logo
New presidential portrait revealed by White House depicts somber Trump

New presidential portrait revealed by White House depicts somber Trump

Washington Post2 days ago

In the latest presidential portrait revealed Monday by the White House, President Donald Trump is wearing a red tie and blue suit against a black backdrop. He stares at the camera with a serious gaze, in a similar vein to his notable mug shot from two years ago.
The White House website and Trump's official Facebook account updated the pages with the new portrait, hung in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the West Wing. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what prompted the change.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Army leaders defend parade and border spending as Congress presses for answers
Army leaders defend parade and border spending as Congress presses for answers

Washington Post

time8 minutes ago

  • Washington Post

Army leaders defend parade and border spending as Congress presses for answers

WASHINGTON — Army leaders on Wednesday defended spending as much as $45 million to add a parade to the service's 250th birthday celebration on June 14 in Washington, saying it will help boost recruitment, as Congress members argued that the money could be better spent on troops' barracks or other priorities. Members of the House Armed Services Committee also said they are concerned that the Defense Department is shifting about $1 billion from a variety of accounts — including base housing — to cover the costs of shoring up the defense of the southern border. Spending for the parade has become a flashpoint since it comes at a time when the Trump administration is slashing funding for personnel and programs across the federal government, including the Defense Department. While the Army has long planned for a festival on the National Mall to celebrate its 250th birthday, the parade was just recently added. President Donald Trump has long wanted a military parade in the city, after seeing an elaborate one in France on Bastille Day during his first presidential term, and June 14 is also his birthday. U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., questioned whether the additional cost of the parade was appropriate since all the military services are facing 8% budget cuts, and said perhaps it could be used to improve troops' quality of life or warfighting capabilities. He prodded Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll on what he would prioritize if Congress wrote him a blank check for $45 million. Driscoll replied that he thinks the parade offers a chance to tell the public about the Army. 'I believe very specifically that telling that story will directly lead to a recruiting boom and will fill up our pipeline for the coming years,' he said. At the same time, he and Gen. Randy George, chief of staff of the Army, told lawmakers that the service has now met its recruiting goal for the year — with 61,000 recruits. Army officials have predicted for months that they would hit the target early after making a series of changes to recruiting programs, recruiters and policies over the past several years. That prompted Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Mo., to ask why the parade was needed for recruiting if it's already surging. Driscoll said the Army believes the parade 'will empower an entire new generation of America's youth to catch the spirit to serve their nation.' Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisc., defended the parade spending, saying 'you cannot put a price tag on patriotism.' House members on both sides of the aisle pressed the Army about a recent request to shift money from across the budget to support the southern border. The biggest concern, they said, is that it takes money away from base housing, which has been plagued with persistent problems, including mold, rodents and raw sewage in barracks. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., agreed the nation needs a strong border, but said lawmakers worked for the past year on a broad effort to address the housing problems. 'I feel like a decision was made that undermined this whole effort that we spent the last year doing.,' he said. Pressed on the issue by Carbajal, George acknowledged that redirecting the money has an impact on the barracks. 'If we took $1 billion out of barracks, we would be able to fix less barracks,' he agreed, but also said, ''You have to make choices, congressman.'

Kitten trapped in Livermore storm drain rescued by Public Works crew
Kitten trapped in Livermore storm drain rescued by Public Works crew

CBS News

time9 minutes ago

  • CBS News

Kitten trapped in Livermore storm drain rescued by Public Works crew

A curious kitten in Livermore got itself stuck after wandering into a storm drain, police said on Tuesday. The city's stormwater team and the police's Animal Services officer were sent to the area of Preston Avenue to rescue the kitten. Police said they removed the storm drain cover and lowered a humane trap into the storm drain. They then used a net to gently get the kitten into the trap. Yesterday near Preston Avenue, a tiny kitten found himself trapped in a storm drain but thanks to the teamwork and quick action of our City of Livermore crews, this story has a happy ending! The city's #PublicWorks stormwater team partnered with Livermore Police Department… — Livermore PD (@LivermorePolice) June 4, 2025 Livermore Police said they aren't sure how long the kitten was down there, but that it was safely rescued and was being cared for by the East County Animal Shelter. "Interested in giving him or another kitten a forever home? Call the shelter at 925-803-7040. Huge thanks to our PD and PW team for your quick response," police said.

