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Open in TheBrain

CULTURE CAPTURE

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MERRI OK

SEE SMITHSONIAN, ng 6

SEE MEMORY HOLE WWW

SEE CENSOR 3 STORY 1 ~ DEI

SEE OMB VOUGHT

SEE KENNEDY CTR GRENELL

SEE 1984 ORWELL

BRUCE MINNE STR

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7 25 trump smithsonian impeach removed

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9 26 RWW

Trump tried to fire one Smithsonian official and, after finding “ideological capture,” plans to install anti-woke warning signs outside the history museum.

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AN 2 26

Trump has successfully pressured the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) into adopting new guidelines — and some officials feel that they amount to ideological loyalty tests.

The official letter emphasizes "uplifting and positive narratives of our shared American experience" but also instructs “improper ideology” be scrubbed from federal cultural institutions, according to a report by The Washington Post. Because the IMLS distributes grants to museums and libraries, they have the power to make both personnel and curatorial choices. As such, all references to "inclusive," "equity," and "diverse" or "diversity" have been removed from the IMLS’ recent 13 grant notices, even though they were previously commonplace in competitive applications. On some occasions, it has forced people out of the funding process.

"It feels like organizations like ours are boxed out from telling a complete and true and honest American story,” explained Ashley Rogers, executive director of the Whitney Plantation in New Orleans. Because of what Rogers does for a living, it is practically impossible for her to request grant money while remaining consistent with the administration’s standards.

"Our mission is to educate the public about the history and legacies of slavery,” Rogers told the Post. “We're a nonprofit. This is the only thing we do. I don't know how to make that align with the current funding opportunities at IMLS and more fundamentally than that, if I did, would I be betraying my mission?"

Lori Byrd, a former museum professional and IMLS grant reviewer, expressed a similar concern more broadly.

"If you even apply for this, are you going to get pushback from either your museum community or your fellow museum professionals because you're kind of caving to the administration?" Byrd asked. Museum consultant Andrea Jones made the same point when talking about her own professional responsibilities.

"Not only is the risk to my livelihood too great … but I care about doing credible, nuanced work — not being part of a propaganda machine,” Jones said.

Because of the uncertainty caused by the Trump administration’s approach, the IMLS grant cycle is already months behind schedule, The Post reported. Nor are Trump’s loyalty tests merely harming museums and libraries. A retired high-ranking military officer explained in a conservative publication that Trump’s policies are doing the same thing to America’s armed forces.

"The implications are immediate and corrosive," Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling wrote in The Bulwark earlier this week. "If promotions to general officer rank can be rescinded for perceived associations with others, officers may begin to prioritize 'safe' assignments or noncontroversial bosses. Candor — already fragile in large bureaucracies — may diminish if officers fear that honest service under controversial leaders will later be used against them. The apolitical ethic that underpins the profession of arms risks erosion."

Hertling added, "The Army's strength has always rested on trust: trust that performance matters more than patronage, that merit outweighs politics, and that the institution protects those who serve honorably in any job they are assigned. Undermining that trust does not merely harm an officer's career; it weakens the foundation of professional military service."

Loyalty oaths are not just in libraries, museums and the military. The US economy itself could be at risk because of Trump’s loyalty oaths, as evidenced by the controversy over National Economic Council directorKevin Hassett calling for Federal Reserve officers to be “disciplined” for issuing a report which showed Trump’s tariffs are hurting ordinary Americans.

“In the end, Mr. Trump’s decision evinced both the risk and reward for an economist whose previous views had morphed in service of the White House and its economic agenda," The New York Times recently reported. "The president did not want to lose one of his most forceful champions, whose full-throated advocacy had won deep praise from Mr. Trump but had fueled fears that Mr. Hassett could not guide monetary policy while resisting political influence.”

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AN 2 26

President Donald Trump drew widespread criticism after forwarding, on his Truth Social platform, an overtly racist, AI-generated video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. Much of the criticism came from a combination of liberals, progressives, centrist Democrats and right-wing Never Trump conservatives, yet there was some outcry in MAGA World as well.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) called the video out, and a frustrated 2024 Trump voter from New Mexico called C-SPAN and lamented, "I voted for the president; I supported him. But I really want to apologize. I mean, I'm looking at this awful picture of the Obamas. What an embarrassment to our country. All this man does is tell lies. He is not worthy of the presidency. He takes bribes blatantly, and now he’s being a racist blatantly."

