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California valedictorian will no longer give graduation speech over ‘alarming’ discussion

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California valedictorian will no longer give graduation speech over ‘alarming’ discussion


The University of Southern California says Asna Tabassum will no longer speak at the ceremony after the discussion about her selection took on ‘an alarming tenor’

The University of Southern California said its valedictorian will no longer deliver a graduation speech this year, citing “substantial risks relating to security” over social media chatter surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Los Angeles school revealed that Asna Tabassum, a fourth-year student from Chino Hills, California, was selected as the valedictorian and would give a speech alongside two salutatorians. In a news release Monday, the university said she would no longer speak at the ceremony after the discussion about her selection took on “an alarming tenor.”

The move comes after some students, alumni and others complained to the university about Tabassum’s social media, which includes an Instagram bio that links to a pro-Palestine website.

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“The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement,” Provost Andrew Guzman said in a statement.

Guzman said the school can not ignore that similar risks led to harassment and violence at other campuses. He added that the school’s Department of Public Safety and campus safety team have consulted to evaluate potential threats for graduation, which typically draws around 65,000 people.

“This decision is not only necessary to maintain the safety of our campus and students, but is consistent with the fundamental legal obligation – including the expectations of federal regulators – that universities act to protect students and keep our campus community safe,” he said.

Groups call to reverse USC decision

Tabassum addressed the university’s decision in a statement released through the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Los Angeles.

“Although this should have been a time of celebration for my family, friends, professors, and classmates, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all,” Tabassum said.

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The council said the school’s decision empowers voices of hate, violates its obligation to project students and “sends a terrible message to not only Muslim students at USC but all students who dare to express support for Palestinian humanity.” It’s also urging the community to demand the school to allow Tassabum to speak at graduation.

Among the calls against Tassabum as a graduation speaker were student group “Trojans For Israel,” who said her selection turned “an inclusive and meaningful milestone into an unwelcoming and intolerant environment for Jewish graduates and their families.”

The 2024 commencement ceremony is scheduled for Friday, May 10.

War in Gaza stokes controversy worldwide

Controversies over the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict have been amplified since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched a brutal attack on Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people.

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Over 30,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since that day. The region is also difficult to access, leaving many civilians displaced and facing famine.

The crisis had led to protests for the release of Israeli hostages and to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, with those speaking out in support of Israelis and Palestinians on social media receiving threats.

Contributing: Kinsey Crowley

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Inside Trump’s Touring Exhibition of American Heroes

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Inside Trump’s Touring Exhibition of American Heroes

Video by Zack Wittman for The New York Times

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The museums, designed by conservative nonprofits and Trump appointees, tell the story of early America, from colonization to revolution. The one exhibition looking beyond the early years is the “Wall of American Heroes.” It is a list of 51 people, chosen to illustrate 250 years of American history.

A White House spokesman said they were “individuals who shaped this nation’s history, culture and spirit across generations.”

The people pictured on this national honor roll — and the people left out — help illustrate what this administration sees as the highlights of American history.

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Amid the administration’s efforts to reshape the nation’s relationship with its past, Trump appointees heavily weighted the list toward a single era of American history — and a few specific kinds of hero.

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MOUNT RUSHMORE, 1927

1936-1937

1933-1934

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1939

MOUNT RUSHMORE, 2025

Some of those featured are American icons who would be on just about anyone’s list of the country’s heroes. Many are already honored with monuments, holidays or their faces on coins.

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Photo cards show Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., the Wright Brothers, Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton and Sacagawea.

But nine of the 51 people fit one surprising mold: They were all in show business in the 1960s.

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Photo cards show John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Walt Disney, Irving Berlin, Elvis Presley and Louis Armstrong.

The list also focuses on just one of America’s wars. All four people shown in military uniform served in World War II.

Photo cards show George S. Patton, Louis Zamperini, Audie Murphy and Grace Hopper.

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All four religious leaders on the wall are Christian.

The wall also features some of the wealthiest people of their time.

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Cards show Steve Jobs, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford.

Tens of millions of people have immigrated to America in the past 250 years. But the “Wall of American Heroes” includes only four immigrants, all white men born in the 19th century.

