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Tag Archives: unveiling
Inside new Parliament building: Unveiling its features, from grand halls to high-tech modern spaces – DNAIndiaNews
- Inside new Parliament building: Unveiling its features, from grand halls to high-tech modern spaces DNAIndiaNews
- President, Not PM, Should Inaugurate New Parliament: Rahul & Other Headlines | News Wrap @ 4 PM Hindustan Times
- Rahul joins Opposition chorus against PM inaugurating new Parliament building Deccan Herald
- New Parliament Building India Update | Needless Politics Over New Parliament?| English News | News18 CNN-News18
- Parliament building inauguration on Savarkar birth anniversary: Cong says ‘complete insult’ to country’s founding fathers The Indian Express
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Zendaya issues Dune: Part Two promise after unveiling ‘jaw-dropping’ trailer – The Independent
- Zendaya issues Dune: Part Two promise after unveiling ‘jaw-dropping’ trailer The Independent
- ‘Dune: Part Two’—An Exclusive First Look at the Saga’s Epic Conclusion Vanity Fair
- Dune Director Denis Villeneuve promises Dune 2 will feature more Zendaya as they present the film, along with LaineyGossip
- Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet Declare Vests Are in for Spring — See Their Coordinating Looks at CinemaCon PEOPLE
- Zendaya Wore A Backless Vest At CinemaCon With Nothing Underneath Bustle
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Boehner’s tears, Obama’s tribute at unveiling of portrait for Pelosi
“I’m honored to be the first, but it will only be a good accomplishment if I’m not the last,” Pelosi said.
Figures including former House speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) joined Pelosi in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall to celebrate her portrait and speakership. While Pelosi will remain in Congress, she will not serve as speaker, or in House Democratic leadership, in the next session.
An emotional Boehner recalled the many times he and Pelosi worked together in Congress, despite being on opposite sides of the aisle.
“Madam Speaker, you and I have disagreed publicly on many things over the years, but we were never disagreeable to each other,” Boehner said.
The former speaker noted that his daughters asked him to tell Pelosi “how much we admire her.”
“The younger generation today has a saying: ‘Game recognizes game,’” Boehner said. “And the fact of the matter is: No other speaker of the House in a modern era, Republican or Democrat, has wielded the gavel with such authority or with such consistent results.”
Pelosi, Boehner added, is “one tough cookie.”
In her remarks, Pelosi thanked Boehner, who was teary at times, and noted that she would have been “a little disappointed if he did not get emotional.”
Pelosi’s portrait was created by artist Ronald Sherr, who died last week. Sherr also painted Boehner’s official Capitol portrait, and Pelosi noted how the artist was able to capture “the intricate details of the House chamber.”
Her decision to step back from House leadership came after her husband, Paul Pelosi, was violently attacked in their San Francisco home by an intruder who was searching for her. Paul Pelosi was left with a skull fracture and serious injuries to his arm and hands.
The crowd gave a standing ovation to Paul, who wore a hat as he appeared in Statuary Hall to celebrate his wife’s achievements Wednesday. The speaker thanked him in her remarks, calling him her “loving partner for life, my constant, constant pillar of support.”
Two of Pelosi’s closest Capitol confidantes, fellow California Democratic Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Lucille Roybal-Allard, defined the speaker as a role model who, in Lofgren’s words, proved to “countless” women and girls that they “can play not just a part, but a leading role in bringing the change they wish to see in the world.”
Pelosi was first elected to the House in 1987 and became the first female speaker in 2007, serving until 2011. She became speaker for the second time in 2019, succeeding Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).
In her more than three decades of service, she has earned a reputation as a force of power in the face of male colleagues who at times undermined her work and opinions. She pushed over the finish line a remarkable number of legislative victories on her party’s top priorities, and she has received bipartisan recognition for her ability to keep Democrats united.
Schumer, who was teary-eyed as he celebrated Pelosi, said the power to keep Democrats in line is one of the things he will “forever admire” about her.
History, Schumer added, will remember Pelosi as a lawmaker who “did it all.”
“We cannot talk about the Affordable Care Act without mentioning Nancy Pelosi. We cannot talk about the American Rescue Plan without mentioning Nancy Pelosi,” Schumer said. “We cannot talk about the [bipartisan deal on] infrastructure, or the Violence Against Women Act, the Lilly Ledbetter Act, repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell — and so much more — without mentioning Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi.”
Former president Barack Obama also spoke via video, reminding the crowd that his love for the speaker “is well documented.”
“Whenever I get stressed about what’s happening in Washington, I always feel better knowing that Nancy is on the case,” Obama said. “And that’s because for Nancy, nothing is impossible.”
Pelosi, he said, was the Democrat who did not give up on his signature ACA in 2009, not even after Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) died, leaving Democrats with one fewer vote in the Senate.
