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In late October 2024, the environment was completely different. Before the national election, reflective citizens could recognize the country's significant faults – its inequities and disparity – yet they continued to perceive it as America. A democracy. A land where legal governance carried weight. A country headed by a dignified and decent public servant, despite his advanced age and growing weakness.

Nowadays, as October 2025 ends, many of us scarcely know the land we inhabit. Persons suspected of being illegal immigrants are detained and pushed into vehicles, occasionally blocked from fair treatment. The eastern section of the “people’s house” – is being torn down to build a lavish event space. Donald Trump is harassing his opponents or perceived antagonists and requesting legal authorities surrender an enormous amount of taxpayer money. Armed military personnel are being sent into American cities on false pretexts. The Pentagon, relabeled the War Department, has practically liberated itself of routine media oversight as it spends potentially totaling almost one trillion dollars of taxpayer money. Institutions, attorney offices, news companies are submitting under the president’s threats, and wealthy elites are treated like nobility.

“America, only a few months ahead of its quarter-millennium anniversary as the world’s leading democracy, has tipped over the limit into autocracy and fascism,” a noted author, stated in August. “Ultimately, more quickly than I thought feasible, it did happen in this country.”

Every morning starts to new horrors. And it is difficult to grasp – and agonizing to acknowledge – how deeply lost we are, and how quickly it occurred.

Nevertheless, we know that the president was properly voted in. Even after his profoundly alarming initial presidency and despite the alerts associated with the understanding of the rightwing blueprint – despite the leader directly declared plainly he planned to be a dictator just on day one – sufficient voters elected him over the other candidate.

Frightening as today's circumstances may be, it’s even scarier to understand that we are just three-quarters of a year under this leadership. What will an additional three years of this decline find us? And what if that period turns into an prolonged era, as there is not anyone to stop this president from determining that a third term is required, perhaps for national security reasons?

Admittedly, not everything is hopeless. There are legislative votes the coming year which might establish an alternate balance of power, should Democrats retake either chamber of parliament. There are government representatives who are attempting to exert certain responsibility, like lawmakers currently launching an investigation into the attempted cash appropriation by federal prosecutors.

And a national vote three years from now could initiate the path toward restoration exactly as last year’s election set us on this disappointing trajectory.

There are millions of Americans demonstrating in public spaces across municipalities, like they performed recently during anti-authority protests.

An ex-cabinet member, commented this week that “the slumbering force of the US is awakening”, just as it did after the Communist witch-hunt era in that decade or amid the sixties activism or in the Nixon controversy.

On those occasions, the unstable nation ultimately corrected itself.

Reich says he knows the indicators of that awakening and observes it occurring at present. As support, he points to the recent massive protests, the extensive, bipartisan pushback regarding a broadcaster's firing and the near-unanimous rejection by reporters to agree to the defense department’s demands they only publish authorized information.

“The slumbering entity consistently stays asleep before specific greed grows too toxic, a particular deed so disrespectful of the common good, specific cruelty so noisy, that the giant has no choice other than to stir.”

It's a positive outlook, and I value his knowledgeable stance. Perhaps he will turn out correct.

In the meantime, the crucial issues remain: will the nation return to normalcy? Can it retrieve its status internationally and its devotion to the rule of law?

Or should we recognize that the national endeavor succeeded temporarily, and then – swiftly, totally – ended?

My cynical mind suggests that the second option is correct; that everything could be gone. My hopeful heart, nevertheless, advises me that we need to strive, through all methods we can.

In my case, as a media critic, that involves urging journalists to live up, more completely, to their duty of holding power to account. For some people, it may be participating in congressional campaigns, or planning demonstrations, or developing approaches to protect ballot privileges.

Less than a year ago, we were in a separate situation. In the future? Or after another term? The reality is, we cannot predict. Our sole course is try to continue fighting.

What’s Giving Me Encouragement Today

The engagement I have in the classroom with aspiring reporters, who are both idealistic and grounded, {always