The Trump administration’s online accounts are circulating images of a pumpkin carved with a sombrero design and a fake Halloween-themed background around a Black man apparently accused of food assistance fraud, in social media posts slammed by critics as racially inflammatory rhetoric.
Only days before the midterm elections, the posts coincide with the government’s sweeping campaign to show its aggressive immigration enforcement, and highlight efforts it says are needed to crack down on fraud to save taxpayers money — as rising healthcare costs and other economic stressors have made affordability a top voter concern.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted Saturday on X a photo of the Black man standing in front of stacks of what appear to be U.S. currency with the headline SNAP FRAUDSTER, an apparent reference to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. He is holding aloft what appears to be a bill set aflame.
“Some costumes come with a price tag. This one comes with a prison sentence,” it says against the backdrop of fake Spirit Halloween costume packaging.
Another photo posted by the White House on X on Thursday showed a pumpkin with the shape of a sombrero carved across it and the words “Spooky szn is here.”
The post by Rollins appears to be taken from an Instagram post from September 2025 by an account under the name Shawty Dred.
Earlier this month, Mercedes Reshard New, identified by the Justice Department as a social media personality also known as “Shawty Dred,” was arrested on federal charges for fraudulently obtaining more than $4 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in Georgia.
It’s not the first time the White House has been accused of posting inflammatory images on official government social media accounts.
Just over a year ago during the government shutdown, the White House revived a deepfake video posted by Trump of House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries in a fake mustache and sombrero to accuse the Democrats of acting on behalf of illegal immigrants instead of U.S. citizens. Jeffries described the meme as bigoted. Administration officials played it on repeat in the White House briefing room, and Vice President JD Vance promised that the “sombrero memes will stop” when Democrats agreed to end the shutdown.
The NAACP did not respond to an email seeking comment, nor did the White House or Rollins.
The Trump administration in recent weeks has ratcheted up its anti-immigrant rhetoric and accusations of fraud, including against U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), whose Washington, D.C., home was searched by federal agents earlier this month. Federal authorities are investigating potential fraud in her family’s immigration paperwork. Omar, who was born in Somalia, is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
It also has taken a series of punitive steps linked to allegations of fraud in mostly Democratic-led states, including California and Minnesota, whose governors accused the federal government of targeting their states for political reasons.
Federal prosecutors said in a news release Oct. 21 that the influencer New controlled more than 350 fraudulent SNAP accounts under stolen identities between January 2020 and July 2026. He allegedly applied for his company, Shawty Dred LLC, to become an authorized SNAP retailer and used EBT debit cards to extract about $4 million from the accounts.
New’s Instagram account, which has more than 2 million followers, has flaunted his extravagant lifestyle, federal prosecutors said. Posts depict him flying on private jets, posing with Rolls-Royce vehicles in front of his “super mansion” and handling massive stacks of cash.
“Instead of this money feeding families in need, New, the social media personality known as ‘Shawty Dred,’ allegedly used the cash to bankroll a life of luxury,” Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta Marlo Graham said in the release.
New was indicted by a federal grand jury Oct. 7 on dozens of counts of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, and one count each of SNAP fraud and illegal transactions with access devices. He was arrested Oct. 13 and remains in federal custody.
According to Fulton County, Ga., jail records, New has been arrested multiple times on suspicion of crimes including identity theft, insurance fraud, financial transaction card fraud, forgery and simple assault.
A federal defender listed in court records as representing New, Joseph Austin, did not return a phone message.
Just in time for next week’s midterms, Brooklyn-based artist Phil Buehler has unveiled another one of his series of public art installations critiquing modern politics on a stretch of chain link fence between a coffee shop and a bar in Bushwick. The 50-foot-long, 10-foot-high piece, “Wall of Crazy,” features 1,516 of President Trump’s social media posts — selected from more than 70,000 — and arranged chronologically, with color-coded statement categories aligning with the American Psychiatric Assn.‘s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition.
