作者： root

Since his return to office, President Donald Trump has undertaken a series of changes aimed at reshaping the look and feel of the White House and other iconic Washington landmarks.

Over the weekend, the president announced in a Truth Social post that the Trump Kennedy Center will close later this year for a two-year renovation.

He said the decision followed a yearlong review involving contractors, arts experts and other advisers. He added that the temporary closure would allow the renovations to be completed faster and at a higher quality than if construction were carried out while performances continued. It was not immediately clear what renovations were planned, how much it would cost and what would happen to the scheduled performances.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES TWO-YEAR CLOSURE OF TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER FOR MAJOR RENOVATIONS

The Trump Kennedy Center renovations are the latest in a series of design projects the former real estate developer has pursued since returning to the White House. Read on to learn more about how the world’s most famous real estate developer is leaving his mark on Washington.

‘Arc de Trump’

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a model of an arch as he delivers remarks during a ballroom fundraising dinner in the East Room of the White House.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

In October, Trump unveiled a new monument dubbed the “Arc de Trump,” which is planned to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary next year.

At a White House ballroom fundraising dinner, Trump shared additional details about the newest monument planned for the nation’s capital. He said he was presented with three arch models in varying sizes — small, medium and large — and said his preference was for the largest one.

TRUMP REVEALS ARC DE TRIOMPHE-STYLE MONUMENT FOR AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY

President Donald Trump said he preferred the largest model arch.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

If Trump chooses the largest proposed design, the arch would rise 250 feet, eclipsing the height of the Lincoln Memorial and rivaling the U.S. Capitol dome.

The monument, a near twin of Paris’s iconic Arc de Triomphe, is meant to welcome visitors crossing the Memorial Bridge from Arlington National Cemetery into the heart of the nation’s capital.

The opulent Oval Office

Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office.(Daniel Torok/The White House)

Trump’s taste for opulence is unmistakable in the Oval Office, where golden accents now decorate the nation’s most iconic workspace, a reflection of his personal style. Last March, Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham during a tour of the Oval Office that the room “needed a little life” when asked about the gold details.

TRUMP GAVE THE OVAL OFFICE A GILDED MAKEOVER – AND COVERED THE COST HIMSELF

President Donald Trump meets with European leaders following a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 18, 2025, in the Oval Office.(Daniel Torok/White House)

“Throughout the years, people have tried to come up with a gold paint that would look like gold, and they’ve never been able to do it,” Trump told Ingraham. “You’ve never been able to match gold with gold paint, that’s why it’s gold,” Trump added.

Since then, Trump has added gold accents throughout the Oval Office to include decorative details along the ceiling and around the doorway trim. Even the cherubs inside the door frames were given a gilded makeover.

A golden cherub is seen above a door in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 5, 2025.(Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle previously told Fox News Digital that the gold Trump added to the Oval Office “is of the highest quality,” declining to provide further details.

The spokesperson also said that Trump personally covered the cost of the gold accents, though they did not specify how much gold was added or how much Trump spent.

The White House ‘walk of fame’

President Donald Trump and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud of Saudi Arabia walk along the West Colonnade of the White House to the Oval Office, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025.(Joyce N. Boghosian/Official White House Photo)

Outside the Oval Office, the Trump administration unveiled the “Presidential Walk of Fame,” a series of portraits of past presidents now displayed along the West Wing colonnade. The portrait of former President Joe Biden features his signature, created with an autopen, a machine that holds a pen and reproduces a person’s handwriting through programmed movements.

WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS PRESIDENTIAL WALK OF FAME WITH BIDEN PORTRAIT REPLACED BY AUTOPEN IMAGE

President Donald Trump added plaques below former President Joe Biden’s portrait in the

What a surprise Democratic upset in a deep-red Texas State Senate district could mean for the midterms | CNN Politics

Published 1:22 PM EST, Mon February 2, 2026 / CNN

After a Democrat cruised to victory in a state Senate special election in a district Donald Trump carried by 17 points in 2024, Republicans are voicing concern about the political climate ahead of the midterms. CNN’s Political Director David Chalian tells Dana Bash, “This isn’t just the economy and affordability anymore. It is also this overreach on ICE enforcement that is changing people’s perceptions… I think you see it on display in these results.”