“She would always say: ‘If the gate is closed, we’ll push it open,’” Obama recalled.
Pelosi, he said, “will go down as one of the most accomplished legislator leaders in American history.”
“And even after insurrectionists literally broke into her office,” Obama said, “she never stopped defending democracy here at home and around the world.”
Footage from the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol showed that, while rioters strode through the building’s hallways with bear spray and body armor in search of Pelosi — yelling “Where are you, Nancy?” and “Bring her out!” — she remained calm as she made efforts to reach the National Guard and procure the safety of her fellow lawmakers.
“In the face of insurrection, there was Nancy with us in the same room, unshaken, calm, determined to secure the building and keep democracy going,” Schumer said.
Few leaders in U.S. history, Schumer added, have been “as effective, as driven, as successful as Speaker Pelosi.”
“Somewhere out there, a future Madam Speaker awaits her chance to make a difference,” Schumer said. “And when that day comes, she will be standing on my friend Nancy Pelosi’s shoulders.”
Salt-N-Pepa’s DJ Spinderella reunites with bandmates for Hollywood Walk of Fame star unveiling
Salt-N-Pepa’s DJ Spinderella awkwardly reunited with her estranged bandmates on Friday as the iconic trio were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Spinderella, 51 – real name Deidra Muriel Roper, joined Salt (Cheryl James, 56) and Pepa (Sandra Denton, 55) for the unveiling – three years after she claimed her bandmates had ‘terminated’ her position in the band via email.
Push It hitmaker Spinderella cut a glamorous figure in a busty black dress with a cape, before an emotional acceptance speech, which saw her beg her bandmates to ‘fix their relationship.’
Wow: Salt-N-Pepa’s DJ Spinderella (right) awkwardly reunited with her estranged bandmates on Friday as the iconic trio were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (pictured left Salt – Cheryl James and right – Pepa – Sandra Denton)
She said: ‘Thank you Salt and Pep for mentoring me. We been through it, ups and downs, life lessons.
‘It wasn’t just the music, it was our relationship and that means everything to me so whatever we got to do to fix that, let’s get some unity back in this! Let’s figure it out and be iconic and be what the fans want.’
The trio were also seen hugging after giving their speeches, with Salt saying: ‘Your setback is a set-up for your comeback, keep your head up and keep on pushing it ladies!
Icons: The Grammy Award-winning hip hop group sold more than a million copies of their popular song, Push It (pictured 1987)
Oh dear: Pepa was seen enthusiastically attempting to hug Spinderella as they celebrated their achievements, only to be met with a lukewarm display from the star
Not happening: Pepa’s hug was reciprocated somewhat half-heartedly
Fix it: Push It hitmaker Spinderella cut a glamorous figure in a busty black dress with a cape, before an emotional acceptance speech, which saw her beg her bandmates to ‘fix their relationship’
Ok then: The pair looked awkward as they prepared to head to the lectern
Pepa was seen enthusiastically attempting to hug Spinderella as they celebrated their achievements, only to be met with a lukewarm display from the star.
Salt wowed in a shimmering metallic silver gown and blue heels while Pepa put on a busty display in a denim blazer and boots.
Roper was with the band from the start of their success, after being introduced to James and Denton, both 54, by their producer Hurby Azor, after their original DJ, Latoya Hanson, had missed several rehearsals and group appearances in 1986 (TV host Wendy Williams had also auditioned as the DJ.)
The Grammy Award-winning hip hop group sold more than a million copies of their popular song, Push It.
Over the course of their career, Salt-N-Pepa have enjoyed major success with singles such as Whatta Man, Let’s Talk About Sex and Shoop.
Plea: The DJ ‘It wasn’t just the music, it was our relationship and that means everything to me so whatever we got to do to fix that, let’s get some unity back in this! Let’s figure it out and be iconic and be what the fans want.
In 2019, the DJ claimed that she had been fired from the band, after they were set to join New Kids on the Block on tour.
‘Despite my participation in promoting the tour and being highly publicized as one of the acts, in January 2019 I received a ‘termination’ email from #SaltnPepa excluding me from performances with the group,’ she said at the time.
In February 2021, Spinderella told Billboard: ‘The relationship is over. The only way something like that would happen is if we get this business handled and they offer an apology to me.’
In 2021, Spinderella also spoke about her awkward omission from Lifetime’s upcoming Salt-N-Pepa biopic, that she claims she was ‘excluded’ from.
Her bandmates were promoting the three-hour special, that is set to air this Saturday, explaining how they both played an integral part in telling the hip-hop group’s trailblazing story (and have executive producer credits on the film.)
However, it appeared after years of bad blood between the three rappers, Roper was not invited to give her input into the dramatization, which charts the band’s success after first forming in 1985, and releasing their iconic hip-hop single Push It in 1987.
