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Twelve months back, the situation was completely separate. Ahead of the US presidential election, thoughtful residents could recognize the nation's significant faults – its inequities and imbalance – yet they could still see it as America. A democratic nation. A land where legal governance held significance. A nation guided by a respectable and upright official, despite his advanced age and growing weakness.

Nowadays, in late October 2025, numerous citizens hardly identify the nation we reside in. People alleged as illegal immigrants are collected and shoved into vehicles, sometimes blocked from fair treatment. The left side of the “people’s house” – is being torn down for an obscene dance hall. The leader is persecuting his opponents or alleged foes and demanding federal prosecutors hand over an enormous amount of citizen dollars. Armed military personnel are deployed into American cities under fabricated reasons. The defense headquarters, renamed the Department of War, has practically liberated itself of regular press examination while it uses possibly reaching close to a trillion USD in public funds. Colleges, legal practices, journalism organizations are submitting due to presidential intimidation, and rich magnates are treated like members of the royal family.

“The United States, shortly prior to its 250-year mark as the world’s leading democracy, has fallen over the brink into autocracy and fascism,” Garrett Graff, commented this past summer. “Ultimately, more quickly than I thought feasible, it transpired in this country.”

One awakes with fresh terrors. And it is difficult to grasp – and painful to realize – just how far gone our nation is, and how quickly it occurred.

Nevertheless, it is known that Trump was duly elected. Following his profoundly alarming previous administration and despite the cautions associated with the awareness of Project 2025 – even after Trump himself said publicly he would be a dictator solely at the start – enough Americans selected him rather than the other candidate.

While alarming as the current reality is, it's more daunting to understand that we’re only nine months into this presidential term. What will an additional three years of this downfall leave us? And suppose the three years becomes a more extended duration, because there is no one to stop this leader from deciding that another term is essential, perhaps for national security reasons?

Granted, all is not lost. There will be congressional elections the coming year that may establish an alternate balance of power, should Democrats regain either chamber of parliament. There are public servants who are trying to apply a degree of oversight, for example representatives who are initiating an inquiry regarding the effort to money grab from legal authorities.

And a presidential election three years from now could initiate the path to recovery just as the previous vote put us on this regrettable path.

There are numerous residents demonstrating in the streets across municipalities, like they performed last weekend at democracy demonstrations.

A former official, stated lately that “the dormant powerhouse of the US is awakening”, similar to past after the Communist witch-hunt era in the 1950s or throughout anti-war demonstrations or in the Nixon controversy.

In those instances, the tilting vessel finally returned to balance.

Reich says he recognizes the signals of that awakening and notices it unfolding at present. As support, he references the large-scale demonstrations, the broad, multi-faction opposition regarding a television host's removal and the largely united defiance by media to accept the defense department’s demands they report only what is sanctioned.

“The dormant force consistently stays asleep till specific greed becomes so noxious, a particular deed so disrespectful toward public welfare, some brutality so noisy, that the giant is compelled but to awaken.”

It's a positive outlook, and I respect the author's seasoned opinion. Maybe he’ll be validated.

Meanwhile, the major inquiries endure: is the US able to ever recover? Can it retrieve its status in the world and its commitment to legal principles?

Or must we acknowledge that the 250-year-old experiment succeeded temporarily, and then – swiftly, totally – ended?

My cynical mind indicates that the latter is accurate; that everything might be finished. My positive feelings, however, convinces me that we have to attempt, through all methods available.

For me, as an observer of the press, that’s about pushing media professionals to commit, more fully, to their purpose of holding power to account. For some people, it could mean engaging with election efforts, or coordinating protests, or discovering methods to defend electoral access.

Not even one year prior, we existed in a separate situation. A year from now? Or three years from now? The fact is, we don’t know. Our sole course is to attempt to not give up.

What Offers Me Encouragement Today

The contact I have during teaching with young journalists, who are equally hopeful and grounded, {always