Celebrities, guests arrive for Kennedy Center Honors program

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Celebrities, guests arrive for Kennedy Center Honors program

2018-12-03 07:39 Last Updated At：07:50

Celebrities and guests are arriving at Washington's Kennedy Center for this year's Kennedy Center Honors program.

The artists receiving this year's lifetime artistic achievement award on Sunday are Cher, composer Phillip Glass, country music legend Reba McEntire and jazz icon Wayne Shorter. The co-creators of "Hamilton" will receive a unique award honoring them as "trailblazing creators of a transformative work that defies category."

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2018 Kennedy Center Honorees the co-creators of "Hamilton," from left, Andy Blankenbuehler, Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Alex Lacamoire pose for a selfie following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

Celebrities and guests are arriving at Washington's Kennedy Center for this year's Kennedy Center Honors program.

2018 Kennedy Center Honoree jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter arrives at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

Other presidents have missed Kennedy Center ceremonies, but Trump is the first to miss them twice. He returned early Sunday from the Group of 20 summit in Argentina.

2018 Kennedy Center Honoree Andy Blankenbuehler, one of the co-creators of "Hamilton," and wife, Elly Blankenbuehler, arrive at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

Pianist Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad arrive at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

2018 Kennedy Center Honoree Philip Glass, second right, talks with fellow Honorees, the co-creators of "Hamilton," Thomas Kail, center, Lin-Manuel Miranda, second from left, Alex Lacamoire, left, Andy Blankenbuehler, right, following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

2018 Kennedy Center Honorees Thomas Kail, left, one of the co-creators of "Hamilton," talks with Wayne Shorter, jazz saxophonist and composer, following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

2018 Kennedy Center Honorees Reba McEntire, right, and Wayne Shorter talk together following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

2018 Kennedy Center Honorees, the co-creators of "Hamilton," Alex Lacamoire, left, Andy Blankenbuehler, second from left, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail, right, pose with Tony Award nominee Christopher Jackson, for originating the role of George Washington in "Hamilton," center, following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

Front row from left, David Rubenstein, 2018 Kennedy Center Honorees Wayne Shorter, Philip Glass, Reba McEntire, Cher, Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter; back row from left, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, Grace Rodriguez, and the 2018 Kennedy Center Honorees, the co-creators of "Hamilton," Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Andy Blankenbuehler, and Alex Lacamoire pose for the group photo at the State Department following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

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Celebrities and guests are arriving at Washington's Kennedy Center for this year's Kennedy Center Honors program.

Other presidents have missed Kennedy Center ceremonies, but Trump is the first to miss them twice. He returned early Sunday from the Group of 20 summit in Argentina.

2018 Kennedy Center Honoree Andy Blankenbuehler, one of the co-creators of "Hamilton," and wife, Elly Blankenbuehler, arrive at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

Pianist Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad arrive at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

2018 Kennedy Center Honoree Philip Glass, second right, talks with fellow Honorees, the co-creators of "Hamilton," Thomas Kail, center, Lin-Manuel Miranda, second from left, Alex Lacamoire, left, Andy Blankenbuehler, right, following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

2018 Kennedy Center Honorees Thomas Kail, left, one of the co-creators of "Hamilton," talks with Wayne Shorter, jazz saxophonist and composer, following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

2018 Kennedy Center Honorees Reba McEntire, right, and Wayne Shorter talk together following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

2018 Kennedy Center Honorees, the co-creators of "Hamilton," Alex Lacamoire, left, Andy Blankenbuehler, second from left, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail, right, pose with Tony Award nominee Christopher Jackson, for originating the role of George Washington in "Hamilton," center, following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

Front row from left, David Rubenstein, 2018 Kennedy Center Honorees Wayne Shorter, Philip Glass, Reba McEntire, Cher, Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter; back row from left, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, Grace Rodriguez, and the 2018 Kennedy Center Honorees, the co-creators of "Hamilton," Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Andy Blankenbuehler, and Alex Lacamoire pose for the group photo at the State Department following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

For the second straight year, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will not attend.

