Spain returns artwork seized during Civil War
MADRID (Reuters) -Spain on Thursday returned paintings belonging to a former Madrid mayor that were seized for their protection during the 1936-39 Civil War and never returned under Francisco Franco's dictatorship.
The seven paintings had been kept in several museums throughout Spain, including the Prado Museum in Madrid, where the handover ceremony to the family of Pedro Rico, Madrid's mayor as the Civil War broke out, took place on Thursday evening.
In 2022, the Prado published a list of artworks that had been seized during the war and set up a research project to track down their legitimate owners.
The government has identified more than 6,000 items, including jewellery, ceramics and textiles, as well as some paintings, sculptures and furniture, which were safeguarded during the war by Republican forces fighting Franco's Nationalists and never returned by Francoist institutions when he came to power.
"It's a very important moment of justice and reparation that the Spanish government is doing for their families," said Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun.
The paintings returned to Rico's family nine decades later were mainly scenes of everyday life by 19th-century artists such as Eugenio Lucas and his son Lucas Villaamil.
Francisca Rico said she was very moved by the restitution of the paintings belonging to her grandfather, who was mayor between 1931-1934 and then in 1936 and who died in exile in France.
"(They're ) finally doing what should have been done long ago," she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
7 minutes ago
- CNN
Authorities probe efforts to impersonate Trump's chief of staff
A law enforcement investigation is underway into efforts to impersonate President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the investigation into efforts to impersonate Wiles, writing that 'senators, governors, top U.S. business executives and other well-known figures have received text messages and phone calls from a person who claimed to be the chief of staff.' Wiles is one of Trump's closest advisers and is often in touch with lawmakers who need to reach the president. She has a long list of influential Republican contacts. The investigation comes after the FBI warned earlier this month that hackers have been using AI-generated voice messages to impersonate senior US government officials to break into online accounts. The FBI cautioned at the time that such impersonations and subsequent access to government or personal accounts could lead to other government officials or their associates and contacts being targeted. 'The White House takes the cybersecurity of all staff very seriously, and this matter continues to be investigated,' a White House official told CNN. Wiles declined to comment through a spokesperson. Wiles, the first woman to hold the title of chief of staff, is a seasoned political operative from Florida who has been one of Trump's longest-serving advisers, including serving as his 2024 campaign manager. Prior to accepting the important office in the West Wing, Wiles expressed some reservations about the role and had certain demands, CNN reported at the time of her selection. At the top of her list of conditions was more control over who can reach the president in the Oval Office. As campaign manager, Wiles was widely credited with running what was seen as Trump's most sophisticated and disciplined campaign, which included keeping many of the fringe voices in his orbit at bay. Previously, Wiles helped Trump win the Sunshine State in 2016 and 2020. She also served as Trump's de facto chief of staff during his time out of the White House following his 2020 loss. Wiles also once served as a top adviser to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, but she was ousted from his inner circle in 2019 amid rising tensions between the two.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tariff Ruling Threatens a $2 Trillion Fiscal Hole in Trump Plan
(Bloomberg) — The court ruling that blocked much of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs threatens to blow what some economists estimate as a $2 trillion hole into the US fiscal outlook over the coming decade, should the judgment stay in place. NYC Congestion Toll Brings In $216 Million in First Four Months Now With Colorful Blocks, Tirana's Pyramid Represents a Changing Albania The Economic Benefits of Paying Workers to Move NY Wins Order Against US Funding Freeze in Congestion Fight Why Arid Cities Should Stick Together The ruling could also present a new obstacle for Republicans who are relying on the revenue to help offset the cost of a roughly $4 trillion tax cut moving through Congress. 'At face value, this ruling will take away billions of dollars of prospective tariff revenue' annually, said Douglas Elmendorf a Harvard Kennedy School professor and former director of the Congressional Budget Office — a nonpartisan arm of the US legislature. A federal appeals court Thursday paused the Court of International Trade's Wednesday ruling striking down a swath of Trump's levies, and the White House is pushing to overturn the judgment entirely, aiming to appeal to the Supreme Court as soon as Friday. If the CIT ruling survives appeal, it would remove duties that would have raised nearly $200 billion on an annual basis, according to estimates by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Citigroup Inc. Trump and his aides had been relying on that increased revenue to get Republican lawmakers united behind the president's 'big beautiful bill' tax-cut package. The $2 trillion in added revenue over a decade would have gone some way towards offsetting the cost of the tax cuts, as measured by the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, as the legislation's spending reductions aren't expected to cover even half the tab. Failing judicial success, Trump's trade team would have to stitch together duties using executive authority other than the one struck down. But the process would take months, and decisions could still end up facing legal challenges, economists say. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox News Thursday that 'anything that the courts do to get in the way both harms the American people in terms of trade and in terms of tariff revenue.' Even a short-term hit to revenue would pose problems: the government is currently barred from raising net new debt, and the Treasury has been using special accounting maneuvers to make good on payments. Monthly customs revenue just hit a record of over $16 billion, helping the department's cash flows. Barclays Plc warned that the court ruling will bring forward the date by when the Treasury will have exhausted its cash and extraordinary measures. That in turn builds pressure on Republicans to get the tax bill done, as it includes an increase in the debt limit. 