BREAKING NEWS
Should museum curators, historians be free from political influence? It seems President Trump doesn’t think so
Read full article: Should museum curators, historians be free from political influence? It seems President Trump doesn’t think soPresident Donald Trump attacked the Smithsonian for showing “how bad slavery was” and said he will have his regime go through museums and deem what is worthy to stay and what should go.
Smithsonian denies White House pressure to remove Trump impeachment references
Read full article: Smithsonian denies White House pressure to remove Trump impeachment referencesThe Smithsonian says the White House did not pressure it to remove references to President Donald Trump's impeachments from an exhibit.
A grassland bird eavesdrops on prairie dog calls to keep itself safe from predators
Read full article: A grassland bird eavesdrops on prairie dog calls to keep itself safe from predatorsNew research says long-billed curlews listen to alarm barks from prairie dog colonies to protect themselves from predators.
How the first Black woman pilot left her mark on Jacksonville and future aviators
Read full article: How the first Black woman pilot left her mark on Jacksonville and future aviatorsBessie Coleman was an ambitious young woman, inspired by Black pilots in World War I. Her accomplishments inspired generations of women and girls aspiring to become pilots.
Oprah Winfrey portrait — featuring the color purple — unveiled at National Portrait Gallery
Read full article: Oprah Winfrey portrait — featuring the color purple — unveiled at National Portrait GalleryIt seemed only fitting that Oprah Winfrey chose to wear a flowing, full-length purple dress for her portrait unveiled Wednesday at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
Young black bear wanders Washington D.C. neighborhood, sparking a frenzy before being captured
Read full article: Young black bear wanders Washington D.C. neighborhood, sparking a frenzy before being capturedA young black bear gave residents of a quiet northeast Washington neighborhood a start Friday morning when they woke to find a furry interloper wandering backyards and sniffing around garbage cans.
Pandas devour ice cake to celebrate 50 years at National Zoo
Read full article: Pandas devour ice cake to celebrate 50 years at National ZooThe “cake” was made from frozen fruit juice, sweet potatoes, carrots and sugar cane and it lasted about 15 minutes once giant panda mama Mei Xiang and her cub Xiao Qi Ji got hold of it.
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Fauci presents his personal virus model to Smithsonian
Read full article: Fauci presents his personal virus model to SmithsonianFauci presented the donation Tuesday night in a virtual ceremony to honor him with the museums Great Americans Medal. (Smithsonian's National Museum of American History via AP)WASHINGTON – Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the U.S. government’s pandemic response, has donated his personal 3D model of the COVID-19 virus to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The museum on Tuesday honored Fauci with its Great Americans Medal. “His humanitarianism and dedication truly exemplify what it means to be a Great American." The museum asked Fauci to contribute a personal artifact to mark the pandemic, and he chose the lumpy blue and orange ball that he used to explain the complexities of the virus in dozens of interviews.
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Charley Pride, a country music Black superstar, dies at 86
Read full article: Charley Pride, a country music Black superstar, dies at 86“I’m so heartbroken that one of my dearest and oldest friends, Charley Pride, has passed away. 1 hits between 1969 and 1984, won the Country Music Association’s Top Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year awards in 1972 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. But until the early 1990s, when Cleve Francis came along, Pride was the only Black country singer signed to a major label. “Then it was `first Negro country singer;’ then `first black country singer.′ Now I’m the `first African-American country singer.′ That’s about the only thing that’s changed. “The Texas Rangers join the country music world in mourning the loss of Charley Pride.
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Utah senator blocks national museums for Latinos, women
Read full article: Utah senator blocks national museums for Latinos, womenWASHINGTON – A lone senator from Utah has singlehandedly blocked the bipartisan approval of two new national museums to honor American Latinos and women, arguing that “last thing we need is to further divide an already divided nation.”Republican Sen. Mike Lee objected Thursday to the creation of the two proposed Smithsonian museums, stalling two projects that have been in the making for decades and enjoy broad bipartisan support. Senate approval would have sent the legislation approving the Latino museum to President Donald Trump for his signature. The Senate was attempting to pass the measures by voice vote, which requires every senator's consent. Lee said he sees an exception for museums dedicated to American Indians and African Americans that already sit on the National Mall. “We have been systematically excluded, not because this senator said so but because the Smithsonian itself said so,” Menendez said.
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National Zoo panda cub named Xiao Qi Ji or 'Little Miracle'
Read full article: National Zoo panda cub named Xiao Qi Ji or 'Little Miracle'WASHINGTON – More than three months after his birth, the National Zoo's new panda cub finally has a name. Officials at the Smithsonian, which runs the zoo, announced Monday morning that the cub born on August 21 would be named Xiao Qi Ji (shee-OW-chee-jee), which is Mandarin Chinese for “little miracle.”The choice was the result of a five-day online poll that drew nearly 135,000 voters to choose between different Mandarin Chinese names. In a nod to Chinese tradition, the name was not chosen until 100 days after the birth. Monday's announcement comes on the day the zoo shut its doors to the public for the second time this year due to the the COVID-19 pandemic. But the zoo reopened on July 24 and other museums gradually reopened other museums with timed entry passes to keep the crowds low.

Smithsonian interested in obtaining migrant children's drawings
Read full article: Smithsonian interested in obtaining migrant children's drawingsWASHINGTON, D.C. - The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History has inquired about obtaining disturbing drawings by migrant children that depict figures with sad faces behind bars. The children, ages 10 and 11, were staying at a respite center run by the Catholic church in McAllen, Texas, when they made the drawings. That's really, really powerful." A delegation of pediatricians received photos of the children's drawings after touring the McAllen respite center and then shared the images with the media. At any one time, the respite center houses about 500 to 800 migrants who have recently been released from Customs and Border Protection custody.