Leila

Graham Platner: “What we need is a clear political message about who is to blame. Because it isn’t immigrants, it’s not trans kids. It’s billionaires, it’s corporations, it’s Wall Street, it’s private equity, it’s Silicon Valley as it manipulates our feelings and commodifies our entire being”

The Ballroom was pitched as a project that would not cost taxpayer money. Now, Senate Judiciary Republicans are requesting $1 billion for security features related to it (how much of that $1 b on the ballroom, it doesn't say) grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/…

Elon Musk’s rabid dive into white supremacy has taken place in broad daylight and has been amply documented. It has been unsubtle and unvarnished. But in recent months Musk has flooded the zone with hundreds of direct tweets, quote‑tweets and reposts that amplified claims of “white genocide,” claims that white people would be “slaughtered,” and accusing Jews and other groups of “pushing hatred” against white people— the sort of thing that used to be confined to the far reaches of the white supremacist fever swamp. open.substack.com/pub/charliesyk…

1. ICE has not paid for detainee medical care for 7 MONTHS The termination of payments to providers has coincided with a MASSIVE SPIKE in detainee deaths. This is a health crisis and a moral crisis. Follow along for details. 🧵

A new CNN investigation reveals that Trump and Hegseth have hid from the public how badly U.S. military sites in the Middle East have been damaged by Iran. These new images are disturbing.

The detail that keeps moving in this story is the funding. Trump introduced the ballroom as a gift - patriotic donors, private money, no cost to the public. Congress is now being asked to appropriate $400 million in taxpayer funds for a structure DOJ lawyers describe in court filings as featuring seven-inch bulletproof glass, a drone-proof roof, and a design that means the president will no longer need to leave the White House perimeter for large events. Flanagan's piece documents what makes this a departure from precedent. From FDR building an air-raid shelter under cover of East Wing construction, to classified Cold War facilities, to Clinton's apologetic radio address about closing Pennsylvania Avenue - every modern president treated security infrastructure with discretion because visible fortification erodes the democratic symbolism of the White House. The building is supposed to look accessible even when it isn't. Trump is disclosing the specs publicly with each legal setback, which Flanagan notes is its own kind of unprecedented: being compulsively transparent about the barriers between himself and the people while undermining the symbolism that made the People's House mean something. If you are a taxpayer who was told this was a private donor project, it is now yours. $400 million worth.

The replies to this person's tweet lack a nuanced understanding of aesthetics. Let me tell you why I don't think this room works. First, the gold decorations make the room look like an ersatz Versailles. Go to Getty Images and type in "Oval Office." Then zoom in on the gold decor. You'll notice that the lines are very blunted and muddied; they lack the sharp lines and fine detailing that you'd expect on something made by an artisan. Hence why some people have suggested these decorations are from Home Depot (true or not, that's the impression). You can see the difference between the first and second photos. The first, of course, is of the Oval Office; the second is the reception room from the Hotel de Cabris in France, which was made during the 18th century under the direction of Louis XVI. Even at this distance, the second image looks much better because it was designed and executed by artisans working within a coherent visual language. You can really see the crisp lines and detailing. Second, the White House was designed by James Hoban, an Irish architect who migrated to the US for economic opportunities (what a great American story!). He originally designed it in the Neoclassical style, drawing on Palladian and Georgian influences. Neoclassicalism was a reaction against the Rococo movement, which reactionaries saw as overly ornate and frivolous. A bit of gold used sparingly and strategically can look fine in a Neoclassical building, but the amount Trump used has so radically encrusted the room that it's now in Rococo territory, making it look like a mismatch of aesthetics. You can see an example of gilded Rococo architecture in the third slide. Although it's not my thing, the effect is totally different because it's coherent. IMO, architecture sets the terms for you can decorate a space. Modernist furniture looks best in modernist buildings, just as Craftsman furniture looks best in Craftsman homes (see fourth slide). You don't have to do period recreations — sometimes mixing two aesthetics, or old and new, can make a space feel more natural — but having a sense of aesthetic history (art, architecture, furniture, fashion) can help you create better aesthetics. The Oval Office offends on at least three levels: the ersatz nature of the decor, the way it grates against Hoban’s Neoclassical vision, and the way it misunderstands the classical-republican symbolism that the White House was meant to project in the first place. As others have noted, this is the kind of decor you'd expect from dictators who rob their own country.

Today we celebrate World Press Freedom Day, sponsored by UNESCO. Unfortunately, this right is often violated, sometimes flagrantly, sometimes in hidden ways. Let us remember the many journalists and reporters who are victims of war and violence.

Good morning and Happy Sunday to everyone who agrees that, with Iran destroying 16 of our military bases in the Middle East, and STILL controlling the Strait of Hormuz, it's clear trump and Hegseth are LYING to us. It's a MASSIVE coverup.

MAGA influencer Craig Long was arrested this week in Florida for his role in a sex trafficking ring. Long, who is a close friend of Donald Trump Jr. and strong supporter of Donald Trump, was caught in a sting operation in Polk County.

@HQNewsNow More like 50 years ago

Trump: And Melania hates when I dance to at the end too. She hates when I dance to what's sometimes referred to as... the gay national anthem.

When Trump pulled out of the international nuclear agreement with Tehran in 2018, Iran lacked even a single bomb's worth of uranium. Since then, it accumulated 22,000 pounds of enriched uranium. @BlackiLi @WilliamJBroad nytimes.com/interactive/20…

ICE take 10 year old boy to court to deport him—all alone without even a lawyer. He urinated on himself and wet all his clothing—no one offered him a change for many hours. "I was scared because it was my first time in court," he said. Separated from his mom for 4 months now after she was detained during a traffic stop. Wilfredo and his mother are originally from Venezuela with a pending asylum case. ICE is now trying to deport him alone without legal representation to Ecuador—a country he's never been to and does not know a single person. He is temporarily staying with his mom's former boss in Houston, Texas.

The US Air Force agreed to buy an undisclosed number of interceptor drones from a company backed by Trump’s sons, according to the firm, deepening the military’s ties to defense contractors linked to the first family . bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Trump’s net worth has nearly tripled in his second term, reaching $6.5 billion. His administration is the most brazenly self-enriching in American history. My @Morning_Joe Chart.

Trump sons take stake in Kazakh miner that won $1.6bn US contract ft.trib.al/4FSojz6

Dr. Rubeliz Bolivar Barrios was completing her residency in South Texas when ICE locked her away. Her colleagues call her Ruby. They say that as an emergency and trauma doctor, she serves every patient with empathy and dedication. Being bilingual, she makes people feel seen and heard. In the middle of a healthcare provider shortage in the Rio Grande Valley, it is unthinkable that ICE would keep Ruby locked away. Her 5 year-old daughter Milena and husband need her home. Her patients need her too. ICE should release Dr. Barrios immediately and allow her to continue her work helping people.

The agent who killed Renee Good in cold blood is back on the job. Zero accountability. This is exactly why we can’t give ICE another penny until real reforms are in place. thedailybeast.com/ice-agent-jona…