The Politics of Permanent Disaster
By flooding the system with one outrageous act after the other, the Trump administration sidelines Congress and exhausts the public. His power concentrates while the problems metastasize.
Zeb Larson
contributor
Zeb Larson is a writer and historian based in Columbus, Ohio. He writes about history, politics, music, and food.
How Trump Turned the Presidency Into a Profit Engine
‘State capture’ systematically rewires government so public power feeds private wealth, and it’s an authoritarian framework undoing American democracy.
The Big Business of War for Oil
The Trump administration’s criminal attack on Venezuela and abduction of the Maduros surprised everyone — except major oil companies. This isn’t the first time U.S. military deployment was motivated by corporate interests.
What Is Behind Trump’s Attacks on Venezuela?
The administration claims it’s targeting “narcotraffickers” with deadly strikes on Venezuelan boats, a justification that falls apart under Trump’s pardon of Honduras’s cocaine-trafficking ex-president. These vicious acts of aggression echo a long U.S. tradition of strong-arming Latin America.
Who Is Really Running the Oval Office?
As Trump’s mental acuity and health spirals, his closest advisers are increasingly gaining influence and power as they vie to accede his throne — following another page out of the authoritarian government playbook.
The GOP’s New, NEW Jim Crow
One of this administration's biggest goals is enacting a 21st-century Jim Crow era. And with SCOTUS poised to further dismantle the Voting Rights Act, they may just pull it off.
Fusionism Has Never Worked. Democrats Keep Trying Anyway
Voters are increasingly enthusiastic about progressive candidates, like NYC mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani. But establishment Democrats insist on throwing their weight behind centrist-right candidates they believe can unite the party. History proves otherwise.
There Is a Name for MAGA’s Death Cult Policies
Our nation is quickly being destroyed by “necropolitics,” which dictates who has the right to live — and who the state may kill or dispose of at its whim.
We Aren’t Headed Toward Authoritarianism. We’re Here
The U.S. has a long, dark history of deploying troops to attack protestors that dates back to the 19th century. What can we learn from it to counter Trump’s latest attacks?
Fascism Is a Weak Person’s Idea of Strength
Trump’s policies are driven not only by his innumerable grievances, but by his notion that the U.S. is weak and fascism makes him appear strong. It's time to call his bluff.