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This week, the Obama Presidential Portraits go on view at the Art Institute of Chicagothe first stop on a 11-month-long, five venue tour. And the museum, which is now operating at full capacity, is expecting big crowds.

With the exception of two days, tickets to see the paintings by artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald are already sold out for the rest of June, a spokesperson for the Art Institute told Artnet News.

For the remainder of the portraits two-month stint, general admission tickets will be released in batches. Lines are expected to be long, and the institution will implement a virtual queuing system to manage crowds, allowing ticket holders to explore the museum while they wait.

Visitors will find the artworks on the ground floor of the Art Institutes contemporary wing, where the paintings will be displayed side-by-side for the first time since they were unveiled in February of 2018. (As is tradition, portraits of former presidents and their respective spouses live in different exhibition spaces at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.)

Its a fitting spot to kick off the tour: Barack and Michelle Obama had their first date at the museum in the late 1980s.

The Obamas and the museum help define Chicago for people outside Chicago, the Art Institutes president and director James Rondeau told the Washington Post this week.

The portraits, he went on, tell a story of a president and a first lady, a narrative of all the firsts they represent. But seeing them on the wall together, they are perhaps a little more Michelle and Barack Obama. They carry all of the historical precedents, and they carry some of their humanity.

The official portraits of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, painted by Wiley and Sherald, respectively, attracted mass crowds upon being installed at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in early 2018, leading to smashed attendance records and stories of gallery-goers breaking into tears.

In the two years and change that the artworks were on view at the museum, well over four million people saw them, a representative from the NPG saidand thats a conservative estimate.

People stand in line to see the commissioned portrait of former President Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley at the Smithsonians National Portrait Gallery on February 20, 2018 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images.

After Chicago, the portraits will make consecutive two-month stops at the Brooklyn Museum (August 27October 24, 2021); the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (November 7, 2021January 2, 2022); the High Museum of Art (January 7, 2022March 13, 2022); and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (March 27, 2022May 30, 2022), in that order.

These five tour destinations were chosen for their connection to the artists and the Obamas, the NPGs director, Kim Sajet, told Artnet News upon announcing the tour last year. Wiley was born in L.A. and is now based in Brooklyn, for instance, while Sherald went to college in Atlanta.

Because of the attention the portraits brought to the museum, so many people discovered the Portrait Gallery for the first time. They came to see the portraits and then stayed to look at everything else, Sajet said. I hope that is exactly what will happen at the museums where theyll go on tour.

The Obama Portraits will be on view at the Art Institute of Chicago June 18 through August 15, 2021.

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The Obama Presidential Portraits Kick Off an 11-Month Tour in Chicago This Week. Tickets Are Already Selling Out - artnet News

(CBS DETROIT)-Its a celebration!

Juneteenth is a holiday that we all celebrate for our, for freedom, said 10 year oldKameron Caverduncan.

Freedom from slavery for African Americans in 1865 now being recognized as a National holiday in 2021.

During an interview I asked Kameron.. When you grow up you can tell other kids, this happened when I was 10 years old, how does that make you feel

Make me feel good, Kameron said.

Like his fellow students at the Barack Obama Leadership Academy (formally the Timbuktu Academy,) on Detroits Eastside, Kameron has this holiday as a part of his curriculum.

We are an African centered school and the entire year we do prep and plan for Juneteenth, said Kim Pritchett, principal at the Barack Obama Leadership Academy.

Staff members say the k-5 students know exactly why they celebrate Juneteenth and its importance.

There needs to be a day that recognizes Africans that were put into slavery and when the last of them were freed in Texas and thats only because troops came in, black troops came into that town, saidBernard Parker, CEO of Barack Obama Leadership Academy.

Throughout the day Friday the students and community enjoyed a program on the history of Juneteenth, a petting farm, house back rides, bounced in bounce houses and danced.

The students enjoyed the day, while reflecting on the past.

If you dont know your past youre not going to be able to do a thing in the future, said Parker.

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Juneteenth Not Only a Holiday At The Barack Obama Leadership Academy, Its Part Of The Curriculum, And Has Been Over 20 Years - CBS Detroit

The Netflix movie "Fatherhood" is not just unique because it features Kevin Hart in a dramatic role, but also because it's one of the rare times onscreen where a Black father is portrayed in a positive light.

Because of that, the movie grabbed the attention of Barack and Michelle Obama, whose production company, Higher Ground, is attached to the Netflix film, out Friday.

"I got to talk to Obama," Hart told Insider, adding that the former president is a film buff. "He really saw the opportunity in this movie for positive messaging attached to a Black man being a good father."

In the movie, Hart plays a father who raises his daughter alone after the death of his wife during childbirth.

