing staff, funding and operations information. It accused Doctors Without Borders, known as MSF by its French acronym, of failing to clarify the roles of some staff that Israel accused of cooperation with Hamas and other militant groups. MSF didn't immediately comment but other international organizations have said that Israel’s rules are arbitrary and could endanger staff. Read more.

Walmart and other US companies want to build a pipeline of skilled tradespeople

As the number of skilled tradespeople dwindles in the U.S., Walmart is building up its own workforce to keep conveyor belts moving and refrigerated grocery cases cold. Analysts and employers say retirements and reduced immigration have worsened a shortage of carpenters, mechanics and other tradespeople that many industries need. Read more.

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IN OTHER NEWS

A Basset Fauve De Bretagne stands for photographs during a Meet the Breeds event in 2022 in San Diego. (David Woo/American Kennel Club via AP)

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Pop culture in 2025: A ring for Taylor, an ill-timed KissCam ... and whatever ‘6-7’ means

WATCH: A 'book treasure' in a Baghdad basement draws readers from all around the city

TRENDING

Gary Seputis, top, and Clint Hornsby, employees of Entertainment Design Group, work on attaching two leaves to the fiberglass and foam Peach in preparation for the 2012 Peach Drop at Underground Atlanta in 2011, in Atlanta. ( Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Where are the wackiest New Year’s Eve drops in the US?