Taylor Swift has become the youngest woman ever inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at age 36. Steven Spielberg introduced Swift on Thursday night with a speech about the power of songwriting. Tamar Braxton opened the induction ceremony with a tribute to the game-changing R&B songwriter, producer and rapper Christopher “Tricky” Stewart. The gala was held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Inductees included Swift, Stewart, Kiss’ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Alanis Morissette and Kenny Loggins. Also celebrated were nonperformers including songwriting duo Terry Britten and Graham Lyle behind Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It” and songwriter Walter Afanasieff, who wrote Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

A massive UFC event is set to take over the White House's South Lawn. The temporary arena resembles a cross between a UFO and a claw game in a video arcade and features an eight-sided cage and a towering structure of lights, speakers and wiring called The Claw. The event celebrates President Donald Trump's 80th birthday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The National Park Service is contesting a lawsuit to block the event, which costs more than $60 million. The fights are scheduled for Sunday night, with additional activities planned throughout the weekend. UFC chief Dana White insists the show will go on, rain or shine.

Nick Reiner, son of Rob Reiner, is seeking funds from a trust his parents established. He says he needs the money for his defense against charges that he killed them. His attorneys filed a petition Monday in Los Angeles County court, saying trustees have unjustly denied him access to the funds. Nick Reiner has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder. He retained a high-profile lawyer, but funding issues led to the lawyer's withdrawal. The trust, established in 1993, was supposed to provide Reiner with funds at ages 30 and 35, but he says he never received them.

A report by Florida police has found that professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan died of natural causes last year. The findings formally close the investigation into his death. The Clearwater Police Department released a 72-page report on Friday summarizing an exhaustive review of statements, medical records, surveillance footage and a visual inspection of the body. Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died last July at age 71. Family members told investigators that Hogan had been suffering from multiple heath issues in the weeks before his death, including leukemia, an irregular hearth rhythm, pneumonia and kidney failure. He had also undergone many hospitalizations and surgeries in the years before his death.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Gordon S. Wood has died. He was 92. Police say Wood died Sunday after being struck by a car in a supermarket parking lot in East Providence, Rhode Island. Wood wrote many books and was a longtime professor at Brown University. His book “The Radicalism of the American Revolution” won the Pulitzer in 1993 and contended that the war eventually created a society fundamentally different from that of Colonial times. Wood never gained the mass popularity of David McCullough or Doris Kearns Goodwin, but his writings were widely reviewed, debated and consulted and his opinions frequently sought.

Bill Maher is set to receive the Mark Twain Award for American Humor at the Kennedy Center on June 28. John Mellencamp, Woody Harrelson, and Whitney Cummings will be among the guest speakers. The Kennedy Center announced the event details Monday, offering packages from $99 to $1,500. The center has reverted to its original name after a federal judge ruled against adding Trump's name. Maher, the 27th recipient, joins past honorees like Richard Pryor and Tina Fey. Other guests include Louis C.K. and Stephen A. Smith, known for their controversial reputations.