Latest news with #cowboys
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Stay mad.' Amid immigration raids, Epstein rumors, Trump team ramps up its trolling
Morgan Weistling, an accomplished painter of cowboys and Old West frontier life, was vacationing with his family this month when he got a surprising message from a friend about one of his works of art. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, he said the friend told him, had posted a work he had painted five years ago to its official social media channels without his knowledge. The painting, which looks like a scene from the Oregon Trail, depicts a young white couple — she in a long dress, he in a cowboy hat — cradling a baby in a covered wagon, with mountains and another wagon in the background. "Remember your Homeland's Heritage," the Department of Homeland Security captioned the July 14 post on X, Instagram and Facebook. Exactly whose homeland and whose heritage? And what was the intended message of the federal department, whose masked and heavily armed agents have arrested thousands of brown-skinned, Spanish-speaking immigrants — most with no criminal convictions — in California this summer? That has been the source of heated online debate at a time when the Trump administration has ramped up its online trolling with memes and jokes about the raids that critics have called racist, childish and unbefitting official government social media accounts. The "Remember your Homeland's Heritage" post racked up 19 million views on X and thousands of responses. Critics compared the post to Nazi propaganda. Supporters said it was "OK to be white" and to celebrate "traditional values." Among the responses: "You mean the heritage built on stolen land, Indigenous genocide, and whitewashed history? You don't get to romanticize settlers while caging today's migrants." And: "A few minutes later, an ICE wagon pulls up next to them, agents cuff and stuff them into the back and then summarily send them back to Ireland." Another person, referencing the "Oregon Trail" video game, joked: "All three died from dysentery." Asked about criticism of the post, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in an email to The Times: 'If the media needs a history lesson on the brave men and women who blazed the trails, forded the rivers, and forged this Republic from the sweat of their brow, we are happy to send them a history textbook. This administration is unapologetically proud of American history and American heritage. Get used to it.' On July 11, a federal judge temporarily halted indiscriminate immigration sweeps in Southern California at places such as Home Depot, car washes and rows of street vendors. U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong said she found sufficient evidence that agents were unlawfully using race, ethnicity, language, accent, location or employment as a pretext for immigration enforcement. The next week, the Department of Homeland Security — which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement along with Customs and Border Protection — posted the white-people-in-the-covered-wagon painting. It also posted a meme with a fake poster from the 1982 movie "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" with the caption: "Illegal aliens, take a page from E.T. and PHONE HOME." Ramesh Srinivasan, founder of the University of California Digital Cultures Lab, which studies the connections between technology, politics and culture, said the mean-spirited posts and gleeful deportation jokes are part of a deliberate trolling campaign by the Trump administration. "The saddest part of all of this is it mirrors how DHS is acting in real life," he said. "Someone can be a troll online but may not be as much [of one] in real life," he said. "The digital world and physical world may not be completely in lockstep with each other. But in this particular case, there's a level of honesty that's actually disturbing." Srinivasan, who is Indian American, said that although the covered wagon painting is not offensive in and of itself, the timing of the Homeland Security post raises questions about the government's intended meaning. The painting, he said, "is being used to show inclusion and exclusion, who's worthy of being an American and who isn't." Srinivasan said mean memes are effective because they spread quickly in a media environment in which people are flooded with information and quickly scroll through visual content and short video reels with little context. "There are hidden algorithms that determine visibility and virality," Srinivasan said. "Outrage goes more viral because it generates what tech companies call engagement." Here in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken a page from Trump's troll playbook, with recent social media posts that include name-calling, swear words, and, of course, memes. Earlier this month, Newsom responded to a post on X by the far-right Libs of TikTok account that showed video of someone apparently firing a gun at immigration officers in Camarillo. The account asked if the governor would condemn the shooting. Newsom wrote: "Of course I condemn any assault on law enforcement, you shit poster. Now do Jan 6." In a post on X, Newsom's press office called White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the architect of many of Trump's hard-line immigration policies, a "fascist cuck." Newsom defended the name-calling in a news conference, saying of the Trump administration: "I don't think they understand any other kind of language." The term is used in far right circles to insult liberals as weak. It is also short for "cuckold," the husband of an unfaithful wife. Even for Team Trump, which is adept at distraction, the heightened online efforts to own the libs, as supporters say, come at a precarious time for