"The Order targets #NPR & #PBS expressly because, in the President's view, their news & other content is not 'fair, accurate, or unbiased.'"
The “wolf”line was drawn from a 1988 dissent by the late #SCOTUS Justice Antonin Scalia.
The suit says the admin is usurping #Congress' right to direct how federal money will be spent & to pass laws. It names #Trump, OMB dir #RussVought, Treasury Secy #ScottBessent & #MariaRosarioJackson, the chair of the #NEA, as defendants.
*CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS*
~for public art protest event~
poem (max 8 lines, 40 char/line) on
- why arts matter to democratic life & culture
- effects of the NEA cuts
- meaning of artistic freedom
Deadline June 3, 2025
email: wdadcmd@gmail.com
Google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdXrXU8Bp2jFWuoZZ1O6BBh9YrmTrrnmcEB4ACJ3JfRRzaFJA/viewform?usp=header
Today in The Medium Newsletter, Anna Dorn shares thoughts about the aesthetics of #AI, with stories by @revivingvirtue and @pluralistic. Other featured stories cover the cancellation of #NEA grants, the process of book writing, and thoughts prompted by an academic meta-analysis by @james_horton. https://blog.medium.com/can-ai-see-beauty-aa1f6e70fea2
Trump Administration’s Termination Of Arts Grants Hammers Film Festivals Nationwide: “We’re Sounding The Alarm Bell”
#Festivals #News #Politics #CamdenInternationalFilmFestival #DEI #Frameline #NationalEndowmentForTheArts #NEA #SundanceInstitute #TrueFalse
https://deadline.com/2025/05/trump-administation-arts-grants-cancellations-1236391086/
#USPolitics #Arts #NationalEndowmentForTheArts #NEA
Via Claire Willett: "links, trackers, webinars, templates, and all the free support you need if you just got that nightmare NEA email on Friday
please share far and wide, you do NOT have to be in Oregon to use these resources"
The deadline to appeal funding cancellations is THURSDAY MAY 8--three days from now.
https://www.orartswatch.org/emergency-alert-six-action-steps-if-your-nea-grant-was-just-canceled/
Update. "National Endowment for the Arts rescinds grants, dazing publishers and theaters."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2025/05/04/trump-budget-nea-arts-grants-canceled/
"Arts organizations across the country saw their grants pulled with little explanation, while a proposed federal budget sought to eliminate the arts funding agency altogether."
…Eliminating the #NEA itself would take a majority in #Congress.
"Any attempt to dismantle the National Endowment for the Arts—by eliminating #funding, reducing staff, or canceling #grants—is deeply concerning, shortsighted, & detrimental to our nation…The NEA plays a vital role in the lives of millions…& the thousands of #nonprofit & governmental arts & cultural organizations that bring America's story to life,”said Erin Harkey, CEO of the natl #arts advocacy org Americans for the Arts.
Beyond the wave of cuts, the #NEA is among a group of "small agency eliminations" proposed by the #Trump admin's 2026 Discretionary #Budget Request, alongside the National Endowment for the #Humanities & the Institute of #Museum & #Library Services.…
Since its founding by #Congress in 1965, the NEA has awarded $5.5B in #grants. It is the largest #arts funder in the US—yet one of the smallest #FederalAgencies. It is currently funded at $207M…. 0.003% of the total federal budget.
Among those affected are the #Berkeley Repertory Theater, Central Park Summer Stage in #NYC, & the #Chicago-area #arts #education #nonprofit Open Studio Project.
"The #NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus #funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage & creativity as prioritized by the President,"the email, several copies of which have been shared w/NPR, stated in part. "Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities."
The #Trump admin has started canceling National Endowment for the #Arts (#NEA) #grants.
Hundreds of arts groups of various sizes across the #US received emails notifying them of the withdrawal & termination of their grants late on Friday. The updates, which came from a generic "arts.gov" email address, appeared in grantees' inboxes just hours after Trump proposed eliminating the agency entirely from the federal #budget.
#law #USpol
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/03/nx-s1-5385888/sweeping-cuts-hit-nea-after-trump-administration-calls-to-eliminate-the-agency
2/3 - #PineTreeActivism Calendar
Scheduled Events
Details confirmed as of Sat, April 26th
MAY DAY EVENTS (alphabetical by location)
MAY 1, Thur 12-1:00PM – #GrandIsleME Community Center, 366 Main St. #MayDayStrong: We are Many www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/779019/
MAY 1, Thur 4-5:00PM (& every Thur)– #KennebunkME Rt 1 & Fletcher St, front of Kennebunk Library. Weekly Stand Out To Speak Against Government Actions designed to benefit the powerful. Hosted by Democrats of Kennebunks & Arundel, one of the most active Democratic memberships in Maine.
MAY 1, Thur 12-1:00PM – #MadawaskaME 340 Main St (Pocket Park by Daigle's Furniture. Maine May Day Strong – We Stand United for a world where every family has housing, healthcare, fair wages, union protection, and safety – regardless of race, zip code, or immigration status.
