Israeli Strikes Kill Six in Gaza as Ceasefire Talks Continue in Cairo 
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham Dies at 71, Leaving South Carolina Senate Seat Vacant 
Trump Administration Hands Over Key Evidence in Minnesota Immigration Shooting Investigations 
Russia Launches Missile and Drone Attacks on Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv 
UN Says Hamas Disrupted Gaza Aid Distribution, Group Denies Allegations 
Minnesota Wildfires Spread as Governor Tim Walz Deploys National Guard 
EU Weighs New Trade Restrictions on Israeli West Bank Settlements 
Brazil Court Bars Flavio Bolsonaro From Visiting Jair Bolsonaro Ahead of Election 
Iraq PM Visits Washington as U.S. Oil, Gas Deals Take Center Stage 
HHS Watchdog Reports $5.56 Billion in Healthcare Fraud Recoveries as Enforcement Actions Decline 
Reuters/Ipsos Poll: Most Americans Expect U.S.-Iran War to Be Prolonged 
Ukraine, Europe Launch Freyja Missile Shield to Strengthen Air Defense Against Russia 
DOJ Subpoenas New York Times Journalists Over Air Force One Leak Report 
Trump Administration Bars U.S. Travelers From Congo Flights Amid Ebola Outbreak 
Western Allies Push for More Air Defenses for Ukraine at Paris Summit 
Iranian Missile Strike on UAE Oil Tankers Kills Indian Crew Member in Strait of Hormuz 
Venezuela Appoints Felix Plasencia to Lead Foreign Relations and Trade 
This week, former US President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama returned to the White House for the unveiling of their presidential portraits. The unveiling of the portraits marks another return to tradition as the custom of unveiling a predecessor’s portrait briefly stopped during Obama’s immediate successor’s administration.
The Obamas returned to the White House Wednesday for the unveiling of their presidential portraits in an event hosted by President Joe Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president for two terms. The unveiling of the portraits also comes more than five years since Obama left office in 2017.
“There are few people I have known with more integrity, more decency, and more courage than Barack Obama,” said Biden. “Nothing could have prepared me more for being president of the United States than being by your side for eight years.”
Artist Robert McCurdy painted a photorealistic portrait of the former Democratic president, while artist Sharon Sprung painted the former first lady’s portrait. The presidential portraits are hung in the rooms and walls of the White House.
The unveiling is also another tradition among presidents, with the current president hosting an unveiling of the presidential portraits of their predecessor. However, Obama’s portrait unveiling did not take place during his successor Donald Trump’s time in office.
“Thanks to your decency and thanks to your strength, maybe most of all thanks to your faith in our democracy and the American people, the country’s better off than when you took office and we should all be deeply grateful to you for that,” said Obama to Biden.
On the same day, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the temporary funding to keep the government running past the current fiscal year that ends on September 30 may be extended until mid-December.
Schumer told reporters that he plans to attach a permitting reform bill that would aid the country’s energy industry to the stopgap funding legislation.
However, some Senate Republicans are hoping to hold out until next year on finishing the 2023 fiscal year spending in the hopes that the GOP reclaims the majority at least in the House following the midterm elections in November.
