The week in autocracy: March 2-8, 2025
Separating Signals and Noise with the help of Timothy Snyder’s “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century”
Hello again,
It was not my intention to write again so soon. But we’ve had another dizzying week, and again I found “On Tyranny” to be a sober resource to catalogue the various erosions of precedent and normalcy.
Before getting down to business, thank you to everyone who reached out after my last missive. Connection is difficult and often loses out to the immediacy of work and family; I’m truly grateful for this network and eager for more of your perspectives.
Prof. Snyder writes, “Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen that adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.” We did see a few examples of citizens who took this warning to heart this week, refusing to “obey in advance”: high school students at Ramstein Air Base, the dean of Georgetown Law School, civil servants at theindependent US Africa Development Foundation (among thousands of other civil servants – but this was novel in that they found US Marshalls on their doorstep, their electricity cut, and their locks changed). At the moment, lawyers are largely the face of resistance, representing the legions of civil servants fired without cause, refugees denied entry, humanitarian agencies struggling to make payroll, cultural institutions starved of resources, universities in the administration’s crosshairs.
The specter of Hungary seemed to haunt some of these goings on; Democrats wisely introduced legislation seeking to limit the powers of the FCC to intimidate media companies (as has been the case in Hungary), while a Hungarian government minister appointed to lead the investigation into USAID's activities in his country was received warmly by Trump administration appointees in Washington. Note that Orbán’s spokesperson has previously described USAID-funded Hungarian news outlets in these conspiratorial terms: “Their mission? To promote a specific ideological agenda, one that aligns with left-liberal interests, supports mass migration, and undermines governments that refuse to toe the globalist line.” Several months ago, Republicans would have found this laughable. Today, they are silent as the National Endowment of Democracy withers away (some even speak of Color Revolutions inmuch the same terms as the Kremlin). I found the sycophantic coverage of thePresident’s State of the Union speech and treatment of Ukraine’s Jewish war hero president particularly galling – really more appropriate for Russia and Hungary (Washington Free Beacon: Cry More, Losers: Angsty Dems Jeer as Trump Makes Childhood Dreams Come True; The Blaze: America’s Orator in Chief; Gateway Pundit: The U.S. Owes Ukraine Nothing…And Wear a Suit Next Time; NY Post: Zelensky Was the True Instigator of the Oval Office Fracas).
Efforts to vilify and criminalize protest took on new momentum this week. On its face, I see nothing wrong with prosecuting individuals who provide material support for terrorism (Hamas included); what does disturb is a pattern of action that suggests that this is a pretext for a larger crackdown on civil liberties (painting protestors broadly as “Hamas supporters” and seeking to charge them with crimes, deporting foreign students who are too vocal in their political expression (and utilizing AI for that purpose), targeting universities through financial sanctions. What may seem palatable to some today re: Columbia and protestors in keffiyehs may be looked upon with hindsight as regrettable should the targets of these actions extend further over time; I personally am uncomfortable seeing antisemitism being weaponized by theAdministration in this way. Noting here the views of Prof. Snyder, expressed in a timely interview with the Times of Israel: “That is the actual antisemites using antisemitism to suppress freedom of assembly. That’s fundamentally what’s going on. That’s, by the way, one of the issues, where when I do talk to Israelis with whom I’m sympathetic, I can see how the thousands of miles of distance matter here. I was on those campuses. I know those students. I have a very vivid personal sense of what was actually going on. What was not going on was some incredible upsurge of antisemitism which justified banning protests across American campuses, which was a terrible thing.”
The interview is lengthy and worth reading in full. It touches on the implications of American dysfunction for Israeli national security; parallels between political opposition in Israel, the U.S., Poland and Ukraine; and the longevity of the Trump-Musk accommodation. Another quote that jumped out at me for its clarity and simplicity that I wanted to share is this: “I think it’s bad for Israel that the United States is now taking the side of dictatorships around the world. That’s not going to create an environment which is going to be helpful for Israeli democracy. And I take democracy to be in the interest of Israel.”
I’ll close this mediation with a quote, from a Chinese journalist, which should give everyone pause: “Coming from an authoritarian state, we know that dictatorship is not just a system — it is, at its core, the pursuit of power. We also know that the Cultural Revolution was about dismantling institutions to expand control.” We need to listen to survivors of autocracy – they have immunities developed over exposure that we lack. We are so very vulnerable.
