Lisa Fung
@lisafung.bsky.social
I write about public policy issues for Blueprint magazine. Former Arts & Entertainment Editor at LA Times, Executive Editor at The Wrap. Founding editor of Culture Monster. Teach arts reporting at USC.
Reposted by Lisa Fung
More reaction to Maduro’s “arrest”
January 3, 2026 at 4:16 PM
More reaction to Maduro’s “arrest”
Reposted by Lisa Fung
It's an old and obvious pattern. An unpopular president - failing on the economy and losing his grip on power at home - decides to launch a war for regime change abroad.
The American people don’t want to “run” a foreign country while our leaders fail to improve life in this one.
The American people don’t want to “run” a foreign country while our leaders fail to improve life in this one.
January 3, 2026 at 5:08 PM
It's an old and obvious pattern. An unpopular president - failing on the economy and losing his grip on power at home - decides to launch a war for regime change abroad.
The American people don’t want to “run” a foreign country while our leaders fail to improve life in this one.
The American people don’t want to “run” a foreign country while our leaders fail to improve life in this one.
Reposted by Lisa Fung
BREAKING: Trump on Venezuela, says, lawlessly: “We’re gonna run it … until such time as a proper transition can take place.”
January 3, 2026 at 4:47 PM
BREAKING: Trump on Venezuela, says, lawlessly: “We’re gonna run it … until such time as a proper transition can take place.”
👇
"It's hard to get a Nobel Peace Prize when you're starting wars and invading other countries. but I suppose if anybody thinks he can do it, it's Donald Trump."
- @maddow.bsky.social to @velshi.com
- @maddow.bsky.social to @velshi.com
January 3, 2026 at 3:39 PM
👇
Reposted by Lisa Fung
AG Pam Bondi says Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in SDNY.
Maduro was previously indicted in 2020 on federal charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.
Unclear what Flores is charged with.
Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Maduro was previously indicted in 2020 on federal charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.
Unclear what Flores is charged with.
Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Maduro 2020 indictment
www.documentcloud.org
January 3, 2026 at 3:15 PM
AG Pam Bondi says Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in SDNY.
Maduro was previously indicted in 2020 on federal charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.
Unclear what Flores is charged with.
Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
Maduro was previously indicted in 2020 on federal charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.
Unclear what Flores is charged with.
Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
NYT editorial board: ‘By proceeding without any semblance of international legitimacy, valid legal authority or domestic endorsement, Mr. Trump risks providing justification for authoritarians in China, Russia and elsewhere who want to dominate their own neighbors’
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
Opinion | Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 3:11 PM
NYT editorial board: ‘By proceeding without any semblance of international legitimacy, valid legal authority or domestic endorsement, Mr. Trump risks providing justification for authoritarians in China, Russia and elsewhere who want to dominate their own neighbors’
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
Reposted by Lisa Fung
Trump: "We were prepared to do a second wave. We were all set. This was so lethal, so powerful that we didn't have to but we were prepared. We're out there w/ an armada like nobody has ever seen. Frankly, probably thought we were gonna have to do it. But we were prepared for a second wave going in"
January 3, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Trump: "We were prepared to do a second wave. We were all set. This was so lethal, so powerful that we didn't have to but we were prepared. We're out there w/ an armada like nobody has ever seen. Frankly, probably thought we were gonna have to do it. But we were prepared for a second wave going in"
This👇
He had put us on a very dangerous trajectory. This is not what his voters voted for.
He must be removed before he gets us all killed…
He must be removed before he gets us all killed…
January 3, 2026 at 2:46 PM
This👇
We live in scary times
Trump: "We have a whole different country. We have a country now that's respected. I built the military in my first term. And they gave a little chunk of it away, but it was a lot, but it was a little chunk relative to what we built, but they gave it to Afghanistan so stupidly."
January 3, 2026 at 2:44 PM
We live in scary times
Reposted by Lisa Fung
Airlines cancel dozens of Caribbean flights after U.S. attacks on Venezuela
Airlines cancel dozens of Caribbean flights after U.S. attacks on Venezuela
U.S. airlines cancel dozens of Caribbean flights after U.S. strikes on Venezuela.
www.cnbc.com
January 3, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Airlines cancel dozens of Caribbean flights after U.S. attacks on Venezuela
‘The released flight logs occurred during the first Trump administration, around the time of Epstein’s arrest, which begs the question: Why were they following the reporter who was instrumental in putting Epstein’s crimes back in the public eye?’
