Friday, September 26, 2025
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The World’s Greatest Showoff

Reporters Desk
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The World’s Greatest Showoff

 

By Dan Rather

Good thing P.T. Barnum didn’t live to see Trump, Donald Trump would never admit that he is a protégé of P.T. Barnum, but the famous 19th-century showman is an apt mentor. To paraphrase one of Barnum’s most famous quotes: “Without publicity, a terrible thing happens: nothing.” The adage also describes Trump’s entire life, a life lived in front of the camera.

Barnum, who also served as the mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and in the state’s legislature, was one of the first to understand the importance of publicity when the idea of generating buzz to gain influence and create impact was at its start.

And most importantly, Barnum and Trump are both all about the circus.

Fast-forward 150 years and Trump has, under his own big top, learned to manipulate publicity to his benefit. Whether you call it misdirection, bait-and-switch, or a smoke screen, he uses the tactic to distract from what is actually going on.

The economy tanking? What about releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files? Forget about that stuff. Here’s something new to distract you. The press spends every day in Trumpworld careening from one sensationalistic topic to the next, all ginned up to make Trump look good.

Here’s what’s really going on: Hiring is slow. And as The Washington Post reported: “The economy is increasingly dependent on a small sliver of superstar companies and wealthy consumers to stay afloat because these are the only firms and families able to withstand the tariff onslaught.”

If the rich stop spending, look out.

 

Shiny Objects

But pay no attention to the tanking economy, because Trump is hawking sparkly distractions on the South Lawn. On Wednesday, Trump was seen wandering around the roof of the White House, assessing the location for the $200-million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom he plans to build.

For reference, the main building of the White House, excluding the two wings, is 55,000 square feet spread over four levels. A regulation football field is 57,600 square feet. The ballroom would seat 650 people. Most state dinners have half that many attendees.

“They’ve wanted a ballroom at the White House for more than 150 years, but there’s never been a president who was good at ballrooms. I’m good at building things, and we’re going to build quickly and on time. It’ll be beautiful, top, top of the line,” Trump boasted. Who is “they?” This reporter has watched the White House for 60 years, and the ballroom ambition is news to me.

Renderings of the addition look more like his garish South Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, than the 225-year-old presidential mansion it will adjoin. Trump is hell-bent on leaving his mark; whether that mark is an improvement is up for debate. He has cemented over much of Jackie Kennedy’s White House Rose Garden and added so much gilt to the Oval Office it’s a wonder people aren’t required to wear sunglasses to enter.

None of this is about helping the American people. There is zero governing. Every day offers a new episode of Donald Trump: the never-ending series. All those campaign promises … long forgotten and cast aside to promote what’s important to him: himself.

 

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Cheat ‘Em

But everything is not going great. Just ask those in Congress who’ve returned home to their districts for summer recess. The boo birds have been out in force as Republican representatives meet their constituents. Try convincing everyday Americans that Medicaid cuts are good for them, or that tax cuts for the wealthy are just what they need as they face higher prices at the grocery store. That’s what people care about, not Trump’s airplane hangar-sized ballroom.

If everything were going great, Trump wouldn’t be begging states to rewrite congressional districts to ensure he keeps a majority in Congress. This is the double-dealing tactic of a desperate man — and yet another distraction. If Trump can’t win fairly, he will try to win by rigging the system.

Trump knows he faces stiff headwinds in his bid to maintain control of the House of Representatives. With the economy tanking because of his rolled-out, walked-back, delayed-and-then-imposed (on some) tariffs and the draconian measures in his tax and spending bill — some of which have yet to hit the economy — convincing voters to stick with him and his House lackeys is a tall order.

So he has sent JD Vance out on a tour of red-state legislatures to try to convince them to cheat on behalf of the president by redrawing their congressional district maps.

The losers in this fight are the millions of Americans in the gerrymandered districts who effectively would be disenfranchised. But Trump doesn’t care — nor has he ever cared — about his constituents, even the ones who voted for him. What he does care about is inflating his own ego and wealth and those of his billionaire posse. His policies will only add to his fortune. So losing the House would slow his takedown of our democracy but wouldn’t affect his bottom line.

 

Nothing to See Here

Last week Trump had a temper tantrum when he was told about the new unemployment numbers and the downward revisions for May and June. He knows that low employment will not help his prospects for the midterms. So he fired Erika McEntarfer, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He claimed the large downturn in the unemployment numbers she released was “rigged.” It is a real-(Trump)world example of shooting the messenger.

Many column inches would have been written about the revised numbers and what they mean for our economy — fair to say, nothing good — but by acting like a petulant toddler and getting rid of McEntarfer, he brought additional scrutiny to the issue.

He also did it at the Smithsonian, an institution charged with preserving American history and heritage. It was pressured by the White House to remove Trump’s name from its exhibit on presidential impeachment. Trump is the only president to be impeached twice.

On its X account, the Smithsonian tried to explain the decision to remove the Trump references. They posted that the information about Trump’s impeachment was on a placard that “did not meet the museum’s standards in appearance, location, timeline, and overall presentation.”

Publicity can be like a genie in a bottle: You can’t necessarily predict what will happen once it’s out. In this case, no one had been talking about Trump’s two impeachments. Now they are.

One thing that differentiates Trump from his publicity guru P.T. Barnum is that Barnum was crafty and subtle. Trump’s efforts are clunky and obvious, which makes it much easier to keep tabs on him and call him out. Trump may think he is overseeing “the Greatest Show on Earth,” when in reality he is leading one of the worst — if not the worst — presidencies in the history of our country.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

James Preston Allen
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What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

 

Orange Felon Grabs Olympic Gig, Crashes Kennedy Center Honors

Every day it’s like another episode of the Orange Reality TV show. Last week, he created the federal task force on the LA28 Olympics and put himself as chairman, and then later announced that he would personally emcee the Kennedy Center Honors — this is like putting Bozo the Clown in charge of the circus. Well, it actually has become the circus of his own egotistical creation, starring the one and only Bozo the Orange Felon.