A few days after that, Puerto Rican reggaetón star Bad Bunny performed en español at the 2026 Super Bowl Half Time Show — much to Trump's chagrin — and the event enjoyed way more viewers than Turning Point USA's alternative halftime show, headlined by Kid Rock. According to CBS News, 135 million viewers watched Bad Bunny; the El Paso Times reports that 6.1 million people watched Turning Point's event.

During a conversation for The New Republic's podcast posted on February 9, host Greg Sargent (formerly of the Washington Post) and NR reporter Alex Shephard stressed that between the "backlash" to the racist video and all the viewers who watched Bad Bunny, it's obvious that many Americans are rejecting MAGA's view of the world.

Shephard told Sargent, "I think that one of the big shifts is that there was this idea in the last election — 'Let Trump be Trump' — sort of pushed by Susie Wiles in particular, currently the chief of staff. That, essentially, the president knows best and that what he's doing may seem kooky and off the wall and irrelevant to politics as usual — but pursuing that kind of stuff is what people like about him, and you should just let him do it…. I think what we’re starting to see now is an increased willingness for politicians to call this kind of stuff out."

Shephard argued, however, that even with the "backlash," Trump is still going to say and do offensive things.

Shephard told Sargent, "I think that we're not even close to seeing the bottom here yet, but it's really, really starting to break…. But the truth of the matter is that if they go anywhere, they're met with massive public resistance and backlash. You see it at the Grammys. You see it at the Super Bowl. You see it in the streets of Minneapolis. You see it all over the country. And I think there was this brief moment where it seemed like we were entering into a kind of 'new era' defined by hard-edged, right-wing culture, and that everything had changed. And all of that power that they had a year ago? It's just already gone now."

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an 2 26

MAGA loses the culture war — and Trump loses the plot

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On Sunday, February 8, Kid Rock headlined Turning Point USA's All-American Super Bowl Halftime Show — a MAGA alternative to the actual 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show, which featured Puerto Rican reggaetón star Bad Bunny. MAGA Republicans were furious because Bunny, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump's immigration policies, performed en español at the event. But Bunny attracted a lot more viewers: CBS News reported that 135 million people watched Bad Bunny, while the El Paso Times reported that that 6.1 million people watched Turning Point's event.

In other words, Bad Bunny attracted roughly 22 times as many viewers.

In a biting article published on February 9, Salon's Amanda Marcotte describes Kid Rock's Turning Point USA show as a sad example of MAGA's "bid for cultural relevance."

"Perhaps it's a sign that I am an empathy-poisoned liberal," Marcotte argues, "but it was hard to choke back the pity watching the alternative halftime show aired by Turning Point USA during Sunday's Super Bowl game. Despite having months to book and organize an event that was supposed to draw millions away from the real deal, TPUSA couldn't even pack the small space for audience members on the soundstage — not a stadium, arena, theater or even a club — they rented for the occasion. The promise of seeing the washed-up Kid Rock in an intimate setting appears to thrill no one."

Marcotte continues, "Organizers declared that huge numbers of Americans would prefer this to the actual halftime show, but the anemic audience present for the taping suggested they couldn't get anyone who isn't a paid TPUSA staff member…. Unfortunately for them, the live chat on YouTube suggested the fans weren't tuning in for the music, but out of a sense of duty to their MAGA tribe. Commenters referenced Jesus, TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, the American flag and hating Bad Bunny — but no one seemed to have much to say about the music or the performances."

The Salon journalist argues that while Rock's TPUSA performance was "boring," Bunny's "electric performance" was "sheer joy — a celebration of Latino culture and American values."

"TPUSA's night was doomed from the get-go," Marcotte writes. "Beyond snagging Kid Rock as a last-minute salvation, the show had no marketing aside from 'Watch this to trigger the liberals'…. In the end, Kid Rock wasn't really the star of the 'All-American Halftime Show.' No, it was the ghost of Charlie Kirk…. No doubt it was good at getting their aging audience to open up their wallets, after asking their grandkids how to use the 'superchat' donate function on YouTube. But as a bid for cultural relevance — well, let's just say Bad Bunny has nothing to worry about."

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punked on poster w band measles

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AN 2 26

Phoenix New Times Music Editor Amy Young says far-right Turning Point USA was “groping” for artists to fill its so-called “All-American” halftime show, designed to counter the “darker-skinned” Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday.

