Laura Bush and Jill Biden Are Among Bipartisan Showing at Cheney Remembrance
Plus, First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Usha Vance make joint visit to North Carolina military base ahead of Thanksgiving.
Former First Ladies Laura Bush and Dr. Jill Biden accompanied their husbands, former President George W. Bush and Former President Joe Biden, to pay tribute to former Vice President Dick Cheney on Thursday alongside family members and mourners at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Cheney died earlier this month. He was 84.
Also in attendance were other former vice presidents from both political parties, including Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore and Dan Quayle. President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance were not in attendance at the remembrance because they were reportedly not invited. Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama also did not attend, neither did former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, a former United States secretary of state, former U.S. senator from New York, and former first lady.
Cheney served as Bush’s vice president from 2001 to 2009 and was considered polarizing and controversial mostly for his role leading the invasion of Iraq in 2003, according to USA Today. Later, he was a vocal critic of Mr. Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
First and Second Ladies Greet Military Members and Families in Ahead of Thanksgiving
First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Usha Vance made a joint pre-Thanksgiving visit Wednesday to Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina where they engaged with students and thanked the military members and their families for their service.
“I want to thank you, all of you, because you and military families are behind our nation’s defense … thank you for your service,” Mrs. Trump said inside the Lejeune High School gymnasium. “My husband, the president, is sending best regards. We are both thinking of you and you are in our thoughts and prayers for [the] holidays every day, but especially for the holidays.”
The first lady in her remarks from inside a hangar to about 1,500 service members also stressed the growing importance of Artificial Intelligence to the military, noting that “technology is changing the art of war.”
“Artificial Intelligence is propelling America’s military into a new era. We are moving from human operators to human overseers fast,” Mrs. Trump said. “The shift from soldiers to machines is already underway.”
The visit to the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast marks the first time the women traveled together outside of Washington. The first lady acknowledged and thanked those who packed care packages for loved ones and service members. The two women spent the day speaking with military members and their families to show appreciation for those who serve during the holiday season, according to the Office of First Lady.
Mrs. Trump also described a visit where she and Mrs. Vance engaged in an AP Research class where the first lady spoke about the Presidential AI Challenge, she said.
“They were fantastic and they represented Lejeune High School very well,” she said. “So we must be very proud of them.”
Four female students demonstrated how they used AI to generate videos for their research into how electronic media affects sleep and adolescent wellbeing, as well as a study on social media addiction and how it affects young people’s esteem and body image, The Associated Press reported. The women also visited with younger children and joined them in making turkey crafts.
The first lady in August launched the Presidential Artificial Intelligence (AI) Challenge, inviting K-12 students and educators across America to participate. The Presidential AI Challenge, according to its website, seeks to inspire young people and educators to create AI-based innovative solutions to community challenges. Students and educators of all backgrounds and expertise are encouraged to participate in an effort to help foster interest and competency in AI technology in America’s youth.
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Michelle Obama Shares Annie Leibovitz Photo Shoot
Nov. 21, 2025 — Former First Lady Michelle Obama on Friday posted a portrait of herself on social media taken by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz for her book Women.
“Annie Leibovitz has always known that a photo can do more than preserve a moment—it can say something,” Mrs. Obama said. “Her book Women did exactly that, expanding how we see women and the lives they lead through her lens.”
The former first lady, who is currently promoting her latest book The Look, went on to say “it was an honor to be photographed by Annie for the new edition, capturing the many ways women are showing up today.”
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Nov. 21, 2025 — Former First Lady Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson sit down with Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo on their IMO podcast Cynthia Erivo on Wicked, Creativity, and Becoming the Best Version of You for a powerful, heartfelt conversation about creativity, identity, ambition, and the courage to become your fullest self. View here
On Wednesday, in a newly released The Look podcast Aging & Wisdom: A Conversation on No Regrets, the former first lady talks with legendary women about aging. Actress and activist Jane Fonda, former model and activist Bethann Hardison, and designer and businesswoman Jenna Lyons join Obama to discuss what it means to age: to not just physically evolve, but also to come closer to our own purpose with age. Plus, they share some surprising advice about love. View here
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It was a bitterly cold January 20, 2009, on the West Front of the United States Capitol facing the National Mall. She describes choosing a “sunny and optimistic” lemongrass shift dress made of silk-lined wool lace with a matching coat created by the Cuban American designer Isabel Toledo. And as she held the Bible as her husband took the oath of office, her mind began to wander. Read more
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