Forget that he’s promised to end two wars on day one in office, or that he was going to fix trade deficits with global tariffs, or, after speaking to the president of Russia, that he’s going to eliminate vote by mail (something he has no constitutional power to do). He’ll just try to do it anyway.

The distraction of all of this reality TV circus is that a lot of really important things are getting sidelined while he is grandstanding. And one might surmise that much of the flurry under the big top has more to do with distracting the public from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal because his MAGA QAnon followers are adamant about having those sex files released. Are there any pictures of him with underage girls?

Oh, let’s just go back to arguing over what to call the Gulf of Mexico or accusing President Barack Obama of treason (what!?).

People, this is all like a complex feather toy that he keeps wiggling in front of the cat, something that you can never catch.

The 2028 Olympics are governed by the International Olympic Committee, which has a certain charter and bylaws, and is organized by the LA28 committee, a private group responsible for organizing the games. It has already contracted more than 70% of its $2.5 billion sponsorship goal, with more deals coming. So just what could the Orange Felon possibly add to this mix?

Never in the history of this country has there been a federal task force on the Olympics, and yet the Orange Felon has signed an executive order creating one. One can only begin to imagine what could go wrong.

First, he wants to be on the world stage, doubtful he’ll carry the torch, but he’ll be center stage like Adolf Hitler during the 1936 games. Remember, Nazi Germany used the 1936 Olympic Games for propaganda purposes, so will Trump. The Nazis promoted an image of a new, strong, and united Germany while masking the regime’s targeting of Jews and Roma (Gypsies), as well as Germany’s growing militarism, making Germany great again.

If any of this sounds vaguely familiar, then it’s just history rhyming with itself. And with the recent military takeover of LA and Washington, D.C., one could just imagine what militarism will take place during these games.

And then the Kennedy Center Honors is the annual event that recognizes achievements in the performing arts. He never attended them during his first term in office, but now has fired the entire staff of the Kennedy Center and nominated himself, his wife and Vice President J.D. Vance to the board and made himself chairman. Claiming that there was too much DEI in the mix. You’d think that all of this noodling in the Olympics and the arts would get in the way of his golf game, but noooo, that’s not going to happen. What is happening is that the Orange Felon has become a national embarrassment and a caricature of himself — has anyone even checked what his golf scores are? However, neither satire nor ridicule nor outright hypocrisy will defeat his egocentric delusions of fascism. He has become the star, the producer and the promoter of this dystopian reality TV show, and people keep watching. Except they haven’t. Since his first term in office, viewership of national news has declined from 58% down to a low of 38%, meaning that fewer and fewer people are paying attention, and even still, few of the national media will call this what it is — fascism! The major news corporations are as guilty as the industrialists were in pre-World War II Germany.

And if he can’t bully them with threats, he’s sued them for defamation, and it’s left for the alternative media to point out the Orange Felon has no clothes, that he is failing in most of what he attempts, even immigration raids have only captured a small percentage of violent criminal immigrants. Something like 78% of those who have been abducted have no criminal history whatsoever.

What I am most proud of is the number of people who have come out to protest, the people who have come out to bear witness to the atrocities of this Orange Felon’s regime and its corruption of our constitution and democracy. These will be remembered as the true patriots of our times, the ones who placed themselves on the front lines of resistance to fascism.

They may be beaten, bullied and arrested like the Civil Rights marchers or the anti-Vietnam War protestors, but this is a moment in time where you can’t be in the middle of the road on this.

This is the TV show that actually is real, not fake, that has consequences, and you can’t sit back on your couch and watch it. In other words, you can’t just be a “good German.”

When this attack on America is over, we are going to have to hold Nuremberg-like trials for all of those who forgot their oaths to protect and to serve — the Orange Felon needs to be the first.

 

Letters to the Editor: Racial Profiling, “Fat Superman” and Fair Elections

Reporters Desk
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Letters to the Editor: Racial Profiling, “Fat Superman” and Fair Elections

The Old Bugaboo of Racial Profiling

It seems like the old bugaboo of racial profiling has returned, or did it ever go away? According to current governmental policy, President Trump has ordered a segment of U.S. residents arrested and then deported (never mind where to). This has brought accusations of profiling of a certain segment of our population. This issue had usually involved Black citizens. Officers were re-trained on the issue of profiling, and no good guy was found in the equation; did the defendant receive due process? Did the police officer deliver justice? No results were reached, and the re-training arrived at an impasse.

Now there is Donald Trump’s administration, and he has authorized ICE officers to confront and question any or all persons in the U.S. who appear to be of Hispanic origin, detaining them without due process to determine the subject’s immigration status. The detainment is being sustained based on skin coloration or lack of proficiency in the English language. In MAGA’s eyes, illegal immigrants are a drain on resources, but one must think back to history, particularly the case of Irish and Italian immigration in the 19th and early 20th century. These groups were allowed to come to the U.S. in record numbers, and though they faced hardships and discrimination, and were themselves considered a drain on resources, they were allowed to become a part of the American cultural tapestry, so why are Latinos being excluded and abused? Multiple news sources have indicated they are receiving no lawful representation and are being subjected to inhumane living conditions. The question becomes: is racial profiling lawful? Does the U.S. Constitution apply to everyone living in the country? If so, what is Trump’s actual authority on matters of immigration?

Is the Trump administration allowed to roam the Constitution willy-nilly to determine what its definition of an undocumented person is? I ask, where else in the world would a democratic country accept Trump’s idea of persons being arrested by masked men, facing detainment due to their skin pigmentation? None, unless that country was ruled by a dictator.

There are indeed people in this country who should be deported due to their criminal activities. However, this must be done by proper lawful processes. To reiterate, according to the Constitution, all people are entitled to due process, and Trump’s disregard for this rule of law guarantees that unjust mistakes will be made in immigration enforcement. In the end, equal justice must always be this nation’s course if we are to call ourselves a humane society.

