Jon Voight, Alison Krauss honored with national medals

WASHINGTON (AP) — Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight, singer and musician Alison Krauss and mystery writer James Patterson are among those being honored by President Donald Trump for their contributions to the arts or the humanities.

The White House announced four recipients of the National Medal of Arts and four of the National Humanities Medal Sunday night.

They’re the first recipients of the prestigious national medals since Trump took office and will be honored during a ceremony Thursday.

Voight is a rare Hollywood star who publicly backs the president, and he has hailed Trump as “the greatest president of this century.”

Neither honor, usually an annual affair, had been awarded since Trump’s inauguration in January 2017. The most recent arts or humanities medals were bestowed by President Barack Obama in September 2016.