“Announcing a big ol’ cynical show is one thing. It’s a very different task, however, to find artists who want to be the face of such a stunt,” said Young, adding that the organization finally settled on “Detroit’s claim of shame, Robert Ritchie, better known as Kid Rock.”

“No one is particularly shocked to see Confederate-flag-waving Kid Rock lead this charge,” said Young. “Opening for the rapper-turned-country-rocker that night will be another country artist, Brantley Gilbert, and then another country artist, Gabby Barrett, and, wait, we’re seeing a theme, right? Next up … um, country artist, Lee Brice.”

“… [I]f you find yourself asking ‘who?’ a couple of times, you might be residing at Camp You’re Not Alone, where TVs will be blaring the sets by actually popular, equally American musical acts Green Day and Bad Bunny,” Young added.

Young pointed out that TPUSA didn’t care when the National Football League hosted a legion of foreigners including British quartet Coldplay, Barbados citizen Rihanna, Canadian sensation The Weeknd, or Ireland’s U2. But when the it announced the appearance of Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, a.k.a. Bad Bunny, the MAGA’s backlash was ferocious. Bad Bunny raps primarily in Spanish, which “monolingual MAGA” apparently considers “a threat to ‘mericuh,” said Young.

It doesn’t matter that the 56 million Americans who speak Spanish make the United States the world’s second-largest Spanish-speaking country after Mexico. Nor does it apparently matter that Bad Bunny is a U.S. citizen.

“The willful misunderstanding of the fact that Puerto Ricans are indeed U.S. citizens demonstrates once again that MAGA acolytes interpret history and the law about as faithfully as they interpret the New Testament,” said Young. “From jump, Turning Point USA has had its milky sheets in a twist about the choice of Bad Bunny. The slow-motion train wreck it’s running this week is reminiscent of alleged comedian Tony Hinchcliffe describing Puerto Rico as a ‘floating island of garbage’ at a Trump rally, a full-speed train wreck.”

“You may be wondering how to watch this soon-to-be-failed-attempt at a ratings grab. Well, you can probably track down that information yourself, if you’re morbidly curious,” Young said. “Usually we like to provide viewing information. In this case, we genuinely DGAF.”

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see superbowl kirk bad bunny kid rock

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3 ART SAME DAY AN 2 26

CNN is reporting that the real reason President Donald Trump announced the two-year renovation project for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is more about upcoming shows than about the project itself.

Host Dana Bash announced on her show Monday that there wouldn't be much programming to announce for Trump's newly renamed theater.

Several actors, singers, bands, composers, comedians and other performers are withdrawing from show commitments because they don't support Trump. After Trump announced that the center would be closing, he was ridiculed on social media.

"The Kennedy Center does not have a 2026 2027 season," a source told Bash. "There would not have been any programming to announce."

The move comes after Trump made himself the chairman of the Kennedy Center board, fired several others on the board and replaced them with loyalists. Trump then ordered new letters to change the name to the Trump-Kennedy Center and the board voted to affirm the name change.

Democrats note that because Congress established the xenter by law, the name cannot be changed unless it is also by law.

White House Associated Press reporter Michelle Price said closing the center is an interesting move because most of the renovations Trump wanted were not expected to require closing the entire building. Trump even boasted on Truth Social that he could have done all of his renovations without disruption, such as updating the upholstery and redoing the carpet.

"But we got to the point where the list of cancellations was longer than the list of people" performing, she noted.

"And it seems that something has changed in the last few days that he is pushing for this change now to close it for two years," said Price.

Last week, Trump's head of the Kennedy Center quit after just two weeks on the job.

The Kennedy Center audience is typically made up of people who live in the tri-state area of Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland. Those cities have all rejected Trumpism both in elections and in protests.

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AN 1 26

Trump's new Kennedy Center hire quits after less than 2 weeks on the job

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AN THE CONV 1 26

Donald Trump’s victory in November 2024 led to considerable soul-searching among those on the left of US politics. Having failed to defeat a convicted criminal they beat once before, the Democrats spent most of 2025 licking their wounds as Trump launched what they saw as a full-frontal assault on US democracy.

This new year has begun with fresh outrages at home and abroad, with the administration acting with increasingly horrifying impunity.

Coupled with the continued rise of rightwing populism and authoritarianism the world over, Trump 2.0 has felt like an existential crisis for the left.