MAY 1, Thur 3:30-6:00PM – #OronoME Village Green (behind the Orono Public Library), 39 Pine St. May Day – #UnionStrong, Stand United for Union Principles https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/780378/
MAY 1, Thur 3:30-6:00PM – #PortlandME - March through the city! 35 Bedford St, USM Portland Campus (in front of McGoldrick Ctr.) #MayDayMarchAgainstTrump – Strength in Solidarity! Starts at USM > Post Office > Portland HS > Portland Museum of Art for music & speakers. Organized locally by #MaineMayDayCommittee https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/event/778395/
Also, SURJ Meet-Up: Attend May Day Strong Rally together! 3:30-Start at USM. 5:00PM-Portland Museum of Art. 5:30PM-Rally begins Congress Square Park. Organized by Showing Up for Racial Justice: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/776818/
MAY 1, Thur 3:30-5:00PM – #WatervilleME 60 Front St, Head of the Falls. May Day Strong: Waterville – organized by Indivisible Mid Maine for The #NEA: www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/780831/
#Resist! Judge halts enforcement of Trump administration’s anti-DEI orders in education
The ruling bars the administration from proceeding with its plans for a so-called “End DEI” portal and a certification requirement. It applies to any entity with ties to the plaintiff organizations.
By Steven Porter Globe Staff,Updated April 24, 2025, 1:03 p.m.
CONCORD, N.H. — "A federal judge in New Hampshire issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday blocking the Trump administration from following through on threats to #defund #schools that defy its directives on #diversity, #equity, and #inclusion.
"In an 82-page order, Chief Judge Landya B. McCafferty said the administration’s #AntiDEI interpretation of federal law, as expressed in a letter the US Department of Education distributed in February, fails to give teachers clarity about what exactly the government requires of them.
" 'When a law fails to provide ‘minimal guidelines’ governing its enforcement, it may sweep in so much conduct that enforcement decisions become based on the ‘personal predilections’ of the person or entity bringing the enforcement action,' she wrote, ruling that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in proving the directives are unconstitutionally vague.
"McCafferty wrote that the February letter, in combination with the #EducationDepartment’s public statements about it and the launch of an '#EndDEI' portal, 'raise the specter of a public ‘witch hunt’ that will sow fear and doubt among #teachers lest they be publicly branded as peddlers of ‘divisive ideologies’ based on the Department’s — or even private parties’ — subjective assessments.'
"What’s more, teachers would face the risk of professional consequences whether they comply with the federal government’s anti-DEI directives or not, she added. The certification requirements for English teachers in New Hampshire, for example, require educators to consider #literature 'through various #CriticalLenses,' such as #gender, #ethnicity, #religion, or #SocioEconomic conditions, she noted.
"This lawsuit was first filed by attorneys with the National Education Association [#NEA] and the American Civil Liberties Union [#ACLU], who allege the administration is violating the #DueProcess and #FreeSpeech rights of teachers.
"Sarah Hinger, deputy director of the ACLU’s racial justice program, hailed Thursday’s ruling as a win for academic freedom.
" 'Every student deserves an education that reflects the full diversity of our society, free from political interference,' Hinger said in a statement. 'The federal government has no authority to dictate what schools can and cannot teach to serve its own agenda, and this ruling is an important step in reaffirming that.'
"The Center for Black Educator Development and six public school districts in #NewHampshire and #Vermont have since agreed to sign on as plaintiffs as well.
"State education commissioners were given until Thursday to submit certifications that their schools are complying with the federal government’s interpretation of the law, but McCafferty’s ruling bars the administration from proceeding with that certification requirement. It also bars the government from using its 'End DEI' portal as planned.
"The New Hampshire Department of Education required school districts and public charter schools to submit their certifications by last week, and most have done so, according to a list published on the state’s website.
"Rather than issue a nationwide injunction, McCafferty said the protections in her order apply to the plaintiffs in this case, their members, and 'any entity that employs, contracts with, or works with' at least one member of the plaintiff organizations.
"The NEA alone reports having 3 million members employed in a wide variety of educational settings, so McCafferty’s order could apply to a broad swath of entities.
"A federal judge in Maryland presiding over a similar lawsuit from another major labor union, the American Federation of Teachers, issued a similar order on Thursday.
"Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher wrote that she takes no position on whether the disputed policies are 'prudent or foolish,' but she must scrutinize the way the policies were made and has concluded the government didn’t follow the law.
"McCafferty was appointed by former president Barack Obama. [Gallagher?] was appointed by Trump.