Speech: Pepa was seen taking to the mic for her speech
There it is: The group watched as the star was unveiled
Starry eyed; The group posed up with their star
Legendary: Salt-N-Pepa – the American hip-hop girl group formed in 1985 – have sold over 15 million records worldwide (pictured above in 1994)
‘Sorry but I gotta speak on this Lifetime special..,’ Roper tweeted, a day ahead of the movie’s debut. ‘Too often, Black women who have made meaningful contributions in their industry are left out of historical narratives.’
‘Back when Salt n’ Pepa was building our legacy, which is rooted in empowering women, I could not have dreamed that this same group would one day disempower me,’ Roper continued in her statement on Twitter.
Adding: ‘Words cannot fully express my disappointment when I learned a decision was made to move forward with a Lifetime biopic that wrongfully excluded me from every aspect of development and production…’
‘…all the while using my image throughout, given that I played an integral role in the group’s story and success. There’s nothing more unacceptable than a woman being silenced by another woman. It is for this reason, I will not be supporting it,’ she went on.
‘I do, however, want to offer a huge congratulations to the talented actresses that represented us, including Monique Paul, who I wish would’ve been given an opportunity to share my true perspective with.’
Trailblazers: The group performing their iconic hit Push It
Former President Obama quips about infamous tan suit during portrait unveiling
And, Obama joked at the unveiling Wednesday, no tan suit.
“We’re not looking for a gestural moment,” McCurdy said in an interview recently with the White House Historical Association, which acquires and funds official portraits of presidents and first ladies. “We’re looking for a more meditative or transcendent moment.”
Wearing a black suit, white shirt and a light gray tie with his hands in his pockets, Obama looks out from the canvas at the viewer with an enigmatic expression. Nothing else disrupts the composition.
“What I love about Robert’s work is that he paints people exactly the way they are, for better or worse. He captures every wrinkle on your face, every crease in your shirt,” Obama said during Wednesday’s ceremony. “You’ll note that he refused to hide any of my gray hairs. Refused my request to make my ears smaller. He also talked me out of wearing a tan suit, by the way.”
“It feels like you’re face-to-face, forming a connection,” Obama went on. “That appealed to me, in part because presidents so often get air brushed. They even take on a mythical status, especially after you’ve gone, and people forget all the stuff they didn’t like about you.”
After the initial photo was taken from which McCurdy painted, the former President had no say in the final portrait, according to the artist.
“It is part of my process that the sitter doesn’t get to say anything about how the painting looks. They’re completely outside the process,” he said. “He was open to that and accepting of that process, so he never saw the images that we worked from.”
Former first lady Michelle Obama was equally hands off with her final portrait after posing for photographs with her portraitist, New York-based artist Sharon Sprung, in the White House.
“I felt this trust come from her, that you do your thing, I do my thing, I’m going to trust you with your thing, and I think portraiture works better sometimes like that. That she didn’t contribute that much other than present herself,” Sprung told the historical association.
Like her husband’s, Michelle Obama’s portrait is painted in a distinctive style that breaks a mold of the more traditional portraits hung in the White House. Wearing a powder blue off-the-shoulder gown designed by Jason Wu, she sits on a sofa from the White House Red Room, posing against a terra-cotta backdrop. Like the former President, she stares directly out of the frame at the viewer.
“Your work is phenomenal, but it was your essence, your soul, the way you saw me, the way we interacted, and it shows in this beautiful work,” Michelle Obama said during the unveiling ceremony.
The paintings are historic in another way: They capture the first Black president and first lady.
“They do look different. But I also don’t think that it needs to be explained to people. I think people seem to get it,” McCurdy said.
When the Obamas selected artists for earlier portraits hung at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, they selected Black painters — Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald — who at that point were still emerging into the field.
The painters behind the official White House portraits are both are established artists. McCurdy, whose signature is hyper-photorealistic paintings set against white backdrops, has painted Jeff Bezos, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Jane Goodall, among others.
Sprung has had a long career in figurative painting, including paintings for Congress, and has a connection to past-White House portraits: When she was younger, she developed an artistic relationship with Aaron Shikler, who painted iconic White House portraits of John F. Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy and Nancy Reagan.
“I don’t want it to look like it was done in 2013, or whatever. I want it to look like it was done in this time and place,” Sprung said in a video with the White House Historical Association.
The process of selecting the artists began when the Obamas were still in the White House, including in-person interviews in the Oval Office. Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem, sat in on Sprung’s interview with the couple.
Then-President Obama and McCurdy discussed the painting process, including releasing control of the final product to the artist and the connection between viewer and subject that he aims for in each of his paintings.
“I think that directness really appealed to him,” McCurdy said.
When Sprung visited the Oval Office during the Obamas’ time in the White House for a conversation about the portrait, she brought with her some preliminary drawings of the then-first lady to give the couple a sense of her direction.
