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Twelve months back, the environment was completely separate. Prior to the US presidential election, considerate Americans could admit America's deep flaws – its unfairness and imbalance – yet they continued to identify it as the United States. A democracy. A place where the rule of law held significance. A country headed by a honorable and decent leader, even with his advanced age and growing weakness.

Nowadays, as October 2025 ends, numerous citizens hardly identify the country we reside in. People believed to be unauthorized foreigners are collected and shoved into transport, at times denied due process. The East Wing of the presidential residence – is being destroyed for a grotesque dance hall. The president is harassing his opponents or alleged foes and demanding legal authorities transfer a massive sum of public funds. Soldiers with weapons are dispatched across metropolitan centers under fabricated reasons. The defense headquarters, relabeled the Department of War, has – in effect – freed itself of regular press examination as it spends potentially totaling close to a trillion USD of taxpayer money. Colleges, legal practices, journalism organizations are buckling under the president’s threats, and billionaires are handled as nobility.

“The US, shortly prior to its quarter-millennium anniversary as the globe's top democratic nation, has fallen over the edge into authoritarianism and extremism,” Garrett Graff, commented recently. “In the end, more quickly than I imagined possible, it did happen here.”

One awakes with fresh terrors. And it is challenging to understand – and painful to realize – how severely declined we are, and the rapid pace with which it unfolded.

However, it is known that the leader was duly elected. Despite his deeply disturbing previous administration and despite the warnings linked to the awareness of the rightwing blueprint – following Trump himself declared plainly he intended to be a dictator solely at the start – a majority of citizens elected him instead of the other candidate.

As terrifying as the current reality are, it’s even scarier to recognize that we are just nine months into this administration. What will another 36 months of this deterioration find us? And suppose that timeframe turns into an prolonged era, because there is no one to limit this leader from deciding that another term is essential, maybe for national security reasons?

Certainly, all is not lost. We will have midterm elections the coming year that may establish an alternate governmental control, in case Democrats regain the Senate or House of parliament. We have government representatives who are trying to impose certain responsibility, for example lawmakers that are initiating an inquiry into the attempted fund seizure from the justice department.

And a national vote three years from now could initiate us down the road toward restoration just as the previous vote placed us on this regrettable path.

There exist countless citizens demonstrating in public spaces of their cities, like they performed last weekend in the No Kings rallies.

Robert Reich, stated lately that “the slumbering force of the US is awakening”, exactly as before post-McCarthyism in the 1950s or throughout the Vietnam war protests or during the Watergate scandal.

During those times, the unstable nation finally returned to balance.

The author states he understands the signals of that resurgence and notices it unfolding now. As evidence, he points to the large-scale demonstrations, the extensive, cross-party resistance regarding a television host's removal and the largely united rejection by reporters to agree to military mandates they report only approved content.

“The slumbering entity perpetually exists asleep till certain corruption becomes so noxious, some action so offensive of societal benefit, some brutality so loud, that he is compelled other than to stir.”

It's a hopeful perspective, and I respect his knowledgeable stance. Maybe he’ll be validated.

In the meantime, the major inquiries endure: can America return to normalcy? Can it retrieve its status globally and its devotion to legal principles?

Or do we need to admit that the national endeavor functioned for a period, and then – abruptly, completely – collapsed?

My pessimistic brain indicates that the latter is correct; that all may indeed be gone. My positive feelings, nevertheless, convinces me that we must try, through all methods possible.

In my case, working in journalism analysis, that means urging journalists to adhere, more thoroughly, to their purpose of holding power to account. For others, it might involve engaging with political races, or organizing rallies, or finding ways to safeguard voting rights.

Less than a year ago, we existed in an alternate reality. Twelve months later? Or after another term? The fact is, we don’t know. Our sole course is to attempt to continue fighting.

What’s Giving Me Encouragement Today

The contact I experience in the classroom with new media professionals, that are simultaneously hopeful and realistic, {always