The country has been here before. Leftwing protest movements in the 1960s in the US contributed to great legislative change – particularly in the area of civil rights – but they were often caricatured as unpatriotic, particularly in relation to the war in Vietnam. The feeling that the country was coming apart at the hands of young, violent radicals led the conservative “silent majority” to deliver Richard Nixon’s 1968 election victory.

Since then, mainstream leftwing politics in the US has recoiled from the idealism of the 1960s and instead offered change mostly in small increments. But this has arguably not proven a particularly successful strategy either over the past half century or more.

In the context of yet another defeat and the latest round of introspection, it seems appropriate, then, that two films concerned with the failures of leftwing revolutionary politics of the 1960s and 1970s should emerge almost simultaneously with Trump’s resurgence.

Exploring leftwing activism

Though very different in style and tone, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another (2025) and Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind (2025) both critique what they see as the strategic inadequacy and self-indulgence of leftwing activism, as well as explore its personal cost.

One Battle After Another sees former revolutionary Pat Calhoun, aka “Bob” (Leonardo Di Caprio) trying to rescue his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) from the clutches of a psychopathic white supremacist colonel, Lockjaw (Sean Penn). Though Bob had in a previous life resisted the federal government’s cruel, racist immigration policies through a series of daring raids on detention centres, fatherhood and excessive cannabis use have dulled his revolutionary edge.

Instead, Bob is now a somewhat incompetent buffoon. The film mines, for comedic purposes, his shambolic attempts to communicate with the “French 75” – the revolutionary army of which he was once part, modelled on real-life revolutionary groups of the 1960s and 1970s like the Weathermen.

Stumbling around in his bathrobe, he has forgotten all the codes and conventions necessary to navigate this world. From passwords to pronouns, Bob is out of step with the times.

However, the film finds room to poke fun at the sanctimony of the left too. As Bob grows increasingly aggressive when unable to secure information regarding a crucial rendezvous point, the thin-skinned radical to whom he is speaking on the phone informs him that the language Bob is using is having a detrimental impact on his wellbeing. If Bob lacks the competence to support the revolution, the people in charge of it are too fragile to achieve one either.

By contrast, The Mastermind follows J.B. Mooney (Josh O’Connor) in his attempts to evade the clutches of the authorities after he orchestrates the theft of four artworks from a suburban museum. Husband, father, and the son of a judge, Mooney is privileged, directionless, disorganised, selfish and, it seems, oblivious to the impact of the war in Vietnam as conflict rages all around him.

His disorganisation is obvious from the moment he realises his children’s school is closed for teacher training on the day of the heist. His privilege is clear when all he has to do is mention his father’s name when first questioned by police to get them off his back.

Even his attempts to convince his wife, Terri (Alana Haim), that he did this for her and their kids is inadequate, as he stumbles into admitting he also did it for himself.

While on the run from the authorities, Mooney appears ignorant of what is really going on around him, from the young Black men who discuss their imminent deployment to Vietnam, to the news broadcast of the realities of the war. Without spoiling anything, Mooney is, in the end, unable to avoid the effects of Vietnam on US society altogether.

Telling moments in both films also suggest the wavering commitment to revolution among its former acolytes. In The Mastermind, Mooney hides out at the home of Fred (John Magaro) and Maude (Gaby Hoffmann), a couple with whom he attended art college.

Despite her activist past, Maude refuses to let him stay for longer than one night for fear of unwanted attention from the authorities. In One Battle After Another, Bob’s willingness to take risks with his safety and freedom declines when he becomes a parent, and he is – rather problematically – quick to judge Willa’s mother, Perfidia (Teyana Taylor), for continuing to do so.

Political cinema of the 1970s

Both films can’t help but recall the similarly political work produced in US cinema in the late 1960s and early 1970s, such as Five Easy Pieces (1970), Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) and Chinatown (1974). In the midst of the Nixon-era backlash to the radicalism of the 1960s, these films have a tone of defeatist resignation, featuring directionless protagonists and unhappy endings.

The Mastermind’s conclusion is comparable to these earlier examples: its conclusion sees the police at a Vietnam protest, patting each other on the back, having rounded up another bunch of protesters and sent them to the can.

Though One Battle After Another is considerably more effervescent in its style, it too sees leftwing revolutionary politics as something of a dead end. Smaller scale victories are possible, with Sergio (Benicio Del Toro) continuing to fight the good fight for undocumented immigrants, and Willa running off to join a Black Lives Matter protest at the film’s end.

