retire

Sept. 8, 2026 11:29 AM PT

WASHINGTON — Lonnie Bunch is stepping down from the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution following a tumultuous year in which President Trump tried to remake the portrayal of U.S. history by the Smithsonian museums and other cultural entities.

Bunch said in a news release Tuesday that he was departing the position he had held since 2019 “with very mixed emotions and heartfelt gratitude.” The Smithsonian said he would leave the post at the end of the year.

Bunch’s departure comes two months after a White House report branded the leaders of the Smithsonian Institution, especially at the National Museum of American History, as radical activists who cannot be trusted, an indication that Trump could be preparing to install his own team.

Anthea M. Hartig, the first female director of that museum, faced growing scrutiny from Trump and other Republicans over the summer after the White House Domestic Policy Council’s report saying the museum’s leadership doesn’t tell history “in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.”

Three weeks after the report’s release, Trump ordered his administration to install signs in front of the U.S. history museum telling visitors that some of the exhibits are inaccurate. Hartig pushed back, telling lawmakers during congressional hearings that the report “does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum.”

There had been speculation that firings were in the offing. Trump doesn’t have the power to fire leaders at the Smithsonian with the swiftness he’s managed at other top cultural institutions in Washington, most notably the Kennedy Center, where a board of his supporters named him chairman.

The Smithsonian operates outside the executive branch and museum directors report to Bunch, who is subject to oversight from a Board of Regents that includes Vice President JD Vance, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, a bipartisan group of lawmakers and so-called citizen regents.

Roberts, who serves as Smithsonian’s chancellor, said in a release that Bunch had “pursued excellence in the telling of our nation’s story.”

The White House did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

The Smithsonian has been under examination by the Trump administration since 2025 as it has focused on the images and messages presented to the public as the nation approached its 250th anniversary.

A March 2025 executive order, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, led to signs being changed at federal parks, exhibits being altered or in some cases removed, and military bases being renamed. Trump specifically cited the National Museum of African American History and Culture and argued that the Smithsonian as a whole was engaging in a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history.”

Several months later, the White House ordered a wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions before the country’s 250th birthday, with a goal of aligning the institution’s content with Trump’s interpretation of American history.

In a letter sent to Bunch at the time, the White House detailed the steps it expected the organization to take as part of the announced review. The examination is of all public-facing content, including social media, exhibition text and educational materials, to “assess tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals,” according to the letter.

That review initially focused on eight museums — the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Kinnard and Fields write for the Associated Press. Kinnard reported from Columbia, S.C.

A Wigan boy, Farrell came from a strong rugby league background, cousin of former Wigan Warriors captain Andy, now head coach of Ireland’s rugby union team.

Coming through the Warriors’ academy system, Farrell was handed his debut as a teenager in April 2010 and by the end of that year, he was appearing in Wigan’s Grand Final success over St Helens at Old Trafford, having also played a few games on loan at Widnes Vikings.

But since then, the forward has only ever played for the Cherry and Whites – a pillar of consistency in the pack.

As well as the team honours, Farrell has been included in the Super League Dream Team on six occasions, while he was also the Harry Sunderland Trophy winner as player of the match in the 2016 Grand Final win over Warrington Wolves.

He was the natural replacement to succeed Thomas Leulaui as Wigan skipper and his quiet steel and authority have been at the forefront of a new glorious era for the club under head coach Matt Peet.

Farrell has won seven of the 11 trophies up for grabs during his time as captain, the most recent being the Challenge Cup at Wembley in May, and he may add two more before he retires as Wigan chase the League Leaders’ Shield and the Grand Final next month.

“You have to make the right call at the right time, and I think I have done that,” he said. “Speaking to people close to me, professionals and the advice I have been given, it’s the right time.

“Playing one game for Wigan was always the goal for me. If I had have done that and never played again I’d have been immensely proud, my family would have been proud and we’d have gone back to being Wigan fans. So to have been able to play over 400 games in this jersey has been nothing short of incredible.”

Cathy Engelbert will retire as WNBA commissioner at the end of the year, ending a tenure of seven-plus years that saw both tremendous growth and some turmoil for the league.

“In 2019, I had the privilege of being appointed the league’s first commissioner and to lead a league with enormous potential yet untapped awareness and significant undervaluation,” Engelbert said in a statement released by the WNBA. “Over the years, it has been amazing to watch WNBA players thrive and lead the massive cultural surge around women’s sports.”

Engelbert, 61, told the Associated Press that she has been considering retirement for months and wasn’t pressured into making the decision by NBA or WNBA stakeholders. She added that she will help with finding the next commissioner and with the transition period that follows.

“We’ll run a real succession process in the remaining four months,” Engelbert told AP. “If we don’t find someone, I’ll stay on.”

During Engelbert’s tenure, the WNBA has experienced record TV ratings and robust attendance, with a lucrative media rights deal being finalized this year and plans in place for expansion to 18 teams by 2030. An influx of talented and popular young players — including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers — helped along those lines.

Engelbert also helped the league and its players’ union agree on a new collective bargaining agreement this spring, resulting in the first million-dollar salaries for WNBA players.

Still, the negotiations leading up to the CBA were strained at times. Other issues surrounding the league — including player safety, the eligibility of transgender players, and the inconsistency of on-court officials — have caused some to question Engelbert’s leadership ability.

“Cathy has presided over the WNBA through the most significant period of growth in the league’s 30-year history,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in the WNBA’s news release. “We are grateful for Cathy’s leadership and unwavering commitment to the advancement of women’s basketball.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

St Helens legend Jonny Lomax has announced he is to retire at the end of the Super League season.

The 35-year-old, who has not featured since fracturing his jaw in the defeat by Warrington Wolves in June, has made 388 appearances for Saints, winning five Grand Finals, one Challenge Cup and a World Club Challenge.

