Collateral Damage

JoAnn Fabrics and the Death of Main Street

It didn’t happen all at once.

There was no sudden bankruptcy.
No headlines screaming the company was dead.

Instead, JoAnn Fabrics — a beloved American retailer, a gathering place for crafters, quilters, teachers, and entrepreneurs — has been slowly hollowed out, store by store, job by job, community by community.

Not by Amazon.
Not by changing tastes.

But by the same quiet financial looters who killed Toys R Us.

The Buyout

In 2011, JoAnn Fabrics was acquired by a private equity firm called Leonard Green & Partners for about $1.6 billion.

The story was familiar:

• JoAnn was profitable.

• JoAnn had strong community ties.

• JoAnn had survived economic downturns, competition, and change.

But after the buyout, everything changed.

Leonard Green loaded JoAnn with debt — hundreds of millions of dollars — and began siphoning off cash through management fees and special dividends.

Rather than investing in modernization, technology, or expanding into new markets, the focus was on extraction.

Stores started to feel neglected.
Staff levels dropped.
Inventory quality declined.

And loyal customers noticed.

The Slow Decline

JoAnn Fabrics didn’t crash overnight like Toys R Us.

Instead, it began to rot from within:

• Store locations became threadbare and poorly maintained.

• Supply chains weakened, leading to frequent stockouts.

• Skilled, full-time employees were replaced by underpaid part-timers.

• Customer service, once a hallmark of the brand, deteriorated.

Even as the company stumbled, private equity owners paid themselves well.
Leonard Green collected fees year after year — no matter how badly the business performed.

Meanwhile, JoAnn’s leadership leaned into gimmicks:

• Cheap loyalty programs.

• Low-wage hiring pushes.

• Desperate promotions to drive foot traffic.

None of it addressed the real disease: a company crushed by debt, bled by fees, and left too weak to adapt.

In 2021, JoAnn was pushed into going public again — not because it was ready, but because Leonard Green wanted an exit.

The burden of debt and decay was dumped back onto public shareholders.
The private equity firm cashed out.

The Impact on Communities

JoAnn Fabrics wasn’t just a retailer.
It was a piece of Main Street life — a place where kids picked up their first school project supplies, where small business owners sourced materials, where elderly hobbyists kept lifelong skills alive.

Its slow collapse mirrors the quiet devastation happening in countless towns across America:

• Empty strip malls.

• Fewer good part-time jobs.

• Communities losing another small anchor that made local life vibrant.

It’s not just about profits.
It’s about belonging.
And when Main Street dies, something inside the town dies with it.

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Today, in False Promises, we explored The Authoritarian Playbook — how broken economies create broken societies, where fear, anger, and hopelessness can be weaponized.

The slow, quiet collapse of places like JoAnn Fabrics is part of that story.

When jobs dry up, when businesses fail, when trust in local institutions withers — people look for someone to blame.

And authoritarians are always ready with an answer:
Blame the immigrants.
Blame the unions.
Blame the poor.

Never blame the billionaires who gutted your town and got rich doing it.

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Coming up tomorrow:

The Silent Kill: How Wall Street Gutted American Healthcare.

(Because the heist didn’t stop with toy stores and craft shops — it moved into hospitals, where the cost of looting is measured in lives.)

What is MS-13, and How Did the U.S. Help Create It?

In our last post, we explored how the language we use—"undocumented" vs. "illegal"—shapes how we treat immigrants. But words are just one piece of the puzzle. To truly understand today’s immigration crisis, we also need to look at the deeper forces that push people to flee their homes in the first place. One of the most common explanations we hear is "gang violence." And one gang in particular gets all the headlines: MS-13.

You may have heard MS-13 described as a foreign threat, a violent force from Central America invading U.S. cities. But the truth is far more complicated—and far more uncomfortable. MS-13 didn’t come from El Salvador. It came from the United States. And U.S. policy played a major role in making it what it is today.

What Is MS-13?