These include: social-emotional incongruity (“Happy Thanksgiving to all including the racist and incompetent Attorney General of New York State”); divine favor/ magical thinking (an AI photo of Trump seated beside Jesus Christ in court); catastrophizing (“This miscarriage of justice will destroy America if they don’t change their absolutely insane decision”); contradictions and reversals (a 2019 post calling Atty. Gen. Bill Barr “fair and reasonable” vs. a 2023 post calling him “dumb, weak, slow moving, lethargic, gutless and lazy”); hostility, humiliation and threats (calling Tucker Carlson a “very low IQ individual. He could barely get out of college and maybe he didn’t.”); grandiosity (“I am far healthier than Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden, but especially, Kamala”); extraordinary and implausible claims (“The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran at levels of military strength and power not seen since World War II”); persecution and victimhood (“Only 25 percent want the president impeached, which is pretty low considering the volume of fake news coverage, but pretty high considering the fact that I did nothing wrong”); and conspiracy thinking (“Wayne County (Detroit) Michigan is one of the most corrupt voting areas in the United States, if not the world”).
In a recent phone interview, Buehler said he made the wall over a period of months beginning in July, using his day-job background in market research and data analysis and statistics to search for patterns in large amounts of data in order to distill it down to something simple. Buehler’s first foray into making a wall of public art came in 2020 with the “Wall of Lies,” which documented more than 20,000 false or misleading claims made by Trump.
A detail shot of the “Wall of Crazy” by Brooklyn-based artist Phil Buehler, featuring 1,516 of Donald Trump’s social media posts.
(Photo from Phil Buehler)
At that time, he said, he was struck by the massive volume of falsehoods. “I wanted to dramatize that in a way that brought the sheer scale of it to life,” he said, noting that the same objective holds true for the “Wall of Crazy.” People have known that Trump tells lies since the 2020 presidential election, Buehler said, adding that it’s a story that is continuously told and has simply become part of the daily news cycle that people move on from.
“Making something into a public artwork brings it back into that cycle because I think it comes into people’s heads in a different way,” Buehler said. Plus, because it’s sandwiched between a coffee shop and a bar, it gets both the thinking morning crowd and the more raucous and celebratory evening crowd. The piece, which is being presented by the independent community radio station Radio Free Brooklyn, has been up for about two days, but will be officially unveiled during a modest neighborhood ceremony today at noon EDT.
“The scale of it is important,” Buehler said. “By attracting your eye and attention and then allowing you to walk up to it and read … Trump’s posts.”
In photos Buehler shared, people are doing just that. Some pass by quickly, others stay immersed for quite some time.
The “Wall of Crazy” is the fifth such collaboration between Buehler and Radio Free Brooklyn. After the “Wall of Lies” came the “Wall of Liars and Deniers” (2022), “featuring 381 Republican election-denying candidates”; then the “Wall of Shame” (2025), “documenting 1,575 January 6 defendants pardoned by Trump”; and “Wall of Tears” (2026), “memorializing 18,457 children documented killed in Gaza.”
The “Wall of Lies” was extensively vandalized by Proud Boy protesters, but the others have been mostly left alone, Buehler said.
“The Wall of Crazy shows how Buehler and Radio Free Brooklyn use public art to spotlight our political climate. Calling out the inflammatory, incoherent, divisive and obscene rhetoric under this administration is critical to democracy,” said Orie Givens, president of the Radio Free Brooklyn Board, in a news release. “Like earlier walls, it captures our political culture and urges action before Election Day: voters can change the country’s direction. And it shows why we must support free media — especially independent outlets — that expose this administration’s actions and impact nationwide.”
I’m Arts editor Jessica Gelt, wishing us all a peaceful and sane midterm election and a Happy Halloween. This is your arts and culture news for the week.
Our critics and reporters guide you through events and happenings in the SoCal arts scene. In your inbox every Friday.
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Singer Lila Downs.
(Berenice Bautista / AP Photo)
Lila Downs
The singer blends Mexican tradition with jazz, cumbia, folk and contemporary rhythms in a celebration of Día de Muertos, featuring Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles and songs from Downs’ new album “Cambias mi Mundo.”
8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Hercules vs. Vampires
LA Opera presents a musical reimagining of Mario Bava’s 1961 cult film “Hercules in the Haunted World,” starring Reg Park and Christopher Lee, with an original score by Patrick Morganelli, conducted by Blair Salter.
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday. United Theater on Broadway, 929 S Broadway, downtown L.A. laopera.org
Kiki Smith
“Untethered Journey,” the artist’s first solo show in L.A. in 30 years, includes historical and recent works.
Opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Friday; exhibit continues through Jan. 23. Jeffrey Deitch, 925 N. Orange Drive. deitch.com
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Organist Brett Valliant performs the score live with John S. Robertson’s 1920 silent horror film starring John Barrymore.
3 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Día de los Muertos
Forest Lawn celebrates the Mexican holiday at four of its locations, with marigolds, handcrafted Catrina and alebrijes (spirit guide) artworks and brightly colored community ofrendas (altars), plus folklorico dance and mariachi music performances, arts & crafts, face painting, food and refreshments. A free family-friendly event.
Noon-3 p.m. Sunday. Forest Lawn Covina Hills, 21300 Via Verde Drive, Covina, Forest Lawn Cypress, 4471 Lincoln Ave., and Forest Lawn Glendale, 1712 S. Glendale Ave.; 5-8 p.m. Monday. Forest Lawn Cathedral City, 69855 E. Ramon Road. forestlawn.com
Harriet Sansom Harris in “Werewolf by Night.”
(Marvel Studios)
Werewolf by Night & Headless
Michael Giacchino hosts an evening featuring the premiere of “Headless,” a musical by the Academy Award-winning composer and collaborators Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson, based on “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” followed by a live-to-picture screening of his 2022 film “Werewolf by Night,” with Sarah Hicks conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Building Bridges: The Master Chorale in Concert With the National Chorus of Korea
Two world-class choral organizations team up for a cross-cultural program uniting more than 100 singers.
7 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. lamasterchorale.org
Family Fest: Día de los Muertos
A free event featuring activities, festive music, dance and foods.
11 a.m.-2 p.m. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. thewallis.org
Singer Lyle Lovett.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Lyle Lovett and His Small Large Band
The four-time Grammy-winning Texan performs his greatest hits.
8 p.m. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive. ccpa.cerritos.gov
Daniel Passer direct “The Farce Awakens: Ferdeau x 2” at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble.
(Odyssey Theatre Ensemble)
The Farce Awakens: Feydeau x 2
Cirque du Soleil clown Daniel Passer directs “Going to Pot” and “Stark Naked,” two one-acts by Georges Feydeau.
Through Jan. 17, 2027. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 South Sepulveda Blvd. odysseytheatre.com
The Laugh Track
Playwright Wendy MacLeod’s comedy goes behind the scenes of “I Love Lucy,” the groundbreaking 1950s sitcom starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Directed by Brian Shnipper.
Through Nov. 22. International City Theatre, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach. ictlongbeach.org
The Endeavour shuttle is on display in launch position at the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center in Exposition Park.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
ICYMI: The best of this week’s L.A. Times arts coverage.
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center opens next month, and the Arts team put together a great package including an architecture review of the new $450-million addition to the California Science Center; an Endeavour shuttle walk-through with an astronaut; a list of noteworthy artifacts in the museum; a list of exciting interactive experiences; and a fun fast-facts sheet.
In theater news, critic Charles McNulty gave a mixed review to the Latino Theatre Company production of playwright Luis Alfaro’s “Speaking in Tongues,” at the Los Angeles Theatre Center; and issued an indictment of Center Theatre Group’s decision to stage a non-Equity touring production of “The Music Man.” McNulty reserved words of praise for an Antaeus Theatre Company revival of George Bernard Shaw’s “Heartbreak House.”
Artist Barry McGee poses for a portrait at Jeffrey Deitch gallery.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
San Francisco artist Barry McGee is back in L.A. after February’s wild takeover of a 99 Cents Only Store. This time he’s staging a show called “Another Round” at Jeffrey Deitch gallery on Santa Monica Boulevard.
The Times’ Features section ran a piece of commentary about the lack of a true native plant habitat at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, calling it a “missed opportunity.”
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Branden Jacobs-Jenkins poses in the press room with the award for best revival of a play for “Appropriate” during the 77th Tony Awards.
(Evan Agostini / Invision / AP)
London’s Royal Court Theatre announced that playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ 2025 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning “Purpose,” directed by Phylicia Rashad, will launch its new season in January, marking the hugely successful Broadway show’s first staging outside of the U.S. (“Purpose” opens at Geffen Playhouse next month.)