But watching both films from the perspective of a new year in which the Trump administration threatens violent upheaval at home and abroad, I think of Captain America’s (Peter Fonda) mournful lament towards the end of counterculture classic Easy Rider (1969): “We blew it.”

*Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

Gregory Frame, Teaching Associate in Media and Cultural Studies, *University of Nottingham

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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AN 1 26

'Can't stand on that stage': More artists are canceling Kennedy Center shows due to Trump

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President Donald Trump appointed his acolytes to oversee the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and immediately began looting, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said in an interview with The Guardian.

“You float stuff and you float stuff and you float stuff until people get inured to what a stupid or outrageous thing it is that has been floated and then you pull the trigger," Whitehouse said.

As part of Trump's "renovations" of the Kennedy Center was ordering new letters to put his name on the building above Kennedy's name. Much like the Department of Defense, the name of the cultural center can only officially be changed by Congress, which established it in law. Still, the administration ordered the sign. Past appointees to the board were ousted. The new Trump board did a quick vote to change the name and within hours workers began installing Trump's name.

After Trump's moves in November, Whitehouse and other lawmakers began a formal investigation into accusations that the board were mismanaging the financials of the center.

Documents Whitehouse found it is being operated as a “slush fund and private club for Trump’s friends and political allies."

“We began to get information about mischief taking place at the Kennedy Center and we got strong enough signals that we mounted an effort to dig into it and see what seemed actually to be going on," said Whitehouse.

“It was out of that effort that the report and letter came, which basically suggested that, when the brigands took the ship, their first instinct was to loot it for their own benefit and hire their friends and put people up in fancy rooms at the Watergate [Hotel] and let favored organizations get free access and it was all part of a MAGA party atmosphere."

So far, under their leadership, the Kennedy Center has suffered from millions of dollars in losses. So, Whitehouse demanded the records from the new board chairman, longtime Trump pal, Ric Grenell.

Grenell responded alleging Whitehouse was making “partisan attacks and false accusations."

Any "financial chaos" has come not from his leadership but the previous president was “quite literally making the building fall apart."

One contract Grenell entered into was with FIFA to have exclusive use of the entire Kennedy Center from Nov. 24 to Dec. 12 for The World Cup events.

"Estimates provided by Whitehouse show this will cost the Center $5,038,444 in losses from direct rental fees, programming rescheduling, labor, food and beverage and other services. Multiple events were cancelled or rescheduled to accommodate FIFA," The Guardian report said.

Grenell claimed FIFA was paying for the expenses in lieu of a rental fee.

Whitehouse questioned the claim, saying nothing in the documents confirms Grenell's promises.

FIFA has been “brown-nosing Trump relentlessly and giving him comical peace trophies to butter him up and at the same time getting free access to the Kennedy Center," Whitehouse said about his concerns.

The PR person for the Kennedy Center claimed FIFA was giving more than the $5 million-plus in rental fees.

But the contract shows rental discounts have already been given to conservative groups.

The report cited a NewsNation deal, where the network scored a $19,820 discount for it's town hall. The American Conservative Union Foundation got a $21,982.60 discount as they hosted a CPAC event titled The Christian Persecution Summit. The Guardian reported that the contract file specifically cites “waived costs from OOP” (the Office of the President).

There's another contract paying $15,000 a month to Grenell’s former colleague. There are no details on the contract. Grenell swears his contract was "covered" by a donation.

In May, the Kennedy Center began paying $10,833.33 to Kari Lake's husband, Jeff Halperin to do "social media capture/editing" services.

There have also been hefty expenses on luxury entertainment and hospitality for "staff and associates." That's when Grenell billed the Kennedy Center for $27,185 for rooms at the luxury Watergate Hotel. Then there are dinners and lunches, champagne service and more for staff who also worked for Grenell's political organizations.

“If they weren’t paying the proper ordinary Kennedy Center rates, they’re being given a benefit and those benefits seem only to be going towards groups that are affiliated with Trump and MAGA. It’s basically a direct way to use this public facility to put money into the pockets of groups that are allied," said Whitehouse.

All of this is happening while the Kennedy Center is over budget amid falling ticket sales and major acts canceling shows. Grenell blamed the previous administration.

Whitehouse fears it's just the tip of the ice berg.

