Big Money, Small Towns: How
Outside Cash is Rewriting
Local Democracy
POLITICAL POWER · CAMPAIGNS · LOCAL GOVERNMENT
March 18, 2025
In the fading twilight of a chilly
North Carolina evening, a local
election in Sylva was decided by the…
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How to Become a Dictator –
Step 8: Divide and Conquer
POLITICAL POWER · IMMIGRATION · REPUBLICANS
March 17, 2025
Authoritarian leaders use
divide-and-conquer tactics to
fracture societies by exploiting
racial, economic, and cultural
divisions, redirecting public.
Divide and conquer is a weapon as
old as power itself—a tool that
authoritarian leaders wield to…
The Return of the “Enemy of
the People”
WHITE HOUSE · POLITICAL POWER · MAGA
March 15, 2025
Since his second term began in
January 2025, Donald Trump has
implemented a media strategy
prioritizing pro-Trump.
There’s an article today in The
Atlantic (
https://www.theatlantic.com/ , March
15, 2025) by András Pethő, an…
It’s Day 53
WHITE HOUSE · POLITICAL POWER · LAW AND COURTS
March 14, 2025
On Day 53 of Donald Trump’s second
presidential term, rapid executive
actions have raised concerns about…
How to Become a Dictator -
Step 7: The Cult of
Personality
POLITICAL POWER · MAGA · LAW AND COURTS
March 13, 2025
The final stage in consolidating
dictatorial power involves
cultivating a personality cult that
merges the leader’s identity.
After you’ve seized power—silencing
rivals, manipulating laws, and
taking over critical
institutions—one final step remains…
How to Become a Dictator –
Step 6: Change the Rules
WHITE HOUSE · POLITICAL POWER · LAW AND COURTS
March 12, 2025
In early 2025, President Trump
initiated a series of executive
actions under Project 2025, altering
federal regulations.
The phone buzzed on a chilly morning
in January 2025. Journalists,
lawmakers, and policy analysts
around the nation woke to a raft of…
How to Become a Dictator -
Step 5
POLITICAL POWER · LAW AND COURTS · MAGA
March 11, 2025
Step Five in the rise of
dictatorship involves eliminating
opposition through intimidation,
propaganda, legal tactics, and
violence.
Step Five: Retribution
Step into the corridors of power,
and you’ll hear a chilling whisper…
Trump’s War on Foreign VATs:
Unfair or Just Different?
TAXES · TRADE · PUBLIC FINANCE
March 10, 2025
President Trump has criticized
foreign value-added tax (VAT)
systems, arguing they disadvantage…
Heather Cox Richardson’s
latest analysis, published
this morning, provides…
WHITE HOUSE · POLITICAL POWER · PUBLIC FINANCE
March 9, 2025
Heather Cox Richardson’s analysis
examines the Trump administration’s
extensive restructuring of federal
agencies, highlighting risks to
public.
Heather Cox Richardson’s latest
analysis, published this morning,
provides a sobering examination of
the Trump administration’s sweeping
overhaul of federal institutions and
essential public services. According…