John R. Gray

U.S. Army, Korea, Joint Security Area 728 Military Police Company.

Wilmington

Dean Cain (AKA “Fat Superman”) Sucks

Washed-up racist piece of trash, Dean Cain – unemployed since the 1990s – Mr. Cain is insane. 30 years without a job, but now he has one: rounding up Latinos for profit and for fun.

Psycho slut Kristi Noem gave Mr. Cain a gun, so “Fat Superman” can shoot young dogs like crazy Kristi Noem murdered her puppy. Then she had sex with Corey Lewandowski.

Republicans are sex freaks, dirty to their core. Corey does Kristi daily, what a stupid whore. Corey bones Noem, and her husband is mad. Cuckolded in front of the whole world, how very sad. South Dakota Republicans have V.D., it’s true.

And Dean Cain’s kryptonite is my left shoe, which will go right up Fat Superman’s fat ass, if Cain ever lays his hands on any Latina lass. Time to quit I.C.E., Mr. Cain, this ain’t a game, awfully desperate dude trying to regain fame.

Dean’s TV career meant absolutely nothing, but Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane was something, which is the only reason the TV show was on. Teri Hatcher is hot, and fat Dean is definitely not. Fat Superman will probably die during a raid when Dean attempts to molest a young Mexican maid.

Sexual assault done the perverted MAGA way, “Make America Gross Again”, says Mr. Cain. Even Lex Luthor wasn’t as evil as this chump. Hopefully Gene Hackman is haunting Trump. You know Trump’s bestie Jeffrey Epstein is! “Suicide” in his jail cell? Fake news bullshit.

Jake Pickering

Arcata, CA, USA

Texas Democrats Risk It All to Defend Fair Elections

Republicans have drawn new congressional maps designed to take five Democratic-held seats in Texas—not by earning more votes, but by manipulating the system to lock in GOP power ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

But Texas Democrats didn’t take this sitting down. They just broke quorum to prevent Republicans from having enough members present to hold a vote.

And they didn’t do it for headlines. They did it because they believe—just like I do—that the people, not politicians, should choose their leaders.

They did it because our democracy is worth fighting for.

Texas Democrats are making incredible sacrifices. They need our help. Only if we all contribute what we can will they have the resources to keep up the fight.

Let’s make sure they know we’ve got their backs—and that they’re not in this fight alone.

With gratitude,

Beto O’Rouke, El Paso, TX

Glitter, Sequins and Legacy

Terelle Jerricks
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Glitter, Sequins and Legacy

 

Bob Mackie Doc Set for QFilm Festival Premiere

One of the more important documentaries of the year, Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion, will be screened at the 32nd Annual Long Beach QFilm Festival, set for September 4-7, 2025.

Known as the “Sultan of Sequins”, the “Rajah of Rhinestones” or the “Guru of Glitter” for his sparkling fashion designs, he was best known for his dressing of numerous entertainment personalities for television, movies, concerts, and live stage shows.

The documentary is wholly authorized, allowing Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion to examine Mackie’s six-decade costume design career with an unfiltered look at Mackie and his legacy.

The documentary producer, Quixotic Endeavors, was given full access to Bob Mackie archive, which has been meticulously kept and curated with many rare and unseen artifacts, including the outfits that didn’t make the cut. Also captured were Mackie’s over-the-top costumes as they were sequined and beaded from sketch to stage. Specific highlights include some of the soon-to-be lost art methods by old-world artisans that helped make Mackie’s fashion creations something to remember.

Another film to watch for is She is Him. Written and directed by Siobahn McCarthy, the film follows best friends Ethan and Alex, who disguise themselves as trans women to escape gay rumors and help Alex impress his crush. But when Ethan realizes she truly is trans, tensions erupt—Alex’s lie is exposed, their friends turn away, and Ethan’s mother struggles with her identity. As chaos escalates, the boys exploit the ruse to invade the girls’ space, forcing Alex to confront his mistakes. With help, he convinces Ethan to stand strong, leading to reconciliation, her mother’s acceptance, and a repaired friendship as they prepare to leave high school behind.

The Q-Film Festival is Long Beach’s oldest film festival and is the second largest LGBTQ+ cultural event in Long Beach. The festival will feature narrative features, documentaries and short films, with screenings, parties, mixers and Q&A sessions with filmmakers.

Time: Sept. 4-7
Cost: All access: $75 to $150, single film ticket: $12 to $25
Details: https://www.qfilmslongbeach.com/
Venue: The Art Theatre, 2025 E. 4th St., Long Beach

 

What Is San Pedro Doing, and Why Is It All Happening on One Night?

Melina Paris
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What Is San Pedro Doing, and Why Is It All Happening on One Night?

 

What would happen to San Pedro without art?

When high-rise residential buildings were emerging downtown, local developers marketed the region, highlighting restaurants, the arts district and downtown life to get people to buy into the lofts and high-rises in a downtown destination. Why does the San Pedro Property Business Improvement District (PBID) not see what is right in front of it and promote the history, the community and the art created here? This is what attracts people to downtown San Pedro and its California Cultural District designation. If property owners price out and push out galleries, good retail establishments, and bars in the region (The Alhambra, which was nearly a century old, Harold’s Place and others), it diminishes the downtown destination that people came here for and which attracts Pedro’s surrounding neighborhood communities.

This summer, the PBID announced a new downtown summer night market that “expands” the nearly three-decade-long First Thursday ArtWalk. The headline read: “Downtown San Pedro First Thursday ArtWalk Expands Into Full-Scale Night Market Starting July 3.” The event was later moved to Aug. 7, out of concern for the community, suggesting this decision was about the ICE raids that have been terrorizing residents throughout Los Angeles.

Who knew? Certainly not the resident artists. In addition, August’s ArtWalk was host to three other events: the Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium pop-up gift shop, Molly D’s Bakery & Pet Supplies grand opening ribbon cutting, and Gateway Plaza’s Fanfare Fountain reopening. Maybe the initiators of the night market thought the number of people attending the plethora of events would justify their decision to “expand” the ArtWalk.