"I don’t think you can underestimate the importance of narrative enhancement to the MAGA movement. They will lie their way through very obvious facts to protect a narrative," he said.

*Read the full report here.

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RWW

12/18/2025

by

Kyle Mantyla

Bongino told colleagues more than a week ago that he would not be returning to Washington headquarters this year, according to people familiar with the matter.

The billionaire president’s delivery grew frantic as his speech on the economy wore on, ending with him practically shouting.

He says he did “some very bad things.” But in Trumpworld, that’s a plus.

The president has tried to minimize their friendship, but documents and interviews reveal an intense and complicated relationship. Chasing women was a game of ego and dominance. Female bodies were currency.

State partners with Turning Point USA to form clubs in every Tennessee school.

Katie Miller, the wife of Trump henchman Stephen Miller, is trying to reinvent herself as a squeaky-clean model for MAGA women. People who knew her growing up saw someone far different.

The president’s obsession with self-aggrandizement and self-glorification is pitiful, and it’s getting worse.

The judges rejected a Christian Nationalist curriculum that downplayed systemic racism, spread election lies, and pretended the Bible was history.

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an 10 25

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an 10 25

Insiders stunned by Kennedy Center’s 'truly shocking' downturn under Trump

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Unearthed! in Autumn 2025, Part 1 | STUFF YOU MISSED IN HISTORY CLASS - YouTube

lonnie bunch

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aug 19th ts out of control unaccomplished downtrodden have been

woke is broke we have the hottest cty in the world that everyone talks about

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citizen historians for the smithsonian, docced 1/2 .org

Citizen Historians for the Smithsonian | Protect History

Citizen Historians for the Smithsonian Is Creating a Digital Archive of Exhibits | Library Journal

teach-in nate dimeo linktree history teach in memory palace

Standing up for history on "the nation's front yard." | MetaFilter

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GGL 10 25

AI Overview

President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14253 on March 31, 2025, which he titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History"

. The order targets the Smithsonian Institution, other federal museums, and public monuments, calling for the elimination of what the administration defines as "improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology". The executive order has drawn criticism from historians and academics, including Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, who have defended the institution's independence and commitment to presenting multi-faceted, fact-based history.

Executive Order 14253 and the Smithsonian

Lonnie G. Bunch III's response

Lonnie G. Bunch III, the first African American secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, has pushed back against the administration's directives and defended the integrity of the museum's work.

Controversy and context

Letter to the Smithsonian: Internal Review of ...

The White House (.gov)

https://www.whitehouse.gov › 2025/08 › letter-to-the-s...](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/08/letter-to-the-smithsonian-internal-review-of-smithsonian-exhibitions-and-materials/)

Aug 12, 2025 — In this spirit, and in accordance with Executive Order 14253, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, we will be leading a ...

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[### Statement on the White House Review of the Smithsonian

OAH.org

https://www.oah.org › 2025/08/14 › statement-on-the-...](https://www.oah.org/2025/08/14/statement-on-the-white-house-review-of-the-smithsonian/)

Aug 14, 2025 — Bunch III, directing an internal review of eight Smithsonian museums in alignment with the administration's Executive Order 14253 on “Restoring ...

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[### White House orders review of Smithsonian museums to ...

CNN

https://www.cnn.com › 2025/08/12 › politics › smithso...](https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/12/politics/smithsonian-exhibits-white-house-review)

Aug 12, 2025 — The exhibit was singled out by President Donald Trump in an executive order that the Smithsonian review exhibits for “improper ideology.”.

[### Trump says Smithsonian should focus on America's ...

ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos

https://abcnews.go.com › Politics › story](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-smithsonian-portray-americas-brightness-bad-slavery/story?id=124788598)

Aug 19, 2025 — Trump signed an executive order back in March directing Vice President JD Vance and Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum to "remove ...

[### White House orders a review of exhibits at Smithsonian ...

WDSU

https://www.wdsu.com › article › trump-smithsonian-re...](https://www.wdsu.com/article/trump-smithsonian-review-american-history-initiative/65670165)

Aug 12, 2025 — In March, Trump signed an executive order titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," which accused the Smithsonian of coming ...

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[### Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14253, titled ...

Facebook · Our Culture

120+ reactions · 6 months ago](https://www.facebook.com/ourculturemedia/posts/donald-trump-issued-executive-order-14253-titled-restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-a/974982498080079/)

... Lonnie Bunch III, “aims to ensure alignment with the President's directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan ...