Miami Herald investigative journalist Julie K. Brown—whose 2018 reporting essentially reopened the Jeffrey Epstein case—wants to know why her July 2019 flight information is in the Epstein files. trib.al/OlImznP
Why Was Trump’s Justice Department Tracking This Top Epstein Reporter?
Miami Herald journalist Julie K. Brown’s flight logs showed up in the Epstein files released by the Justice Department.
trib.al
January 3, 2026 at 2:37 PM
‘The released flight logs occurred during the first Trump administration, around the time of Epstein’s arrest, which begs the question: Why were they following the reporter who was instrumental in putting Epstein’s crimes back in the public eye?’
Reposted by Lisa Fung
During his run for president Donald J. Trump repeatedly said he wouldn't start any new wars. I created a montage from his first 50 campaign stops. Promises not kept.
January 3, 2026 at 10:51 AM
During his run for president Donald J. Trump repeatedly said he wouldn't start any new wars. I created a montage from his first 50 campaign stops. Promises not kept.
Reposted by Lisa Fung
Just your occasional reminder that Venezuela’s oil reserves are greater than Saudi Arabia’s, and nearly 4X those of the United States
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/b...
January 3, 2026 at 8:50 AM
Just your occasional reminder that Venezuela’s oil reserves are greater than Saudi Arabia’s, and nearly 4X those of the United States
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/b...
Reposted by Lisa Fung
BREAKING
U.S. officials have confirmed that President Donald Trump ordered military strikes inside Venezuela, including strikes on Venezuelan military facilities.
U.S. officials have confirmed that President Donald Trump ordered military strikes inside Venezuela, including strikes on Venezuelan military facilities.
January 3, 2026 at 8:07 AM
BREAKING
U.S. officials have confirmed that President Donald Trump ordered military strikes inside Venezuela, including strikes on Venezuelan military facilities.
U.S. officials have confirmed that President Donald Trump ordered military strikes inside Venezuela, including strikes on Venezuelan military facilities.
Reposted by Lisa Fung
In which the President decides to call and chat on the record with a newspaper he’s suing for a billion dollars, for libel. (gift link)
www.wsj.com/us-news/as-s...
www.wsj.com/us-news/as-s...
Exclusive | As Signs of Aging Emerge, Trump Responds With Defiance
In an interview, President Trump—the oldest man to assume the office—said he has eschewed some advice from his doctors and regrets getting advanced imaging.
www.wsj.com
January 1, 2026 at 2:01 PM
In which the President decides to call and chat on the record with a newspaper he’s suing for a billion dollars, for libel. (gift link)
www.wsj.com/us-news/as-s...
www.wsj.com/us-news/as-s...
‘If Trump strutted as the center of the universe in 2025 — unchecked by advisors like Wiles or by a cowed Republican-controlled Congress, the Supreme Court and corporate chieftains — buckle up for 2026.’
Via @jackiecalmes.bsky.social
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Via @jackiecalmes.bsky.social
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Column: Trump's motto in 2025? 'Me, myself and I'
To an extent that’s shocked even critics long convinced of his sociopathic narcissism, the president has fashioned a government that’s of Trump, by Trump and for Trump.
www.latimes.com
January 2, 2026 at 3:35 PM
‘If Trump strutted as the center of the universe in 2025 — unchecked by advisors like Wiles or by a cowed Republican-controlled Congress, the Supreme Court and corporate chieftains — buckle up for 2026.’
Via @jackiecalmes.bsky.social
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Via @jackiecalmes.bsky.social
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Reposted by Lisa Fung
Question: But the president’s statements that he believed the election was rife with fraud—those are statements protected by the First Amendment, correct?
Smith: Absolutely not. If they are made to target a lawful government function and are made with knowing falsity, then no, they are not.
Smith: Absolutely not. If they are made to target a lawful government function and are made with knowing falsity, then no, they are not.
December 31, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Question: But the president’s statements that he believed the election was rife with fraud—those are statements protected by the First Amendment, correct?
Smith: Absolutely not. If they are made to target a lawful government function and are made with knowing falsity, then no, they are not.
Smith: Absolutely not. If they are made to target a lawful government function and are made with knowing falsity, then no, they are not.