4:21 • Source: CNN

US News 8 videos

https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/02/politics/video/inside-politics-texas-state-senate-election-midterms

Judicial misconduct complaint filed by Justice Dept. against Judge James Boasberg is dismissed

February 2, 2026 / 10:22 AM EST / CBS News

Washington — A federal appeals court judge dismissed a judicial misconduct complaint that the Justice Department filed against U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, whom President Trump has denounced over his handling of a legal battle involving the Alien Enemies Act and the administration’s swift removals of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador.

In a December decision, Judge Jeffrey Sutton, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, faulted the Justice Department for failing to provide “sufficient evidence” about an alleged statement Boasberg made last March during a closed-door meeting of judges, which sparked the judicial misconduct complaint.

FILE – U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, chief judge of the United States District Court for D.C., at E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, March 16, 2023. Carolyn Van Houten / AP

The complaint was filed last July by Chad Mizelle, then-chief of staff to Attorney General Pam Bondi. He claimed Boasberg made “improper public comments” about Mr. Trump and his administration during the meeting of the Judicial Conference, the policymaking body of the federal courts.

Boasberg allegedly expressed concerns that the Trump administration “would disregard rulings of federal courts, leading to a constitutional crisis.” The Justice Department’s complaint also cited Boasberg’s handling of a case involving Mr. Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to swiftly deport Venezuelan migrants who were allegedly members of the gang Tren de Aragua.

The department identified in its complaint one source of evidence for Boasberg’s statement and where it was allegedly made, but did not include that source, Sutton said. When the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., reached out to the Justice Department about the missing information, the department didn’t provide it, according to Sutton’s order.

“In the absence of the attachment, the complaint offers no source for what, if anything, the subject judge said during the Conference, when he said it, whether he said it in response to a question, whether he said it during the Conference or at another meeting, and whether he expressed these concerns as his own or as those of other judges,” the judge wrote.

The Justice Department also mentioned in the complaint a Fox News clip discussing the allegations against Boasberg, which Sutton said also did not offer details about his alleged comment.

“A recycling of unadorned allegations with no reference to a source does not corroborate them. And a repetition of uncorroborated statements rarely supplies a basis for a valid misconduct complaint,” he wrote.

Sutton also noted that meetings of the Judicial Conference aim to facilitate “candidate conversations” among judges, and said any claim that Boasberg’s alleged comment was made in public and in reference to a pending case “falls short.”

“In these settings, a judge’s expression of anxiety about executive-branch compliance with judicial orders, whether rightly feared or not, is not so far afield from customary topics at these meetings — judicial independence, judicial security, and inter-branch relations — as to violate the Codes of Judicial Conduct,” he found.

The complaint was initially filed with Judge Sri Srinivasan, the chief judge of the U.S. appeals court in Washington, D.C. But he asked Chief Justice John Roberts to transfer the complaint to another appeals court because of appellate challenges to Boasberg’s rulings. Roberts then transferred the matter to the 6th Circuit’s Judicial Council in December, according to Sutton’s order.

Top administration officials and Mr. Trump himself have attacked Boasberg for his decisions in the fast-moving legal fight over the president’s use of the Alien Enemies Act and the summary removal of Venezuelan migrants to a notorious Salvadoran prison, which played out last year.

Boasberg had ordered the Trump administration to turn around two planes carrying the alleged gang members that was bound for El Salvador and said that the government did not stop the removals. He ruled last April that probable cause existed to find government officials in criminal contempt over their defiance of his decision and said the government demonstrated a “willful disregard” for his order.

Mr. Trump and some Republicans in Congress had called for Boasberg to be impeached, though it’s unlikely that would happen. The Justice Department has also filed a judicial misconduct complaint against U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who sits on the same court as Boasberg, for what it says was “hostile and egregious misconduct” during a hearing last February.

Reyes was presiding over a case involving Mr. Trump’s plan to bar transgender people from serving in the military and blocked enforcement of the policy last March. The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to implement the ban while litigation continues.

Trump slams Grammys and threatens to sue host Trevor Noah after Epstein joke

By Logan Schiciano, Isabelle D’Antonio
1 hr 32 min ago
PUBLISHED Feb 2, 2026, 12:29 PM ET

Trevor Noah hosts the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 1.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Donald Trump on Monday slammed the Grammy Awards and threatened to sue host Trevor Noah after the comedian joked about the president and Jeffrey Epstein’s island.

