judge orders return of slavery exhibit at presidents house barbican director devyani saltzman departs morning links for february 17 2026 1234773548
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily rehang an exhibition about slavery at the President's House monument in Philadelphia, blocking its removal by the Interior Department and National Park Service. The judge compared the government's attempt to alter historical facts to the "Ministry of Truth" from George Orwell's '1984'.
Separately, Devyani Saltzman, the director of London's Barbican arts center, has abruptly departed her role just over a year after starting. Her exit follows a period of institutional turmoil, including controversy over the cancellation of a lecture series, and comes shortly after the arrival of a new chief executive.