Biden's Granddaughter Ties Knot in White House Wedding

A general view of the sun rising behind the White House in Washington, US January 22, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
A general view of the sun rising behind the White House in Washington, US January 22, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
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Biden's Granddaughter Ties Knot in White House Wedding

A general view of the sun rising behind the White House in Washington, US January 22, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
A general view of the sun rising behind the White House in Washington, US January 22, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

US President Joe Biden's granddaughter Naomi Biden and Peter Neal were married Saturday in just the 19th wedding in the history of the White House.

It's the first White House wedding with a president's granddaughter as the bride, and the first one ever on the South Lawn.

Naomi Biden and Neal exchanged “I do's” during a nippy late-morning ceremony in front of scores of family and friends.

Unlike some past such ceremonies, the festivities were closed to the news media.

Naomi Biden, 28, is a lawyer in Washington. Her parents are Hunter Biden, the son of the president and first lady Jill Biden, and Kathleen Buhle, Hunter's first wife.

Neal, 25, of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania law school. He works at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington. His parents are Drs. Mary C. and William “Bill” C. Neal of Jackson Hole.

The couple, who have been living at the White House, was set up by a mutual friend about four years ago in New York City and have been together ever since, the White House said. Neal proposed in September 2021 near his childhood home in Jackson Hole with a ring that repurposed the band of his grandmother's engagement ring, according to the White House.

There have been 18 documented weddings in the 200-plus-year history of the White House. Nine involved a president's daughter, most recently Richard Nixon's daughter Tricia in 1971 and Lyndon Johnson's daughter Lynda in 1967.

But nieces, a grandniece, a son and first ladies’ siblings have also gotten married there. One president, Grover Cleveland, tied the knot at the White House, too, while in office.



Thai Rice Fields Transformed into Vibrant Art Depicting Red Dragon, Feline Deity

A drone view shows dragon and cat figures created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a Thai farmer and artist, in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, January 11, 2025. REUTERS/Artorn Pookasook
A drone view shows dragon and cat figures created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a Thai farmer and artist, in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, January 11, 2025. REUTERS/Artorn Pookasook
TT

Thai Rice Fields Transformed into Vibrant Art Depicting Red Dragon, Feline Deity

A drone view shows dragon and cat figures created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a Thai farmer and artist, in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, January 11, 2025. REUTERS/Artorn Pookasook
A drone view shows dragon and cat figures created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a Thai farmer and artist, in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, January 11, 2025. REUTERS/Artorn Pookasook

A red dragon, a feline deity and dogs and cats cover Tanyapong Jaikham's rice paddies in northern Thailand, a living tribute in rice plants to flooding that inundated nearby areas in September, stranding thousands.

To transform more than 2 hectares (5 acres) of land into the vibrant images, Tanyapong and his team used AI to plot and refine the design outlines and GPS to mark precise coordinates for the careful planting of 20 kg (45 pounds) of rainbow rice seeds, Reuters reported.

Tanyapong, who began the work in October, chose the dragon and the local four-eared, five-eyed feline deity to mark the Lunar New Year's end, along with dogs and cats trapped in floodwaters, waiting for help from the flooding of Chiang Rai and other areas in the north of the Southeast Asian nation.

"We designed the dragon to carry away all the negativity, hoping this crisis would soon pass," Tanyapong told Reuters.

Since the paddy art's launch in December, thousands of visitors, including students, families and locals, have visited, finding inspiration, hope and reflection, he said.

"We couldn’t make a living at all," said farmer Tanet Mala, reflecting on the flooding. "Everything was like a sea."