The gang known as MS-13, short for Mara Salvatrucha, began in Los Angeles in the 1980s. "Mara" is Central American slang for gang. "Salvatrucha" likely combines "Salvadoran" with "trucha," a slang term meaning clever or alert. The "13" refers to their allegiance to the Mexican Mafia, also known as "La Eme."

MS-13 was formed by young Salvadoran immigrants, many of them refugees fleeing a brutal civil war back home. In L.A., they faced violence from other established gangs and little protection from law enforcement. Banding together for protection and identity, these youths started what would become MS-13. At the time, it was a small, local street gang—not the international criminal network it would later become.

The U.S. Role in the Salvadoran Civil War

To understand why so many Salvadorans fled to the U.S. in the first place, we have to look at the Salvadoran Civil War (1979–1992). During this conflict, the U.S. poured billions of dollars into supporting El Salvador's right-wing military government, viewing the conflict as part of the global Cold War fight against communism.

The Reagan administration, in particular, funneled aid and weapons to Salvadoran forces despite widespread reports of human rights abuses. U.S.-trained military units like the Atlacatl Battalion were responsible for massacres, including the infamous 1981 El Mozote massacre, where over 800 civilians were killed. Even after this, U.S. support continued.

These policies prolonged the war, destabilized the country, and left tens of thousands dead and even more displaced. Many of the refugees from this war ended up in Los Angeles, where MS-13 was born.

How Deportation Spread the Gang Internationally

In the 1990s, U.S. immigration policy took a sharp turn. The 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), signed by President Bill Clinton, expanded the list of crimes that could lead to mandatory deportation. Even legal immigrants with minor convictions were now subject to removal, often with no chance to plead their case before a judge.

Thousands of young people with gang ties were deported to El Salvador, a country still recovering from war and lacking the institutions to reintegrate them. In this chaotic environment, MS-13 evolved. What started as a U.S.-based street gang became a transnational criminal organization with a foothold in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.

Militarization and the Politics of Fear

After 9/11, the U.S. increasingly treated gang violence as a national security issue. MS-13 became a symbol used to justify tough-on-crime and anti-immigration policies. Successive administrations—Republican and Democrat alike—poured funding into militarized police, detention centers, and border security.

Meanwhile, U.S.-backed anti-gang crackdowns in Central America, like El Salvador's "Mano Dura" (Iron Fist) policies, often backfired. They filled prisons with young people, deepened gang identities, and gave MS-13 the structure and space to become more organized and violent.

A Bipartisan Legacy

The rise of MS-13 is not the fault of one party. It's the product of decades of decisions:

• Reagan and Bush Sr. funded the Salvadoran war effort and ignored atrocities.

• Clinton signed the 1996 deportation law that exported gang violence.

• George W. Bush framed MS-13 as a national security threat.

• Obama continued large-scale deportations while trying to stabilize the region.

• Trump used MS-13 as a political weapon to justify stripping asylum rights.

Each of these steps contributed to the conditions that allowed MS-13 to thrive.

Why It Matters Today

MS-13 is often cited to justify harsh immigration crackdowns. But many of the people arriving at our southern border today are fleeing the very violence that U.S. policy helped create. Instead of treating them as threats, we should be asking what it would take to stop the cycle of violence and displacement.

Toward Solutions: What Real Reform Looks Like

We can’t undo the past, but we can stop repeating it. Here are a few ways forward:

Reform Deportation Laws

• End mandatory deportation for minor, non-violent offenses.

• Restore judicial discretion and case-by-case review.

Expand Legal Migration Pathways

• Create regional asylum processing centers.

• Increase access to Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Invest in Central America—Beyond Police and Prisons

• Prioritize education, healthcare, and economic development.

• Fund anti-corruption efforts and civil society organizations.

End the Criminalization of Migration

• Make unauthorized border crossings civil, not criminal, offenses.

Restore Asylum Protections and Due Process

• Reinstate fair asylum interviews.

• Expand access to legal representation.

Fund Local Violence Prevention

• Support youth outreach, gang exit programs, and trauma care.

