All sources verified as of February 17, 2026. Click any link to read the original reporting.

1. 5 Key Moments from Gov. Wes Moore’s Nationally Televised Town Hall. The Baltimore Banner, Feb. 15, 2026. https://www.thebanner.com/politics-power/state-government/moore-cbs-town-hall-OEZCIFRQ3JGKTBQULBEPCOJUYI/
2. Trump Won’t Apologize for sharing since-deleted racist video depicting Obamas as Apes. CNN, Feb. 6, 2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/06/politics/donald-trump-obamas-apes-truth-social
3. Trump Says He Won’t Apologize for Racist Post Depicting the Obamas as Apes. NBC News, Feb. 6, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-shares-racist-video-depicting-obamas-monkeys-rcna257756
4. Trump Executive Order Aims to Remove DEI Initiatives from Smithsonian and Other Cultural Bodies. NPR, March 28, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/03/27/nx-s1-5342914/smithsonian-president-trump-executive-order
5. Trump Administration Calls for ‘Comprehensive Internal Review’ of Smithsonian. NPR, Aug. 12, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/08/12/nx-s1-5500550/smithsonian-trump-review
6. Black Activists Fought for Slavery Exhibits 24 Years Ago. The Fight Returned Under Trump. NBC News, Feb. 16, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-activists-fought-slavery-exhibits-24-years-ago-trump-fight-retur-rcna258827
7. Philadelphia Sues Trump Administration over Removal of Slavery Exhibit. PBS News, Jan. 24, 2026. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/philadelphia-sues-trump-administration-over-removal-of-slavery-exhibit-from-public-park
8. Citing Orwell’s ‘1984,’ Judge Orders Trump Administration to Return Slavery Exhibits. CNN, Feb. 16, 2026. https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/16/politics/philadelphia-slavery-exhibits-judge-orders-return-orwell
9. National Park Service Removes References to Harriet Tubman from ‘Underground Railroad’ Webpage. CNN, April 7, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/06/us/national-parks-underground-railroad-harriet-tubman/index.html
10. National Park Service Restores Harriet Tubman Feature on Webpage After Criticism. ABC News, April 8, 2025. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/national-park-service-restores-harriet-tubman-feature-webpage/story?id=120605884
11. MLK Bust Quietly Removed from Oval Office Under Trump. BlackPressUSA, 2025. https://blackpressusa.com/mlk-bust-quietly-removed-from-oval-office-under-trump/
12. Trump DEI Crackdown Is Changing MLK Day, Black History Education. Axios, Jan. 19, 2026. https://www.axios.com/2026/01/19/mlk-day-martin-luther-king-trump
13. Smithsonian Institution Says It Won’t Remove Anti-Segregation Exhibits. Hyperallergic, April 28, 2025. https://hyperallergic.com/smithsonian-institution-says-it-wont-remove-anti-segregation-exhibits/
14. Trump Admin Removes MLK Day, Juneteenth from National Parks Fee-Free Days. NBC News, Dec. 6, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/national-parks-trump-birthday-free-days-juneteenth-mlk-interior-rcna247734
15. Pentagon Restores Webpages of Black Veterans, Navajo Code Talkers and Others After Outcry. NPR, March 20, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/03/20/nx-s1-5334461/pentagon-black-veterans-navajo-code-talkers-website-diversity
16. The Pentagon’s DEI Purge: Officials Describe a Scramble to Remove and Then Restore Online Content. Associated Press, March 2025. https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/nation-world/pentagons-dei-purge-described-aa-scramble/507-d6e58280-76fa-4abd-b69f-772718539119
17. U.S. Removal of Panels Honoring Black Soldiers at WWII Cemetery in the Netherlands Draws Backlash. NBC News, Dec. 30, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/world/europe/us-removal-panels-honoring-black-soldiers-wwii-cemetery-netherlands-rcna251475
18. Officials Removed Exhibit on Black Soldiers in WWII over Fear of Trump’s ‘Ire,’ Emails Show. Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Dec. 10, 2025. https://www.jta.org/2025/12/10/politics/officials-removed-exhibit-on-black-soldiers-in-wwii-over-fear-of-trumps-ire-emails-show
19. What Do Trump Demands Mean for Smithsonian’s Independence? Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 13, 2026. https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2026/0113/smithsonian-museum-deadline-trump-ideology
20. White House Orders Review of Smithsonian Exhibits to Ensure Alignment with Trump Directives. CNN, Aug. 12, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/12/politics/smithsonian-exhibits-white-house-review
21. Smithsonian Artists and Scholars Respond to White House List of Objectionable Art. NPR, Aug. 24, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/08/24/nx-s1-5511241/smithsonian-white-house-art
22. Trump Accuses Smithsonian of Being Too Focused on ‘How Bad Slavery Was.’ The Art Newspaper, Aug. 20, 2025. https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/08/20/trump-smithsonian-attack-history-white-house-review
23. Amy Sherald Withdrew ‘American Sublime’ Exhibition from Smithsonian, Citing ‘Culture of Censorship.’ Culture Type, July 29, 2025. https://www.culturetype.com/2025/07/29/amy-sherald-withdrew-american-sublime-exhibition-from-smithsonian-national-portrait-gallery-citing-culture-of-censorship/
24. How Trump Impacted Arts and Culture in 2025. Hyperallergic, Dec. 17, 2025. https://hyperallergic.com/how-trump-impacted-arts-and-culture-in-2025/
25. More Consequences and Reactions to Whitewashing the Smithsonian. Not Unmindful, Oct. 7, 2025. https://www.notunmindful.org/more-consequences-and-reactions-to-whitewashing-the-smithsonian/
26. DOI Hits Back at Criticism Over Trump’s National Parks Move. Newsweek, Feb. 12, 2026. https://www.newsweek.com/doi-hits-back-criticism-trumps-national-parks-move-11510199
27. Pentagon History Purge Highlights Which Stories Are Told and Why Others Are Ignored. PBS News, March 19, 2025. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/pentagon-history-purge-highlights-which-stories-are-told-and-why-others-are-ignored
28. Trump Administration: Return Confederate Monument to Arlington National Cemetery. Deseret News, Aug. 7, 2025. https://www.deseret.com/utah/2025/08/07/confederate-monument-returns-to-arlington/
29. Confederate Memorial to Be Returned to Arlington National Cemetery. WTOP News, Aug. 7, 2025. https://wtop.com/arlington/2025/08/confederate-memorial-to-be-returned-to-arlington-national-cemetery/
30. Trump Administration to Reinstall Two Confederate Statues. CNN, Aug. 6, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/05/politics/confederate-albert-pike-statue-reinstall
31. Governor Healey Takes Action to Keep ICE out of Schools, Hospitals, Courthouses, and Places of Worship. Mass.gov, Jan. 27, 2026. https://www.mass.gov/news/governor-healey-takes-action-to-keep-ice-out-of-schools-hospitals-courthouses-and-places-of-worship
32. Immigration Arrests Surge by 1,500% in San Diego. CalMatters, Jan. 2026. https://calmatters.org/justice/2026/01/san-diego-immigration-arrest-surge/
33. New Report Details ICE’s Expanding and Increasingly Unaccountable Detention System. American Immigration Council, Feb. 2026. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/ice-expanding-detention-system/