Why hold a night market during First Thursday ArtWalk? Critics suggest it’s another decision by business and property owners to capitalize on the arts district’s reputation — benefiting commerce rather than artists.

Linda Grimes, executive director of the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District, told Random Lengths the PBID secured permission from Supervisor Janice Hahn and the developer to use the courthouse parking lot on 6th Street. The night market was scheduled for First Thursday, reportedly to attract more visitors. The PBID did not respond to inquiries about whether artists were consulted.

History
In the early 2000s, the Arts, Culture and Entertainment or ACE District institutionalized San Pedro’s arts scene. Random Lengths News publisher James Preston Allen and other artists lobbied for seven years to secure $500,000 from the Community Redevelopment Agency. ACE initially had a board dominated by local artists; it was later taken over by Linda Grimes and others who limited the number of artists on the board. In 2012, Gov. Jerry Brown’s dissolution of the CRA effectively ended the ACE District’s artist-run board. The founding of the PBID further shifted influence over the ArtWalk away from the artists in favor of the chamber of commerce and property owners.

One of the early instances of these decisions, mentioned above, was to bring food trucks to the ArtWalk, located in a downtown area with an ample supply of exceptional restaurants. The mobile eateries were placed along 6th and 7th streets in front of galleries and businesses, which were doing their part — and with hopes of making money — by staying open later to support the ArtWalk. Crafts people also came out on First Thursday to sell their wares in front of the mom and pop businesses or vacant storefronts. This has been the makeup around the San Pedro ArtWalk for many years, while artists have remained present in the thirty-some galleries or studios the entire time, and the arts district strived to become a destination. This looked like it was succeeding in 2017, when the California Arts Council designated the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District as one of 14 California Cultural Districts.

One thing RLN has heard consistently from San Pedro artists is that the PBID doesn’t communicate with its neighbors — the artists and businesses it is supposed to support and collaborate with. The purpose of PBIDs is to supplement public services within a geographical boundary from tax revenues it assesses on property and business owners. What’s unclear is which public services and who they are benefiting? Allen said promises by PBID to financially support activities in the arts district were never fulfilled.

Longtime local artist Ron Linden, who served on the ACE District board, said he doesn’t oppose the night market itself but objects to scheduling. He noted that there has never been any discussion about the merits, or lack thereof, of what the PBIDs’ plans are.

“They don’t have the courtesy to notify people of the plans that they are going to be affected by,” said Linden.

Linden explained that in the ensuing years after artist Robin Hinchliffe and original Whale & Ale proprietor Andrew Silber put together the First Thursday ArtWalk, there were eventually several corrections that the board had to make. He recalled things rapidly devolving into a carnivalesque atmosphere, including inflatable jumpers and “choo-choo trains.”

“Things were going far astray from a real ArtWalk,” Linden said. “We managed to clean that up and put the focus [back] where it belonged, on artist galleries and studios and local restaurants and bars.”

He criticized the PBID for leveraging the “lively arts district” image for marketing while offering no real financial support to artists.

“Because no artists around here are getting rich,” Linden said. “That’s for goddamn sure. And they’re not going to get rich. They could be helped considerably by the PBID, with things like rent control or at least rent stabilization.”

Artist and graphic designer Peter Scherrer is the owner of solo. Gallery on 7th Street, one of the newest galleries in town. He also has no problem with the night market, but said he doesn’t understand why it needs to be on a First Thursday.

“If it were on a different day, then everyone would be fine with it,” said Scherrer. “The Night Market to me is just a symptom. There’s bigger issues, like PBID makes these decisions without asking us anything. They just think it’s good for us, or good for them, or I don’t know for whom … How about asking the artists how we feel about it? It is the ArtWalk. First Thursday used to be about art, correct?”

Scherrer noted that outdated artist listings and a lack of coordinated promotion compound the problem.

“You should talk to your neighbors,” Scherrer said. “But some people were happy and appreciated the traffic on the street and the bands playing … were pretty good. The bigger issue is the lack of communication.

“I’m trying to understand their point. First Thursday has been dwindling in attendance. There’ve been a couple of okay nights, but ever since I moved down here, it’s getting worse. They probably felt that if they did something, that’s going to help the whole event. I don’t blame them for that.”

Scherrer talked to David Winthrop, co-owner of The Winthrop Gallery, who thinks the night market is a good thing if it gets people down here, whatever day it is. The idea is more people, more business.

“It’s a valid argument, “ Scherrer said. “… It goes back to, okay, more people, but they don’t need [it] to be on First Thursday. Because what’s going to happen if the night market is as strong as they think it’s going to be, essentially, First Thursday is going to disappear, and it’s just going to be the night market. That’s the main problem.”

Logistics and Impact
Artists also worry that rising rents and empty storefronts threaten the arts district’s character. One retail store reportedly left after landlords raised rents beyond sustainable levels. Developers have marketed downtown as a destination for restaurants, arts and urban life, but property pricing threatens that identity.

Cherry Wood is the owner of Backdoor Studios off of 7th Street. Wood said she didn’t actually get to go to the night market because she was so busy with her gallery show, but there definitely seemed to be a lot of people.

“That’s a good thing,” said Wood. “We want more people.”

There was a big event at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium pop-up for the store opening, and Wood noted people came for that, and from there they walked up to her gallery. The Fanfare Fountain opening brought people into her gallery, too.

“Any event that’s happening within a block or two of 7th Street brings more people,” she said. “So it was good. My only thought is, personally, I would prefer it to be on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon.

“When we had the two-day event in April by Arts United, I had a lot more people from Los Angeles, and that’s really good. People who never come down to San Pedro said it was their first time [here], and that was a huge success for me. I prefer daytime events as well because people can see the art better.”

Wood said whatever the arts district or PBID does, they need to advertise more. She pointed out it’s important to talk about where to park and how to get here.

“I tell people to go online (to SP Waterfront Arts District) and see where the red trolley car stops.