the president. He has been embroiled in controversies over rumors about his friendship with deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the effects of the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, which will cut Medicaid and food assistance programs while funding the planned hiring of thousands of new immigration agents. Still, his meme teams are working hard to stoke outrage and brag about immigration raids. Earlier this month, Homeland Security posted a slickly edited video on its social media accounts showing border agents at work, with a narrator quoting the Bible verse Isaiah 6:8: 'Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me.'' The video uses a cover of the song, "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by the San Francisco rock band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. On Instagram, the band wrote: 'It has come to our attention that the Department of Homeland Security is improperly using our recording of 'God's Gonna Cut You Down' in your latest propaganda video. It's obvious that you don't respect Copyright Law and Artist Rights any more than you respect Habeas Corpus and Due Process rights, not to mention the separation of Church and State per the US Constitution." On July 10, the band asked the government to cease and desist the use of its recording and pull down the video. It added, "Oh, and go f— yourselves." As of Friday evening, the video remained posted on X along with the song. In recent days, White House and Homeland Security social media accounts have shared memes that include: A coffee mug with the words "Fire up the deportation planes;" a weightlifting skeleton declaring, "My body is a machine that turns ICE funding into mass deportations;" and alligators wearing ICE caps in reference to the officially named Alligator Alcatraz immigrant detention facility in Florida. A meme shared last week depicted a poster outside the White House that read: "oMg, diD tHe wHiTE hOuSE reALLy PosT tHiS?" The caption: "Nowhere in the Constitution does it say we can't post banger memes." The White House also shared the Homeland Security covered wagon post. In response to questions about online criticism that calls the posts racist, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson asked a Times reporter in an email to "explain how deporting illegal aliens is racist." She also said in a statement: 'We won't stop celebrating the Trump Administration's many wins via banger memes on social media. Stay mad.' Weistling, the artist unwittingly caught up in the controversy, apparently was surprised not only by the posting of his painting and his name, but also by the Department of Homeland Security using an incorrect title for the artwork. The government labeled the painting: "New Life in a New Land — Morgan Weistling." The actual title of the painting is "A Prayer for a New Life." Prints are listed for sale on the website for the evangelical nonprofit Focus on the Family. Weistling, a registered Republican who lives in Los Angeles County, could not be reached for comment. Shortly after the government used his painting, he wrote on his website: "Attention! I did not give the DHS permission to use my painting in their recent postings on their official web platforms. They used a painting I did 5 years ago and re-titled it and posted it without my permission. It is a violation of my copyright on the painting. It was a surprise to me and I am trying to gather how this happen [sic] and what to do next." He later shortened the statement on his website and deleted posts on his Instagram and Facebook accounts saying he learned about the post while on vacation and was stunned the government "thought they could randomly post an artist's painting without permission" and re-title it. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions from The Times about copyright issues. But a spokesman said the posting of an incorrect title was "an honest mistake." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
The Guardian
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The cowboy as a symbol of America: Jim Krantz's best photograph
I'm not a cowboy and I don't ride horses, but I've been around them my whole life. My dad had a furniture store near the stockyards in south Omaha, and I would watch the cattle being moved between pens ready to go to auction. I sensed a freedom in the cowboys that I related to. I've always been an explorer, it's my nature. I'm more comfortable and I feel most alive in situations I'm not familiar with. I am always drawn to this same type – I've photographed test pilots and astronauts – the strong, quiet, self-directed types who seem to be in control of their destiny. This shot of Mark, a friend of mine, was taken in 2014. All my images are productions, I don't just happen to be there. I build a narrative and visit locations – it's more like making a movie, it's very intentional. I scout locations that connect to what I want to represent. This was a rugged area of northern Colorado. The shoot was really about speed and energy, and I wanted open spaces that could allow the cowboys to do what they wanted. I wanted harder surfaces and dramatic skies – although you never really know what you're going to get. I take references from historical paintings and drawings of the American west, and ideas I carry on pieces of paper, so I go with a visual feel of what I want to do. I wanted to separate the colours of the landscape: the colour of the hat, the horse, its saddle blanket, were all selected deliberately. The image is all about power and grace – the gesture of the animal is so forceful, and the cowboy is so in control. When I look at this photograph I want to be that guy. He's super alive and in the moment, there's the feeling of an adrenaline rush – everything about it is