“The Grammy Awards are the WORST, virtually unwatchable! Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island,” Trump wrote on Truth Social early Monday. The president added he couldn’t speak for Clinton, but that he has “never been to Epstein Island.”

Trump, calling Noah a “total loser,” said that “it looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers” to sue him for “plenty” of money.

The comedian made the quip in reference to the song of the year award, saying: “That is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense … because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.”

CNN has reached out to Noah for comment.

The comments come after the Justice Department on Friday released more than 3 million pages of files related to Epstein, the convicted sex offender, including some that contain references to Trump, Clinton and other powerful figures.

Sounwave from left, Jack Antonoff, Ruchaun Aker, Kendrick Lamar, Kamasi Washington, and SZA accept the award for record of the year for “Luther” during the 68th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 1, 2026,. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Of course the Grammys were going to be political. But that’s not all that happened 5 min read

Trump and Clinton have denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein, who owned a private island in the Caribbean. Trump said last year that he rejected an invitation from Epstein to visit his island, in what he called a moment of good judgment.

“I never had the privilege of going to his island, and I did turn it down. A lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island. In one of my very good moments, I turned it down,” Trump told reporters in July.

Clinton has also denied ever having visited Epstein’s island.

Trump frequently criticizes Hollywood awards shows for making jabs at his expense. In his post Monday, he said Noah was “almost as bad as Jimmy Kimmel at the Low Ratings Academy Awards.” Kimmel, who has frequently drawn the president’s ire, called out Trump onstage in 2024 after he insulted the comedian on social media.

The Grammys ceremony, which aired Sunday night on CBS, included numerous musicians criticizing the Trump administration’s federal immigration crackdown. Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, who took home three awards, began one of his speeches by saying, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out!”

During another acceptance speech, delivered mostly in Spanish, Bad Bunny dedicated his album of the year win to “all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country to follow their dreams.”

Some celebrities wore pins that read “ICE out,” which has been used at protests as a call to end operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

CNN’s Miriam Elder contributed to this report.

日本众院选战民调：自民党可能大跃进 独揽逾300席

符祝慧 东京特派员 发布/2026年2月2日 23:00

《朝日新闻》民调显示，日本首相高市早苗领导的自民党，有望在2月8日举行的众议院选举中，取得压倒性胜利。图为高市1月29日在兵库县神户舞子公园，为自民党候选人关义宏助选。 （彭博社）

日本众院来临星期天（2月8日）举行选举，各大媒体发布选战中盘调查显示，首相高市早苗领导的自民党议席将大增，在角逐的465个议席中，可能拿下超过300个议席。

日本主流媒体上周已预测自民党领先其他政党，可单独拿下众院半数233个议席以上。《朝日新闻》2月1日发布选战调查，更显示自民党势力大大扩展，可单独拿下至少278个议席，最多是306个议席。它与执政党联盟维新党可联手在议会内，占据三分之二的绝对稳定多数议席（即310个）。

分析指出，自民占据优势归功于“高市的超高人气”。 在276个单议席选区中，预计自民党占据大约200到260个。代表温和派的“中道改革联盟”（下称中道）等政党仅占10到40个议席，两者的差距巨大。

“中道” 是立宪民主党及公明党这两个反对党在选前匆忙组成的新党，希望获得60%的独立选民支持，但目前仅获得约20%的支持。中盘民意显示，这个新党未形成对抗势力，支持率仅10%，自民党的支持率为33%。中道在选前有167个议席，基于大部分选区面临激烈竞争，极可能会丧失一半。

这次选战，反对党中的保守派也将扩大势力，主张“日本人第一”的参政党议席预计将从两个增加到八个；国民民主党或许维持不变。分析认为，国民民主党和日本一些保守党支持者会回归自民党。

日媒：自民党若大胜 高市国防立场或会更强硬

自民党的优势目前已成为舆论焦点，朝日新闻指出，高市一旦大胜，她的政治基础将更牢固，无论是外交和内政都更游刃有余。

在经济上，她将通过负责任且积极的财政政策振兴日经济。在国防和安全方面，她也可能变得更加强硬。选后的一大关注点是，她会否推动修订宪法，这可能会引起邻国更大隐忧。她星期一在新潟县上越市发表演说时，就强调有意把自卫队写入《宪法》。