A reminder that you can purchase the print edition of “On Tyranny” here or theaudiobook here (also on Spotify!).
Anyway, on to this week’s list, with the requisite encyclopedia entry from the future…
1. Do not obey in advance - Anticipatory obedience empowers authoritarians before they fully take control
⬇️ The New York Times: ‘People Are Going Silent’: Fearing Retribution, Trump Critics Muzzle Themselves
⬆️⬇️Associated Press: Georgetown law dean rebuffs DEI warning from top federal prosecutor for DC
⬆️ Playbill: Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, More Speak Up Against Trump's Anti-DEI Measures
⬆️ FIRE: LAWSUIT: LGBTQ student group sues to overturn Texas A&M’s unconstitutional drag ban
⬇️ Townhall: USAID Chief Reportedly Considering Criminal Referrals
2. Defend institutions - They help preserve democracy and need active protection
⬇️ CNN: Veteran legal conservatives rush to Justice Barrett’s defense amid MAGA backlash
⬇️ Reuters: Exclusive: Judges face rise in threats as Musk blasts them over rulings
⬇️ The Free Press: DOGE Cut Off Funds to NED. Now They’re Suing.
⬆️ Semafor: Democrats introduce bill to defang Carr’s aggressive FCC
⬆️ CNN: Supreme Court rejects Trump’s request to keep billions in foreign aid frozen
⬆️ Press Release: Reed, SASC Colleagues Demand Answers on Abrupt Firings of JAG Officers
3. Beware the one-party state - Support multiparty systems and democratic processes
⬇️ POLITICO: Trump can remove federal watchdog who fought to reinstate thousands of fired workers, appeals court rules
⬇️ NBC News: Election security aid is on the chopping block, rattling local officials
4. Take responsibility for the face of the world - Notice symbols of hate and remove them
⬇️ Mother Jones: This Pentagon Press Secretary Has a Long History of Bigoted and Xenophobic Posts
5. Remember professional ethics - Maintain professional standards despite political pressure
⬇️ Washington Post: Trump expands retribution campaign against law firms that aided his foes
⬇️ 404Media: French University to Fund American Scientists Who Fear Trump Censorship
⬇️ NY Times: Private Prisons Are Ramping Up Detention of Immigrants and Cashing In
6. Be wary of paramilitaries - Groups with weapons outside official structures threaten stability
NA (I hope)
7. Be reflective if you must be armed - Understand the responsibility if you are inlaw enforcement
⬇️ NY Times: How Dan Bongino Would Run the F.B.I., According to Dan Bongino
8. Stand out - Someone has to set an example of courage
⬆️ USA Today: Students at US military high school in Germany protest Hegseth's anti-DEI push
⬇️ NY Times: This Trump Speech Was the Ultimate Loyalty Test
9. Be kind to our language - Maintain clear communication; resist propaganda and meaningless phrases
⬇️ NY Times: The MAGA War on Speech
⬇️ Washington Post: Inside the White House’s new media strategy to promote Trump as ‘KING’
⬇️ AP: War heroes and military firsts are among 26,000 images flagged for removal inPentagon’s DEI purge
⬇️ NY Times: These Words Are Disappearing in the New Trump Administration
10. Believe in truth - Seek and defend factual reality
⬇️ Snopes: Analyzing claim Trump confused 'transgenic mice' with 'transgender mice' in address to Congress
⬇️ Daily Wire Petition: Pardon Derek Chauvin
⬇️ NY Times: Behind the Collision: Trump Jettisons Ukraine on His Way to a Larger Goal
⬇️ Daily Signal: Trump Shows Why He’s the Next Great American Communicator
⬇️ Washington Free Beacon: Cry More, Losers: Angsty Dems Jeer as Trump Makes Childhood Dreams Come True
⬇️ The Blaze: America’s Orator in Chief
11. Investigate - Read beyond your comfort zone; learn from varied sources
⬆️ Semafor: Democrats introduce bill to defang Carr’s aggressive FCC
12. Make eye contact and small talk - Create the social bonds that sustain democracy
NA
13. Practice corporeal politics - Protect your body and advocate for others' physical needs
⬇️ Jewish Insider: Attorney General Pam Bondi establishes task force to prosecute Oct. 7 crimes
⬇️ Axios: Scoop: State Dept. to use AI to revoke visas of foreign students who appear "pro-Hamas"
⬇️ USA Today: President Trump says he will stop funding for colleges that allow 'illegal' protests
14. Establish a private life - Defend your privacy and personal data
15. Contribute to good causes - Support civil society organizations
⬆️ MacArthur Foundation: Set it at Six: Supporting Civil Society in Need with Increased Giving
16. Learn from peers in other countries - Connect with people facing similar struggles elsewhere
⬇️ NY Times: Many Chinese See a Cultural Revolution in America
⬇️ Atlantic: DOGE Gets a Foreign Ally; Hungary has found a receptive partner in its efforts to investigate USAID: the American government.