energising, masculine, powerful – and it underlines the theme of freedom. It gives you a feeling of life. When I look back, a lot of my work is about the same thing. It's not so much about cowboys, it's about the freedom to express yourself. I hope it makes people feel good – it makes me feel empowered. The cowboy, like the Statue of Liberty or the Hollywood sign, is a symbol of America, it conveys some kind of hope, something aspirational. When Richard Prince appropriated my work in 2007, it was a real catalyst to redefine myself. In the last 10 years, that's given me the freedom to express what I think about the American west in new ways, such as in my paintings. I don't have an agenda, I am always on the move physically and conceptually with my work. It was violating to have my image taken – but it did bring my work to light. It was after the New York Times article that James Danzinger began to represent me. I used to watch my maternal grandfather paint every Saturday. He was an abstract expressionist and his use of colour was very unusual. After he had a stroke, Saturdays with him ended but he gave me my first camera and instructed me to use it. One day he told me he had been reading about someone he thought I should study with – Ansel Adams. I looked him up in the phone book and called – and that was the start of me studying and working with Adams in California. Nowadays, people don't look that much at what's around them. It's a very angst-ridden environment, it's hard to separate ourselves from the emotional rollercoaster. I don't bury my head in the sand but my work is a way for me to escape. It's the only way I can get away from all this shit that's going on on a daily basis, and make something beautiful that inspires me. If you keep your eyes open, there's just so much out there. Born: Omaha, Nebraska, 1955Trained: 'I am still in training, and plan to continue.'Influences: 'The natural world and my maternal grandfather.'High point: 'Mt Wilson, near Telluride at 13,800ft – photographing for the US army. The high points in a career often get the most attention, but it's the low points that have taught me the most. Those are the moments when feelings run deepest, when you're most aware, and when growth truly begins. It's from those uncertain places that you rebuild – and that's where the real expansion and improvement happen. But I don't tend to emphasise either high or low too heavily, because a creative life is made of constant ebb and flow. That movement, that rhythm, is what keeps the work alive and evolving.'Low point: 'Cancún, Mexico 34ft below sea level – diving. The title Frontier holds deep meaning for me. It speaks to the space between the known and the unknown – the edge where the familiar falls away and something new begins. That's the place I'm drawn to most. When I'm a bit lost, a bit unsure … that's where the real work begins. Some might call it a low point. For me, it's where I feel most alive.'Top tip: 'Free yourself from self judgment – just work.' Frontier by Jim Krantz is published by GOST Books
The Guardian
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The cowboy as a symbol of America: Jim Krantz's best photograph
I'm not a cowboy and I don't ride horses, but I've been around them my whole life. My dad had a furniture store near the stockyards in south Omaha, and I would watch the cattle being moved between pens ready to go to auction. I sensed a freedom in the cowboys that I related to. I've always been an explorer, it's my nature. I'm more comfortable and I feel most alive in situations I'm not familiar with. I am always drawn to this same type – I've photographed test pilots and astronauts – the strong, quiet, self-directed types who seem to be in control of their destiny. This shot of Mark, a friend of mine, was taken in 2014. All my images are productions, I don't just happen to be there. I build a narrative and visit locations – it's more like making a movie, it's very intentional. I scout locations that connect to what I want to represent. This was a rugged area of northern Colorado. The shoot was really about speed and energy, and I wanted open spaces that could allow the cowboys to do what they wanted. I wanted harder surfaces and dramatic skies – although you never really know what you're going to get. I take references from historical paintings and drawings of the American west, and ideas I carry on pieces of paper, so I go with a visual feel of what I want to do. I wanted to separate the colours of the landscape: the colour of the hat, the horse, its saddle blanket, were all selected deliberately. The image is all about power and grace – the gesture of the animal is so forceful, and the cowboy is so in control. When I look at this photograph I want to be that guy. He's super alive and in the moment, there's the feeling of an adrenaline rush – everything about it is energising, masculine, powerful – and it underlines the theme of freedom. It gives you a feeling of life. When I look back, a lot of my work is about the same thing. It's not so much about cowboys, it's about the freedom to express yourself. I hope it makes people feel good – it makes me feel empowered. The cowboy, like the Statue of Liberty or the Hollywood sign, is a symbol of America, it conveys some kind of hope, something aspirational. When Richard Prince appropriated my work in 2007, it was a real catalyst to redefine myself. In the last 10 years, that's given me the freedom to express what I think about the American west in new ways, such as in my paintings. I don't have an agenda, I am always on the move physically and conceptually with my work. It was violating to have my work taken – but it did bring my work to light. It was after the New York Times article that James Danzinger began to represent me. I used to watch my maternal grandfather