“He picked a couple that he liked, and she picked a couple that she liked, which were very different in mood. And I found that really fascinating, but it gave me a sense of both of them,” Sprung said.
McCurdy begins his process by taking about 100 photographs of his subject against a white backdrop. After selecting just one to paint from, the rest of the images are destroyed and a 12-18 month process of painting begins.
All Obama had to do, McCurdy said, was hold his mark and not move.
“He did an excellent job of that,” McCurdy said. The former President was “charming” and “very present,” he said.
When Sprung arrived to the White House for a sitting with Michelle Obama, she decided to leave her paints behind — “I didn’t want to leave my mark” — but instead photographed her and chatted as the Obamas’ dogs were barking on the lawn.
“I had them move furniture from the Red Room to the Blue Room because the light was better,” she explained in an interview with the White House Historical Association.
Sprung is shorter than Michelle Obama; her initial plan to paint the first lady standing up — akin to official portraits of Jaqueline Kennedy and Nancy Reagan — ended up shifting when she realized she was looking up at her rather than being at her level.
“I was going to do her standing to give it a certain dignity — but she doesn’t need dignity. She has so much dignity that I decided to do it sitting,” Sprung said.
As McCurdy toiled on his portrait of President Obama, it became a challenge to keep the project under total wraps. He doesn’t work with assistants, but those who helped print the photographs or happened to walk into his studio were sworn to secrecy.
He also didn’t have any additional sittings with the former President. Instead, over the course of the 18-month painting process, the subject became less a person and more a project.
“They become after a year, a year and a half, it becomes more of an object in a way, like a technical issue. I don’t feel like I’m really getting to know them as I work with them on the canvas,” he said.
For Sprung, Michelle Obama’s portrait was the longest she’d ever worked on one painting: Eight months.
“I worked on it day and night. And I said good morning to her, and I said good night to her,” she said. The most difficult detail, Sprung said, was not in her face or hands or any part of her body, but her dress.
McCurdy’s challenge was in creating a moment “where there’s no time,” he said.
“There’s no before, no after. As if that moment would be the same across a long, like a bell ringing just continues to ring. And it’s a way of locking the viewer into the moment,” he said.
Michelle Obama’s broad-brush remarks at portrait unveiling touch on Trump
“Traditions like this matter not just for those of us who hold these positions, but for everyone participating in and watching our democracy,” she added.
Dignitaries joined alumni of the Obama administration to witness the unveiling of the former president’s image painted by Robert McCurdy and a portrait of Michelle Obama painted by Sharon Sprung.
Official White House portraits of presidents and their wives are usually unveiled by their successors in the earlier years of their presidencies. At times, the White House ceremony can be an opportunity for a president to honor a predecessor from their own party with whom they’ve had a long relationship. In other situations, the ceremony is a much celebrated moment of bipartisan unity between presidents of opposing parties who find camaraderie in having the shared experience of being the leader of the free world.
But this ritual didn’t take place during the presidency of Donald Trump. Trump, a frequent critic of his predecessor, did not schedule a ceremony to honor the Obamas during his four years in office. And since leaving the White House, he has continued his criticisms of Barack Obama. More significantly, he has spent much of his post-presidency falsely claiming that he won the 2020 election and that his democratically elected successor is wrongly occupying the Oval Office.
Michelle Obama used her moment from the podium to remind listeners of just how presidents are elected and how they ought to the leave the White House — a thinly veiled swipe at Trump and those who continue to support his false claims.
“The people, they make their voices heard with their vote,” she said. “We hold an inauguration to ensure a peaceful transition of power. Those of us lucky enough to serve work, as Barack said, as hard as we can for as long as we can, as long as the people choose to keep us here and once our time is up, we move on. And all that remains in this hallowed place are our good efforts.”
Obama, the only Black first lady in American history, spoke of the rarity of the occasion, given her relatively humble upbringing in a working-class family on the South Side of Chicago.
“For me, this day is not just about what has happened,” she said. “It’s also about what could happen because a girl like me, she was never supposed to be up there next to Jacqueline Kennedy and Dolley Madison. She was never supposed to live in this house. And she definitely wasn’t supposed to serve as first lady.”
“But what we’re looking at today — a portrait of a biracial kid with an unusual name and the daughter of a water pump operator and a stay-at-home mom — what we are seeing is a reminder that there’s a place for everyone in this country,” Obama added. “Because as Barack said, if the two of us can end up on the walls of the most famous address in the world, then again, it is so important for every young kid who is doubting themselves to believe that they can, too.”
Obama shared her hope and confidence in America’s ability to continue to be the home of possibility despite the ever-present cultural battles about the future direction of the country.
“As much as some folks might want us to believe that that story has lost some of its shine, that vision and discrimination and everything else might have dimmed its light, I still know deep in my heart that what we share, as my husband continues to say, is so much bigger than what we don’t,” she said.
