Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr was asked about Stephen Colbert, whose show was canceled in what many view as a craven concession to appease President Donald Trump, during an appearance on CNBC Friday. “They have such a storied history, and it's sort of sad to see what's happening to Colbert. They obviously can't get it done. They're not making money over there. But I think they need a course correction. And frankly, I think, you know, the media industry across this country needs a course correction,” he said. x x YouTube Video Carr was on the show to discuss approving a multibillion-dollar merger between Paramount and Skydance, which came just weeks after the media giant paid Trump $16 million to settle his frivolous lawsuit—a lawsuit that was mocked by “South Park,” a Paramount-distributed show.  Anna Gomez, the sole Democratic-appointed FCC commissioner, castigated Paramount’s “months of cowardly capitulation to this Administration.”  When asked about her statement condemning the obvious bribe and violation of the First Amendment, Carr responded, “I think it's time for a change.” x x YouTube Video While CBS claimed that Colbert’s late night show was canceled for financial reasons, it’s been widely criticized as disingenuous. And as Carr defends President Donald Trump ’s war on the First Amendment as an effort to combat “bias” against the right, his actions prove otherwise.

A cartoon by Jack Ohman. Related | CBS cancels Trump critic Colbert's 'Late Show'—and faces sharp blowback

Lee Zeldin might be dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency bit by bit, but at least he’s making gas cans great again. The EPA administrator announced Friday that he had made an official plea to gas-can manufacturers, begging them to change their spout designs.  “Gas cans used to POUR gas. Now they just DRIBBLE like a child's sippy cup. The Trump EPA’s message to gas can makers: VENT THE DARN CAN and let it FLOW BABY FLOW!” he wrote on X. In a memo sent to can manufacturers, Zeldin’s EPA encouraged the designers to stop making cans in compliance with a 2009 EPA standard that was meant to cut down on the release of harmful greenhouse gases.  On one hand, the frustration among consumers using gas cans seems to be more than just among a sparse few. However, as Zeldin wages public battles with plastic cans, he has also been wreaking havoc on his environmental colleagues. Last week, Zeldin announced his plans to shut down the scientific research arm of the EPA.  «Under President Trump's leadership, EPA has taken a close look at our operations to ensure the agency is better equipped than ever to deliver on our core mission of protecting human health and the environment while powering the great American comeback,» Zeldin said in a statement. «This reduction in force will ensure we can better fulfill that mission while being responsible stewards of your hard-earned tax dollars.» A sign protesting emissions from oil and gas stands across from Lybrook Elementary School, in Counselor, New Mexico, Navajo Nation, on March 11. Zeldin’s plan is to shutter the Office of Research and Development, which oversees studies into the harms of toxic chemicals, wildfires, climate change, drinking-water pollutants, and more. And less oversight and public awareness is just what the chemical industry wants. All of this fits into Zeldin’s other work since taking on his role at the EPA.  Since January, he has cut the workforce, including scientists and researchers, and pulled critical research grants across the country. And as he seeks to hamper the EPA’s ability to do its job, he has also made it easier for companies to bypass regulations as well. From no longer collecting most greenhouse-gas data to allowing companies to opt out of regulations by emailing in their requests, Zeldin has been hard at work.  After all, it was his initial plan to “driv[e] a dagger” through the heart of “climate-change religion.” And now the world gets to suffer from that wound.