Newcomer
Artist Rebecca Jarus and her husband came from Rolling Hills Estates to visit the ArtWalk for the first time in August. When asked if they had attended the night market, the couple said they didn’t know about it. They spoke to RLN while the night was still young at Backdoor Studios, and they thought they might check it out after leaving the gallery.

Most people RLN spoke with on First Thursday didn’t know about the night market.

Jarus later told RLN that they did spend a little time on 6th Street and Mesa. She said it felt a little too much for them. “Too noisy, too crowded, too chaotic on a small scale, not seriously chaotic.

“The food is not the kind of food we can normally eat at our age, but it looks like everybody else was having a good time. The items they were selling at the market are not something we would purchase.

“I liked the wildness and the rawness of the galleries that are in the area.”

Looking Ahead
Artists question whether their input will shape future events. The PBID reportedly signed a one-year contract for the night market, but its ongoing scheduling remains unclear.

 

Community ALERTS: Traffic – Major Vincent Thomas Bridge Closures & Ramp Shutdowns

Reporters Desk
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Community ALERTS: Traffic – Major Vincent Thomas Bridge Closures & Ramp Shutdowns

 

Overnight Closures of Vincent Thomas Bridge for Roadway Repairs

Caltrans announces multiple overnight closures of the Vincent Thomas Bridge, beginning the evening of Aug. 27, for finger joint repairs.

The following closures of the Vincent Thomas Bridge from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night, are as follows:

  • Wednesday, Aug. 27: Southbound lane closure between Ferry St. and Harbor Blvd. One lane will remain open to motorists.
  • Thursday, Aug. 28: Full southbound closure between Ferry St. and Harbor Blvd.
  • Friday, Aug. 29: Northbound lane closure between Harbor Blvd. and Ferry St. One lane will remain open to motorists.

During the full southbound closure on Aug. 28, traffic will be diverted from southbound State Route 47 (SR-47) to westbound State Route 1/Pacific Coast Highway (SR-1).

Motorists should expect delays when utilizing the Vincent Thomas Bridge and use Caltrans Quickmap to review current traffic conditions before traveling. Caltrans reminds drivers to exercise increased caution near the closure and slow down for the cone zone.

 

POLA Announces Three-Month Closure of Northbound I-110 On-Ramp, Southbound SR 47 Off-Ramp at Harbor Boulevard

The Port of Los Angeles Aug. 11 announced long-term closures near the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro as part of the SR 47 Interchange Project. Starting Aug. 18, crews closed the northbound I-110 on-ramp at Harbor Boulevard and the southbound SR 47 off-ramp at Harbor Boulevard, while construction of the new roadway and ramps continues. A new northbound on-ramp to I-110 and southbound off-ramp to SR 47 will open in November 2025, along with a newly realigned Knoll Drive.

Residents and local commuters are encouraged to access the northbound I-110 from Gaffey Street in San Pedro, accessible from 1st Street and Harbor Boulevard. Drivers exiting the southbound SR 47 will be rerouted via Pacific Avenue to Harbor Boulevard.

Truckers should follow posted traffic signs and detours accordingly.

Those with questions may leave a message on the public phone line at 310-732-7778. Calls will be returned within 24 hours.

The SR 47 Interchange Project is replacing the existing southbound SR 47 off-ramp from the Vincent Thomas Bridge, currently on the south side, with a new off-ramp on the north side. Additional improvements include realigning the existing on-ramp to the northbound I-110 connector; modifying the northbound SR 47 off-ramp onto Harbor Boulevard; modifying the northbound SR 47 on-ramp onto the bridge toward Terminal Island; and improving local streets near the interchange.

Details: portofla.org/sr47.

Redistricting vs the Rape of America

Paul Rosenberg
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Redistricting vs the Rape of America

 

“We are no longer on our way to an authoritarian country. We are no longer approaching authoritarianism. We are there. We have fallen off the cliff.”

—Texas Rep. Gina Hinojosa

Donald Trump is an adjudicated rapist. In addition to raping columnist E. Jean Carroll, at least two dozen women have accused him of sexual abuse, including Jessica Leeds, who said he was “like an octopus” and his “hands were everywhere” as he reached his hand up her skirt and grabbed her breasts on a flight to New York.

Right now, Trump’s in the midst of raping America, with his hands everywhere, like an octopus, violating the Constitution left and right, prosecuting political enemies, terrorizing whole communities, and occupying the national capital with military vehicles and masked armed troops — a signature dictatorial move. He’s threatening to put federal troops in other blue cities as well, a blatantly unconstitutional form of mass intimidation. So if Texas redistricts to help him maintain power — as they’re trying to do — then redistricting California is absolutely necessary to stop him. It might seem like an extreme response, but if you’re trying to stop a rape, you’re trying to stop a rape. You don’t really worry about anything else. And no one can blame you a bit.

“It’s not complicated. We’re doing this in reaction to a president of the United States who called a sitting governor of the state of Texas and said, ‘Find me five seats.’ We’re doing it in reaction to that act,” said California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Aug. 14, as he announced his redistricting plan. “We cannot unilaterally disarm. We can’t stand back and watch this democracy disappear.”

“The extreme response makes sense if we view gerrymandering and attacks on democracy as part of this longer fight going on since around 2010 when the Tea Party won primaries, then generals and started the modern gerrymander trend,” historian Rachel Gunter told Random Lengths News. “I don’t think we can divorce it from Trump’s attempts to subvert elections and challenge the 2020 results or the Supreme Court’s increasingly undemocratic rulings.”

In Texas, Trump’s power-grab comes on top of a long history of racial as well as political gerrymandering in the state. As the Texas Tribune reported on July 31:

Any new map will inevitably be challenged in court. Courts have found that at least one of Texas’ maps violated the Voting Rights Act every decade since it went into effect in the mid-60s. The current map is still being challenged in federal court in El Paso, with no verdict yet reached.