Interesting headline. Seems like the future of DC golf courses *is* certain under the Trump administration
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
Future of D.C. golf courses uncertain as Trump administration terminates lease
National Links Trust, the nonprofit that has run the courses since 2020, objects to Interior Department’s assertion that it hasn’t fulfilled its obligations.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Interesting headline. Seems like the future of DC golf courses *is* certain under the Trump administration
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
Reposted by Lisa Fung
Sens. Whitehouse and Durbin are demanding answers from White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles about when, how, and under what authority she accessed the Epstein files before the files were released to the public — after she told Vanity Fair that Trump was "in the file."
December 31, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Sens. Whitehouse and Durbin are demanding answers from White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles about when, how, and under what authority she accessed the Epstein files before the files were released to the public — after she told Vanity Fair that Trump was "in the file."
‘That old expression about comforting the afflicted is supposed to remind us that a part of the journalistic mission is to give a voice to the voiceless and to hold powerful people and institutions accountable.’
Via @sulliview.bsky.social
margaretsullivan.substack.com/p/yes-elon-s...
Via @sulliview.bsky.social
margaretsullivan.substack.com/p/yes-elon-s...
Yes, Elon, seeking truth IS the most important goal of journalism
And giving a voice to vulnerable people matters, too
margaretsullivan.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 4:10 PM
‘That old expression about comforting the afflicted is supposed to remind us that a part of the journalistic mission is to give a voice to the voiceless and to hold powerful people and institutions accountable.’
Via @sulliview.bsky.social
margaretsullivan.substack.com/p/yes-elon-s...
Via @sulliview.bsky.social
margaretsullivan.substack.com/p/yes-elon-s...
‘The biggest disappointment of 2025 may well have been not what Trump did but how so many let it happen.’
Via @sbg1.bsky.social @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...
Via @sbg1.bsky.social @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...
Donald Trump’s Golden Age of Awful
A damage assessment of the President’s first year back in the White House.
www.newyorker.com
December 31, 2025 at 3:41 PM
‘The biggest disappointment of 2025 may well have been not what Trump did but how so many let it happen.’
Via @sbg1.bsky.social @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...
Via @sbg1.bsky.social @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...
‘Individual and communal acts of resistance have blunted the potency of Mr. Trump’s censorship campaign and contributed to his declining approval ratings. Unquestionably, more and more Americans are rejecting his overreach.’
Via @attorneynora.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/o...
Via @attorneynora.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/o...
Opinion | I Counted Trump’s Censorship Attempts. Here’s What I Found.
www.nytimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 3:19 PM
‘Individual and communal acts of resistance have blunted the potency of Mr. Trump’s censorship campaign and contributed to his declining approval ratings. Unquestionably, more and more Americans are rejecting his overreach.’
Via @attorneynora.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/o...
Via @attorneynora.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/o...
‘Epstein wasn’t a dues-paying member of the club, but Trump told staff to treat him like one, the employees said. Epstein had an account at the spa where his companion, Ghislaine Maxwell, booked appointments on his behalf.’
www.wsj.com/us-news/trum...
www.wsj.com/us-news/trum...
Exclusive | The Incident That Prompted Trump to Ban Epstein From Mar-a-Lago’s Spa
Mar-a-Lago sent an 18-year-old spa worker on a house call to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. She complained to her bosses that Epstein pressured her for sex.
www.wsj.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:41 PM
‘Epstein wasn’t a dues-paying member of the club, but Trump told staff to treat him like one, the employees said. Epstein had an account at the spa where his companion, Ghislaine Maxwell, booked appointments on his behalf.’
www.wsj.com/us-news/trum...
www.wsj.com/us-news/trum...
‘The current bylaws… were revised in May to specify that board members designated by Congress — known as ex officio members — could not vote or count toward a quorum. Legal experts say the move may conflict with the institution’s charter.’
www.washingtonpost.com/style/2025/1...
www.washingtonpost.com/style/2025/1...
Kennedy Center changed board rules months before vote to add Trump’s name
The cultural center said only trustees appointed by the president could vote, barring other members, including Democrats who hold seats, from decisions.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:16 PM
‘The current bylaws… were revised in May to specify that board members designated by Congress — known as ex officio members — could not vote or count toward a quorum. Legal experts say the move may conflict with the institution’s charter.’
www.washingtonpost.com/style/2025/1...
www.washingtonpost.com/style/2025/1...