“Our democracy is so much stronger than our differences. And this little girl from the South Side is blessed beyond measure to have felt the truth of that fuller story throughout her entire life.”
Barack and Michelle Obama make first joint return to the White House for unveiling of official portraits
The history-making portraits of the Obamas stand in contrast to those of other US presidents and their spouses hung on the White House walls, depicting the first Black President and first lady through the perspectives of contemporary artists working outside many of the conventions of traditional political portraiture.
President Obama’s image was painted by Robert McCurdy and Michelle Obama’s portrait was painted by Sharon Sprung.
McCurdy told the White House Historical Association in an interview that his process focused on working off of a photograph of the former President. The photorealistic image of the former President, dressed in a black suit with a gray tie, is painted against a minimal white backdrop — a signature of McCurdy’s artworks. McCurdy said his paintings take at least a year to complete.
The former first lady’s portrait was painted by Sprung, who describes her work as “contemporary realism.” The image depicts Michelle Obama in a blue dress, seated on a sofa in the Red Room of the White House. The artwork was painted from photographs taken in different locations on the White House’s State Floor.
The long-awaited return of a White House tradition
Wednesday’s ceremony in the East Room marked a rare occasion for a celebration among two presidential administrations, where President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden convened a who’s who of administration officials past and present — from the unique vantage point of having served in both.
The pieces, which will hang inside the White House for decades to come, are the first official portraits added to the White House Collection since then-President Obama held a bipartisan unveiling ceremony for George W. Bush and Laura Bush in 2012.
Biden used the unveiling ceremony to reflect on the Obamas’ accomplishments in the White House, saying that the former first couple “made history.”
“You both generated hope for millions of people who were left behind for so long — and it matters. You both did it with such grace and such class. You dreamed big and secured lasting wins for the American people, helping lift their burden with a blessing of hope,” he continued. “It’s so underestimated … just having hope. This is the gift of the Obama presidency to the country and to history.”
The former President subsequently led a standing ovation for Biden, saying in the East Room, “Thanks to your decency and thanks to your strength — maybe most of all thanks to your faith in democracy and the American people — the country’s better off than when you took office. And we should all be deeply grateful for that.”
Stewart McLaurin, the president of the WHHA, told CNN that the Covid-19 pandemic played a factor in the timing of the unveiling. The WHHA, a nonprofit organization, facilitates and funds the creation of the portraits.
“Covid impacted us two-and-a-half years ago, and I do think it’s important for these (portraits) to be revealed at a time when the public does have access to the White House and they can be seen,” McLaurin said.
While there’s no hard-and-fast rule for when a White House portrait ought to be unveiled, ceremonies have often been hosted by a former president’s immediate successor. And when in office, President Donald Trump never held a ceremony for the Obama portraits.
‘An evolution of art’
Details about the pieces being unveiled on Wednesday were a tightly held secret, with artists and art movers signing confidentiality agreements to keep things under wraps before the big day.
But the Obamas have often used art as a tool to express their tastes, so it should come as no surprise that their White House portraits are doing the same.
McCurdy’s depiction of the former President is minimalist, eschewing the conventional props typically associated with a presidential portrait, like a desk or a bookcase, for an entirely blank background.
The former President said during the unveiling that he liked that McCurdy “paints people the way they are, for better or worse.”
“He captures every wrinkle on your face, every crease in your shirt. You’ll note that he refused to hide any of my gray hairs, refused my request to make my ears smaller. He also talked me out of wearing a tan suit, by the way,” Obama quipped. “His work is so precise that at first glance it looks like a photograph.”
While past presidents attain a form of “mythical status” after leaving office, Obama said he hoped future generations would look at the portraits and “get a better, honest sense of who Michelle and I were.”
“And I hope they leave with a better understanding that if we could make it here, maybe they can too. They can do remarkable things, too,” he continued.
Sprung’s interpretation shows the former first lady appearing to take a brief moment to get comfortable inside one of the the most formal rooms in the White House. Unlike her predecessors’ portraits, Michelle Obama is wearing a strapless gown in her portrait — perhaps a marker of the country’s evolving style.
In her portrait, the former first lady is wearing a custom Jason Wu Collection gown, a person familiar with the details told CNN. Wu is a full-circle choice of designer for Obama, and he designed both of her inaugural gowns. Obama’s choice of Wu back then essentially launched his career as a globally recognized fashion designer.
Michelle Obama said during the ceremony that though she “never could have imagined” being first lady would be part of her story, she recognized that “traditions like this matter, not just for those of us who hold these positions, but for everyone participating in and watching our democracy.”
“Too often in this country, people feel like they have to look a certain way or act a certain way to fit in, that they have to make a lot of money or come from a certain group or class or faith in order to matter. But what we’re looking at today — a portrait of a biracial kid with an unusual name and the daughter of a water pump operator and a stay-at-home mom — what we are seeing is a reminder that there is a place for everyone in this country,” the former first lady said.