'The fiscal outlook just got a lot worse as a result of this court ruling,' said Ernie Tedeschi, who is director of economics at Yale University's Budget Lab and a former Biden administration official. 'Very high tariffs just got less likely.' The Budget Lab also estimated revenues would be about $2 trillion lower over 10 years — roughly $700 billion compared with $2.7 trillion — if the court ruling stands, and current tariff levels remain in place. Wednesday's court ruling involved Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to threaten the highest tariff rates in more than a century. The April 2 'Liberation Day' tariffs involved a universal baseline levy of 10% plus much bigger rates for various trading partners — though Trump had put those on pause prior to the ruling. Bloomberg Economics estimated that the average US tariff rate got as high as nearly 27% at one point. The court ruling takes it below 6%. Other channels Trump has to impose tariffs include Section 232 authority to impose sectoral levies. The administration has already invoked it to set the stage for import taxes on items including smartphones and jet engines. Pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, lumber and other products are also being eyed for tariffs. Existing duties are in place on steel and autos, among others. 'There are other avenues to do the tariffs,' said Stephanie Roth, chief economist at Wolfe Research, who sees a $180 billion annual revenue hit from the court ruling. Economists at Citi, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley expect the administration will ultimately raise the tariff revenue it needs. White House Council of Economic Advisers Chair Stephen Miran on May 27 told Bloomberg Television the tariffs would take in hundreds of billions of dollars a year, helping alleviate concerns about the fiscal deficit. Those estimates have bolstered the Trump administration against charges that its tax bill blows a hole in the budget. 'The blatantly wrong claim that the one, big beautiful bill increases the deficit is based on the Congressional Budget Office and other scorekeepers who use shoddy assumptions,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday. They have 'historically been terrible at forecasting,' she said. After the House passed a version of the tax bill earlier this month, it's now in the Senate's hands. It's possible that Senate Republicans could propose adding tariffs in the multi-trillion dollar spending bill to help offset costs, though it's unclear it would garner enough support to pass. 'They might include trying to get some tariffs,' said Alex Durante, senior economist at the Tax Foundation. 'But I really don't see the appetite for something as broad as what the president has done.' Trump in a Truth Social post Thursday evening blasted the option, saying, 'In other words, hundreds of politicians would sit around DC for weeks, and even months, trying to come to a conclusion as to what to charge other countries that are treating us unfairly.' YouTube Is Swallowing TV Whole, and It's Coming for the Sitcom Mark Zuckerberg Loves MAGA Now. Will MAGA Ever Love Him Back? Millions of Americans Are Obsessed With This Japanese Barbecue Sauce Inside the First Stargate AI Data Center How Coach Handbags Became a Gen Z Status Symbol ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Someone is impersonating Trump's Chief of Staff and even reaching out to governors in elaborate plot
The FBI and the Trump administration have launched a joint investigation into how an impersonator hacked White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles' phone. An unknown person pretending to be Wiles has called or texted Republican senators and governors, and 'prominent' business executives over the last few weeks, sources told The Wall Street Journal. It's not clear what the impersonator's goal is. The caller reportedly sounds like Wiles, and officials believe the impersonator may have used artificial intelligence to imitate Wiles's voice, sources told the Journal. Sources told the newspaper that investigators do not believe that foreign actors are to blame for the hacking. One lawmaker told the Journal that a text supposedly from Wiles asked them to compile a list of people for Trump to pardon. Some of the texts appeared straightforward and legitimate, while others were odd, the targets said. Some of the language reportedly didn't sound like Wiles, and the impersonator sometimes asked questions Wiles should have known. In one particularly suspicious request, the impersonator asked a target to transfer cash, according to the Journal. The calls and texts did not come from Wiles' phone. Wiles – one of President Donald Trump's closest advisers, who ran his campaign – reportedly recently told associates that her personal phone had been hacked, which may have been how her impersonator discovered her contacts and their contact information. A source told The Journal, ' Some White House advisers have privately joked about how busy the impersonator seems to be.' Her email was also reportedly hacked last August, reportedly by Iranian agents. 'The White House takes the cybersecurity of all staff very seriously, and this matter continues to be investigated,' a White House spokeswoman told the newspaper. Wiles' appointment to such a prominent position drew criticism thanks to her previous career as a lobbyist. Fellow lobbyist Craig Holman told the Associated Press back in November that her appointment 'bodes very poorly for what we are about to see from the next Trump administration.' 'This time around, Trump didn't even mention 'draining the swamp.' ... He's not even pretending.' Wiles' selection as chief of staff was Trump's first announced hire after his win. Wiles co-led the former president's campaign and was widely credited with having run an operation that was far more disciplined than his two previous efforts. Even so, she will have her work cut out for her. Though the job has traditionally entailed policing who has access to the president, Trump chafed at such efforts during his first presidency as he churned through four chiefs of staff. During his recent victory speech, Trump called Wiles and 'Ice Maiden' while praising her as a consummate behind-the-scenes player. She is the first woman to hold the position. The Associated Press contributed to his report.