17. Listen for dangerous words - Be alert to rhetoric that signals tyrannical intent
⬇️ The American Conservative: Yes, Zelensky Is a Dictator
⬇️ POLITICO: Johnson says Zelenskyy may need to resign
⬇️ Karoline Leavitt (X): Democrats reminded us they are the party of insanity and hate — they could not even clap for a child battling cancer, or mothers who lost their children.
⬇️ NOTUS.org: House GOP Campaign Arm Deletes Tweet Calling Democrat an ‘Illegal Immigrant
18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives - Maintain composure in crisis
NA
19. Be a patriot - Love your country in a meaningful way that upholds its best values
⬆️ USAID Memo: Risks to U.S. National Security and Public Health: Consequences of Pausing Global Health Funding for Lifesaving Humanitarian Assistance (the writer of this memo, as senior USAID official, was placed on leave this week)
20. Be as courageous as you can - Ordinary individual choices can change history
⬇️ DEVEX: DOGE takes over US African Development Foundation
And as a digestif, some additional disturbing articles that clearly demonstrate a draft away from democratic fundamentals, but don’t fit neatly into Snyder’s criteria:
For those who have not seen the mesmerizing speech by French Senator Claude Malhuret, which received a standing ovation from the French parliament, here are a few highlights (the speech itself is worth watching in full – this is how we are perceived and pitied by our allies overseas):
Washington has become the court of Nero, a fiery emperor, submissive courtiers and a ketamine-fueled jester in charge of purging the civil service. This is a tragedy for the free world, but it is first and foremost a tragedy for the United States. Trump’s message is that there is no point in being his ally since he will not defend you, he will impose more customs duties on you than on his enemies and will threaten to seize your territories while supporting thedictatorships that invade you. Never in history has a President of the United States capitulated to the enemy. Never has anyone supported an aggressor against an ally. Never has anyone trampled on the American Constitution, issued so many illegal decrees, dismissed judges who could have prevented him from doing so, dismissed the military general staff in one fell swoop, weakened all checks and balances, and taken control of social media. This is not an illiberal drift, it is the beginning of the confiscation of democracy. Let us remember that it took only one month, three weeks and two days to bring down the Weimar Republic and its Constitution.
What Putin wants is the end of the order put in place by the United States and its allies 80 years ago, with its first principle being the prohibition of acquiring territory by force. This idea is at the very source of the UN, where today Americans vote in favor of the aggressor and against the attacked, because the Trumpian vision coincides with that of Putin: a return to spheres of influence, the great powers dictating the fate of small countries. Mine is Greenland, Panama and Canada, you are Ukraine, the Baltics and Eastern Europe, he is Taiwan and the China Sea. At the parties of the oligarchs of theGulf of Mar-a-Lago, this is called “diplomatic realism.” So we are alone.
The Trumpists are no longer in their majesty. They control the executive, theParliament, the Supreme Court and social networks. But in American history, the freedom fighters have always prevailed. They are beginning to raise their heads. The fate of Ukraine is being played out in the trenches, but it also depends on those in the United States who want to defend democracy, and here on our ability to unite Europeans, to find the means for their common defense, and to make Europe the power that it once was in history and that it hesitates to become again. Our parents defeated fascism and communism at great cost.The task of our generation is to defeat the totalitarianisms of the21st century.
Lastly, I wanted to share some articles that touch on these themes shared by folks inthis network:
NY Times: A Theory of Media That Explains 15 Years of Politics
Robert Reich: 10 More Reasons for Modest Optimism
TheRighting is a media company that aggregates articles from various right-wing media outlets and also publishes original reporting on the world of conservative media. The purpose of The Righting is to help inform middle-of-the-road and liberal audiences about stories and viewpoints not on their radar that are shaping political opinion across a wide swath of America. https://therighting.com/about/
And now, for the future:
From the Encyclopedia of 21st Century Democracy (Entry for March 2-8)
The early months of 2025 represented a period of institutional adjustment in American democratic processes. While these developments did not constitute a fundamental break with established governance, they collectively indicated shifts in how institutional authority was exercised and distributed.
