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China and Russia Condemn U.S. Strike on Iran—but Stay on the Sidelines

China and Russia Condemn U.S. Strike on Iran—but Stay on the Sidelines

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Podcast: Elizabeth Hughey on transforming Bull Connor's words into poetry

Podcast: Elizabeth Hughey on transforming Bull Connor's words into poetry
The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumMar 22, 2022
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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In her new book of poetry, "White Bull," Elizabeth Hughey turns to an unlikely source: the language of notorious Birmingham police commissioner Eugene "Bull" Connor. Words are just building blocks. Tools. The same common language was used by Martin Luther King Jr. to liberate people as was used by Connor to enforce segregation and inspire violence. For a decade, Hughey sifted through his speeches, his private letters, even his receipts, to create a database of text from which she built something radically different.

Turning the words of hatred into a language of poetry. This week on the Reckon Interview, she discusses what inspired her to take on this project and what she hopes readers gain from it.

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Bruce Springsteen Speaks Out: Rise With Us and Raise Your Voices

Bruce Springsteen and Max Weinberg perform during the first night of 'The Land of Hopes and Dreams' tour at Co-op Live on May 14, 2025 in Manchester, England.

Getty Images, Shirlaine Forrest

Bruce Springsteen Speaks Out: Rise With Us and Raise Your Voices

During Bruce Springsteen’s recent Land of Hope and Dreams tour in Europe, the legendary musician drew the ire of President Trump at a concert in Manchester, England, on May 14, 2025. Springsteen openly criticized the Trump administration, calling it "corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous" and urging the audience to stand against authoritarianism.

He expanded on his concerns during the introduction to My City of Ruins, delivering a powerful statement on the state of democracy. Addressing the crowd, he declared: "There’s some very weird, strange, and dangerous shit going on out there right now. In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now. In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now."

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Navy Midshipmen’s Win Inspires Trump’s Vision of Strength

President Donald Trump honored the Navy Midshipmen football team in the East Room of the White House during a ceremony presenting the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Washington.

Photo by Matthew Shea/Medill News Service

Navy Midshipmen’s Win Inspires Trump’s Vision of Strength

WASHINGTON – With grit and team camaraderie, the Navy Midshipmen football team marched into the White House Tuesday, ready to hoist the Commander-in-Chief Trophy for winning the series in December against the Army and Air Force academies.

Their performance, both on and off the field, mirrored the kind of resilience and relentless spirit Trump said he wanted to see across the entire U.S. military.

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The White Lotus Politics: Is Hollywood Storytelling Shifting Right?

Premiere of HBO Original Series "The White Lotus" Season 3 at Paramount Theatre on February 10, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.

(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

The White Lotus Politics: Is Hollywood Storytelling Shifting Right?

As HBO's The White Lotus nears its season three finale, Mike White's dark exploration of the human condition through privilege and class has not only continued to seep into our cultural conversations but has increasingly woven itself into our political ones. The series, which has always been inherently political, made it more overt this season through the friendship of three women with clashing political views (played by Michelle Monaghan, Carrie Coon, and Leslie Bibb)—that culminated in a now-infamous dinner scene that captured the current political malaise defining so many of our American interactions today.

For an entertainment industry long viewed as American culture's most progressive stronghold, this show exists at a time when the Trump administration is censoring museums and muzzling news organizations, all coinciding with a swell of conservative voices gaining more visibility within the broader culture. Take NBC's Saturday Night Live, which, this March, invited country singer Morgan Wallen to perform for a second time, years after a video surfaced of him using a racial slur outside his Nashville home in 2021.

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Ben Folds Upcoming Tour: Offers His Fans a Time to Reflect

Ben Folds performs on stage with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra at Perth Concert Hall on January 28, 2021 in Perth, Australia.

Getty Images, Matt Jelonek

Ben Folds Upcoming Tour: Offers His Fans a Time to Reflect

In February, Ben Folds resigned as artistic adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra, shortly after President Donald Trump took charge of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. “Given developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic advisor to the NSO,” Folds wrote on Instagram on February 12. “Not for me.”

While Folds is not overtly political, he has used his music as a platform to encourage dialogue and understanding within his audience. He has the opportunity to do so in his recently announced 2025 concert tour, which includes the “Paper Airplane Request Tour,” where members of the audience can request songs by sending paper airplanes to the stage.

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