US President Joe Biden wants to honor rock star Bruce Springsteen and designer Vera Wang with the most important cultural award from the American government. The two are to receive the "National Medal of Arts" today, along with other artists such as actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus or soul singer Gladys Knight.

"His music celebrates our triumphs, heals our wounds, and gives us hope by capturing the unyielding spirit of what it means to be American," the White House wrote of Springsteen, 73. Designer Wang (73) makes beauty and style accessible to everyone.

Established by the US Congress in the 1980s, the National Medal of Arts has been awarded annually to artists who have made a significant contribution to American culture.

Biden also wants to award the "National Humanities Medal". It was first awarded in 1989 and is particularly aimed at humanities. For example, the author Tara Westover or the author Walter Isaacson, who wrote a biography about Apple founder Steve Jobs, who died in 2011, are to be honored.