Even in an era where every new presidential executive order is a body blow, President Donald Trump’s “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” is particularly awful. Ostensibly about “making America safe again and ending homelessness,” per the ever-mendacious White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, it’s nothing but criminalizing homelessness, substance use disorders, and mental health issues.  And, like so many things in the Trump era, the right-wing justices on the Supreme Court cleared the way for this cruelty.  The first part of the order purports to be about “restoring civil commitment,” which is nothing but a call for mass institutionalization of people experiencing substance use issues or a mental health crisis. Civil commitment has never gone away, so there’s nothing to be restored as such.  Every state has laws providing for involuntary commitment, but those generally have far higher barriers to entry than those preferred by conservatives. What this boils down to is that right-wingers haven’t yet managed to figure out a way to arrest and imprison people simply based on their diagnoses, so they need a different approach. The approach here is just to demand that states lock people up anyway, albeit under the guise of “civil” commitment.  But what to do with people who aren’t suffering an acute mental health crisis but are unhoused? How can Trump impose some sort of cruel incarceration on them as well? Well, by trying to force states and cities to criminalize urban camping, “loitering,” and “squatting.” The latter two are inflammatory terms meant to make it sound nefarious that the unhoused get to be out in public, standing around. xTrump on homelessness: «Tents -- I'm getting rid of them right now. You can't do that, especially in Washington DC. I talk to the mayor about it all the time. I said, 'you gotta get rid of the tents.' When leaders come to see me to make a trade deal & there's tents outside the WH, you can't have it»[image or embed]— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) July 25, 2025 at 10:08 AM And here’s where the Supreme Court comes in. In 2024, the court decided Grants Pass v. Johnson. There, the conservative majority ruled that cities could impose criminal penalties on people sleeping or camping in public places, even if there were not enough available shelter beds. As repugnant as that decision was, it obviously couldn’t force states or municipalities to adopt those criminal penalties, and executive orders aren’t law, as much as Trump wants them to be. Additionally, those orders really, really, really can’t bind states thanks to that whole federalism/Tenth Amendment thing on which our democracy is theoretically still based.  Never fear, though. The order has a solution. For grants from the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, or Transportation, priority will be given to states and municipalities that adopt policies making it easier to arrest the unhoused.  That approach is unforgivable on its face, but it’s also bad policy. Any pretense that the administration cares about anything except cruelty is belied by the fact that it has already slashed billions from programs that help people.  Conservatives loathe “Housing First” policies, which prioritize getting people into secure and sustainable housing where things like treatment options are available, but not mandated. Instead, they want people forced into a cycle of forced treatment and incarceration, their vision of the appropriate “punishment” for poverty. Housing First efforts result in better results for the whole community by providing housing stability.  Conservatives also hate harm reduction efforts, which focus on lessening the harmful effects of substance use with efforts like providing fentanyl test strips or clean needles. Exposing people with substance use disorders to as much danger as possible should not be a viable policy position, but it is one held by a majority of conservatives. The executive order is a permission slip to stigmatize and incarcerate people rather than helping.  But hey, wait, conservatives love the troops, right? Surely they want to make sure that struggling vets get housing? Not so much. They’ve slashed programs that help vets pay for housing. And while Trump made a big splash demanding that the Department of Veterans Affairs  house 6,000 unhoused veterans in West Los Angeles by the end of his term, there are no real details or money attached to making that happen. Also, good luck with that, given that overall cuts to the VA will help grind that agency’s effectiveness to a halt.  Always money for cruelty, never for compassion. It’s the hallmark of the Trump era.

