MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet his new British counterpart, Andy Burnham, for the first time Wednesday at the home of the soccer club they both support — before watching Everton play together.
Carney and Burnham will hold bilateral talks at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool before watching the club face Wolverhampton in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
The setting adds a personal element to their first face-to-face meeting. Burnham is a lifelong Everton supporter and season-ticket holder, while Carney has said cousins in Liverpool led him to support the club. Carney attended Everton matches while living in Britain during his seven years as governor of the Bank of England.
When the two leaders spoke shortly after Burnham became prime minister in July, Burnham promised to “roll out the blue carpet” for his fellow Everton supporter.
Downing Street said Burnham canceled all public engagements Monday and Tuesday following the death of his father, who was 86 and had Alzheimer’s disease.
A senior Canadian government official said Carney and Burnham are expected to discuss a Canadian-backed proposal to combine competing plans for an international defense bank that could help NATO allies finance increased military spending and defense production.
Canada has championed the proposed Defense, Security and Resilience Bank, while Britain has pursued a separate multilateral defense financing initiative. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the meeting publicly, said Ottawa believes the proposals could be brought together.
The leaders are also expected to discuss a potentially expanded Canadian role in the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force, as well as cooperation on drones, artificial intelligence, satellite communications, critical minerals and quantum technology.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney departs Strasbourg, France, en route to Liverpool, England, where he will meet with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, France, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, heading for Liverpool where he will meet with Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fencing went up Wednesday around the main Kennedy Center building, a day after the Trump-aligned board voted to close most of the performing arts center for repairs.
That vote came after a federal judge blocked the institution from returning President Donald Trump’s name to the building.
The Republican president had said in a social media post that the closure was needed for safety repairs. But he said the repairs, which Congress has allocated $257 million to cover, would only happen if the board was permitted to move forward with plans to add his name to the building.
Activists who have opposed the closure said there has been no vehicle or pedestrian access to the building. An Associated Press reporter who approached the main building was told by a security guard that it was closed.
Laura Bligh, who has attended protests with the advocacy group “Hands Off the Arts,” said she feared some or all of the building may be torn down before a legal case is concluded.
"The worst case scenario is a wrecking ball,” she said, adding that the Trump administration can’t be trusted because “look what they did to the East Wing.”
The administration demolished the East Wing of the White House and is replacing it with a massive ballroom. Trump also plans to build a triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery and is eyeing a golf course renovation along the Potomac River.
The Kennedy Center board voted in August to inscribe his name on the Kennedy Center’s facade so it would read “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.” If the Trump Kennedy Center Fund reached $100 million, another inscription would be added reading “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.”
The plaza in front of the Kennedy Center would also be renamed in Trump’s honor.
All of those proposals were shot down Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who ruled that nothing could happen “without Congress's blessing.”
Spokespeople for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Fencing is placed outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Ellgren)
Barriers are placed outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Ellgren)
Fencing is placed outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Ellgren)
Fencing is placed outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Ellgren)
Barriers are placed outside the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Ellgren)