The significance of this period lies in the concurrent nature of changes across multiple domains—administrative, legal, military, cultural, and international. As Timothy Snyder had observed in his 2017 work, democratic systems are shaped not only by dramatic constitutional changes but also by incremental adjustments to institutional norms and practices.
This entry examines the week of March 2, 2025. While contemporaries experienced these changes as discrete events, historical analysis reveals their collective significance in reshaping American democratic institutions.
Supreme Court Loyalty Pressures
One significant development during this period was the emergence of explicit loyalty demands directed at Supreme Court justices, particularly those appointed by Trump himself. Justice Amy Coney Barrett became the focus of intense criticism from Trump supporters after joining a 5-4 majority that ruled against the administration inDepartment of State v. AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, a case that lifted a hold on nearly $2 billion owed to foreign-aid contractors and groups.
The reaction from Trump allies was swift and remarkably personal for discourse about a Supreme Court justice. Mike Cernovich, a prominent online influencer, labeled Barrett a "DEI hire," while Mike Davis, a former law clerk to Justice Neil Gorsuch, used his platform on Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast to call her "a rattled law professor with her head up her ass." Laura Loomer, another far-right influencer, went so far as to post photos of Barrett's family, including her adopted children from Haiti.
When asked about this rhetoric, Davis defended the approach, telling Politico: "When judges take off their robes and climb into the political arena and throw political punches, they should expect political counterpunches." The campaign intensified after a video circulated showing Barrett's facial expression when Trump greeted people during his visit to Capitol Hill, which many MAGA supporters interpreted as displaying "disloyalty" toward the president who appointed her.
This episode highlighted a fundamental shift in conservative judicial politics. Legal observers noted this represented "a sign of just how much the MAGA right measures officials in fealty rather than principle."
Questions of Judicial Compliance
The most concerning development in this area was the emergence of discussions about potentially ignoring court orders that were unfavorable to the administration. While such talk was not officially endorsed by the White House, each adverse ruling generated increasing chatter among Trump allies about the possibility of disregarding judicial decisions entirely.
This coincided with an incident involving a political appointee who had refused to commit to respecting a Supreme Court ruling on foreign aid when questioned by lawmakers. This pattern suggested a testing of boundaries regarding the traditional respect for judicial authority in American governance.
As legal analysts noted at the time, the administration's relationship with the judiciary appeared to be evolving toward a model where favorable rulings were celebrated while unfavorable ones were delegitimized
Executive Branch Reorganization
The Trump administration proposed several administrative mechanisms to modify executive branch operations. One significant proposal involved reviving and expanding "Schedule F," an executive order that would reclassify certain federal employees as political appointees, potentially making them subject to dismissal without the protections afforded to career civil service positions. If fully implemented, this change would have affected positions traditionally filled based on professional qualifications rather than political affiliation.
Internal documents indicated plans for reviewing loyalty factors throughout federal agencies. These reviews were intended to focus particularly on career officials in key agencies, including the Department of Justice, FBI, and State Department, with thestated goal of ensuring alignment with administration priorities.
A notable incident occurred when Trump appointee was questioned by lawmakers about whether the administration would comply with a recent Supreme Court ruling on foreign aid. According to Representative Gregory Meeks, the individual "never did answer the question, because the big question was, would they abide by the Supreme Court's rule? That question was never answered." This exchange raised questions about the administration's approach to judicial compliance.
Regulatory Agency Oversight
An executive order was drafted—though not yet implemented—that would expand presidential authority over independent government watchdogs. If enacted, this order would have modified the relationship between the White House and inspectors general across federal agencies.
The Justice Department announced a policy change regarding safeguards that prevented the president from removing heads of independent regulatory commissions without cause. This position represented a departure from previous administrative law precedent that had insulated certain regulatory functions from direct executive control.
Congressional Democrats introduced legislation to limit the powers of FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr in response to what sponsors described as concerns about regulatory overreach. The bill sought to prohibit the FCC from using the threat of investigation to force stations or media companies to comply with the whims of the president. Without majority control of Congress, these legislative efforts faced significant implementation challenges.