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[### Trump's Order Puts the Smithsonian's Chief in the Hot Seat

The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com › Arts › Art & Design](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/03/arts/design/smithsonian-trump-executive-order.html)

Apr 3, 2025 — Lonnie G. Bunch III, secretary of the Smithsonian, faces an uncertain period after President Trump issued an executive order directing change at the cultural ...

Missing: XO ‎14253

[### Trump administration calls for 'comprehensive review' of ...

NPR

https://www.npr.org › smithsonian-trump-review](https://www.npr.org/2025/08/12/nx-s1-5500550/smithsonian-trump-review)

Aug 12, 2025 — Trump's March executive order "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" directly criticized The Smithsonian for coming "under the ...

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[### Trump interference could have 'chilling effect across entire ...

Museums Association

https://www.museumsassociation.org › News](https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2025/08/trump-interference-could-have-chilling-effect-across-entire-museum-sector/)

Aug 19, 2025 — ... Lonnie Bunch last week ordering an internal review of the institution's exhibitions and materials. In its first phase, the review will ...

[### Trump's Executive Order Puts Smithsonian's Future at Risk

Word In Black

https://wordinblack.com › 2025/04 › black-history-und...](https://wordinblack.com/2025/04/black-history-under-fire-trumps-executive-order-puts-smithsonians-future-at-risk/)

Apr 1, 2025 — The Smithsonian Institution's first Black American leader, Lonnie G. Bunch III, has reaffirmed the institution's commitment to diffusing knowledge.

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an 10 25

Trump’s daughter-in-law offers herself up as a headliner for MAGA halftime show - Alternet.org

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RWW

The Federal Government Is Now Sponsoring Christian Nationalist Worship Events On The National Mall | People For FEUCHT

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an

Watch: JD Vance loudly booed for 30 seconds straight by Kennedy Center crowd

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AN 6 25

'Absolutely none': The Smithsonian just unleashed a brutal smackdown on Trump

JDV CHARGED WITH DEI DE-WOKE? 5 25? ZOO?

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AN 6 25

The White House slammed a fresh art installation critical of President Donald Trump on the National Mall this week, calling the anonymous creators “liberal activists masquerading as ‘artists.’”

The Washington Post reported that a golden, vintage television set was installed Thursday near Third Street NW, directly facing the U.S. Capitol. It loops a 15-second silent clip of Trump performing his signature slow-motion dance — featuring one scene alongside convicted child predator Jeffrey Epstein — while an ice‑cream truck jingle played nearby.

The TV’s exterior, ivy and decorative eagle are all spray-painted gold. A plaque at its base repeats the White House’s recent comment: “In the United States of America you have the freedom to display your so‑called ‘art,’ no matter how ugly it is.” — The Trump White House, June 2025.

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That quote was originally a response to the “Dictator Approved” statue — an earlier protest installation. It was an eight‑foot gold thumb crushing the Statue of Liberty’s crown, adorned with quotes from authoritarian leaders praising Trump.

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According to the National Park Service permit, the new exhibit aims “to demonstrate freedom of speech and artistic expression using political imagery.” It’s set to remain through Sunday evening.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told The Post: “Wow, these liberal activists masquerading as ‘artists,’ are dumber than I thought!”

“I’ve tricked them into taking down their ugly sculpture and replacing it with a beautiful video of the President’s legendary dance moves that will bring joy and inspiration to all tourists traversing our National Mall," she added.

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According to the report, the creators remain unknown, but these latest installations draw on the same aesthetic and materials seen in last fall’s protest art across Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Portland, Oregon.

No individual or organization has stepped forward to claim authorship of any of the pieces. The earlier works — like the tiki torch and desk — were reportedly placed anonymously as a tongue-in-cheek reference to political events.

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Public and cultural institutions

Presidio Trust

Mr. Trump ordered the government to “eliminate to the maximum extent” the functions of the Presidio Trust, which oversees a San Francisco park and was one of Representative Nancy Pelosi’s proudest accomplishments.

The Smithsonian Institution

Mr. Trump issued an executive order claiming that the Smithsonian Institution had “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology.” The order stipulated, among other things, that future appropriations to the Smithsonian “prohibit expenditure on exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values.”

The Kennedy Center

The center has been in flux since Mr. Trump purged its previously bipartisan board of Biden appointees and had himself elected chairman.

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