Jan 23, 2020

Obama portraits to embark on national tour in 2021

Photo: Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will leave Washington, D.C., in 2021 on a national tour of five cities, the Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: The paintings have brought in millions of visitors to the capital's National Portrait Gallery, where they are currently housed.

  • The artists who painted the portraits, Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, are the first African American artists to ever be selected to paint gallery portraits of a president or first lady.

The tour schedule:

  • The Art Institute of Chicago: June 18, 2021 through Aug. 15, 2021
  • The Brooklyn Museum (New York City): Aug. 27, 2021 through Oct. 24, 2021
  • The Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Nov. 5, 2021 through Jan. 2, 2022
  • The High Museum of Art (Atlanta): Jan. 14, 2022 through March 13, 2022
  • The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: March 25, 2022 through May 30, 2022

Go deeper: Smithsonian unveils official Obama portraits

Go deeper

Eileen Drage O'Reilly
31 mins ago - Health

Big Pharma launches $1B venture to incentivize new antibiotics

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

A group of large drug companies launched a $1 billion AMR Action Fund Thursday in collaboration with policymakers, philanthropists and development banks to push the development of two to four new antibiotics by 2030.

Why it matters: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing problem — possibly killing up to 20 million people annually by 2050 — but a severe lack of R&D market incentives has hampered efforts to develop a robust antibiotic pipeline to address the issue.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Jonathan Swan
Updated 31 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Inside Geoffrey Berman's closed-door testimony

Berman arrives on Capitol Hill Thursday. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Geoffrey Berman, the former top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, was expected to say in closed-door testimony today that Attorney General Bill Barr repeatedly urged him to take another job, warned him that getting fired would not be good for his resume or job prospects and steered him toward a high-level Justice Department post in DC.

Driving the news: Axios has obtained a copy of Berman's opening statement for his closed-door hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Kim Hart
41 mins ago - Health

Schools confront broadband access crisis

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

School districts are taking it upon themselves to help families get connected to the internet as they face down a long future of virtual learning.

Why it matters: In the COVID-19 era of education, broadband is an essential service that families need to stay connected — and that school systems require to equitably educate children in their districts.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow