Sep 22, 2017

Renovated "America's Presidents" exhibit reopens after 11 years

George Washington Lansdowne Portrait / Oil on canvas, 1796 Photo: National Portrait Gallery

The "America's Presidents" exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery — one of my first recommendations to out-of-town guests (and #1 if they've been here before) — reopens today."America's Presidents" showcases "multiple images of the past 44 U.S. presidents, starting with Washington and continuing to Barack Obama. Six presidents are given expanded attention because of their significant impact on the office: George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.""The White House may be chaos, but our old presidents are looking dignified," by Philip Kennicott, Washington Post Art and Architecture Critic (a title like that deserves caps), on the Style front:

"Closed since early this year, the rooms devoted to portraits of this country's chief executives (and sometimes their wives and family members) have been reinstalled for the first time since 2006, with new carpeting, lighting, window treatments and touch-panel information screens. Some of the works on view are different, and all of the wall texts have been rewritten.""Given the way so many museums are going today — toward entertainment and trivial educational agendas — one couldn't help but wonder what the Portrait Gallery would do with one of its most beloved ... exhibitions. The good news: The curators went for substance."

If you're going: Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F streets NW; 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily; admission is free.

Go deeper

Axios

Updated 34 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 2 p.m. ET: 19,451,097 — Total deaths: 722,835 — Total recoveries — 11,788,665 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 2. p.m. ET: 4,968,413 — Total deaths: 161,858 — Total recoveries: 1,623,870 — Total tests: 60,415,558 — Map.
Public health: Fauci says chances are "not great" that COVID-19 vaccine will be 98% effective.
Science: Indoor air is the next coronavirus frontline.
Schools: How back-to-school is playing out in the South as coronavirus rages on — Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Howard to hold fall classes online.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)

Rashaan Ayesh

1 hour ago - World

What's next for Lebanon after the Beirut explosion

Photo: Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Beirut residents are still clearing rubble from streets that appear war-torn, days after a blast that shocked the country and horrified the world.

Why it matters: The explosion is likely to accelerate a painful cycle Lebanon was already living through — discontent, economic distress, and emigration.

Go deeper (2 min. read)

Mike Allen

2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Wolf Blitzer marks 15 years in "The Situation Room"

Wolf Blitzer on the White House beat in 1993, along with NBC's Brian Williams, CBS' Rita Braver and ABC's Brit Hume. Photo: Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images H

Aug. 8, 2005 — "The Situation Room's" debut on CNN wherein the host first said: "I'm Wolf Blitzer and you're in The Situation Room, where news and information from around the world arrive in one place simultaneously!"

The state of play: When the pandemic took off in the U.S. in March, Blitzer started working 7 days a week for 60+ days, until he took a Sunday off. Then he continued 7 days a week until he took a few days off.