After Donald Trump on Tuesday lashed out at the Smithsonian Institution – a premier museum, education and research complex for US history and culture – over what he called an excessive focus on “how bad Slavery was”, the Guardian has revealed the shape his administration’s targeting of seven flagship museums will take.
Trump suggested he would pressure the institution to accept his demands, just like he did with colleges and universities by threatening to cut federal funding. The White House said last week it would lead an internal review of some Smithsonian museums after Trump earlier this year accused it of spreading “anti-American ideology”.
Here is the key Trump administration news of the day:
Exclusive: Trump to review Smithsonian museums to ‘get Woke out’
Amid the Trump administration’s heavy-handed review of Smithsonian museums, the Guardian has seen a document compiled by the White House that argues the widely visited cultural institutions have overly negative portrayals of US history, from a Benjamin Franklin exhibit that links his scientific achievements to his ownership of enslaved people to a film about George Floyd’s murder that it says mischaracterizes the police.
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President calls on Federal Reserve governor to resign
Donald Trump called on a Federal Reserve governor to immediately resign, renewing his extraordinary attack on the central bank’s independence as officials mull next steps on interest rates. The president has repeatedly broken with precedent in recent months to demand the Fed cut rates and urged its chair, Jerome Powell, to quit after disregarding such calls.
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Texas Republicans pass gerrymandered congressional map requested by Trump
The Republican-controlled Texas House of Representatives has approved a redrawn congressional map requested by Donald Trump and fiercely opposed by Democrats, who led a weeks-long protest to stall the effort that kicked off a redistricting arms race between red and blue states.
With the House’s approval, the measure next goes to the state Senate, where it is expected to pass, possibly as soon as Thursday.
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Judge rejects Trump’s request to unseal Epstein transcripts
A federal judge in New York who presided over the sex-trafficking case against the late financier Jeffrey Epstein has rejected the government’s request to unseal grand jury transcripts.
Judge Richard Berman’s ruling in Manhattan on Wednesday came after the judge presiding over the case against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell also turned down the government’s request.
US health agency workers accuse RFK Jr of fuelling violence
More than 750 current and former federal health employees on Wednesday accused the health and human services (HHS) secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, of fuelling harassment and violence directed at government healthcare staff.
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Military vehicle crashes in DC as red states send more troops
A military vehicle crashed into a car in Washington DC on Wednesday morning, an incident that comes as more than six Republican-led states have all pledged to send more national guard troops to the capital.
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What else happened today:
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Texas cannot require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, a judge said in a temporary ruling against the state’s new requirement.
Catching up? Here’s what happened on 19 August 2025.
