Julie Laumann
@julielaumann.bsky.social
Center-left Democrat, committed to human rights, police reform, climate action, gun control. NYU GSAS '00 (energy security; EU Energy Union)
“Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing. The board resolution bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted.” Kennedy Center board votes to close venue as judge bars adding Trump’s name
Kennedy Center board votes to close venue as judge bars adding Trump’s name
The center’s Board of Trustees is also set to consider a proposal to shut down the building for renovations.
washingtonpost.com
“The Russian and Ukrainian governments made clear on Tuesday that neither had agreed to an energy cease-fire that Trump presented as a done deal a day before. The Kremlin said that an agreement would be “a very good idea” but would not have much effect on fuel markets, Trump had suggested.”
Ukraine and Russia Say There Is No Energy Truce, Despite Trump’s Claims (Gift Article)
The Kremlin said that an agreement would be “a very good idea” but that any deal would not have much effect on fuel markets, as President Trump had suggested.
nytimes.com
“Since Trump took control of the Kennedy Center at the start of his second term, it has seen waves of cancellations by artists, plummeting attendance by audiences and withdrawal of support from some donors.” #ETTD
Hoodlum 🇺🇸@nothoodlum.bsky.social · 14h agoNEW: A federal judge told Kennedy Center officials at a hearing that he would not approve a plan to inscribe Trump’s name on the Kennedy Center. Gift link. 👇 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/a...
extremely funny and entirely expected: The three felony charges against a man who destroyed a "decoy" 3D-printed Flock camera have been reduced to two misdemeanors after state was forced to admit the 3D-printed shell was essentially worthless www.404media.co/charges-agai...
Charges Against Man Who Destroyed 3D-Printed ‘Decoy’ Flock Camera Drastically Reduced After State Admits It Was Not Very Valuable
Three felonies have suddenly become two second-degree misdemeanors.
404media.co
Something weirdly not noted in a lot of the coverage of the extortionate threats to murder the Kennedy Center unless it’s reimagined as a shrine to Trump: There was no dire fiscal crisis until Trump’s goombahs started mucking with it. Its finances were fine. projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/o...
John F Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts - Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublica
Since 2013, the IRS has released data culled from millions of nonprofit tax filings. Use this database to find organizations and see details like their executive compensation, revenue and expenses, as...
projects.propublica.org
Oman tows Panama-flagged oil tanker EL GAIA after Iranian attack in Strait of Hormuz; 2 crew members missing
Oman tows oil tanker attacked off its coast, two crew missing | The Jerusalem Post
An Omani naval vessel evacuated 23 crew members, while two remain missing.
jpost.com
“The payments represented an extraordinary flouting of ethical norms for an American president’s family.” A lot of words to describe “staggering corruption.” #TrumpCrimeFamily
Russian Businessman With Putin Ties Paid for Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Party (Gift Article)
The payments, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, represented an extraordinary flouting of ethical norms for an American president’s family member.
nytimes.com
“Umar Kremlev reportedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the reception and fireworks for the event, which took place in the Bahamas in May.” Trump Jr’s wedding ‘funded by Russian oligarch with Putin ties’ @thetimes.com
Trump Jr’s wedding ‘funded by Russian oligarch with Putin ties’
Umar Kremlev reportedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the reception and fireworks for the event, which took place in the Bahamas in May
thetimes.com
“On Monday, the yield on 10-year Treasury bonds surpassed 5 percent for the first time since 2023 and only the second time since the 2008 financial crisis.” Bond Market Rebukes Scott Bessent By Sending Borrowing Costs Ever Higher
Bond Market Rebukes Bessent by Sending Borrowing Costs Ever Higher (Gift Article)
The Treasury secretary had dared “Bloomberg terminal bros” to bet against him and they did.
nytimes.com
“How are they supposed to serve a country that doesn’t even uphold their basic rights?” ICE Violently Attacks Two U.S. Citizen Minors on Their Way to Enlist in Marines
ICE Attacks Two U.S. Citizen Minors on Their Way to Enlist in Marines
The ICE agents reportedly said they didn’t care after being told the two teenagers were citizens.
newrepublic.com
🚨BREAKING: Agents of the Department of Homeland Security have been ordered to unlawfully access state voting records to carry out the department’s escalating elections-related probes, an anonymous federal whistleblower recently disclosed to Sen. Alex Padilla. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Homeland Security officers are illegally accessing state voter data, new whistleblower alleges
The searches likely resulted in "thousands of violations of state laws," Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said.
democracydocket.com
Important: the USPS rule that SCOTUS blocked tonight was Trump’s big plan to control and restrict mail voting. But a separate policy remains in place: USPS is no longer postmarking mail as soon it gets it, which is hugely important for deadlines. So people must mail back with plenty of time.
In an Intense Election Year, New Post Office Rules Could Trip Up Voter Registration - Bolts
A change in how mail is postmarked could lead some voters to miss key deadlines, including voter registration. Advocates worry the people most affected will be those already facing voting barriers.
boltsmag.org
It’s wild you’re expected to celebrate SCOTUS not allowing the president to dismantle a voting method used by tens of millions at the 11th hour — and also, at the same time, it absolutely is a big deal and couldn’t be taken for granted.
“Trump didn't attend his son's wedding celebrations, which were held over Memorial Day weekend. “I have no idea who Umar is, never heard of him," Trump said in a statement.” Russian Businessman With Tied to Putin Financed Donald Trump Jr's Lavish Wedding Celebrations #corruption #TrumpCrimeFamily
Russian Businessman Financed Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Celebrations
Umar Kremlev paid for two nights of celebration after the wedding, Donald Trump Jr. and his wife confirmed.
wsj.com
“For years, Mohammed bin Salman's government has invested billions of dollars and extensive political capital in building personal relationships with Trump and his family. But when the crown prince asked Trump last week to take military action against the Houthis, the president declined.”
Saudi Arabia Faces ‘Worst-Case Scenario’ After Iran’s Attacks and Trump’s Rebuffs (Gift Article)
The kingdom is in a state of strategic shock after coming under attack from an emboldened Iran and failing to win more U.S. military support, analysts say.
nytimes.com
This was Trump's fake justification for the first round of tariffs on Canadian & Mexican imports last year
Fox parrots Trump's "drug war" justification for Canada/Mexico tariffs, even as he weakened fentanyl smuggling enforcement
Part of President Donald Trump’s justification for imposing a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico, which went into effect on March 4 (with a one-month delay for the auto industry announce...
mediamatters.org
Catherine Rampell@crampell.bsky.social · 2d agointernal audit released by DHS’s inspector general found a significant dip in Homeland Security Investigations’ enforcement efforts against fentanyl trafficking from FY 2024 to FY 2025, because resources were diverted toward immigration instead. (via @eggerdc.bsky.social)
internal audit released by DHS’s inspector general found a significant dip in Homeland Security Investigations’ enforcement efforts against fentanyl trafficking from FY 2024 to FY 2025, because resources were diverted toward immigration instead. (via @eggerdc.bsky.social)
AI Is a Test of Our Maturity. *Gulp*
Recursively self-improving machines vs. recursively self-deluding people.
thebulwark.com
“Umar Kremlev’s previously unreported relationship with Trump Jr. represents an extraordinary development: a member of Putin’s circle financially supporting the president's son and gaining intimate access to the Trump family.” Not the first time.
Josh Kaplan@josh-kaplan.bsky.social · 2d agoNEW: Don Trump Jr’s luxurious wedding was secretly bankrolled by a Russian oligarch close to Putin. A saga involving private islands, the Olympics, and a Russian government-backed biker gang: www.propublica.org/article/dona...
