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Twelve months back, the landscape was entirely distinct. Ahead of the national election, considerate Americans could admit America's serious imperfections – its injustices and inequality – yet they still could identify it as America. A democratic nation. A land where constitutional order carried weight. A state led by a dignified and decent official, even with his advanced age and declining health.

Currently, in late October 2025, many of us barely recognize the country we inhabit. Individuals alleged as undocumented migrants are collected and shoved into transport, occasionally blocked from fair treatment. The left side of the presidential residence – is being torn down for an obscene event space. The president is harassing his adversaries or supposed enemies and requesting legal authorities hand over a massive sum of taxpayer money. Armed military personnel are deployed into American cities under fabricated reasons. The military command, renamed the Department of War, has practically freed itself of routine media oversight as it spends potentially totaling nearly $1tn in public funds. Institutions, attorney offices, media outlets are submitting under the president’s threats, and wealthy elites are treated like members of the royal family.

“The US, shortly prior to its quarter-millennium anniversary as the planet's foremost free society, has fallen over the edge into authoritarianism and extremism,” Garrett Graff, stated recently. “Finally, faster than I imagined possible, it transpired here.”

Every morning starts with fresh terrors. And it is difficult to grasp – and distressing to accept – how deeply lost we have become, and the speed at which it has happened.

However, we understand that the leader was duly elected. Even after his deeply disturbing initial presidency and despite the cautions associated with the knowledge of the rightwing blueprint – even after Trump himself stated openly he planned to be a dictator solely at the start – sufficient voters selected him instead of the other candidate.

While alarming as the present situation may be, it's more frightening to realize that we are just several months into this presidential term. How will an additional three years of this deterioration leave us? And suppose the three years turns into an prolonged era, as there is not anyone to limit this leader from determining that another term is essential, perhaps for national security reasons?

Certainly, not everything is hopeless. There will be midterm elections the coming year that could bring a different political equilibrium, should Democrats regain the Senate or House of the legislature. There exist public servants who are trying to apply certain responsibility, like representatives that are starting a probe regarding the effort to money grab from the justice department.

And a presidential election in the next cycle could start our journey to healing just as last year’s election set us on this regrettable path.

We see millions of Americans marching in urban areas across municipalities, similar to recent recently in the No Kings rallies.

Robert Reich, wrote recently that “the great sleeping giant of the nation is rising”, just as it did after the Communist witch-hunt era in that decade or throughout the sixties activism or throughout the Nixon controversy.

In those instances, the listing ship eventually was righted.

The author states he understands the signs of that revival and notices it unfolding at present. As support, he references the large-scale demonstrations, the extensive, multi-faction opposition against a broadcaster's firing and the largely united defiance by media to accept the defense department’s demands they report only authorized information.

“The slumbering entity always remains inactive until specific greed turns extremely harmful, some action so offensive of the common good, certain violence so loud, that it is compelled other than to stir.”

It’s an optimistic take, and I value the author's seasoned opinion. Perhaps he will be validated.

In the meantime, the crucial issues remain: can America return to normalcy? Can it reclaim its standing internationally and its commitment to the rule of law?

Or should we recognize that the 250-year-old experiment worked for a while, and then – swiftly, totally – ended?

My negative thoughts suggests that the latter is correct; that everything could be lost. My positive feelings, however, tells me that we need to strive, by any means we can.

For me, as an observer of the press, that’s about urging journalists to commit, more thoroughly, to their duty of holding power to account. For different individuals, it might involve working on congressional campaigns, or planning demonstrations, or finding ways to safeguard electoral access.

Less than a year ago, we existed in a very different place. A year from now? Or after another term? The reality is, we don’t know. Our sole course is to strive to continue fighting.

What’s Giving Me Optimism Currently

The engagement I have during teaching with young journalists, who are equally visionary and grounded, {always