President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing Vice President JD Vance to eliminate “divisive race-centered ideology” from Smithsonian museums, educational and research centers, and the National Zoo.

Titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” the order states, “Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology. This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.” It goes on to say: “Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history.”

The order calls for Vance, along with Vince Haley, the assistant to the president for domestic policy and Lindsey Halligan, the special assistant to the president and senior associate staff secretary, to work with Congress to prohibit the Smithsonian from receiving appropriations for exhibitions and programs that, “degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.” It also requests that future appropriations “celebrate the achievements of women in the American Women’s History Museum and do not recognize men as women in any respect in the Museum.”

NPR reached out to the Smithsonian for comment but hasn’t heard back.

The executive order further calls for the appointment of citizen members to the Smithsonian Board of Regents committed to advancing the policy of the order.

This is the latest in a series of executive orders issued by the president since he took office in January aimed at rolling back Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts previously promoted by federal agencies – among them the National Endowment for the Arts’ Challenge America program. It primarily supported small non-profits reaching “historically underserved communities that have limited access to the arts relative to geography, ethnicity, economics, and/or disability.”

This latest executive order blames the Biden Administration for advancing a “corrosive ideology” that, it states, sought to revise historical truth. “Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth,” the order states. “Under this historical revision, our Nation’s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed.”

The order includes additional provisions seeking to reinstate public monuments, memorials and statues that were “removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology,” as well as improve the infrastructure of Independence National Historical Park in time for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

WASHINGTON – The National Weather Service has placed the Washington, D.C., region under an elevated fire threat on Thursday due to dry conditions, low humidity, and strong winds. The heightened risk for rapid fire spread is expected from late morning through late afternoon.

Dry conditions and strong winds heighten fire risk in D.C. region

What we know:

The advisory covers areas along the I-95 corridor through central Maryland, northern Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Residents are urged to consult local burn-permitting authorities before conducting any outdoor burning.

Those who choose to burn outdoors are advised to exercise extreme caution, as fires can quickly grow out of control under these conditions.

Montgomery County brush fire underscores elevated threat

The elevated threat follows a massive brush fire in Montgomery County on Wednesday that caused concern in Gaithersburg before being contained. The fire, fueled by 35 mph wind gusts, occurred during a Red Flag Warning issued by the NWS.

The Republican-led House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform approved legislation Tuesday that would require D.C. comply with federal immigration laws.

H.R. 2056, introduced by Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., would mandate the District cooperate with immigration enforcement, specifically when noncitizens are held in D.C.’s jail.

“My bill enforces the District of Columbia into compliance with federal law,” Higgins said at the committee meeting. “It nullifies any statute, ordinance, policy or practice of the D.C. government which restricts any entity or official from providing citizenship or immigration status to federal state and local law enforcement.”

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., led the Democrats’ opposition.

“The bill nullifies D.C. laws and policies that — like those of other jurisdictions — are in full compliance with federal law. They do not obstruct ICE from carrying out its duties,” Connolly said in the meeting.

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton spoke on behalf of District residents.

“I strongly oppose this undemocratic, anti-immigrant bill, which would nullify duly enacted laws, policies and practices of the District of Columbia,” she said.

Higgins pushed back and called D.C. a sanctuary city. — a term D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has distanced herself from since President Donald Trump was elected for a second term.

“Our nation’s capital should not reflect a refusal, in fact, a mandated denial of compliance with federal immigration law,” Higgins said in the meeting.

The committee voted along party lines to approve the legislation after less than 30 minutes of debate.

The Republican-controlled House would likely approve the bill, but it would face a tougher time getting through the Senate with a narrower GOP majority.

The Senate has yet to act on a bill the oversight committee approved last year that would block D.C. from allowing noncitizens from voting in local elections. District leaders believe H.R. 2056 will have the same fate.

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