富士电视台新闻FNN指出，自民党除了与反对党对垒，也在一些选区与执政党联盟日本维新打对台。目前，维新在大阪选区选情出现胶着，如果无法维持选前的34个议席，在联合执政上的话语权可能被削弱。

据悉，对报道看好自民党大胜，自民党向各阵营发出警告文件，由党干事长铃木俊一和竞选委员会主席古屋圭司共同签署的文件呼吁候选人不能松懈。“尽管各个报道都说自民党势头强劲，有望赢得多数席位，但候选人仍必须出击，努力争取每张选票。”

基于选区内约有四分之一的选情胶着，约20%的日本选民尚未决定投票意向，不排除后期的选情可能出现变化。

Trump launching $12 billion stockpile of rare earth minerals

February 2, 2026 / 11:19 AM EST / CBS News

Washington— President Trump is launching a $12 billion stockpile of critical and rare earth minerals, a White House official confirmed, in an effort to slash reliance on Chinese rare earths and curb Beijing’s leverage in trade talks.

The endeavor, coined “Project Vault,” would be funded by a $10 billion loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank, along with over a billion dollars in private capital. The minerals would be procured and stored for automakers, the defense industry, tech firms and other types of manufacturers.Bloomberg first reported the administration’s plans.

Mr. Trump has shown intense interest in critical and rare earth minerals, trying to boost the United States’ acquisition of them and make the U.S. less reliant on other countries. According to the White House, in 2024 the U.S. was entirely reliant on imports for 12 critical minerals, and imported 50% or more of 29 others.

The president has made critical minerals a negotiation point with countries including Ukraine and Australia, and has expressed a desire to secure Greenland’s critical minerals. The U.S. is continuing to navigate trade waters with China.

Critical minerals include cobalt, graphite, silicon, copper, nickel, titanium and lithium, and are critical to supply chains for many modern products like electric vehicle batteries, semiconductors and smartphones.

Jennifer Jacobs contributed to this report.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/china-pays-high-environmental-price-rare-earth-minerals-dominance/

科学家新发现：生命所需原料或源自宇宙

发布时间：2026年2月2日 23:26 / 来源：联合早报

研究人员指出，发现更复杂的分子至关重要，因为它们有助于弥合太空中简单分子与可能孕育生命的复杂化学结构之间的差距，也支持了“生命所需原料可能源自宇宙”的假说。 （示意图 / Pixabay）

科学家近日在星际空间中发现了迄今为止最大的含硫有机分子，这一发现为理解生命化学起源提供了新的线索。

研究人员认为，这种分子的发现，有助于补上科学界长期困惑的一环：生命所需的复杂分子，可能并非凭空出现，而是由宇宙中的简单化学物质逐渐演化而来。

美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）报道，硫（Sulfur）是宇宙中含量排名前列的元素，也是地球生命不可或缺的组成部分，广泛存在于氨基酸、蛋白质和酶之中。尽管科学家此前曾在彗星和陨石中发现含硫分子，但在恒星之间的星际空间中，体积较大的含硫分子长期难以探测，相关现象一直令研究人员感到困惑。

此次发现的分子由13个原子组成，同时含有硫、碳和氢，是目前在太空中确认的最大含硫分子。

研究人员指出，发现更复杂的分子至关重要，因为它们有助于弥合太空中简单分子与可能孕育生命的复杂化学结构之间的差距，也支持了“生命所需原料可能源自宇宙”的假说。

该分子是在银河系中心附近、距离地球约2.7万光年的一个分子云中被探测到的。

分子云由低温、高密度的尘埃和气体组成，是恒星和行星系统形成的“摇篮”。科学家认为，这些区域中形成的化学物质，或在行星诞生过程中被保留下来，并通过彗星或陨石撞击，最终被带到像地球这样的行星上。

为确认该分子的存在，研究人员先在实验室中人工合成该分子，并获取其精确的“无线电指纹”，再与射电望远镜观测数据进行比对，从而锁定其信号来源。

研究团队指出，这一成果意味着未来有望在太空中发现更多、甚至更复杂的含硫分子。

多名未参与研究的学者认为，这项发现展示了宇宙化学的高度复杂性，也增强了生命关键物质在宇宙中普遍存在的可能性。但研究人员也强调，有关发现并不等同于发现生命本身，而只是帮助科学界更好理解生命从无机化学逐步演化而来的路径。