— Jessica Gelt
The desert just keeps on giving — including an upcoming “sandlocked yacht club” in Joshua Tree.
sankai/E+ via Getty Images
Memory and AI-related stocks rose in premarket trading Wednesday after SK Hynix (SKHY) reported a record quarterly profit that sharply beat estimates and announced more than $25B in dividends and share buybacks.
SK Hynix shares surged 10.8% in South Korea and
NORTH West trolled her mom, Kim Kardashian, in a hilarious post of the reality star sleeping on her birthday.
The 13-year-old gave her famous mom a shoutout for her 46th birthday, but it most likely wasn’t what Kim expected.
In the post, shared to North’s Instagram Stories on Wednesday, the teenager captured a selfie of the mother-daughter pair in what looked like a conference room.
North smiled widely alongside Kim, who had fallen asleep in her chair.
The up-close shot showed Kim with her head tilted back as she slept in full glam.
“Happy birthday @kimkardashian ily,” North wrote above the unflattering photo of the Skims founder.
The post comes just hours after Kim shared numerous photos of her dramatic Halloween makeover, in which she transformed herself to look like her eldest daughter.
Kim looked identical to her first-born child, whom she shares with her ex, Kanye West, matching North’s style from head to toe.
The model was a carbon copy of North, wearing a vibrant blue wig, heavy eye makeup, long black nails, and multiple face and hand piercings.
She even copied the youngster’s signature gothic style of all-black attire and a massive skull necklace.
Fans have repeatedly raised concerns over North’s mature style, especially with her numerous body piercings.
Recently, North debuted her neck, cheek, and thigh piercings, which sparked an uproar on social media, with critics saying she is too young to have them.
However, North and Kim clarified on a livestream earlier this month that the teen’s body piercings were, in fact, fake.
Kim also assured that she’s fine with North expressing herself with piercings, as long as they are fake.
When North teased that she’s considering getting a real bridge piercing one day, Kim made it clear she isn’t on board.
“We can glue on for now,” the actress compromised.
Kim and Kanye are also parents of a daughter, Chicago, 8, and sons Saint, 10, and Psalm, 7.
While they split their time between both parents, who divorced in 2022 after nearly seven years of marriage, Kim has a team of nannies to help when she needs them.
According to her profile in The Times, published earlier this month, Kim employs five nannies, with one on duty at a time while the others rotate.
The magazine also notes that Kim describes herself as an “intermediate-strict parent,” as she does school drop-offs and pick-ups each day, and has dinner with them, despite a nanny always being nearby.
“I’m extremely patient and loving. I still have a kid sleep in my bed when they want. I read books with the kids every night,” she added.
EAMONN Holmes’ girlfriend Katie Alexander stripped off to a bikini and posted about ‘knowing her worth’ after moving out of the star’s flat.
Just days ago The Sun exclusively revealed that the relationship counsellor had cleared out her things of his rented £1.3million property in Surrey.
The pair started dating back in May 2024 and within a few months we reported how Katie had moved into Eamonn’s home.
But Katie has since moved out as Eamonn recovers from a stroke.
Katie recently took to Instagram to share some stunning selfies with her followers.
One included her looking out into the distance in a plunging blue top, and some others from her travels.
Katie wrote: “There is a quiet kind of strength in becoming comfortable with who you are.
“No longer needing to prove, explain or seek validation – just choosing peace, protecting your energy and finding beauty in the life you creating.
“Softness is strength. Peace is luxury. And knowing your worth changes everything.”
She captioned the post: “Starting with yourself.”
It is understood that Northern Irishman Eamonn’s family is now looking after his financial affairs.
The revelation comes days after it was reported that Eamonn would not be returning to his job hosting GB News’ breakfast programme, although the channel’s bosses have denied the claims.
A source told The Sun on Sunday: “Katie is still very much together with Eamonn and in love, but she’s moved out of the flat.
“It’s an incredibly sad situation — she loved it there and the time they spent together making it home.”
“Katie has been Eamonn’s rock and lifeline since he fell ill. She’s willing him to get back to full fitness and get their lives back on track.”
It is not clear where wheelchair-user Eamonn will be staying when he leaves hospital.
Mum-of-three and relationship counsellor Katie lives in West Yorkshire but has been splitting her time between there and the Surrey flat.
Eamonn was previously married to Ruth Langsford between 2010 and 2024.
