63 h. ago Trump will not stop until every American relic reflects his imaginary world view | Kellie Carter Jackson

The US president’s attack on the Smithsonian isn’t about truth. It’s about erasure, and ‘erasure is violence’Last week, Donald Trump issued another executive order, this one aimed directly at the Smithsonian Institution, and called for “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History”. He contended that the Smithsonian had “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” and that it advocates “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive”. Specifically, the order targeted American history and art that focused on stories of race and racism.Being responsible for the distillation of the nation’s narrative is no small thing. The Smithsonian oversees 21 museums, libraries, research centers and the National zoo. Every year millions of people visit various sites that are free to the public. The collection of museums represents the pinnacle of public history and the story America tells the world about itself. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago ‘It reminds you of a fascist state’: Smithsonian Institution braces for Trump rewrite of US history

Normally staid historians sound alarm at authoritarian grasping for control of the premier US museum complexIn a brightly lit gallery, they see the 66m-year-old skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex. In a darkened room, they study the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem. In a vast aviation hanger, they behold a space shuttle. And in a discreet corner, they file solemnly past the casket of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy lynched for allegedly whistling at a white woman in the US south.Visitors have come in their millions to the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s biggest museum, education and research complex, in Washington for the past 178 years. On Thursday, Donald Trump arrived with his cultural wrecking ball. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago What is the Smithsonian Institution and why is it important?

A Trump executive order aims to uproot ‘anti-American ideology’ from the US museum and research complexOn Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting the Smithsonian Institution, a behemoth of a research and museum organization that operates more than 20 museum and research centers and is visited by millions of people each year, mainly in Washington DC and New York City. The museums include the National Museum of African Art, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), which Trump name-checked in his executive order. Trump’s executive order instructs Vice-President JD Vance to “eliminate improper, divisive or anti-American ideology” from the Smithsonian’s museums.The Smithsonian has already come under scrutiny by Trump and his allies. Earlier this year, the institution was forced to close its diversity office and froze all federal hiring. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago What links Hound Tor, Wharram Percy and Gainsthorpe? The Saturday quiz

From Brazilian wandering and giant huntsman to Margaret, Maid of Norway and Richard II, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz1 Which continent has the highest ratio of coastline to total area?2 Han Kang is the first Nobel literature laureate to write in what language?3 Which marine mammals hold hands while sleeping?4 Who would receive a visit from Agent Million?5 “And Robin shall restore amends” is the last line of which play?6 What is the world’s bestselling cognac brand?7 Which art critic was the son of occultist composer Peter Warlock?8 The second largest example of what was found in Botswana in 2024?What links: 9 100s (colourings); 200s (preservatives); 300s (antioxidants); 400s (emulsifiers)?10 Margaret, Maid of Norway; Joanna I; Richard II; George III; Louis XVI?11 Brazilian wandering; giant huntsman; Goliath birdeater; Hercules baboon?12 20 March; 21 June; 22 September; 21 December?13 Lope de Aguirre; Dieter Dengler; Katia and Maurice Krafft; Fini Straubinger; Timothy Tr...

Politics

1 week ago How one couple and their 'loving care' transformed a barren, rocky island into a botanical garden, visited by millions, in just 55 years

Lee Chang-ho discovered Oedo by chance in 1969 while sailing in Hallyeohaesang National Park', South Korea, as a storm hit. He and his wife then moved there, turning it into Oedo-Botania.

Politics

2 w. ago The popular tourist destination where you're most likely to get scammed revealed

A popular European destination has been named by Go.compare as the top hotspot for tourist scams, with more than one million visitors reported to have fallen victim to fraudulent activity. 

Politics

3 w. ago Selfies, tickets and perfect angles: tourism and smartphones in Barcelona – in pictures

The photographer Stefan Nieland has been working on a project about the role of smartphones in tourism in the city that gets about 32 million visitors per year: “When moving here in October I wanted to observe and photograph tourism. I immediately felt there was one element that would be in every picture – the smartphone. I decided to shift my focus on people who are constantly with their mobile phones to capture everything during their holidays” Continue reading...

Politics