The initial attempt to gerrymander Texas in a special session has failed, as Texas Democrats fled the state to break quorum, but Gov. Greg Abbot has vowed to repeat the process until he succeeds, and a second special session has already begun. “They may still pass these maps, but we’re going to do everything we can to awaken America,” Texas state Rep. Jon Rosenthal told the Associated Press. “Wake up, America!” Newsom echoed in announcing his plan, which would only go into effect if the Texas power-grab succeeds.

“It all started when he hit me back,” Republicans are crying in response, claiming that it’s Newsom who’s trying to usurp power… by putting a proposal on the ballot this November. They want us to ignore everything going on in America today. They don’t want us to see the whole forest on fire. They claim they just want to save a single tree.

“Democrats in Washington and California are united in our resolve: we will not stand by and let Donald Trump rig our democracy to tighten his grip on power,” Rep. Nanette Barragán told Random Lengths ahead of Newsom’s announcement.

“In Washington, Democrats have consistently fought to protect the right to vote by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and pushing for legislation that would force every state to use independent, nonpartisan redistricting commissions,” Barragán noted, leaving unsaid that Republicans have blocked them. “But these are not normal times. Trump and his rubber-stamp Republicans are dismantling the guardrails of our democracy piece by piece. We cannot let them. We must act decisively to stop our democracy from sliding into authoritarianism,” she said.

“We’re here because Donald Trump on Jan. 6 tried to light democracy on fire. Tried to wreck this country. Tried to steal an election,” Newsom explained. “And here he is once again trying to rig the system. He doesn’t play by a different set of rules. He doesn’t believe in the rules,” Newsom said. “We have got to recognize the cards that have been dealt. And we have got to meet fire with fire.”

Newsom’s redistricting proposal would go on the ballot this November and would only go into effect if Republicans redistrict first. It would not replace the independent redistricting commission, which will still draw new maps after the 2030 census.

In response, California’s nine GOP representatives vainly tried to position themselves as defenders of democracy, gaslighting the public by ignoring Trump’s role as the driving threat to democracy, the Texas GOP’s role in supporting him, and the limited, conditional nature of the Democrats’ redistricting proposal.

In a statement, they falsely accused Newsom of “trying to grab power away from the citizens on the [Independent Citizens Redistricting] commission and give it to Sacramento politicians to gerrymander their own districts.” In reality, state legislators would only draw lines for Congressional districts, not for their own. And voters would have the final say.

What’s more, a member of the commission, political science professor Sara Sadhwani, kicked off the Aug. 14 announcement event by endorsing the proposal, and explaining why it was consistent to do so, why it was “a one-time occurrence that this does not subvert the will of the people of California.”

Sadhwani praised the commission for working “collaboratively across the aisle” in a “community driven approach” that “received almost 40,000 pieces of community testimony” and produced “some of the most competitive seats in the nation” with maps that passed unanimously. To serve on the commission “was one of the proudest moments of my life,” she said. (This process stands in stark contrast to Texas, where state legislators drew a racist map, adding two majority-white districts when minorities accounted for 95% of the state’s population growth since the previous redistricting.)

“But these are extraordinary times, and extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures,” she said, going on to elaborate:

We have witnessed masked gunmen kidnapping our neighbors off the streets and my understanding is they’re outside waiting to do it again. [They were.] We have seen not just the toleration of political violence, but the encouragement of it on Jan. 6, against nonpartisan election officials, and the deployment of the National Guard in our cities, turning our cities into police states. And if that wasn’t enough, we are watching executive overreach that no doubt is making our founding fathers turn in their graves and we have to take action. These are the hallmarks of a democracy in peril.

Sadhwani then went on to explain her reasoning:

My political science colleagues Steven Levitzky and Daniel Zeblat, who authored a very famous book at this point, How Democracies Die, wrote, “Protecting democracy requires more than fright and outrage. We must be humble and we must be bold.”

I’m here today to be humble, to set aside the good work of California, but I do so with the expectation that this is a one-time occurrence that does not subvert the will of the people of California. And I call upon these many leaders who have joined here today to be bold, to fight for American democracy, to not just pass maps for 2026, but to fight for independent redistricting in all 50 states so that we can level the playing field of a representative democracy.

The proposal for independent redistricting in all 50 states is nothing new. Rep. Zoe Lofgren has introduced such a proposal repeatedly since 2007. In 2021, it was a part of a broad package of Democratic reforms passed by the House as its first piece of legislation, HR-1, which died in the Senate because of a GOP filibuster. So the idea that elected Republicans are champions of fair districts is patently absurd.

What’s more, an even stronger proposal has recently been introduced by Reps. Jamie Raskin (a former professor of constitutional law) and Don Beyer. Known as the Fair Representation Act, it would not only require independent citizens commissions to draw congressional maps, it would also require multi-member districts and ranked-choice voting, which would enable a larger percentage of people to elect representatives of their choice. A similar system used in the Illinois lower house for almost a century allowed rural downstate Democrats to elect representatives along with urban Chicago Republicans. Thus, it’s the kind of reform that could significantly reduce the number of people who feel ignored in politics and increase the diversity of views represented.

The act “brings democracy up to date in the 21st century instead of turning the clock back to the white primaries, grandfather clauses, literacy tests and poll taxes of the 20th century,” Raskin said. Unfortunately, it’s impossible for California voters to make it into law. But they can counter Texas’s gerrymander, giving Democrats a better chance of being able to pass it through the House in 2027, and make it an issue in the 2028 campaign. That should be the ultimate goal voters have in mind as they head to the ballot box this November. Or they can allow Trump to continue his rape of America.

Honey Lavender Dreams

Terelle Jerricks
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Honey Lavender Dreams

 

The Boutique Coffee Culture of Peppers Cafe

Toni Quisano describes her boutique-style coffee shop, Peppers Cafe, as an intimate, community-centered space focused less on coffee science and more on drink curation.

Her approach is simple: talk to people, ask about their flavor preferences, and craft something personal. The goal, she said, is a welcoming, non-pretentious environment where creativity and connection matter more than technical expertise.