No English content available

科学家新发现：生命所需原料或源自宇宙

2026年2月2日 23:26 / 联合早报

科学家近日在星际空间中发现了迄今为止最大的含硫有机分子，这一发现为理解生命化学起源提供了新的线索。

研究人员认为，这种分子的发现，有助于补上科学界长期困惑的一环：生命所需的复杂分子，可能并非凭空出现，而是由宇宙中的简单化学物质逐渐演化而来。

美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）报道，硫（Sulfur）是宇宙中含量排名前列的元素，也是地球生命不可或缺的组成部分，广泛存在于氨基酸、蛋白质和酶之中。尽管科学家此前曾在彗星和陨石中发现含硫分子，但在恒星之间的星际空间中，体积较大的含硫分子长期难以探测，相关现象一直令研究人员感到困惑。

此次发现的分子由13个原子组成，同时含有硫、碳和氢，是目前在太空中确认的最大含硫分子。

研究人员指出，发现更复杂的分子至关重要，因为它们有助于弥合太空中简单分子与可能孕育生命的复杂化学结构之间的差距，也支持了“生命所需原料可能源自宇宙”的假说。

该分子是在银河系中心附近、距离地球约2.7万光年的一个分子云中被探测到的。

分子云由低温、高密度的尘埃和气体组成，是恒星和行星系统形成的“摇篮”。科学家认为，这些区域中形成的化学物质，或在行星诞生过程中被保留下来，并通过彗星或陨石撞击，最终被带到像地球这样的行星上。

为确认该分子的存在，研究人员先在实验室中人工合成该分子，并获取其精确的“无线电指纹”，再与射电望远镜观测数据进行比对，从而锁定其信号来源。

研究团队指出，这一成果意味着未来有望在太空中发现更多、甚至更复杂的含硫分子。

多名未参与研究的学者认为，这项发现展示了宇宙化学的高度复杂性，也增强了生命关键物质在宇宙中普遍存在的可能性。但研究人员也强调，有关发现并不等同于发现生命本身，而只是帮助科学界更好理解生命从无机化学逐步演化而来的路径。

科学家新发现：生命所需原料或源自宇宙

2026年2月2日 23:26 / 联合早报

研究人员指出，发现更复杂的分子至关重要，因为它们有助于弥合太空中简单分子与可能孕育生命的复杂化学结构之间的差距，也支持了“生命所需原料可能源自宇宙”的假说。 （示意图 / Pixabay）

科学家近日在星际空间中发现了迄今为止最大的含硫有机分子，这一发现为理解生命化学起源提供了新的线索。

研究人员认为，这种分子的发现，有助于补上科学界长期困惑的一环：生命所需的复杂分子，可能并非凭空出现，而是由宇宙中的简单化学物质逐渐演化而来。

美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）报道，硫（Sulfur）是宇宙中含量排名前列的元素，也是地球生命不可或缺的组成部分，广泛存在于氨基酸、蛋白质和酶之中。尽管科学家此前曾在彗星和陨石中发现含硫分子，但在恒星之间的星际空间中，体积较大的含硫分子长期难以探测，相关现象一直令研究人员感到困惑。

此次发现的分子由13个原子组成，同时含有硫、碳和氢，是目前在太空中确认的最大含硫分子。

研究人员指出，发现更复杂的分子至关重要，因为它们有助于弥合太空中简单分子与可能孕育生命的复杂化学结构之间的差距，也支持了“生命所需原料可能源自宇宙”的假说。

该分子是在银河系中心附近、距离地球约2.7万光年的一个分子云中被探测到的。

分子云由低温、高密度的尘埃和气体组成，是恒星和行星系统形成的“摇篮”。科学家认为，这些区域中形成的化学物质，或在行星诞生过程中被保留下来，并通过彗星或陨石撞击，最终被带到像地球这样的行星上。

为确认该分子的存在，研究人员先在实验室中人工合成该分子，并获取其精确的“无线电指纹”，再与射电望远镜观测数据进行比对，从而锁定其信号来源。

研究团队指出，这一成果意味着未来有望在太空中发现更多、甚至更复杂的含硫分子。

多名未参与研究的学者认为，这项发现展示了宇宙化学的高度复杂性，也增强了生命关键物质在宇宙中普遍存在的可能性。但研究人员也强调，有关发现并不等同于发现生命本身，而只是帮助科学界更好理解生命从无机化学逐步演化而来的路径。