“That is what this country is about. It’s not about blood or pedigree or wealth. It’s a place where everyone should have a fair shot,” she continued.
Ahead of Wednesday’s reveal, McLaurin called the Obama portraits “an evolution of art.”
“We’re now heading towards the first third of the 21st century. And I think in the mind’s eye of most Americans, we see presidential portraits as these very traditional, 19th-century-looking-and-feeling portraits. But art and taste in art evolves and changes,” he continued.
While living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the Obamas opted to highlight several contemporary and modern artists.
A Robert Rauschenberg painting replaced a portrait of a Roosevelt in the family dining room. Mark Rothko and Josef Albers works were installed. And Michelle Obama brought in work from Alma Thomas — the first Black female artist in the White House Collection.
Since leaving the presidency, the Obamas have staked some of their post-White House careers in taste-making — producing podcasts and award-winning films, as well as curating playlists and book lists each year.
For their portraits unveiled in 2018 at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery (which are not to be confused with new official White House portraits being unveiled this week), the Obamas chose two Black artists with unique perspectives on African-American portraiture.
Amy Sherald, who painted the first lady’s Smithsonian portrait, challenges conventions about race by depicting her figures’ skin in shades of gray. Kehinde Wiley, who painted the former President, re-imagines Old Master paintings with Black subjects.
Traditionally, the two latest sets of presidential portraits are placed in the Cross Hall of the White House — though Trump chose to move portraits of Bush and Clinton into the Old Family Dining Room — which was essentially used as a storage room during his White House — after feuding with both families.
Biden moved the Bush portraits and Clinton portraits back to the Cross Hall, but with a new Obama portrait, Clinton may have to be relocated soon.
Wednesday’s ceremony at the White House
The Obamas’ return to the White House marked a rare moment for the current and past administrations to converge and look back on a presidential legacy in the same room where President Obama awarded then-Vice President Biden a surprise Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2017.
Unlike the 2012 Bush portraits unveiling, Wednesday’s event mostly hosted attendees from the same political party — with some attendees having connections to both administrations.
The Obamas were joined by family, friends, former Cabinet members and top staffers from the administration during the unveiling, acknowledging former staff in the room as well as staff from the White House residence.
Marian Robinson, the mother of Michelle Obama who lived in the White House residence during their presidency, attended the ceremony.
Other attendees included Obama’s former chief of staff (and the current US Ambassador to Japan) Rahm Emanuel, former senior adviser David Axelrod, former Treasury Secretaries Jack Lew and Timothy Geithner, former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former Education Secretary Arne Duncan, former Director of the US Office of Management and Budget Shaun Donovan, and former White House press secretary Josh Earnest.
Former President Obama has visited the White House since Biden took office, but Wednesday’s event marked Michelle Obama’s first time back in the building since the Trumps arrived in January 2017.
While former President Obama and President Biden like to play up their relationship in public, there are limits to their friendship, officials have said.
They speak occasionally, but they are not in daily or weekly contact, people familiar with the matter have said.
After two terms working in Obama’s shadow, Biden has, at moments, differentiated himself from his predecessor. Officials have said there is also a degree of competition between the two men.
Their history, while one of partnership, has also been colored by various slights, real or perceived, that still linger.
Obama declined to endorse Biden over other Democrats in the 2020 primary, a step both men insisted was necessary to allow a true contest within the party. Four years earlier, Obama had viewed Hillary Clinton as his Democratic successor instead of Biden, who decided not to run as he grappled with his son’s death.
Trump portraits are up next
The White House Historical Association is in the “beginning stages” of the portrait processes for former President Trump and former first lady Melania Trump, McLaurin said.
“There’s focus on specific artists that will likely be doing their portraits,” McLaurin added.
A source familiar with the situation told CNN that chatter about the portraits started in the last six months at Mar-a-Lago — Trump’s Florida residence — and that the former president recently sat for photographs. However, it’s not clear whether Trump has posed for the White House portrait artist or for photographs specifically for the portraits.
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to say whether Biden would extend an invitation to Trump should his portrait be completed during the Biden administration.
While the official White House portraits are typically funded by the WHHA, the other set of portraits being created for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery are being underwritten by Trump’s political donors.
Trump’s political action committee donated $650,000 to the Smithsonian Institution in July to help underwrite the portraits of the Trumps, according to Linda St. Thomas, chief spokesperson for the Smithsonian.
The donation from Trump’s Save America leadership PAC marks the first time that funds have come from a political action committee since the institution began raising private funds for presidential portraits — a practice that started with the portraits associated with former President George H. W. Bush, St. Thomas said.
St. Thomas said another private donation of $100,000 also is helping to pay costs associated with the portraits. The funds, totaling $750,000, will go to artists’ fees, shipping, framing, installation and events.
CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to clarify where President Donald Trump had the portraits of Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton moved during his time in the White House.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Kate Bennett, Fredreka Schouten, Gabby Orr, Betsy Klein and Jeff Zeleny contributed to this report.
iPhone 14 Pro’s Always-On Display Behavior in iOS 16 Allegedly Revealed Days Ahead of Unveiling
The iPhone 14 Pro will feature unique behavior on the Lock Screen and significant changes to the status bar thanks to its always-on display, according to a source that spoke to MacRumors.
The source behind the latest wave of information was responsible for the bombshell leak earlier this week that claimed the iPhone 14 Pro’s display cutouts will appear to have a single, unified “pill” at the top of the display, rather than two distinct cutouts.
According to new information from the source shared exclusively with MacRumors, iOS 16’s Lock Screen will directly interact with the iPhone 14 Pro’s always-on display, featuring integration with notifications and the depth effect and colors of wallpapers.
The iPhone 14 Pro’s status bar will also purportedly see changes as a result of the increased amount of usable space at the top of the display, moving the cellular signal indictor to the left and re-implementing the full-width battery status bar on the Lock Screen and notification center when the device is locked.
The source shared several graphics allegedly based on information from Apple that illustrate some of the iPhone 14 Pro’s software changes on the MacRumors forums and has since provided further information. The iPhone 14 Pro will apparently feature the following features and specific changes:
- The background of Lock Screen wallpapers with a depth effect will be removed and fully darkened when the display is in its always-on mode, while the foreground will be dimmed. In addition, the foreground will be tinted with color and feature edge highlights depending on user customization.
- Widgets will be visible on the always-on display but will fade in and out at set intervals, unnoticeable to the user, to prevent OLED burn-in.
- Content shown on the always-on Lock Screen and the full-illuminated Lock Screen must be configured in the same way and cannot be separated, meaning that they have to share the same wallpaper, color choices, fonts, and widgets. The core visual elements of the always-on display itself can be independently customized.
- Notifications will be part of the iPhone 14 Pro’s always-on display experience, and like on the normal Lock Screen, notifications will roll in from the bottom one at a time and remain subtly visible for 10 seconds. Once the display is woken up, the notifications will animate from the bottom and proceed to the user-defined setting of how notifications are presented on the Lock Screen (such as count, stack, or list).
- Apple may also allow users to enable a notification counter at the bottom of the always-on display.
Apple is also said to be planning to release an update, such as iOS 16.0.1 or 16.1, soon after the launch of the iPhone 14 Pro that will include fixes for issues with the device’s always-on display and wallpapers. While the company is now in the feature’s final stages of development, it is reportedly still encountering bugs and is scrambling software engineers from different teams, including the Apple Watch, to finish the always-on display experience before launch.
The iPhone 14 Pro lineup is expected to be revealed at the Apple’s “Far out” event on Wednesday, September 7. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are likely to be available for pre-order on Friday, September 9, and start arriving to customers on Friday, September 16.
William close to tears as he invokes Diana’s death unveiling memorial
Prince William appeared to be close to tears today as he spoke of his grief for his mother Princess Diana while unveiling the Manchester arena attack memorial.
The Duke, 39, and Duchess of Cambridge, 40, were sombre as they arrived at the Glade of Light memorial, which is a white marble ‘halo’ bearing the names of those killed in the attack, alongside Manchester Cathedral today.
Families of those who lost loved ones in the May 2017 atrocity have been able to make personalised memory capsules, containing mementos and messages embedded inside the halo of the ‘Glade of Light’ memorial.
The father-of-three went on to give a deeply personal speech during a service at the memorial, in which he appeared to choke up while speaking to bereaved families of victims.
Prince William took a deep breath and put his hand to his chest, as if steadying himself, as he told families: ‘Catherine and I know that the atrocity’s impact will last a lifetime and beyond, and that the healing process is still on-going. We want to assure all of you who are struggling that you are very much in our thoughts.’
Elsewhere in the speech, the Duke spoke of his own grief for his mother, Princess Diana, whom he lost in 1997, when he was 15, saying: ‘As someone who lives with his own grief, I also know that what often matters most to the bereaved is that those we have lost are not forgotten.
‘There is comfort in remembering. In acknowledging that, while taken horribly soon, they lived. They changed our lives. They were loved, and they are loved. It is why memorials such as the Glade of Light are so important. Why Catherine and I so wanted to be amongst you today.’
The speech comes almost a year after the Duke unveiled a bronze statue of Diana in the Sunken Garden in July last year alongside Prince Harry.
Prince William, 39, appeared to be close to tears today as he spoke of his grief for his mother Princess Diana while unveiling the Manchester Arena memorial
Elsewhere in the speech, the Duke spoke of his own grief for his mother, Princess Diana, whom he lost in 1997, when he was 15 (pictured with Prince Harry)
It’s not the first time the Duke has opened up about his grief in public. In January, during a visit to Church on the Street in Burnley, Lancashire, he sympathised with a grieving schoolboy.
