The Colosseum metro station in Rome, a long-delayed and complex project to bring a subway line under ancient Roman ruins and through Rome’s historic center, opened to the public for the first time on Tuesday. | AP

President Donald Trump delivered a politically charged speech Wednesday carried live in prime time on network television, seeking to pin the blame for economic challenges on Democrats while announcing he is sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops for Christmas. | AP

Attendees at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest conference react to the Department of Justice's release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. | AP

The Kennedy Center started the work of adding Donald Trump’s name to the building on Friday, a day after the president’s handpicked board voted to do so, making it the The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Critics of the vote, including Democratic members of Congress who are ex-officio board members, as well as some historians, insist that only Congress can change the name. | AP