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Twelve months back, the environment was completely different. Before the American presidential vote, reflective residents could admit the nation's significant faults – its inequities and imbalance – yet they continued to identify it as the United States. A free society. A place where the rule of law held significance. A country headed by a respectable and decent leader, despite his advanced age and declining health.

These days, in late October 2025, countless Americans scarcely know the country we reside in. People alleged as undocumented migrants are collected and pushed into transport, occasionally denied due process. The eastern section of the presidential residence – is being torn down for an obscene ballroom. Donald Trump is harassing his adversaries or supposed enemies and requesting the justice department surrender a massive sum of public funds. Armed military personnel are dispatched into American cities under fabricated reasons. The military command, rebranded the Defense Ministry, has effectively freed itself of day-to-day journalistic scrutiny as it spends what could amount to almost one trillion dollars from citizen taxes. Universities, legal practices, media outlets are submitting from leader's menaces, and wealthy elites are treated like aristocracy.

“The United States, only a few months ahead of its quarter-millennium anniversary as the planet's foremost free society, has fallen over the brink toward dictatorship and extremism,” a noted author, stated this past summer. “In the end, swifter than I believed likely, it occurred in America.”

Every morning starts amid recent atrocities. It is difficult to grasp – and distressing to accept – just how far gone we have become, and the speed at which it occurred.

However, we understand that Trump was duly elected. Even after his profoundly alarming previous administration and even after the warnings associated with the knowledge of Project 2025 – following Trump himself declared plainly he would be a dictator solely at the start – sufficient voters chose him instead of his Democratic opponent.

Frightening as the present situation may be, it’s even scarier to understand that we are just nine months into this presidential term. Where will another 36 months of this decline position us? And suppose the three years transforms into an prolonged era, because there is nobody to stop this ruler from opting that a third term is required, maybe for national security reasons?

Certainly, all is not lost. There will be congressional elections next year which might create a new balance of power, if Democrats regain one or both houses of Congress. There exist public servants who are striving to apply a degree of oversight, such as representatives who are initiating an inquiry concerning the try to money grab by federal prosecutors.

And a presidential election three years from now could start us down the road to healing precisely as the previous vote put us on this unfortunate course.

There are countless citizens demonstrating in the streets of their cities, similar to recent in the past days at democracy demonstrations.

Robert Reich, commented this week that “the slumbering force of America is stirring”, just as it did following the Red Scare in that decade or during the Vietnam war protests or during the seventies crisis.

On those occasions, the listing ship finally returned to balance.

He claims he understands the signs of that awakening and notices it unfolding currently. As evidence, he cites the widespread marches, the broad, cross-party resistance to a personality's dismissal and the near-unanimous refusal by journalists to sign military mandates they report only what is sanctioned.

“The dormant force always remains dormant until specific greed becomes so noxious, a particular deed so disrespectful toward public welfare, specific cruelty so noisy, that it has no choice but to awaken.”

It's a positive outlook, and I appreciate the author's seasoned opinion. Maybe he’ll turn out correct.

At the same time, the major inquiries persist: will the nation return to normalcy? Can it reclaim its position in the world and its adherence to legal principles?

Or should we recognize that the national endeavor worked for a while, and then – abruptly, completely – collapsed?

My cynical mind indicates that the second option is true; that all may indeed be gone. My positive feelings, nevertheless, convinces me that we have to attempt, in whatever ways we can.

In my case, as an observer of the press, that means encouraging reporters to live up, more thoroughly, to their mission of overseeing leadership. For some people, it may be working on congressional campaigns, or organizing rallies, or developing approaches to safeguard voting rights.

Less than a year ago, we lived in a separate situation. A year from now? Or in several years? The truth is, we cannot predict. Our sole course is to strive to continue fighting.

What’s Giving Me Hope Now

The contact I encounter with students with new media professionals, who are equally idealistic and realistic, {always