Some families were unaware of the closures Monday and were seen trying to visit the National Museum of Natural History.

Washington

The ongoing government shutdown in the United States has led to the closure of all Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo in Washington, DC. These institutions, which include 21 museums and several research and education centers, had remained open until recently but are now closed with locked doors.

The closures have impacted both local residents and tourists, many of whom traveled specifically to visit these attractions. Visitors, including families and tour groups, have expressed disappointment at the closures, noting that the Smithsonian museums are typically free and a major draw for millions each year. Some are now seeking alternative activities, though many of the remaining options are not free.

Shutdown shutters Smithsonian museums and National Zoo

The ongoing government shutdown is not just affecting federal workers. It's also impacting the lives of everyday Americans. Government-funded services have been cut. Even places like the Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo in the nation's capital are now closed to the public. Scripps News Washington correspondent Stephanie Liebergen now joins us live from our nation's capital. And Stephanie, you have been out and about speaking with people all along the National Mall. What are they saying? Hey Holly, good afternoon. While people are certainly disappointed that they are here in the nation's capital and they're not able to go to the Smithsonian's, there are 21 museums, there's the National Zoo, and there's even more research and education centers. All of them were able to stay open through Saturday this past weekend. And as of yesterday, as of Sunday, all of them are now closed, doors locked. We're outside of the National History Museum, which is the most popular of all of the Smithsonian locations. And even this morning, we've seen a steady stream of people walking up to the doors, seeing the sign that is on the doors behind us. There's a couple people walking up right now thinking that they can go into the Smithsonian Museum and thinking that they can, you know, make this part of their visit or part of their day. We've heard from even some local people who had young children that she was hoping to take through the museum, something they don't typically get to do, coming in on a Monday, taking advantage of the federal holiday, and really being disappointed that the Smithsonian's are closed. But especially for people that are in from out of town, it's extra disappointing. I talked to a couple from Oklahoma earlier this morning. They're here for a couple days while they're on their way to somewhere else in the Northeast, and they are certainly disappointed that their trip is not going as planned. Take a listen. We've, I guess, been waiting for a number of years, and we thought, okay, we're coming through to go up to the New England area. So we wanted to stop in DC for three, four days, see all the Smithsonian's that we haven't gotten to see. I feel sorry for the people that maybe made a vacation to come here. I mean, that's the ones that it's like, you got to be disappointed. But for us, we're just, we're just gonna wander. We're just gonna look, see the monuments, and make the most of it. Now, one thing that we haven't spotted yet since we've been out here today are those large tourist groups that are very common and frequent all throughout Washington, D. C. The big buses, the school tours of the international tours haven't run into any of them yet this morning. But if we do, I'm certainly curious to ask how they are filling their time. I mentioned a local woman and some young kids. They were hoping to go through the National Natural History Museum behind me. Um, and so she's trying to figure out what to do now, because the Smithsonian's are all free to the public. It is something that is available to anyone. And so now she's trying to figure out, well, what am I gonna do with these kiddos and thinking about other museums here in D. C. That maybe they can spend their time at, but they're not free. And so that's a big perk of the Smithsonian. Um, and part of the draw is it gets millions of a year. The Natural History Museum alone, I think, had over 1.6 million visits in June of this year, Holly. So they are incredibly popular and certainly some disappointed folks coming out to the National Mall today. Oh, I can imagine. Well, I hope they find some other place to go that doesn't break the bank for them on vacation. Scripts News Washington correspondent Stephanie Lieber again live for us. Thank you for that update.

U.S. President Donald Trump is heading back to the U.S. after his whirlwind trip to the Middle East, where he celebrated the first phase of a peace plan between Israel and Hamas.

Sharm El-Sheikh

Middle East Conflict

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

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Paris

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Beijing

Global Tariffs

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Afghanistan and Pakistan said they killed dozens of each other's troops during a night of heavy border clashes between the two countries. Afghanistan's Taliban forces launched attacks on Pakistani troops along their shared border in what it called "retaliation for air strikes carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul".

Chaman

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Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

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Taipei City

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Hollywood

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It is unclear how many people were inside the Tennessee plant that exploded on Friday, but at least 16 people were reported on Saturday. Sheriff Chris Davis announced that there are no survivors. Nicole Valdes reports.

Tennessee

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London

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Sderot

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Breakdown