Good Morning,
America turns 250 in under three months, and the mood isn’t fireworks, it’s unease. The New York Times finds historians scrambling to meet the public’s “hunger for meaning” as the anniversary approaches, while museums across the country roll out their celebratory exhibitions (New York Times). Meanwhile the National Garden of American Heroes, Trump’s promised 250-statue monument, supposedly ready for July 4, hasn’t even had its site finalized, per CNN. The sculptors who applied still haven’t heard a word.
Contrast Budapest, where 16 years of Orbán just ended. Hungary’s arts world is cautiously recalibrating (Ocula), and pianist András Schiff, who vowed in 2010 never to return while Orbán was in power — has accepted an invitation to perform in the city he left (Telex). Two nations, two anniversaries, the same question about who is shaping the culture.
Elsewhere: 120,000 authors have filed claims in the Anthropic copyright settlement (Reuters), AI may have authenticated a disputed El Greco (Scientific American), and book-ban attempts just hit a record high (AP).
All of our stories below.
