#cultural-politics

#cultural-politics

As the administration continues its attacks on culture, the president is targeting a building near the National Mall with several remarkable New Deal-era murals about social security, which remain as relevant as the day they were painted. Reporter Aaron Short brings us inside the fight to save this gem of a building, which a new petition describes as a "Sistine Chapel" of artworks centering working-class communities that the government abandoned during the Great Depression (and continues to neglect today).

The spectacle was almost too on the nose: Here was the nexus of women's (limited) history within the executive branch, once home to Jacqueline Kennedy's Rose Garden and Laura Bush's restored movie theater, now totally demolished. Donald Trump has made clear his wishes to put a new ballroom in the East Wing's place. But his planned additions to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue also include the installation of an Ultimate Fighting Championship octagon for America's 250th birthday celebration.

We are witnessing the restoration of patriarchy, nationalism, racism, and capitalist individualism. It is the nostalgic fury of right-wing movements that want to return to an idealized past one that perhaps never truly existed and to reestablish hierarchical orders. This is the terrifying panorama described by Judith Butler. Butler, 69, spoke last Friday at the Reina Sofia Museum auditorium in Madrid with Joseba Elola, coordinator of EL PAIS's Ideas supplement, during a subscriber event marking the publication's 10th anniversary.

The 89-year-old filmmaker - whose career has been derailed by longstanding allegations of sexually abusing his adopted daughter - appeared remotely on Saturday as the guest of honor at Moscow International Film Week, where he participated in a Q&A moderated by director Fyodor Bondarchuk. During his remarks, Allen reportedly praised the Russian film industry and said he would consider filming a project in the country if such an opportunity materialized. He specifically mentioned the idea of a script centered on the sense of comfort in Moscow and St. Petersburg, inspired by his own previous travels to the Russian cities.

Bokan's appointment reflects a political crackdown on the arts, aimed at punishing those supporting government opposition, as protests against the nationalist regime escalate.