Columbia's accreditation threatened over harassment of Jewish students
Columbia's accreditation threatened over harassment of Jewish students

UPI

time10 minutes ago

  • UPI

Columbia's accreditation threatened over harassment of Jewish students

June 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Education is threatening Columbia University's accreditation because the agency said the New York private school violated Title IX by not cracking down on harassment of Jewish students. The federal department on Wednesday notified the nonprofit and private Middle States Commission on Higher Education that Columbia is in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws and fails to meet the standards for accreditation set by the commission. On May 22, the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights "determined that Columbia University acted with deliberate indifference toward the harassment of Jewish students, thereby violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964." The act prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin. "Specifically, OCR and HHS OCR found that Columbia failed to meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment on Columbia's campus and consequently denied these students' equal access to educational opportunities to which they are entitled under the law," the release Wednesday said. In a statement posted on its website: "Columbia is aware of the concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights today to our accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and we have addressed those concerns directly with Middle States. Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism on our campus. We take this issue seriously and are continuing to work with the federal government to address it." Under federal law, private accreditors are required to notify any member institution about a federal noncompliance finding and establish a plan to come into compliance. An accreditor must take appropriate action against a member institution if they remain noncompliant. "In light of OCR's determination, Columbia University no longer appears to meet the Commission's accreditation standards," the Education Department said. On Feb. 3, OCR initiated a directed investigation of Columbia University on the harassment. When an institution does not meet accreditation standards, it may be placed on probation or issued a warning, according to the Middle States Commission. Rawan Abbasi, assistant director for communications for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, told NBCNews the accreditor is "aware of the press release issued today by the United States Department of Education (USDE) regarding Columbia University and can confirm that we received a letter regarding this matter this afternoon. In March, the Trump administration paused $400 million in federal funding, including for medical and scientific research, at Columbia. In May, the school said it had agreed to the administration's demands regarding the harassment of Jewish students. The school said it was forced cut 180 staffers whose jobs were funded by the federal grants. Despite the Trump administration's actions, students protested the war like last year's encampments. On May 7, two Columbia University Public Safety officers were injured after 100 pro-Palestinian protesters forced their way into the campus' library in "actions that are outrageous," the university president said. About 22.8% of Columbia's 6,578 undergraduate students, or 1,500, are Jewish, according to Hillel International. Jewish graduate school enrollment is 15.9% of the 22,000 total. "After Hamas' October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, Columbia University's leadership acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus," Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in the news release. "This is not only immoral, but also unlawful. Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid. "They determine which institutions are eligible for federal student loans and Pell Grants. Just as the Department of Education has an obligation to uphold federal antidiscrimination law, university accreditors have an obligation to ensure member institutions abide by their standards. The war in the Middle East began when Hamas invaded Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking hundreds more hostage. Israel retaliated on the Gaza Strip, and more than 54,000 Palestinians have died, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. McMahan said she looked forward to the "Commission keeping the Department fully informed of actions taken to ensure Columbia's compliance with accreditation standards, including compliance with federal civil rights laws." President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April, called Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education, that the department "has an obligation to promptly provide accreditors with any noncompliance findings related to member institutions." Other universities have told to comply school policy changes or risk losing federal funding after they were accused of tolerating antisemitism on campus or other violations. On May 29, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from its attempt to deny Harvard University's ability to admit international students. The Trump administration has paused $2.2 billion in funding and canceled remaining contracts for the school in Cambridge, Mass., after the private school rejected demands, including changes to its hiring practices and policies regarding "viewpoint diversity" on campus.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store