He won four caps for Great Britain and 11 for England, including a World Cup final appearance against Australia in 2017.

“Over the last 20 years, I have been able to live out a boyhood dream. Achieving far more than I could ever have imagined. Representing and captaining my hometown club and, of course, the pinnacle, representing England and Great Britain,” he told the club website., external

“I have been fortunate enough to meet some incredible people along the way, experiencing some incredible highs with them. As well as some testing times too.”

He added: “I will retire at the age of 36, grateful for the life the game has given me, knowing I have given it everything I could, with the scars to prove it (19 operations, including 12 knee operations by the age of 26). Despite this, I still feel lucky.

“For those that have supported me throughout it all… I hope I have been able to do you proud.”

Saints chairman Eamonn McManus called Lomax, who made his debut in March 2009 aged 18, “the bravest of brave in the bravest of sports”.

St Helens are seventh in Super League with three games of the campaign to go.

They are two points behind reigning champions Hull KR, who they play in the final game of the regular season, as they look to secure a place in the top six and avoid missing out on the Super League play-offs for the first time.

They left the UK earlier this year with their sons aged six and four

A couple ‘retired’ by 33 and 32 ditched the UK to travel the world with their kids – spending just £60 a day.

Ryan Blackley, 35, and wife Jess, 34, headed out to Chang Mai, Thailand, on February 24, 2026, with sons Noah, six, and Bodhi, four. They had travelled together back in 2016 before having children and say they knew their future would “lie outside the UK”.

By renting out the two flats and family home they still own, the pair class themselves as retired and can fund their new lifestyle with the profits. The original plan to move to Portugal and travel Europe changed when they realised the climate would be warmer in the winter months in Asia, making the jump to move 5,800 miles away.

Leaving with just two suitcases and a backpack each, the couple reckon they spend an average of £1,800 each month compared to their £2,200 per month costs in the UK. They also bring in an estimated £2,500 monthly from their rentals.

They don’t plan to return to live in the UK and have a five-year Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) – which allows them to both live and work remotely there. With plans to continue world-schooling their sons, so far they say they are “thriving” in their new life.

Ryan, originally from Cambridge, said: “We had a plan basically of how to get out of the UK and that was through property. But I think we obviously had a good life in the UK, but it got to a point where I guess we felt that the UK wasn’t the right place for us to live and bring up kids.

“The cost of living is insane. We’ve got two boys and at some point they are going to want to go out on their own and we don’t feel the UK is a safe country anymore because knife crime is massive and I don’t want one of the kids being a statistic of knife crime anymore.

“The school system is a very outdated system. For us, the whole concept of life is backwards because you’ve got to go to school, work and then enjoy life when you’re 68 years old.

“Who knows one, if you’ll be alive then and then two, health-wise what that will be. This way we’re teaching the kids everything.

“They know how to read, write, maths, English etc and then learn the skills they don’t get taught at school. We both class ourselves as retired because the property work requires minimal upkeep and effort.”

Mum Jess said they got caught up in the “monotony” of school runs back in the UK. “Every time I’d pick Noah up from school I’d ask ‘how was your day blah blah blah’,” she said.

“He’d say ‘these kids were naughty today’ or ‘these kids got their names on the board’ and I never heard positive things. I thought ‘what’s the point?’.

“I feel like a lot of the school day is spent controlling the class and troublesome kids. How much is actually spent learning?”

After buying her first flat at 20 for £120,000, Jess rented it out and the couple bought their second flat for £145,000 after they saved up some money while travelling and working abroad for two-and-a-half years – visiting 27 countries. They went ahead and sold it for £183,000, before buying another two-bed flat £190,000 – and finally buying their four-bed family home in 2021.

Renting them all out either through Airbnb or with private tenants, they have been able to retire early after bringing in £2,500 per month.

“Obviously we still have the house in the UK and if this all fails, we’ll simply go back,” Ryan said. “We’ve done nearly six months already and I don’t see us ever returning, not in a living capacity but literally just to visit the family.

“It’s crazy we lived in the house and all we travel with is two large suitcases and a backpack each. It makes you realise you don’t need much in life.”

Flying out in February to Chang Mai, after their 60-day tourist visa expired they crossed the border to Laos and applied for their five-year DTV. Since then, they have travelled around Thailand, including visits to Chang Rai, Bangkok, Udon Thani and Kanchanaburi. Currently in Koh Samui, they plan to visit Malaysia and Singapore next.

“The plan still is to travel the world, but having a base in Asia makes it easier,” Ryan said. “We’ve basically got freedom and don’t have to be anywhere by a certain date or time.

“It’s just the four of us and we pretty much go with the flow. It’s just nice being free”.

The couple have stayed in a mixture of Airbnbs, apartments and hotels and only usually book their next spot a few days in advance. They don’t budget, but Ryan said he made a note of everything they spend and they have been eating out for lunch and dinner since their travels began.

“We’re quite fine with the simple life, like eating Thai food,” he said. “We don’t drink alcohol or go to bars or fancy restaurants.

“The rolling average from the last five months is £1,800 for the month for four of us. We were everyday people, just a normal family who had a dream to get out and travel the world and give our kids a different life.

“I can understand it can be scary because it’s going into the unknown and going away from your family and friends, home comforts and everything. But if you don’t try it out, how do you know you’re not going to like it?”

You can follow Ryan and Jess on Instagram and YouTube @blackleysabroad TikTok @travelwiththeblackleys.

Ryan and Jess’ cost breakdown

UK costs per month

Mortgage – £1,459

Bills – £427

Food – £400

Total: £2,296

Thailand costs in July

Accommodation – £790

Food – £350 a month

Other – Days out, transport, miscellaneous- average per month £420

Total: £1,560

Rolling average per month: £1,800