paint every Saturday. He was an abstract expressionist and his use of colour was very unusual. After he had a stroke, Saturdays with him ended but he gave me my first camera and instructed me to use it. One day he told me he had been reading about someone he thought I should study with – Ansel Adams. I looked him up in the phone book and called – and that was the start of me studying and working with Adams in California. Nowadays, people don't look that much at what's around them. It's a very angst-ridden environment, it's hard to separate ourselves from the emotional rollercoaster. I don't bury my head in the sand but my work is a way for me to escape. It's the only way I can get away from all this shit that's going on on a daily basis, and make something beautiful that inspires me. If you keep your eyes open, there's just so much out there. Born: Omaha, Nebraska, 1955Trained: 'I am still in training, and plan to continue.'Influences: 'The natural world and my maternal grandfather.'High point: 'Mt Wilson, near Telluride at 13,800ft – photographing for the US army. The high points in a career often get the most attention, but it's the low points that have taught me the most. Those are the moments when feelings run deepest, when you're most aware, and when growth truly begins. It's from those uncertain places that you rebuild – and that's where the real expansion and improvement happen. But I don't tend to emphasise either high or low too heavily, because a creative life is made of constant ebb and flow. That movement, that rhythm, is what keeps the work alive and evolving.'Low point: 'Cancún, Mexico 34ft below sea level – diving. The title Frontier holds deep meaning for me. It speaks to the space between the known and the unknown – the edge where the familiar falls away and something new begins. That's the place I'm drawn to most. When I'm a bit lost, a bit unsure … that's where the real work begins. Some might call it a low point. For me, it's where I feel most alive.'Top tip: 'Free yourself from self judgment – just work.' Frontier by Jim Krantz is published by GOST Books
The Guardian
10-07-2025
- The Guardian
Sauce Boss the rodeo bull becomes latest US animal escape artist
Animals that have proven themselves to be escape artists as of late in the US have included a terrier and nearly four dozen monkeys. And now a rodeo bull reportedly referred to by the names of Sauce Boss and Twinkle Toes can join their ranks after breaking free from his handlers and spending four days at large. The bull in question was being unloaded in preparation for the Snowmass Village, Colorado, rodeo on 2 July when he somehow got away, local police chief Brian Olson told the state's Aspen Times. Olson suspected the creature found and forced his way through a gap in the fencing that was being used during the unloading. Authorities spent several hours looking for the taurine fugitive, but he eluded them, primarily by heading into tall brush and trees in the village's Horse Ranch neighborhood, Olson said. Police then issued an alert asking the public to call them if they saw the escaped rodeo bull – and to avoid either approaching the animal or letting pets get near him. Olson said the bull came in and out of view while remaining in that brush in the coming days. A local homeowner told CBS Colorado that cowboys roped the bull at one point during the animal's abscondence – but, as it rained heavily, he managed to slip away. The bull on Sunday then 'did make himself visible' for a longer period than had been usual and let cowboys working for his owner approach him. Olson said that was when the bovine's owner's cowboys finally caught him, and they began planning on him to soon make his debut at the rodeo – which is held every Wednesday during the summer. There were conflicting reports about the bull's moniker. CBS Colorado reported he went by Sauce Boss. But, in an interview with Cowboy State Daily, Snowmass Village police officer Zach Wilcher said he understood the bull's name to be Twinkle Toes. Whatever the case, corners of the internet dedicated to lighthearted news stories seized on Sauce Boss/Twinkle Toes's time on the lam. News consumers in the US are fascinated by tales of pets or animals in captivity making daring dashes for freedom. For instance, a wiry terrier named Scrim earned a reputation as New Orleans's most ungovernable dog after he bolted his adoptive family's yard in April 2024 and spent about six months on the run. After he was caught, he escaped again in November by chewing through a window screen on the second floor of his new adoptive home, leaping 13ft to a driveway and going on the run for another three months before being captured again. Both hunts for Scrim were elaborate, involving people equipped with traps, nets and tranquilizer guns. He earned a measure of social media stardom as users posted videos from cellphones and security cameras that recorded him jaunting through the streets to the distress of those searching for him. Meanwhile, as another example, in November, 43 rhesus macaque monkeys earned international headlines by escaping from a South Carolina research facility into nearby woods after an employee failed to fully lock the animals' enclosure. It took until January for the last of those monkeys to be recaptured. Most were lured back into captivity with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Julius Constantine Motal contributed to reporting
Associated Press
09-07-2025
- General
- Associated Press
In photos, gauchos mark Argentina's Independence Day with bronco riding and barbecue
SAN ISIDRO, Argentina (AP) — Argentine cowboys, known as gauchos, celebrated Independence Day in San Isidro with bronco riding and barbecue. Argentina declared independence from Spain on July 9, 1816. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