“I don’t want you to feel like you need to know everything about coffee to enjoy it here,” Quisano said.

Most of her syrups are made in-house, a process that lets her experiment with seasonal flavors that pair well with beans from her roaster. This summer, she’s serving up Irish Cream cold brew alongside tea refreshers — iced teas paired with sweet or palate-cleansing elements.

Quisano is also big on collaboration. A recent partnership with Catalina Tea Bar, a truck at West Harbor, is helping her expand her knowledge of tea curation. But her best-selling drink, no matter the season, remains the Honey Lavender Latte, made with her signature syrup.

Because her syrups are versatile, Quisano uses them in drinks like jasmine tea and matcha lattes, though she’s careful about pairings because of the bold flavors. She’s also experimented with traditional Mexican café de olla, made with unrefined sugar cane and cinnamon.

Her first collaboration was with her roaster, San Pedro-based Taza Coffee Co. That partnership came together by chance. Just as she secured her booth at Crafted, a local maker’s marketplace, Taza’s owner walked in with samples.

“I tried it and thought, oh God, this is so good,” Quisano said.

Beyond taste, their values aligned. Taza prioritizes fair trade and ethically sourced beans, often skipping middlemen to work directly with farms. At one point, the company sourced from a female-owned farm in Guatemala, she said.

“That mattered to me,” Quisano said. “The sustainability, the community impact — those are things I want to be part of my business too.”

Quisano, reared in Wilmington, attended South Shores Elementary and Dodson Middle School before joining the first graduating class at San Pedro High School’s Olguin campus.

After 2020, she was referred by the Youth WorkSource program to T’HO No Waste Cafe, where she got her start in coffee. She and the owner worked well together, but when the proprietor moved to Colorado, Quisano was left running the San Pedro shop.

“It was difficult to get a hold of her,” she said, laughing. “So she was like, ‘Let me not be stingy. Go ahead and try it out on your own like it’s yours now.’”

Quisano had never run a brick-and-mortar space, but suddenly she had her own coffee shop.

“I always wanted to be self-employed, I just didn’t know it was going to be a coffee shop,” she said. “I love coffee, so it’s great it worked out that way.”

She calls Crafted, where her cafe is based, “a really good stepping stone.

“I don’t think I would have been able to manage a brick-and-mortar on my own starting out,” Quisano said. “Crafted has people from all walks of life, people who’ve been in business for decades. Being here, I’ve learned a lot. It’s helped me build the foundation to someday have my own standalone space.”

When asked about her coffee culture, Quisano doesn’t hesitate.

“It’s about hospitality,” she said. “I like creating an experience for people, talking with them, figuring out what they’ll enjoy instead of just handing them a cup of caffeine. Coffee is a stimulant, a substance. If we’re going to indulge in it, it should be good quality, and it should taste good too.”

Peppers Cafe

@pepperscafe on Instagram

Random Happening: Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy Comes to San Pedro in October

Reporters Desk
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Random Happening: Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy Comes to San Pedro in October

 

Step back in time and immerse yourself in the dark and mysterious world of Edgar Allan Poe. This exclusive speakeasy will transport you to a bygone era as you sip on crafted cocktails inspired by four of Poe’s most beloved stories. Led by the speakeasy’s lead mixologist and Poe historians, this immersive evening promises to be a chillingly unforgettable experience. Don’t miss your chance to bring Poe’s tales to life, one sip at a time.

Highlights

Step into the world of Edgar Allan Poe in this 4-part chilling cocktail experience

Sip on delicious themed cocktails that are paired with each story

Hear Edgar Allan Poe’s work reimagined, as told by the Poe Historians

 

General Info

Dates and times: select your date and time directly in the ticket selector

Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Location: The Grand Annex Music Hall

Age requirement: 21+ with valid ID

 

Accessibility: the venue is ADA compliant

Consult the FAQs of this experience here: https://tinyurl.com/Poe-Speakeasy-FAQs

Contact Support here: https://tinyurl.com/Speakeasy-Contact-support

 

Time: 6, 8 and 10 p.m., Oct. 2, 3 and 12, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 p.m., Oct. 4

Cost: $57.75

Details: https://tinyurl.com/Grand-Annex-Poe-Speakeasy

Venue:The Grand Annex Music Hall, 434 West 6th St., San Pedro

 

The Militarization and Weaponization of Media Literacy

Reporters Desk
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The Militarization and Weaponization of Media Literacy

 

This essay was originally published by Project Censored

https://tinyurl.com/militarization-media-literacy

This essay is informed by a forthcoming 2025 article, “Media Literacy in the Crosshairs: NATO’s Strategic Goals and the Revival of Protectionist Pedagogy,” from the Journal of Media Literacy Education, volume 17, issue 2.

By Nolan Higdon and Sydney Sullivan

During President Donald Trump’s second term, education has remained a central battleground in American politics. Republicans claim that classrooms have become hotbeds of “woke” indoctrination, accusing educators of promoting progressive agendas and tolerating antisemitism. In contrast, Democrats argue that conservatives are systematically defunding and dismantling public and higher education precisely because it teaches values like diversity, equity and inclusion. While these partisan skirmishes dominate headlines, they obscure a much deeper and more enduring issue that encompasses all of these issues and more: the influence of corporate and military power on public education.

For decades, scholars have warned that corporations have steadily infiltrated the classroom — not to promote critical thinking or democratic values, but to cultivate ideologies that reinforce capitalism, nationalism and militarism. Critical media literacy educators, in particular, have called attention to the convergence of tech firms and military entities in education, offering so-called “free” digital tools that double as Trojan horses for data collection and ideological control.

One striking example is the rise of programs like NewsGuard, which uses public fears over fake news to justify increased surveillance of students’ online activity. Relatedly, in 2018, the Atlantic Council partnered with Meta to perform “fact-checking” on platforms such as Facebook. In 2022, the U.S. Marine Corps discussed developing media literacy trainings. It remains to be seen what training, if any, they will develop. However, what is known is that a large global player has entered the media literacy arena: the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). While NATO presents its initiatives as supportive of media literacy and democratic education, these efforts appear to be oriented more toward reinforcing alignment with its strategic and political priorities than to fostering critical civic engagement.

