Reading archive 2025-08-27

When it comes to gilding the White House, Trump is just getting started: Ostentatious and anachronistic Oval Office changes don’t bode well for a 90,000-square-foot addition to the executive mansion.

National Guard troops deployed in D.C. add sanitation, landscaping duties: Service members say they’re glad to help the National Park Service. But some question if trash removal and groundskeeping are an appropriate use of the military.

D.C. judges and grand jurors push back on Trump policing surge: A federal grand jury refused to indict a man who threw a sandwich at a federal officer, and grand jurors refused three times to indict a woman accused of assaulting an FBI agent.

Why the world’s biggest movie bombed in America: The same epic storytelling conventions that delight moviegoers in China often turn off critics abroad.

U.S. Transportation Department plans to take over D.C.’s Union Station: Secretary Sean P. Duffy made the announcement hours before the launch of new Acela trains. - "Now Amtrak will run the passenger area while USRC, with the Department of Transportation, will manage the retail." [ed. note: DoT is managing the retail? Are you fucking serious?]

A small change in how you walk may help reduce knee pain: Gait training could be an effective way to mitigate arthritis pain for some people, a small study shows.

This Maine oysterman thinks Democrats are doing ‘jack’ about fascism. So he’s running for US Senate: Graham Platner’s viral X post and unusual campaign launch video are bringing attention to his effort to unseat Susan Collins

Is Trump right about the Smithsonian? I went to find out.: Trying to sanitize the American story is the antithesis of what makes the country exceptional.

Back to brown: Metro unveils design for 8000 series cars: The makeover for D.C. trains will ditch the all-silver look for a return to the 1970s.