Invest in Root-Cause Solutions—They Cost Less and Work Better

• Detaining an immigrant in the U.S. costs about $165 per person per day (source).

• Vocational training in El Salvador can cost as little as $0.25 per hour (source).

• That means for the cost of one day of detention, we could provide 660 hours of job training—a far better investment in long-term safety and stability.

Conclusion: Accountability and Responsibility

MS-13 didn’t just appear out of nowhere. It was shaped by U.S. foreign policy, immigration law, and decades of political choices. We destabilized El Salvador, exported our gang problems, and then used the fallout to justify fear-driven policies.

But we have the power to break that cycle. By investing in people, not prisons, and by treating migration as a human challenge—not a criminal one—we can build a safer, more just future for everyone.

And let’s be honest: compassion isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s also cheaper.

The Authoritarian Playbook

How Trump’s Second Term Targets Justice and Civil Rights

In recent months, a chilling pattern has emerged—one that reveals far more than isolated incidents of overreach. Taken together, Donald Trump’s actions show a deliberate move toward authoritarian control, undermining core American institutions like the judiciary and due process.

This isn’t speculation. It’s already happening.

From the shocking arrest of a sitting judge to threats of sending U.S. citizens to a foreign mega-prison, the Trump administration’s moves are sending a clear message: dissent and independence will not be tolerated.

The Arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan

On April 25, 2025, FBI agents arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, accusing her of obstructing immigration enforcement by allegedly assisting an undocumented immigrant in evading ICE at a courthouse.

Legal scholars immediately raised alarms: this was an unprecedented breach of judicial independence. Arresting a judge for decisions made in the course of her duties shatters the traditional separation of powers that has safeguarded American democracy for over two centuries.

The intended effect is clear: intimidate judges, chill independent decision-making, and concentrate more power in the executive branch.

The Deportation to El Salvador’s CECOT Prison

Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has taken an even darker turn abroad.

Earlier this year, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a work-authorized immigrant and union apprentice, was wrongfully deported to El Salvador due to a bureaucratic “mistake.” But instead of correcting the error, U.S. officials refused to bring him home—later accusing him of gang affiliations without evidence to justify keeping him imprisoned abroad.

He wasn’t sent just anywhere: he was locked up in El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison, a dystopian facility designed for mass incarceration under harsh, authoritarian conditions.

This wasn’t just an accident. It was a test case.

Threats Against U.S. Citizens

Donald Trump has gone even further—publicly suggesting that “violent criminals” born in the United States should be sent to CECOT as well.

Think about that: U.S. citizens, stripped of their constitutional rights, exiled to a foreign authoritarian prison without due process.

This would be an unprecedented assault on American citizenship itself—turning punishment into a tool of political spectacle and fear, outside the bounds of U.S. law.

Even floating such an idea is profoundly dangerous. It normalizes the idea that rights can be selectively revoked, and that loyalty to Trump—not the Constitution—will determine who is protected and who is expendable.

Connecting the Dots: A Dangerous Pattern

These incidents are not isolated:

• Judges are arrested for standing up to federal overreach.

• Immigrants are wrongfully deported and left to rot in authoritarian prisons.

• Citizens are threatened with exile to brutal foreign facilities.

This is the authoritarian playbook in action:

• Discredit and neutralize independent courts.

• Use immigration enforcement as a political weapon.

• Erode the concept of citizenship and due process.

• Instill fear and normalize state-sponsored retaliation.

This is how democracies die—not all at once, but through steady, calculated blows against the institutions meant to protect freedom.

Why It Matters Now

If Trump follows through on these threats and precedents, the damage to American democracy could be permanent. Judicial independence, the right to due process, and even the meaning of citizenship itself are at stake.

These aren’t theoretical risks. They are happening right now. The only question is whether enough Americans will recognize the pattern—and resist—before it’s too late.

Up Next

Undermining the courts is just the beginning.

In our next post, we’ll examine how deregulation and privatization hollow out the public services communities depend on.