NATO was created in 1949, during the Cold War, as a military alliance to contain communism. Although the war officially ended in 1991, NATO has expanded both its mission and membership. Today, it encompasses more than 30 member nations and continues to frame itself as a global force for peace, democracy and security. But this self-image masks real conflicts of interest.

NATO is deeply intertwined with powerful nation-states and corporate actors. It routinely partners with defense contractors, tech firms, think tanks and Western governments — all of which have a vested interest in maintaining specific political and economic systems. These relationships raise concerns when NATO extends its reach into education. Can a military alliance — closely linked to the defense industry and state propaganda — credibly serve as a neutral force in media education?

In 2022, NATO associates collaborated with the U.S.-based Center for Media Literacy (CML) to launch a media literacy initiative framed as a strategic defense against misinformation. The initiative included a report titled “Building Resiliency: Media Literacy as a Strategic Defense Strategy for the Transatlantic”, authored by CML’s Tessa Jolls. It was accompanied by a series of webinars featuring military personnel, policy experts and academics.

On the surface, the initiative appeared to promote digital literacy and civic engagement. But a closer look reveals a clear ideological agenda. Funded and organized by NATO, the initiative positioned media literacy not as a means of empowering students to think critically about how power shapes media, but as a defense strategy to protect NATO member states from so-called “hostile actors.” The curriculum emphasized surveillance, resilience and behavior modification over reflection, analysis and democratic dialogue.

Throughout their webinars, NATO representatives described the media environment as a battlefield, frequently using other war metaphors such as “hostile information activities” and “cognitive warfare.” Panelists argued that citizens in NATO countries were targets of foreign disinformation campaigns — and that media literacy could serve as a tool to inoculate them against ideological threats.

A critical review of NATO’s media literacy initiative reveals several troubling themes. First, it frames media literacy as a protectionist project rather than an educational one. Students are portrayed less as thinkers to be empowered and more as civilians to be monitored, molded and managed. In this model, education becomes a form of top-down, preemptive defense, relying on expert guidance and military oversight rather than democratic participation.

Second, the initiative advances a distinctly neoliberal worldview. It emphasizes individual responsibility over structural analysis. In other words, misinformation is treated as a user error, rather than the result of flawed systems, corporate algorithms or media consolidation. This framing conveniently absolves powerful actors, including NATO and Big Tech, of their role in producing or amplifying disinformation.

Third, the initiative promotes a contradictory definition of empowerment. While the report and webinars often use the language of “citizen empowerment,” they ultimately advocate for surveillance, censorship and ideological conformity. Panelists call for NATO to “dominate” the information space, and some even propose systems to monitor students’ attitudes and online behaviors. Rather than encouraging students to question power — including NATO itself — this approach rewards obedience and penalizes dissent.

Finally, the initiative erases the influence of corporate power. Although it criticizes authoritarian regimes and “hostile actors,” it fails to examine the role that Western corporations, particularly tech companies, play in shaping media environments. This oversight is especially problematic given that many of these corporations are NATO’s partners. By ignoring the political economy of media, the initiative offers an incomplete and ideologically skewed version of media literacy.

NATO’s foray into media literacy education represents a new frontier in militarized pedagogy. While claiming to promote democracy and resilience, its initiative advances a narrow, protectionist, and neoliberal approach that prioritizes NATO’s geopolitical goals over student empowerment.

This should raise red flags for educators, policymakers and advocates. Media literacy is not a neutral practice. The organizations that design and fund media literacy programs inevitably shape those programs’ goals and methods. When a military alliance like NATO promotes media education, it brings with it a strategic interest in ideological control.

Educators must ask: What kind of media literacy are we teaching — and whose interests does it serve? If the goal is to produce informed, critically thinking citizens capable of questioning power in all its forms, then NATO’s approach falls short. Instead of inviting students to explore complex media systems, it simplifies them into a binary struggle between “us” and “them,” encouraging loyalty over literacy.

True media literacy must begin with transparency about who and what is behind the curriculum. It must empower students to question all forms of influence — governmental, corporate and military alike. And it must resist the creeping presence of militarism in our classrooms. As educators, we must defend the right to question, not just the messages we see, but the institutions that shape them.

We are deeply grateful to Mickey Huff, Andy Lee Roth and Shealeigh Voitl for their thoughtful and meticulous editorial contributions to this article.

 

Dr. Nolan Higdon is a media scholar, lecturer, and long-time contributor to Project Censored, where he serves as a national judge and researcher. He has co-authored multiple chapters in the annual Censored yearbooks, analyzing news omission, propaganda, and the role of corporate media in democracy. Higdon’s expertise in critical media literacy informs Project Censored’s mission of exposing underreported stories and fostering democratic dialogue. In addition to teaching at UC Santa Cruz, he frequently speaks at conferences, appears in media interviews, and co-hosts discussions on media reform, continuing to expand Project Censored’s impact on public awareness and civic engagement.

 

Sydney Sullivan is a scholar and educator whose work with Project Censored reflects her commitment to critical media literacy and student engagement. As a contributor to the annual Censored volumes, she researches and writes on issues of news omission, corporate influence, and the power of grassroots journalism. Sullivan integrates this work into her teaching at San Diego State University, where she emphasizes digital rhetoric, civic participation, and equity in education. By bridging research, teaching, and activism, she helps advance Project Censored’s mission of empowering students and the public to question dominant narratives and cultivate informed democratic communities.

 

Dr. Nolan Higdon of UC Santa Cruz and Sydney Sullivan of San Diego State University contribute to Project Censored through research, writing, and teaching. Higdon analyzes propaganda and news omission as a national judge, while Sullivan emphasizes grassroots journalism and media literacy, advancing the project’s mission to empower democratic participation.

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