At the time, Prince William told Deacon Glover, 11, ‘I know how you feel’, after learning his mother, Grace Taylor, died last year aged 28. Putting a hand on Deacon’s shoulder, William said: ‘It gets easier.’
Today, the Duke and Duchess attended the service taking place alongside the memorial where Prince William went on to make his speech.
The royal couple then took a short walk around the memorial garden, where Kate lay a bouquet of white and blue flowers.
The Duke and Duchess were given a tour of the memorial by designer Andy Thomson and chief executive of Manchester City Council Joanne Roney
The Duke gave an emotional speech at the memorial, in which he spoke of previously visiting the city of Manchester and seeing the ‘shock and grief’ following the terror attack.
Prince William also urged attendees of the memorial to ‘look back with love’ at those ‘we have lost’ as well as ‘those who cared for the community.’
The Duchess went on to lay a bouquet of flowers, appearing emotional as she brushed hair from her hair, while her husband watched on.
Hundreds of people were injured alongside the 22 who died, who included six children under 16, the youngest aged just eight, in the attack by suicide bomber Salman Abedi at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.
The Glade of Light memorial site was created to provide a ‘tranquil place’ of ‘remembrance and reflection’ for families and friends of those who tragically lost their lives.
The tribute is conceived as a living memorial – a peaceful garden space for remembrance and reflection, featuring plants which grow naturally in the UK countryside and have been selected to provide year-round colour and echo the changing seasons.
Prince William also urged attendees of the memorial to ‘look back with love’ at those ‘we have lost’ as well as ‘those who cared for the community’
During the visit to Manchester today, the Duke of Cambridge made a short speech to the families of the victims who had died in the suicide bomb attack in May 2017
During the speech, the royal father-of-three spoke of living with his own grief, and said he found a ‘comfort in remembering’ those who have died
The tribute is conceived as a living memorial – a peaceful garden space for remembrance and reflection, featuring plants which grow naturally in the UK countryside and have been selected to provide year-round colour and echo the changing seasons
Around the anniversary every year, May 22, the white flowers of a hawthorn tree planted at its centre will bloom.
The site initially was opened to the public in January, when Figen Murray, mother of Martyn Hett, who was killed in the attack, said it ‘would be right up his street’ and that her son would ‘love’ the people of Manchester to visit it.
Speaking to Sky News at the time, Mrs Murray said: ‘I think a memorial is really important after a huge event like the arena attack because it’s not just important for the people who died and the bereaved families.
‘It’s important for the injured, for the people who have been psychologically damaged and for the people of Manchester because this is such a huge thing that happened in Manchester, it should never be forgotten. It’s also a place for future generations to come and remember, so that they are reminded of what happened that day, it’s part of the city’s history and it’s a really important memorial for that reason, and for all those reasons really.’
Both the Duke and Duchess appeared sombre as they observed the flowers laid at the Glade of Light memorial in Manchester earlier today (left and right)
The Duchess carefully laid her flowers down onto a platform at the memorial earlier today as she and Prince William remembered the victims of the attack
Mrs Murray said that she had placed a USB stick, some photographs and ‘a few special items that I am sure he would appreciate’ into the capsule in memory of her son.
Prince William previously paid tribute to the people of Manchester for their ‘strength and togetherness’ nearly a fortnight after the terror attack.
The Duke spent the morning meeting first responders and members of the local community to thank them ‘for their strength, decency and kindness’ after the attack on May 22.
In a book of condolence at the city’s cathedral, the Duke of Cambridge wrote during his visit: ‘Manchester’s strength and togetherness is an example to the world. My thoughts are with all those affected.’
The Duke and Duchess were perfectly coordinated in their outfits as they arrived at the memorial service today in Manchester
Earlier today, the Duke supported his father Prince Charles as he stepped in for his mother at the 11th hour to read the Queen’s Speech after the 96-year-old monarch was forced to watch the historic moment on TV at Windsor Castle due to ongoing mobility problems.
The heir to the throne, 73, gazed at the crown before he announced 38 of Boris Johnson’s Bills for the coming year including new laws to properly punish eco hooligans, capitalise on Brexit, better regulate landlords and ensure Britons can pay their soaring bills.
Today was a highly symbolic and historic moment for the British monarchy where the Prince of Wales took on his closest role yet to that of king.
He had addressed the House of Lords after the monarch, 96, obeyed doctor’s orders to miss the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 59 years.
Prince William, who will one day sit on the throne himself, arrived at his first ever State Opening of Parliament around five minutes before his father.
The two future kings were specifically given power to jointly act on Her Majesty’s behalf so that the ceremony could go ahead.