Other presidents have missed Kennedy Center ceremonies, but Trump is the first to miss them twice. He returned early Sunday from the Group of 20 summit in Argentina.

Had he gone to the Kennedy Center, it's unlikely he would have been warmly welcomed by at least some of the honorees.

US envoy to UN visits Nagasaki A-bomb museum, pays tribute to victims

2024-04-19 20:20 Last Updated At：20:31

TOKYO (AP) — The American envoy to the United Nations called Friday for countries armed with atomic weapons to pursue nuclear disarmament as she visited the atomic bomb museum in Nagasaki, Japan.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who became the first U.S. cabinet member to visit Nagasaki, stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy amid a growing nuclear threat in the region.

“We must continue to work together to create an environment for nuclear disarmament. We must continue to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in every corner of the world,” she said after a tour of the atomic bomb museum.

“For those of us who already have those weapons, we must pursue arms control. We can and must work to ensure that Nagasaki is the last place to ever experience the horror of nuclear weapons,” she added, standing in front of colorful hanging origami cranes, a symbol of peace.

The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. A second attack three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more people. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.

Nagasaki Gov. Kengo Oishi said in a statement that he believed Thomas-Greenfield's visit and her first-person experience at the museum “will be a strong message in promoting momentum of nuclear disarmament for the international society at a time the world faces a severe environment surrounding atomic weapons.”

Oishi said he conveyed to the ambassador the increasingly important role of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in emphasizing the need of nuclear disarmament.

Thomas-Greenfield's visit to Japan comes on the heels of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official visit to the United States last week and is aimed at deepening Washington's trilateral ties with Tokyo and Seoul. During her visit to South Korea earlier this week, she held talks with South Korean officials, met with defectors from North Korea and visited the demilitarized zone.

The ambassador said the United States is looking into setting up a new mechanism for monitoring North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Russia and China have thwarted U.S.-led efforts to step up U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its ballistic missile testing since 2022, underscoring a deepening divide between permanent Security Council members over Russia’s war on Ukraine.

She said it would be “optimal” to launch the new system next month, though it is uncertain if that is possible.

The U.N. Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions, and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years until last month, when Russia vetoed another renewal.

In its most recent report, the panel of experts said it is investigating 58 suspected North Korean cyberattacks between 2017 and 2023 valued at approximately $3 billion, with the money reportedly being used to help fund its weapons development.

The United States, Japan and South Korea have been deepening security ties amid growing tension in the region from North Korea and China.

Celebrities, guests arrive for Kennedy Center Honors program

ENT

Celebrities, guests arrive for Kennedy Center Honors program

Celebrities and guests are arriving at Washington's Kennedy Center for this year's Kennedy Center Honors program.

Other presidents have missed Kennedy Center ceremonies, but Trump is the first to miss them twice. He returned early Sunday from the Group of 20 summit in Argentina.

2018 Kennedy Center Honoree Andy Blankenbuehler, one of the co-creators of "Hamilton," and wife, Elly Blankenbuehler, arrive at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

Pianist Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad arrive at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

2018 Kennedy Center Honorees Thomas Kail, left, one of the co-creators of "Hamilton," talks with Wayne Shorter, jazz saxophonist and composer, following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

2018 Kennedy Center Honorees Reba McEntire, right, and Wayne Shorter talk together following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

Celebrities and guests are arriving at Washington's Kennedy Center for this year's Kennedy Center Honors program.

Other presidents have missed Kennedy Center ceremonies, but Trump is the first to miss them twice. He returned early Sunday from the Group of 20 summit in Argentina.

2018 Kennedy Center Honoree Andy Blankenbuehler, one of the co-creators of "Hamilton," and wife, Elly Blankenbuehler, arrive at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

Pianist Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad arrive at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

2018 Kennedy Center Honorees Thomas Kail, left, one of the co-creators of "Hamilton," talks with Wayne Shorter, jazz saxophonist and composer, following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

2018 Kennedy Center Honorees Reba McEntire, right, and Wayne Shorter talk together following the Kennedy Center Honors State Department Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Washington. (AP PhotoKevin Wolf)

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