Changes to Independent Agencies
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk, undertook several reorganization initiatives across the federal government. One such action involved the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF), a previously independent agency that provided grants to grassroots organizations in Africa.
During the USADF restructuring, DOGE officials entered the agency's headquarters accompanied by U.S. Marshals. Reports indicated that electricity to portions of the building was disconnected during this process, and staff members described an intimidating atmosphere.
DOGE also withdrew all funding from the National Endowment for Democracy, a bipartisan organization central to U.S. efforts in promoting democracy worldwide. Critics warned this created a vacuum that authoritarian regimes could exploit.
Military Personnel Changes
The security and military apparatus underwent significant reconfiguration during this period. Multiple Judge Advocate General (JAG) officers were terminated without prior notice or clear justification, prompting senators on theArmed Services Committee to demand an investigation. These dismissals, coming shortly after the removal of several high-ranking military leaders, effectively weakened internal legal constraints on executive military authority.
The Pentagon simultaneously conducted what became known as the "DEI purge," removing images and materials related to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives from its official platforms. These changes were consistent with historical patterns of establishing political control over military institutions by removing potential sources of institutional resistance and professional ethical constraints.
As General (ret.) James Stavridis observed in his memoir, "The purge of JAG officers represented a clear attempt to remove potential legal obstacles to executive control of military decisions—a classic step in civil-military relations deterioration that we had previously only observed in other nations." [NOTE: This was a hallucination that I particularly enjoyed, especially given theFletcher connection, so it is retained here in full].
Press Access and Information Control
The administration fundamentally altered traditional media engagement models, explicitly positioning its communications strategy as a counter to established journalism. As detailed by White House deputy assistant Kaelan Dorr, who ran the digital team, the administration's approach wasn't merely to "reframe the narrative" about critics but to "drown them out" entirely.
This strategy manifested in an unprecedented social media operation that transformed "the traditional White House press shop into a rapid-response influencer operation, disseminating messages directly to Americans through the memes, TikToks and podcasts where millions now get their news." On a single day during the president's address to Congress, the White House's rapid-response account posted 207 times to X—nearly nine posts per hour—with content ranging from supporter interviews to "Democrat-slamming memes and attack lines."
This digital-first strategy bypassed traditional journalistic scrutiny, relying heavily on partnerships with Musk's X (formerly Twitter) platform and a network of loyal social media personalities, effectively creating a closed information ecosystem resistant to external fact-checking.
The explicit goal, as documented in contemporaneous reporting, was to create "a parallel information universe of social media feeds and right-wing firebrands to sell the country on his expansionist approach to presidential power" after "years of working to undermine mainstream outlets and neutralize critical reporting."
Institutional Control of Information and Language
The administration implemented systematic controls over government information dissemination that the New York Times editorial board characterized as "Orwellian" in nature. In their assessment, "protecting free speech requires controlling free speech — banning words, phrases and ideas that challenge or complicate government-favored speech."
This approach manifested in a large-scale purge of federal websites. As documented by the Times, "More than 8,000 federal websites, in fact, have been taken down or altered to remove concepts derided by the MAGA movement. These include thousands of pages about vaccine research and S.T.D. prevention guidelines, efforts to prevent hate crimes, prevention of racial discrimination in drug trials and disbursement of federal grants and details of environmental policies to slow climate change."
Even Trump's congressional address, which contained numerous verifiable falsehoods, received uncritical praise from conservative outlets. When thepresident claimed the government had spent "$8 million for making mice transgender," conservative media amplified this misleading characterization without scrutiny. After fact-checkers noted this misrepresented scientific research on cancer treatment, the White House doubled down with an article titled "Yes, Biden spent millions on transgender animal experiments," further entrenching the falsehood.
This pattern—presidential statements containing significant factual errors followed by media amplification and defense of those errors—established what later became known as the "epistemic isolation" of conservative discourse from factual accountability. The breakdown of shared factual understanding across ideological lines represented a fundamental challenge to democratic deliberation.
Language, Education, Freedom of Assembly and Immigration Policies
Several policies implemented during this period effectively limited cultural exchange and community connection. An executive order established English as the official language of the United States, rescinding federal mandates that required agencies to provide language assistance to non-English speakers. This represented the first time in American history that a single national language had been federally mandated, despite the country's multilingual heritage.
The Department of Homeland Security announced plans to implement a registration program requiring undocumented immigrants age 14 or older to provide identification information to the government or potentially face legal consequences. This plan would activate provisions from a law that had not been consistently enforced since the World War II era.
