It’s a tale of revolutionary fervor, featuring street protesters manning the barricades against a repressive leader. And watching from the audience was US President Donald Trump.Trump’s appearance at the opening night of the hit musical “Les Miserables” at the renowned Kennedy Center in Washington on Wednesday night could hardly be more politically charged.The 78-year-old Republican recently orchestrated a conservative takeover of the famed arts venue, reportedly prompting some “Les Mis” cast members to boycott the show.The performance of the show, set against the backdrop of revolutionary 19th century France, comes as the United States itself faces fresh turbulence in its second-biggest city. “I couldn’t care less. Honestly, I couldn’t. All I do is run the country well,” Trump told reporters when asked about a boycott as he arrived with First Lady Melania Trump.”And we’re going to have a safe country, we’re not going to have what would have happened in Los Angeles. Remember, if I wasn’t there… Los Angeles would have been burning to the ground.”Trump, who was joined by Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance at the premiere, has recently sent in troops to deal with protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles.California officials accuse him of “dictatorial” behavior and of manufacturing a confrontation by deploying thousands of National Guard troops and US Marines.”I think the irony is probably lost on him,” Peter Loge, director of George Washington University’s School of Media, told AFP.The social injustice portrayed in Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel — coupled with songs such as “Do You Hear the People Sing?” and “I Dreamed a Dream” — has long resonated with audiences around the world. – ‘I love the songs’ -Billionaire Trump, who had announced his decision to attend “Les Miserables” before the Los Angeles protests erupted, says he too has long been a fan. The real estate tycoon has played songs from the show at his rallies and political events. “I love the songs, I love the play,” Trump told Fox News Digital last week.Asked which of the play’s characters he most identified with, however, Trump punted to his wife. “That’s a tough one… you better answer that one, honey,” Trump replied.His attendance is yet another show of strength after installing himself as chairman of the center and replacing the entire board with loyalists in February.Loge said Trump’s presence there was part of a broader effort at image-making by the reality TV star-turned-president. “Les Mis is a great spectacle. And it sounds smart. It’s not just a show, it sounds like it stands for something,” he said.Trump’s takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center faced opposition in some quarters. A historically bipartisan-supported institution, it has never been led by a US president before.Hit show “Hamilton” canceled its run there in response. Trump countered by saying he had “never liked” the rap musical, which is about the birth of the United States and its first treasury secretary.Several key figures at the Kennedy Center — including TV producer Shonda Rhimes who created “Grey’s Anatomy” and musician Ben Folds — resigned from their leadership positions. And the Vances — Usha Vance is one of the new board members — were booed by the Kennedy Center audience at a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra in March.Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center comes amid a broader assault on what he deems “woke” programming at cultural institutions, including the famed Smithsonian museums, as well as universities.

President Donald Trump said US personnel were being moved from the potentially “dangerous” Middle East on Wednesday as nuclear talks with Iran faltered and fears grew of a regional conflict.Trump also reiterated that he would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, amid mounting speculation that Israel could strike Tehran’s facilities. Iran threatened Wednesday to target US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out.A US official had earlier said that staff levels at the embassy in Iraq were being reduced over security concerns, while there were reports that personnel were also being moved from Kuwait and Bahrain.”Well they are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place,” Trump told reporters in Washington when asked about the reports of personnel being moved. “We’ve given notice to move out and we’ll see what happens.”Trump then added: “They can’t have a nuclear weapon, very simple. We’re not going to allow that.” Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new nuclear deal to replace the 2015 accord that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.The two sides were due to meet again in coming days.Trump had until recently expressed optimism about the talks, but said in an interview published Wednesday that he was “less confident” about reaching a nuclear deal.Since returning to office in January, Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran, backing nuclear diplomacy but warning of military action if it fails.The US president says he has pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off striking Iran’s nuclear facilities to give the talks a chance, but has increasingly signaled that he is losing patience.Iran however warned it would respond to any attack.”All its bases are within our reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation we will target all of them in the host countries,” Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said in response to US threats of military action if the talks fail.- ‘Suffer more losses’ -“God willing, things won’t reach that point, and the talks will succeed,” the minister said, adding that the US side “will suffer more losses” if it came to conflict.The United States has multiple bases in the Middle East, with the largest located in Qatar.In January 2020, Iran fired missiles at bases in Iraq housing American troops in retaliation for the US strike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani days before at the Baghdad airport.Dozens of US soldiers suffered traumatic brain injuries.Amid the escalating tensions, the UK Maritime Trade Operations, run by the British navy, also advised ships to transit the Gulf with caution.Iran and the United States have recently been locked in a diplomatic standoff over Iran’s uranium enrichment, with Tehran defending it as a “non-negotiable” right and Washington calling it a “red line.”Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close though still short of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.Western countries have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.Last week, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said enrichment is “key” to Iran’s nuclear program and that Washington “cannot have a say” on the issue.During an interview with the New York Post’s podcast “Pod Force One,” which was recorded on Monday, Trump said he was losing hope a deal could be reached.”I don’t know. I did think so, and I’m getting more and more — less confident about it. They seem to be delaying and I think that’s a shame. I am less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago,” he said.Iran has said it will present a counter-proposal to the latest draft from Washington, which it had criticised for failing to offer relief from sanctions — a key demand for Tehran, which has been reeling under their weight for years.burs-dk/jgc

Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys co-founder who masterminded the group’s wild popularity and soundtracked the California dream, has died, his family announced Wednesday. He was 82.The statement on Instagram did not give a cause. Wilson was placed under a legal conservatorship last year due to a “major neurocognitive disorder.””We are at a loss for words right now,” said his family. “We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.”The pop visionary crafted hits whose success rivaled The Beatles throughout the 1960s, a seemingly inexhaustible string of feel-good tracks including “Surfin’ USA,” “I Get Around,” “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “Surfer Girl” that made the Beach Boys into America’s biggest selling band.Wilson didn’t surf, but his prodigious pen and genius ear allowed him to fashion a boundary-pushing soundscape of beachside paradise.His lush productions were revered among his peers, with even Bob Dylan once telling Newsweek: “That ear — I mean, Jesus, he’s got to will that to the Smithsonian!”Dylan also paid tribute to Wilson on Wednesday, posting on X “about all the years I’ve been listening to him and admiring his genius. Rest in peace dear Brian.”After five years of extraordinary songwriting, in which he produced 200 odes to sun, surfing and suntanned girls, Wilson sank into a deep, drug-fueled depression for decades.He would emerge 35 years later to complete the Beach Boys’ unfinished album, “Smile” — widely regarded as his masterpiece.- ‘Surfin’ USA’ -John Lennon said he considered “Pet Sounds” (1966) to be one of the best albums of all time, while Paul McCartney said Wilson was a “genius” — who reduced him to tears with one song from the album, “God Only Knows,” which Wilson wrote in 45 minutes.Its melancholic depths hinted at Wilson’s own painful secret.Born on June 20, 1942 in a Los Angeles suburb, Wilson found music as a haven of safety and joy after an upbringing in which he suffered abuse from his domineering father, who would go on to manage the group.Music was his protection, and The Beach Boys was a family affair: he formed the band with his two brothers Dennis and Carl, his cousin Mike Love and neighbor Al Jardine.Wilson did all the songwriting, arranging and sang and played bass guitar; his bandmates just had to sing in harmony.Their first song “Surfin,” in 1961, was a loose prototype for the unique sound that would become their signature, a fusion of the rock styles of Chuck Berry and Little Richard with the preppy vocal harmonies of “The Four Freshmen.”By late 1962, there was hardly a teen who did not know them thanks to the eternal ode to youthful nonchalance, “Surfin’ USA.”- Lost youth -But Wilson was ill at ease on stage and did not like recording studios. In 1964 he had a panic attack on a plane to France, after which he stopped touring.He was deaf in his right ear and his mouth sagged when he sang — the result of the many beatings he received from his father.”It was tough. My dad was quite the slave driver,” Wilson told Rolling Stone magazine in 2018.”He made us mow the lawn and when we were done, he’d say, ‘Mow it again.'”The Beach Boys’ early songs spoke of simple joys and innocence.But Wilson’s writing became darker as he began to eulogize lost youth. He channeled the group towards the more psychedelic rock central to the hippie culture taking hold in California.In 1966 he brought out “Good Vibrations,” a song recorded in four different studios that consumed over 90 hours of tape and included multiple keys, textures, moods and instrumentations.The single topped the charts and sold one million copies in the United States, but Wilson was at the brink.In 1967, his mental health deteriorated, worn down by his enormous workload and his wild consumption of drugs.He abandoned “Smile,” planted his grand piano in a sandbox, and took vast quantities of LSD and acid.Eventually diagnosed as schizophrenic, Wilson began hearing voices and thought the famed “Wall of Sound” producer Phil Spector was spying on him and stealing his work.The group eventually parted ways.- ‘Gentlest revolutionary’ -The troubled artist had long stints of rehab and relapses as well as legal issues including a lengthy, eyebrow-raising relationship with a controlling psychotherapist who was eventually blocked by a court order from contact with Wilson.The artist credits his marriage to former model Melinda Ledbetter as helping him to rebuild his life. He revived and finished “Smile,” releasing it in 2004. His brother Dennis drowned in 1983, while Carl died of cancer in 1998.Last year Wilson’s family successfully pursued a legal conservatorship following the death of Melinda, with his longtime manager and publicist being put in charge of his affairs.Wilson’s seven children were consulted by the conservators regarding major health decisions as a stipulation of the agreement.The musician’s many accolades included a Kennedy Center Honor in 2007, when that committee dubbed him “rock and roll’s gentlest revolutionary.””There is real humanity in his body of work,” they said, “vulnerable and sincere, authentic and unmistakably American.”