NEW: Don Trump Jr’s luxurious wedding was secretly bankrolled by a Russian oligarch close to Putin. A saga involving private islands, the Olympics, and a Russian government-backed biker gang: www.propublica.org/article/dona...
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch
The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large...
propublica.org
“The drone was intercepted by a new air defense system operated by IRGC Aerospace Force, according to state broadcaster IRIB.” Iran says it destroyed an American MQ-1 Predator drone over the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s IRGC says advanced MQ-1 drone ‘destroyed’ over Strait of Hormuz
Drone intercepted by new air defense system operated by IRGC Aerospace Force, according to state broadcaster | Anadolu
aa.com.tr
On Sept. 10, 2026, Trump led his followers in a public pledge to "cheat like hell" in the midterms. The New York Times didn't put that fact in a headline, instead sticking it in the 3rd paragraph of a story on Page 22 of its print edition.
I'll never forget when Trump called for "termination" of the Constitution in December 2022 and the New York Times put it on Page 13.
Trump’s Call for ‘Termination’ of Constitution Draws Rebukes (Gift Article)
Republicans were still cautious — or silent entirely — about shunning the former president-turned-2024 candidate.
nytimes.com
All eyes on the attacks on democracy in U.S. Front page above fold in @nytimes.com on Trump’s assault on free speech: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/12/u... Lead story online in @washingtonpost.com is danger to elections from Trump Admin: wapo.st/4r70eX8 Editorial in @elpais.com elpais.com/opinion/2026...
“The people of Sudan need food, water and medicine,” Tom Fletcher, the U.N. humanitarian chief, told the Security Council in a grim briefing. “Yet the world sends drones, weapons and mercenaries.” Biden and Trump Called It a Genocide and Then Turned Away @nickkristof.bsky.social
Opinion | Biden and Trump Called It a Genocide and Then Turned Away
We know how to stop the atrocities in Sudan. There’s just too little interest in doing so.
nytimes.com
Over six months, we tracked the appearance of child sexual abuse material on X. We found images from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's database, which is considered one of the most highly vetted and which many tech companies block on upload. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/t...
Elon Musk Has Pledged to Rid His Platform, X, of Child Sexual Abuse, but It Persists
Reviews by the Canadian Center for Child Protection and The New York Times found that explicit images of children remain on the social media site owned by Elon Musk.
nytimes.com
“This is the first day that Iran really started winning the war,” a Yemeni official said of Houthi territorial gains that give Tehran leverage over a second major waterway.” Oil routes in peril as attacks shut Saudi pipeline and Houthis threaten key waterway
Oil routes in peril as attacks shut Saudi pipeline and Houthis threaten key waterway
“This is the first day that Iran really started winning the war,” a Yemeni official said of Houthi territorial gains that give Tehran leverage over a second major waterway.
washingtonpost.com
“The East-West pipeline [is] an increasingly vital means to shuttle oil from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea.” Saudis Shut Down Crucial Pipeline After Drone Attack From Iraq
Saudis Shut Down Crucial Pipeline After Drone Attack From Iraq (Gift Article)
The news briefly pushed the price of oil to $110 a barrel over heightened fears of widening clashes in the Middle East.
nytimes.com
Saudi Arabia’s critical East-West oil pipeline that bypasses Strait of Hormuz shut down after multiple attacks www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Saudi Oil Pipeline That Bypasses Hormuz Shut After Attacks
Saudi Arabia’s critical East-West oil pipeline that acts as a workaround for shipments unable to transit the Strait of Hormuz was shut as a precautionary measure following multiple attacks on Thursday...
bloomberg.com
“Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump twice Thursday, urging him to launch strikes against the Houthis as the Iran-backed group closed in on a vital Red Sea chokepoint. Trump declined.” @axios.com
Saudi crown prince urged Trump to strike Houthis amid Red Sea threat
Trump declined, and U.S. officials stressed he has no plans to intervene directly against the Houthis for now.
axios.com