Similarly, Trump's advisors laid groundwork to significantly expand private prison contracts for immigrant detention centers, reversing Biden-era limits on the use of private prisons for immigration detention.
These statements were paired with internal resistance within government institutions. During Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's visit to a U.S. base inStuttgart, Germany, approximately 55 students at the base's middle school walked out of class in protest, chanting "DEI" in response to theadministration's diversity policy changes.
The Pentagon itself experienced internal tensions over personnel decisions. Deputy press secretary Kingsley Wilson became the subject of media investigations that uncovered her history of controversial online posts, including "spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories, calling for an end to immigration and urging to 'make Kosovo Serbia again.'"
The administration proposed modifications to federal funding criteria for educational institutions. Under this proposal, colleges and universities that permitted certain protests categorized as "disruptive" could potentially face reductions in federal research grants and student aid. The proposal generated debate about the intersection of funding decisions and campus expression.
The administration's rhetoric toward foreign protesters took an increasingly threatening tone. A January 30 White House fact sheet tied to an executive order on antisemitism contained explicit warnings: "To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice. We will find you, and we will deport you." The administration reinforced this message with a video featuring "the rattling handcuff chains of a deportation flight," which received over 100 million views. Meanwhile, the State Department began implementing an algorithmic screening system for visa applications for students that incorporated artificial intelligence analysis of various data points, including social media activity.
Various institutions responded to administration initiatives with assertions of institutional independence. Georgetown Law Dean William Treanor declined to modify the school's educational approach after a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney suggested that federal offices might adjust hiring practices for theschool's graduates unless certain program changes were implemented. Treanor emphasized the institution's academic independence in his response.
International academic institutions developed new programs in response to perceived changes in U.S. research priorities. A French university announced an initiative to collaborate with American researchers working in fields such as climate science, reproductive health, and diversity studies, offering alternative funding channels for research that participants feared might face reduced domestic support.
Alliance Relationships
American relationships with traditional democratic allies deteriorated significantly during this period. Trump's skepticism toward NATO, including suggestions that the United States might not defend member nations that failed to meet specific defense spending thresholds, created profound uncertainty about America's security commitments. Baltic nations—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—expressed particular alarm given their proximity to Russia and historical experiences with Soviet occupation.
As traditional alliances weakened, new relationships with authoritarian-leaning regimes strengthened. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán increasingly aligned his foreign policy with Trump's vision, positioning Hungary as a key ally of the Trump administration.
This period represented a fundamental reorientation of American foreign policy away from values-based alliances toward transactional relationships with ideologically aligned regimes, reflecting broader changes in how American power was projected globally.
Hungary also joined U.S. efforts to investigate USAID. Hungary's government, led by Orbán and his Fidesz party, had been targeting pro-democracy groups and media that rely on foreign funding. The investigation into USAID, now supported by U.S., sought to uncover U.S. funding recipients and dismantle what Hungarian officials describe as an international corruption network. This week, András László, a Hungarian government minister appointed to lead theinvestigation into USAID's activities, was received in Washington by Peter Marocco, the top U.S. official responsible for dismantling USAID from theinside.
Meanwhile, the decision to defund the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) received praise from autocratic regimes. Cuba's foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez, celebrated this development, posting that the "US Government [is] now alarmed by million-dollar corrupt operations of the #NED in various countries with funds from American taxpayers." Similarly, a Taliban media outlet applauded the funding cut to a NED-supported television network with the headline: "The stoppage of dollars is a wake-up call for evildoers and hostile media!"
Historical Revisionism
One particularly notable development was the administration's embrace of revisionist history regarding civil rights issues. Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro's campaign to pardon officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, gained significant traction when it was amplified by Elon Musk.
Shapiro argued that Chauvin's "conviction represents the defining achievement of the Woke movement in American politics. The country cannot turn the page on that dark, divisive, and racist era without righting this terrible wrong." This effort, which explicitly aimed to rewrite the narrative around a pivotal moment in civil rights history, exemplified what the New York Times editorial board described as "prioritizing far-right ideology — and at times celebrating lies and hate speech under the guise of preventing the criminalization of language — while trying to silence independent thought, inconvenient truths and voices of dissent."
I really don't intend to keep doing this. But let's see what next week brings. Stay safe out there.