About that ugly mug on (some) passports -
I filed my application to renew my passport on 4/26 - two days before Trump announced he intended to defile our passports with his ugly mug.
After an initial panic that I might have to "lose" my passport in January 2029 to get rid of his face, it was clear that (theoretically at least) you were only "permitted" to have one of those if you applied in person in DC. Whew!!
So then it was just the wait to make sure it arrived before my travel.
The estimated processing time - after they formally received it, was 4-6 weeks (plus mailing time). It took slightly under 14 days from clicking on submit to arrival in my mailbox. (12 days for processing - it actually took longer for them to receive it electronically than it did to arrive via the mail). And, best of all - theory was reality . . . no ugly mug (except my own) on the passport!
Big sigh . . . a little over 4 weeks to spare!
Now to fix my government login ID so I can apply to start social security without the hassles it took to find a work-around for the passport applicaiton login! (For some reason, changing the password only permits one login, and the moment I select a service it requires a second login and informs me my username and/or password are incorrect . . . )