Pulitzers Awarded, BBC Cuts 2,000 Jobs, Iran Withdraws from Venice Biennale

The 2026 Pulitzer Prizes have been revealed, highlighting Bess Wohl's play 'Liberation' as the Drama winner, while Gabriela Lena Frank's orchestral piece 'Picaflor,' debuted by the Philadelphia Orchestra, took home the Music award. Mark Lamster from the Dallas Morning News received the Criticism prize for his architecture columns focused on downtown Dallas. Book awards were given to Lepore, Li, Vaill, Kraus, Goldstone, and Spahr. In other news, the BBC is set to eliminate 2,000 positions, marking its most significant cutback in 15 years, with the newsroom facing the largest reductions. IATSE has lodged labor complaints against the Kennedy Center regarding union layoffs prior to a renovation ordered by Trump. Additionally, Boston's GBH and New England Public Media are consolidating into a single statewide network. After 51 years, Leon Botstein will resign as president of Bard College amid new disclosures about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein. The Academy of Motion Pictures has declared that AI-generated actors and screenplays are not eligible for Oscars. Beatrice Venezi, dismissed from La Fenice opera house, claimed she was "used and thrown away" by Italy's right. Lastly, Iran has pulled out of the Venice Biennale just days before its commencement, with no explanation from the organizers.