The jazz supergroup The Cookers withdrew from their scheduled New Year’s Eve performances at the Kennedy Center, effectively leading to the event’s cancellation. While they didn’t issue a formal protest statement, the band’s drummer told The New York Times that the center’s controversial name change “evidently” factored into their decision . Why it was canceled: The cancellations come amid widespread backlash over the Kennedy Center’s recent renaming to include President Donald Trump’s name , now branded as the “Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” This name change followed a shake-up of the center’s board dominated by Trump appointees and has sparked protests and disappointment across the arts community. Several other performers — including jazz musician Chuck Redd and New York dance company Doug Varone and Dancers — have also pulled out of scheduled shows in recent weeks in response to the renaming and related political c...