Trumps to skip Kennedy Center Honors for 2nd straight year

NEW YORK — For the second straight year, President Donald Trump will not be attending the Kennedy Center Honors celebrating cultural achievement.

Neither Trump nor first lady Melania Trump will be at the Dec. 2 event, according to Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's director of communications. On Tuesday, Grisham also told The Associated Press that it was "not likely" any new winners of the National Medal of Arts or National Humanities Medal would be announced before the end of the year. No arts or humanities medals have been handed out since September 2016, when Barack Obama was president.

Grisham did not immediately provide a reason for the Trumps skipping the Kennedy Center ceremonies. This year's honorees include Cher and "Hamilton" playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, both of whom have sharply criticized Trump.