Photo cards show Irving Berlin, Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie and Albert Einstein.

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The center of the display includes a long quotation by President Trump.

A wall featuring 51 photographs of people, with the space in the middle dedicated to a quotation from President Trump.

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The other exhibitions in the Freedom Trucks were crafted by a pair of conservative nonprofits, PragerU and Hillsdale College. But the “Wall of American Heroes” was created by Freedom 250, a nonprofit effort whose leaders were chosen by President Trump and that was created to lead the planning of celebrations of the nation’s 250th birthday, overshadowing a bipartisan congressional commission.

A spokeswoman for Freedom 250 said Mr. Trump was not directly involved in the selection of those featured.

But the list clearly tracks Mr. Trump’s own lifetime and the heroes of the conservative political movement.

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In May, a Freedom Truck stopped at the Villages Public Library in Wildwood, Fla. Zack Wittman for The New York Times

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The wall’s tilt toward heroes of the baby boomer generation, for instance, extends beyond Hollywood stars and musicians. Of the four religious leaders on the list, two — Archbishop Fulton Sheen and the Rev. Billy Graham — also appeared on TV regularly in the 1950s and 1960s. The only painter on the list is Norman Rockwell, known for his idealized depictions of American life in that period.

By contrast, there is only a handful of figures from the first decades of American independence.

“That’s a disservice, if your intention is to present the last 250 years,” said Sarah Weicksel, the executive director of the American Historical Association. “Because all of the people on this list are building on the work and struggles and progress that was made by the people in the 150 years prior.”

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The “Wall of American Heroes” was inspired by a similar display in a traveling museum created by the State of Virginia. But Virginia’s display celebrates little-known historical figures.

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Virginia’s display of heroes highlights little-known figures. Jason Andrew for The New York Times

Mr. Trump’s, by and large, celebrates people who are already well-known — and, often, people who were famous in their own time. For example, it praises P.T. Barnum, a circus impresario who used hoaxes and freak shows to draw crowds. The wall calls him an “icon of American sensationalism.”

The spokeswoman for Freedom 250 said that many of the names on the wall were drawn from a list of 250 people that Mr. Trump wants to include in a “Garden of American Heroes” in Washington.

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The spokeswoman declined to say what criteria were used to narrow down the list.

The only president whose name appears on the wall — not on the list of heroes, but alongside his quotation — is Mr. Trump himself.

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Explore the Wall of Heroes

Navigate the display by dragging from side to side.

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Zack Wittman for The New York Times

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GOP Rep. Tom Kean, missing from Congress for months, set to return on June 30

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GOP Rep. Tom Kean, missing from Congress for months, set to return on June 30

Washington — Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey will return to Congress on June 30, his spokesperson said, after being away since March in an unexplained absence that has confounded Capitol Hill.

“Congressman Kean is eager to return to in person work on June 30 and resume a full schedule,” Kean’s spokesperson, Harrison Neely, told CBS News on Thursday. The New Jersey Globe first reported on his return date. 

Kean’s whereabouts since he last voted on March 5 have not been disclosed. When he first made a statement about the absence in late April, the New Jersey Republican said he was addressing a “personal medical issue.” 

Kean said earlier this month that he would return to Washington within a matter of weeks, at which point he would provide more details about his health.

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“Right now I am focused on my recovery and under the advice of healthcare professionals, I will transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks. At that time I will be completely transparent as to the nature of my medical condition,” Kean said in a June 2 statement released by his campaign.

The statement came hours before polls closed in New Jersey’s GOP primary for his seat, in which he ran unopposed. 

He has missed more than 130 votes during his absence.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters earlier this month that he had recently spoken with Kean. Johnson said he was aware of the health issue, but would not disclose the details. 

“What he’s dealing with is not very common and not a big thing,” Johnson said.

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Video: Obama Presidential Center Opens in Chicago

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Video: Obama Presidential Center Opens in Chicago

new video loaded: Obama Presidential Center Opens in Chicago

The grand opening for the Obama Presidential Center is on Thursday. Several celebrities and four living presidents, excluding President Trump, are expected to attend.

By Shawn Paik

June 18, 2026

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