The comedian said even before the Obamas got involved in "Fatherhood," Barack was a supporter of his career.

"He has always shown a high level of love and support for the things I've done, which is dope as hell," he added.

The Obamas formed Higher Ground in 2018, signing a multi-year deal with Netflix to produce TV and film projects that lift diverse voices.

Previous to "Fatherhood," Higher Ground was involved with the 2019 Oscar-winning Netflix documentary "American Factory," about a Chinese company that takes over a shuttered General Motors plant in Ohio; and 2020's "Becoming," which looked inside Michelle promoting her memoir on a national book tour.

Based on Matthew Logelin's 2011 memoir "Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love," for years "Fatherhood" lingered in development hell (at one time Channing Tatum was attached to play the lead) until Hart got his hands on the script in 2019.

The film, where Hart is also a producer through his own HartBeat Productions, marks his first major plunge into dramatic acting.

Hart plans to follow this up with another dramatic work for Netflix, the HartBeat-produced limited series, "True Story," in which he plays a fictional version of himself: a Philadelphia-born comic whose relationship with his troubled older brother (played by Wesley Snipes) could destroy the career he's trying to build.

No release date has been announced yet for the series.

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Kevin Hart reveals why Barack Obama joined Netflix's 'Fatherhood' - Insider

Bill Gates speaks at US Chamber of Global Forum

During the pandemic lockdown and now in the middle of a high-profile, very public divorce, billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates still hits the books and hopes you do as well.

"I hope at least one of these books sparks your interest this summer," Gates said as he rolled out his annual reading recommendations.

"When I finish one book and am deciding what to read next, there usually isnt always rhyme or reason to what I pick," Gates wrote in a blog post on Monday. "Sometimes Ill read one great book and get inspired to read several more about the same subject. Other times I am eager to follow a recommendation from someone I respect."

Gates says he has recently been drawn to books about "the complicated relationship between humanity and nature" while reflecting upon the impact of the global pandemic. "Maybe its because everyones lives have been upended by a virus," Gates writes. "Or maybe its because Ive spent so much time this year talking about what we need to do to avoid a climate disaster."

Here's the top five list

BILL GATES IS A POTATO FARMER, HOEING FOR MCDONALDS FRIES

Kicking off Gates' list is Lights Out: Pride, Delusion and the Fall of General Electric.

Lights Out: Pride, Delusion and the Fall of General Electric by Thomas Gryta and Ted Mann (Photo courtesy of Amazon)

According to Gates, Wall Street Journal reporters Thomas Gryta and Ted Mann give an "unflinching look at the mistakes and missteps made by GEs leadership."

"GE is a mythic corporation. It was at one time the largest, most powerful company in the world," Gates writes. "When GE started using Microsoft software in our early days, that gave us a huge boost in the market, because GE was such a bellwether company."

However, he notes that the GE ended up "crashing to Earth in one of the greatest downfalls in business history."

Gates said that his first big takeaway from Lights Out was that one of GE's greatest apparent strengths turned out to be one of its greatest weaknesses.

"For many years, investors loved GEs stock because the GE management team always "made their numbers"that is, the company produced earnings per share at least as large as what Wall Street analysts predicted," Gates explains. "It turns out that culture of making the numbers at all costs gave rise to "success theater" and "chasing earnings."

His other takeaway was that GE "did not have the right talent and systems to bundle together a dizzying array of unrelated businessesand manage them well."

Ultimately, he believes Lights Out is an essential read for anyone in a leadership role who wants to avoid the mistakes made by GE.

BILL GATES' NEXT GENERATION NUCLEAR REACTOR TO BE BUILT IN WYOMING

For an "enjoyable read" Gates recommendsUnder a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Pulitzer Prize-winning staff writer at The New Yorker, Elizabeth Kolbert, which he says is the "most straightforward examination of "humanity versus nature" on this list."

The book covers a variety of topics, from attempts to save coral reefs and control flooding in southern Louisiana to the concept of gene drive and geoengineering.

While Gates believes Under a White Sky is a "good reminder that we need to watch out for the unforeseen effects of our actions," he claims he is "more of an optimist" than Kolbert.

BILL GATES AND MELINDA FRENCH GATES EXPLORE CHANGES TO FOUNDATION

The autobiography of the 44th president, A Promised Land by Barack Obama, covers the author's life up through the operation that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Gates called the book a "terrific read, no matter what your politics are" which "captures how complex the job of running the country is."

"Obama makes it clear the positives of the jobespecially the opportunity to make lives betteroutweigh the negatives," Gates notes. "But overall, the memoir left me with a surprisingly melancholy impression of what its like to be the president."