"The government is expected to pursue an appeal."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/l9iEl
Artnet is “tracking the impact of President Donald Trump's recent executive orders and policy changes on the arts.” IOW the gutting of US art and culture. Long read but important. #arts #NEA #nationalgallery #NEH #IMLS #DOGE #smithsonian #artnet https://news.artnet.com/art-world/trump-executive-orders-arts-2605142
Aumentó levemente la probabilidad de que el asteroide 2024 YR4 impacte la Luna. Ahora la probabilidad es de 3,8% según la NASA https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/planetary-defense/2025/04/02/nasa-update-on-the-size-estimate-and-lunar-impact-probability-of-asteroid-2024-yr4/ #2024yr4 #impacto #luna #impact #moon #asteroide #asteroid #astronomia #astronomy #neo #nea
Federal judge halts parts of Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders that require contractors and grant recipients to certify compliance
https://fortune.com/2025/03/28/federal-judge-halts-parts-of-trumps-anti-dei-executive-orders/
Judge Matthew Kennelly of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois halted the Labor Department from requiring federal contractors or grant recipients from certifying that they don’t operate any programs in violation of Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders.
Wait... it's illegal for the #government to dictate artistic expression? To exclude works that discuss certain viewpoints, like, say, #gender? Who'da thunk?
"The lawsuit, filed by the #ACLU on behalf of Rhode Island Latino Arts, National Queer Theater, The Theater Offensive and the Theatre Communications Group, argues that this funding requirement from the #NEA violates the #FirstAmendment, the Administrative Procedure Act and the Fifth Amendment. "
Today in Labor History February 22, 2004: Education Secretary Rod Paige called the nation’s largest teachers union, National Education Association (NEA), a terrorist organization. No teachers were killed or imprisoned for belonging to the union under the Bush administration, but the government did use the epithet to justify imprisoning citizens and non-citizens indefinitely without trial for being “terrorists.” And the 20-year “war on terror” that Bush initiated led to at least 900,000 deaths, according to Brown University’s Costs of War project (https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-09-01/costsofwar). However, Professor Catherine Lutz, co-author of report, called this a vast undercount. She said that “one has to multiply that direct death number… by an estimated two to four times to get to the total number of people – in the millions – who are dead today who would not have been dead had the wars not been fought.” This would put Bush up there with the top ten most murderous world leaders of the past 100 years.
Currently, the Trump administration is using the “terrorist” epithet to justify the mass deportation of immigrant “criminals.” In reality, they are going after anyone who doesn’t look “white,” including many who have never been accused of a crime. There have already been numerous reports of citizens and legal residents, including Indigenous people, being deported or imprisoned. Trump is also using the epithet to justify flying CIA spy drones over Mexico to surveil drug cartels, in violation of international law. And, in the future, he could start using armed drones to kill people accused of gang affiliation, whether they are in Mexico, El Salvador, or the working-class communities of major U.S. cities, like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Indeed, Todd Zimmerman, the DEA’s special agent in Mexico City, said that U.S. military action in Mexico was on the table (https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-02-21/trump-militarizes-approach-to-mexico).
If the U.S. government did start targeting its own citizens as “terrorists,” it would nothing new. They are already calling pro-Palestinian activists terrorists, attempting to label all of them as Hamas symps, and threatening deport any who don’t have U.S. citizenship. They prosecuted and imprisoned numerous environmental and animal rights activists as terrorists in the 90’s and early 2000’s. In the 1960s and early ‘70s, they murdered numerous activists from organizations they labeled as “terrorists,” like the Black Panthers and American Indian Movement. And going back at least as far as the 1860s, they were falsely accusing Irish union organizers of being Molly Maguire terrorists, wrongfully executing 10 of them on June 21, 1877, the second largest single-day mass execution in U.S. history, after the 1862 mass execution of 38 Dakota Indians. Considering Trump’s goal of abolishing, or at least gutting, the Department of Education; his hatred of unions; and the anti-union objectives of Protest 2025; it is not hard to see the “terrorist” epithet again being hurled at teacher unions, and at all unions (except, perhaps, those that affiliate with a future pro-MAGA American Labor Front, like Hitler’s German Labor Front).
Or, we could just start arming teachers, as many on the right have demanded, and see where that takes us…
You can read more about the so-called Molly Maguires here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2024/04/13/the-myth-of-the-molly-maguires/
"[I]t is #Trump who seems poised to treat liberalism’s legal doctrine of emergency as a mechanism not for saving the republic from existential danger—the kind of temporary state of exception our founding fathers imagined—but for exercising pure power." - Caroline Elkins
The Making of Emergencies
https://www.nybooks.com/online/2025/02/16/the-making-of-emergencies-trump/
https://archive.ph/MiALT
#USpol #USpolitics #MAGA #EmergencyPowers #NEA #NationalEmergenciesAct #ExecutiveOrders
Protest this afternoon on the Hill to protect #federalworkers #civilservice. Overflow crowd, but will we see it on #MSM? This video is long, but it captures the passion of the moment. Time to get all fired up! #letthemwork #holdtheline #stopthecoup #Union Tomorrow’s rally is for public education with #NEA on the Hill , corner of Independence and 1st St SE at 4:00