Disgraced former GOP Rep. George Santos of New York reported to federal prison Friday to begin his sentence of more than seven years. He pleaded guilty in April to a series of fraud schemes ranging from wire fraud to aggravated identity theft. But if you thought he would go quietly, think again. In true Santos fashion, he’s spent the past few weeks making the rounds on podcasts—including Tucker Carlson’s—posting lengthy farewells on social media, and sending cameo videos to fans for more than $300 each. On Wednesday, he posted a clip on X of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” complete with the line, “And now the end is near / and so I face the final curtain.”  Then on Thursday, Santos wrote a rhinestone-studded goodbye on X. Santos arrives at federal court for his sentencing on April 25. “Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed. From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it’s been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days,” he wrote. “To my supporters: You made this wild political cabaret worth it. To my critics: Thanks for the free press. I may be leaving the stage (for now), but trust me legends never truly exit.” Later that evening, he hosted a final 90-minute X Spaces call, which at one point had more than 800 listeners, according to ABC News. When asked about the possibility of a presidential pardon, Santos replied, “The only person that could answer that question is, you know, whoever the President of the United States is—in this case, President Donald Trump.” He also got emotional during the stream, thanking his supporters, getting choked up, and insisting that he wouldn’t repeat his mistakes.  “Make better choices, be smarter than me, that’s for sure. I’ve made a string of shit choices in my life and for that, I’m sorry,” he said. “We built common ground through trust and transparency, and I wouldn't have done it any other way.” Ginger Gaetz, wife of disgraced former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, was among those who called in to wish Santos well. And he got in a few final jabs, calling his sentence excessive. “There's something to be said about the prison industrial complex, by the way. They’re selling fucking Twinkies for $5,” he said. “I mean, they have to be making banging profits. I mean, I’m thinking maybe when I get out of prison, I open a prison.”  Santos while still a representative He also joked about bad advice he’s received—like fighting the biggest guy on the inside—and said he planned to bring only a notepad, a Bible from his grandmother, and a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution. He added that he hopes to teach civics while behind bars. Santos rose to fame in 2022 after flipping a House seat on Long Island. But by 2023, the lies had caught up with him. Reporters uncovered discrepancies in his résumé and campaign filings, while prosecutors alleged he had defrauded donors, misused funds, and stolen identities to rack up fraudulent charges. He was ultimately expelled from the House in December 2023, becoming the sixth member in history to face such a punishment. He pleaded guilty before trial to 23 counts—including fraud, money laundering, and false statements—and he was sentenced to 87 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $600,000 in restitution and forfeitures.  Santos closed his X Spaces stream by urging people to come together across political divides. “I hope you all keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing, which is keeping each other honest and engaging in very much needed discourse,” he said. “We are in a time in our [lives] where we need to come closer as humans and not further.” Even in his final moments of freedom, Santos didn’t shy away from settling scores—or playing the tragic star of his own political cabaret.

The US Department of Justice accuses New York City and its mayor of obstructing federal law enforcement and sheltering illegal migrants Read Full Article at RT.com

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The 25th anniversary logo is visible in the cupola of the space station in this July 17, 2025, image. The central astronaut figure is representative of all those who have lived and worked aboard the station during the 25 years of continuous human presence. In the dark sky of space surrounding the astronaut are 15 stars, which symbolize the 15 partner nations that support the orbiting laboratory.

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«Pasera» is the latest addition to Javier de Riba’s ongoing series focused on reclaiming small plots of land as communal sites. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Among Andalusian Vineyards, a Vivid Carpet Creates a Space for Gathering appeared first on Colossal.

Using colorful eyeshadow cakes, powder blushes, and long acrylic nails, Irasema creates «an alternative version of the history of painting.» Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Cosemtics and Cosmos Blend in Circe Irasema’s Wooden Sculptures appeared first on Colossal.

The show at Ballroom Marfa is a timely and provocative exploration of today's societal complexities. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Five Latinx Artists Explore Materiality, Identity, and Belonging in ‘Los Encuentros’ appeared first on Colossal.

What if all you could see were images from seven years ago—happening in real time? Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article In ‘Slow Light,’ Past and Present Merge in the Uncanny, Animated Life of a Unique Protagonist appeared first on Colossal.

In 'Sail Away,' Werner Bronkhorst captures the overwhelming nature of climate anxiety through thick impasto strokes. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Werner Bronkhorst’s Tiny Beachgoers and Sailors Wade Through Chunky Blue Expanses appeared first on Colossal.

Forest creatures and vintage technology emerge from whittled wood. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Whittled Wood Sculptures by Brett Stenson Conjure Curiosity and Longing appeared first on Colossal.

Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba will be suspended for their upcoming Major League Soccer match against FC Cincinnati after both skipped the 2025 MLS All-Star Game without warning.

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