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In what some may see as an unusual read on Gates' list, The Overstory by Richard Powers follows the lives of nine people and examines their connection with trees. The book won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2019.

"Even though the book takes a pretty extreme view towards the need to protect forests, I was moved by each characters passion for their cause and finished the book eager to learn more about trees," Gates said.

Gates warned in his review that The Overstory isn't a book where everything "gets tied up with a bowand adds, "I didnt mind the lack of clarity, but some other people might. If you are in the mood for something that stimulates your thinking instead of providing answers, though, youll love The Overstory. Its very well-written and takes twists you wouldnt expect."

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Rounding out his top five picks, An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives, written by Pulitzer Prize-winningNew York Timesjournalist Matt Richtel, covers the human immune system and how it interacts with the latest advancements in treatments, biologics.

"He keeps the subject accessible by focusing on four patients, each of whom is forced to manage their immune system in one way or another," Gates said. "Their stories make for a super interesting look at the science of immunity."

Though the book was published prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gates says it is a "valuable read" that gives readers all the context needed to understand the science of immunity.

"In the process of reading about the four people in An Elegant Defense, you absorb quite a lot of useful and interesting science," Gates said. "Most important, youll come away with a much better understanding of our immune systems awesome complexityand the delicate, even precarious, tradeoffs inherent in its workings."

"Now that Ive read An Elegant Defense, I have a deeper, more nuanced appreciation for the system that is at the core of humanitys fight against COVID-19 and everything our foundations Global Health program is trying to do," he added.

The list's release was originally slated for May 10 but was postponed. On May 3, Gates announced that he and his wife Melinda were ending their 27-year marriage. Following the announcement, Gates has transferred billions in various stock holdings to his soon-to-be ex-wife, while dealing with reports of infidelity.

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(Tribune News Service) The former White House doctor who gave a glowing report in 2018 about then-PresidentDonald Trumpscognitive abilities is calling on PresidentJoe Bidento take the same test.

U.S.Rep.Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, led a group of 14Republicanswho sent Biden a letter on Thursday urging him to take a cognitive test and make the results public.

The freshman Congressman served asWhite Housephysician under former presidentsGeorge W. Bush,Barack Obamaand Trump. In 2018, he gave Trump a clean bill of health after an annual physical and cognitive test that came amid questions about Trumps mental fitness to serve.

At the time, Jackson said it was the first instance he knew of a cognitive test being administered to a sitting president, saying Trump was mentally very sharp.

We believe that, regardless of gender, age, or political party, all presidents should follow the precedent set by formerPresident Trumpto document and demonstrate sound mental abilities, Jackson and his Republican colleagues wrote in theirJune 17letter to Biden.

The Trump campaign made Bidens mental fitness a major piece of its 2020 campaign. In campaign ads and rallies, Trump sought to paint Biden as mentally unfit to serve. His mental fitness has been a regular target for misinformation spreading online.

Biden, 78, is the oldest president in American history.

TheWhite Housedid not immediately respond to a request for comment. Biden has bristled at questions about his mental capabilities. Bidens doctor released a medical report inDecember 2019in which he described Biden as healthy, vigorous and fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency, according to The Associated Press. NBC News reported the report did not mention mental deficiencies.

Jackson said in a prepared statement that it is past time that Biden submit to a cognitive test.

The American people deserve to have absolute confidence in their president, he said in the statement. They deserve to know that he or she can perform the duties demanded of the office, and they deserve to have full transparency on the mental state of their highest elected leader.

Jackson claimed Biden has shown clear mental impairment.

Jackson was elected last year inTexas13th Congressional district. Trump nominated Jackson, aNavyrear admiral, to serve as secretary of theDepartment of Veterans Affairsin 2018, but he withdrew from consideration amid allegations of misconduct, including drinking on the job and contributing to a hostile work environment.

The other 13Republicanswho signed the letter are:

*U.S.Rep.Bob Gibbs, ofOhio*U.S.Rep.Jeff Duncan, ofSouth Carolina*U.S.Rep.Andy Harris, ofMaryland*U.S.Rep.Brian Babin, ofTexas*U.S.Rep.Jody Hice, ofGeorgia*U.S.Rep.Claudia Tenney, ofNew York*U.S.Rep.W. Gregory Steube, ofFlorida*U.S.Rep.Tom Tiffany, ofWisconsin*U.S.Rep.Kat Cammack, ofFlorida*U.S.Rep.Jerry Carl, ofAlabama*U.S.Rep.Pat Fallon, ofTexas*U.S.Rep.Diana Harsbarger, ofTennessee*U.S.Rep.Beth Van Duyne, ofTexas

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