{"id":65055,"date":"2025-08-13T12:31:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T12:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/65055\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T12:31:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T12:31:07","slug":"silicon-valleys-wealthy-are-using-genetic-testing-to-create-a-smarter-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/65055\/","title":{"rendered":"Silicon Valley’s wealthy are using genetic testing to create a ‘smarter’ generation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The White House is planning<\/a> a comprehensive review of the Smithsonian Institution to ensure its exhibitions reflect the administration\u2019s views on American history ahead of the country\u2019s 250th anniversary. This step is part of President Donald Trump\u2019s broader effort to influence the nation\u2019s cultural institutions.<\/p>\n

In a letter<\/a> sent to Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch and subsequently published on the White House website on Tuesday, three administration officials outlined areas subject to review and revision to \u201creflect the unity, progress, and enduring values that define American history.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis initiative is launched to align with the President\u2019s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, eliminate divisive or partisan narratives, and restore trust in our shared cultural institutions,\u201d wrote the signatories of the letter: Senior Deputy Secretary Lindsey Halligan, Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley, and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought.<\/p>\n

The review aims to regulate the museums\u2019 public exhibitions, planning, and curatorship, as well as narrative standards and the use of collections.<\/p>\n

This move is the latest in a comprehensive effort by the Trump administration to reshape how American history and culture are taught and presented in institutions nationwide, from universities to museums and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.<\/p>\n

The letter states that within 30 days, eight Smithsonian museums must select a representative to liaise with the administration and submit a list of materials chosen for review.<\/p>\n

Within 120 days, the museums will have a specific period to implement the changes requested by the administration, replacing \u201cdivisive or ideologically motivated language with unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite this, administration officials argued that their goal is not to \u201cinterfere with the day-to-day work of curators or staff, but to support a broader vision of excellence that reflects America\u2019s heritage in a historically accurate, inspiring, and inclusive manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first phase of the project will target the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.<\/p>\n

Administration officials said the museum network should promote the idea of \u201cAmericanism; the people, principles, and progress that define our nation\u201d to \u201crenew the Smithsonian\u2019s role as the world\u2019s leading museum institution.\u201d<\/p>\n

The letter noted that a list of additional museums will be included in the second phase of the review.<\/p>\n

Trump had specifically targeted the Smithsonian Institution in a presidential executive order issued in March to \u201crestore truth and sanity to American history.\u201d<\/p>\n

The President criticized the museum network, stating it had \u201cfallen under the influence of a divisive, race-centric ideology\u201d and that its various branches \u201cportray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an effort to retell American history more positively, Trump tasked Vice President JD Vance with removing \u201cinappropriate ideology\u201d from the institution\u2019s museums, education centers, and zoo.<\/p>\n

This directive included questioning any language deemed to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion; transgender individuals; or the history of systemic racism in the US.<\/p>\n

Halligan, an attorney, was also directly assigned in this presidential executive order to work \u201cin consultation with\u201d Vance.<\/p>\n

In a profile published in April, Halligan told the Washington Post, \u201cInappropriate ideology would be using history as a weapon. There is no need to overemphasize the negatives to teach people that some aspects of our nation\u2019s history may be bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tuesday\u2019s letter is the latest intervention into the institution\u2019s activities and personnel.<\/p>\n

In May, Trump announced he was firing Kim Sajet, the long-time director of the Smithsonian\u2019s National Portrait Gallery.<\/p>\n

While the institution argued the president did not have the authority to dismiss her, Sajet, the first woman to hold the position, resigned from her post in June.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, the Smithsonian announced it had removed a reference to Trump\u2019s 2019 and 2021 impeachment proceedings from its exhibitions. The institution denied that the decision was made in response to pressure from the administration and later restored a version of the exhibit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The White House is planning a comprehensive review of the Smithsonian Institution to ensure its exhibitions reflect the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65056,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[51922,254,64,63,51923,51924,51925,10449,336,51926,51927,51928,27620,51929,51930,44114,51931,128,14916,51932,51933,27068],"class_list":{"0":"post-65055","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-genetics","8":"tag-ai-threat","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-au","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-bioethics","13":"tag-embryo-selection","14":"tag-genetic-enhancement","15":"tag-genetic-testing","16":"tag-genetics","17":"tag-headline","18":"tag-henk-greely","19":"tag-herasight","20":"tag-intelligence","21":"tag-iq","22":"tag-kian-sadeghi","23":"tag-nucleus-genomics","24":"tag-rationalists","25":"tag-science","26":"tag-silicon-valley","27":"tag-stanford-university","28":"tag-super-caste","29":"tag-the-wall-street-journal"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}