Mar 16
Processional Cross. Ethiopian Orthodox. 14th to 15th Century.
The Smithsonian African Art Museum.
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Processional Cross. Ethiopian Orthodox. 14th to 15th Century.
The Smithsonian African Art Museum.
The Smithsonian hit back at the Trump administration late Monday, committing to be “free from political or partisan influence" as it refused
The Smithsonian hit back at the Trump administration late Monday, committing to be “free from political or partisan influence" as it refused to kowtow to the president's orders.
“Since its inception, the Smithsonian has set out to be a nonpartisan institution,” the museum's Board of Regents wrote. ‘As the nation’s museum, the Smithsonian must be a welcoming place of knowledge and discovery for all Americans.”
The museum's hit back followed an executive order that President Donald Trump issued to remove "improper ideology" from the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo, accusing them of trying to rewrite American history on race and gender.
The Smithsonian has issued a statement supporting Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch following President Trump's claim that he fired the director of
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order on the Smithsonian Institution that targets funding to programs that contain what he ca
"Under Trump’s order, Vance will also work with the White House budget office to make sure future funding for the Smithsonian Institution isn’t spent on programs that “degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy.” Trump also wants to ensure that the women’s history museum celebrates women and not “recognize men as women in any respect.”"
A page published by the White House entitled "President Trump Is Right About the Smithsonian" lists exhibits, educational sites and more tha
The list of objectionable content comes a week after White House officials sent a letter asking eight of the Smithsonian's museums to submit their current and future plans for exhibitions, social media content and other material. The institution's director Lonnie Bunch was told it had 120 days to comply for what the administration says will be a "comprehensive review," in order to bring the Smithsonian in line with Trump's cultural directives ahead of the country's 250th anniversary celebrations.
The administration has directed the museums to replace "divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate and constructive descriptions."
NPR reached out to the White House asking for comment about the article highlighting the Smithsonian artists. They have not responded.
The list of artists and content seems to be drawn from art that was highlighted in a recent article in The Federalist. The conservative online magazine argued that the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, for example, was filled with "wall-to-wall, anti-American propaganda."
Spotted in Canada
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Taking Trump down a notch.
August 13, 2025
Robert B. Hubbell
Although Trump remains a clear and present danger to democracy, the tone of media coverage and political reaction is beginning to shift. On Wednesday, the usual false equivalency and both-siderism gave way to mocking undertones, trolling, and brutal fact-checking. Still, the Trump-world state media and the inhabitants of the parallel universe of political sycophants who swear undying love to a convicted felon, adjudicated sexual abuser, insurrectionist, and political extortionist pretend as if “There’s nothing to see here, move along.”
There are many important stories to cover on Wednesday, with the most important being Trump's threat to invade several large US metropolitan areas led by Black mayors. I save that important story for last because Trump has provided us with the perfect metaphor for his steroid-fueled, faux Gilded Age administration that survives in large part because of its ability to distract the people with “bread and circuses.”
As Trump’s struggles with the Epstein scandal cause him to sink lower into the quicksand of truth, he is planning to stage a UFC event at the White House. See Associated Press, A UFC fight at the White House? Dana White says it's happening as part of deal with Paramount.
Per the AP story, the UFC fight will take place at the White House on the Fourth of July 2026, which coincides with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Yes, Trump will mark one of the most consequential days in American history with an event at the White House that has all the class of a strip club in an industrial park.1
According to AP,
Trump said last month he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence. “It’s absolutely going to happen," White told The Associated Press. “Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS.”
What is a UFC fight? It is, essentially, two men in a cage trying to kill one another, almost. It is currently banned in Afghanistan and Norway. Senator John McCain once called it “human cockfighting.” It is like a bar fight in the street at 2:30 a.m., without the broken beer bottles serving as ad hoc daggers.
Hosting such a fight at the White House is an insult to a historical landmark that serves as the symbol of the United States across the world. Such a match best belongs at a tacky casino in Atlantic City, like the now-defunct Trump Taj Mahal Casino. Oh, wait! Trump did host UFC fights at the Taj Mahal Casino more than two decades ago, a sponsorship credited with saving the so-called “sport.” See ABC News (Australia), Athletes expose the reality of fighting for survival in the UFC.
Per ABC,
Even with new owners, the UFC was struggling to find venues willing to host the sport — until businessman Donald Trump took a gamble and hosted two events at his Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City in 2001. White has often credited the now-US president with playing a pivotal role in saving the sports company, which transformed into an entertainment powerhouse that sold for a staggering $US4 billion in 2016.
Trump is single-handedly trying to destroy arts and education, science and medicine, and culture and truth. As he makes plans to sully the White House, he has ordered the Smithsonian Institution museums to begin removing any references to America’s history of divisiveness, slavery and racial exploitation, genocide of indigenous peoples, imprisonment of innocent Americans of Japanese descent, and discrimination against women, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. See CNN, White House orders review of Smithsonian museums and exhibits to ensure alignment with Trump directive.
Trump is disgracing the White House—and America—with his belligerent ignorance and narcissism. Try as he might, there is no way to make a UFC blood match an acceptable celebration for the declaration of independence that brought America into being—imperfections and all.
[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]
📺 The Golden Girls (1988)