The First Big Score

Killing Toys R Us for Profit

It should have been a comeback story.

In 2005, Toys R Us was still a titan:

• A household name.

• Profitable.

• Beloved by generations of American families.

Sure, online shopping was starting to grow, and Walmart and Target were squeezing margins.
But Toys R Us had something they didn’t: a brand synonymous with childhood itself.

There was no fatal flaw in the business model.
No inevitable Amazon-driven doom.

The company was still standing — battered, maybe, but alive.

And that’s when the wolves closed in.

The Buyout

In 2005, a trio of private equity giants — Bain Capital, KKR, and Vornado Realty Trust — swooped in with an offer:
Take Toys R Us private.
“Streamline” operations.
“Modernize” the business.
Make it more “nimble” and “competitive.”

It sounded like a lifeline.
Instead, it was the beginning of the end.

The new owners loaded Toys R Us with $5 billion in debt — debt the company never asked for, never needed, and could never escape.

Most of the company’s profits — hundreds of millions of dollars a year — didn’t go toward modernizing stores or competing online.
They went toward servicing the crushing interest payments on the buyout debt.

Toys R Us wasn’t failing.
It was being bled dry.

The Squeeze

By 2007, Toys R Us was spending more than half a billion dollars a year just paying interest on its debts.

Meanwhile:

• Store shelves stayed outdated.

• E-commerce investments lagged.

• Staff cuts eroded customer service.

• Suppliers were pushed to offer harsher terms just to stay stocked.

It was a death spiral — not because customers abandoned Toys R Us, but because private equity stripped away its ability to fight back.

And all the while, Bain, KKR, and Vornado collected millions in “management fees” — profiting off the very company they were dragging toward the grave.

The Collapse

In 2017, Toys R Us finally filed for bankruptcy.

Not because people stopped loving toys.
Not because e-commerce made brick-and-mortar retail impossible.
But because private equity had loaded the company with a financial bomb, and there was no way to defuse it.

When Toys R Us collapsed:

• More than 30,000 workers lost their jobs.

• Thousands of suppliers and small businesses took devastating hits.

• Communities lost vital anchor stores — hastening the decline of shopping centers across the country.

Executives walked away with bonuses.
Private equity firms walked away with profits.

The workers walked away with nothing.

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Today, in False Promises, we explored The Labor Shortage They Created — how short-sighted policies, attacks on workers, and deliberate neglect of the real economy hollowed out America’s workforce.

The collapse of Toys R Us is a perfect, brutal example.

• Good jobs destroyed.

• Communities abandoned.

• A whole generation of workers and consumers betrayed — not by technology, not by globalization, but by greed weaponized through finance.

This wasn’t creative destruction.
It wasn’t inevitable.

It was a hit job.
And Toys R Us was just the first score.

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Coming up tomorrow:

Collateral Damage: JoAnn Fabrics and the Death of Main Street.

(Because sometimes the heist doesn’t make headlines — it just quietly kills your town’s last good store.)

Undocumented, Not Illegal

Rethinking Immigration, Enforcement, and Economic Reality

Every time you hear the phrase “illegal immigrant,” you’re hearing more than just a label — you’re hearing a political argument. Words matter, especially when they shape public perception, guide policy, and justify unequal treatment.

In the U.S., the immigration debate is often reduced to a caricature: lawbreaking border crossers versus patriotic enforcers. But the real picture is far more complex — and far more human. This post breaks down what the language of immigration says (and doesn’t say), how enforcement actually works, and what real solutions could look like for immigrants, employers, and the nation as a whole.

“Undocumented” vs. “Illegal”: What’s the Difference?

Many people use “illegal immigrant” to describe anyone without legal status in the U.S., but that term is both legally imprecise and politically loaded.

Here’s why:

• Undocumented immigrants are people who are in the country without current legal authorization — often because they overstayed a visa (a civil violation) or entered without inspection (a misdemeanor on first offense).

• “Illegal” implies that the person themselves is a crime — not just their action. But under U.S. law, only actions can be illegal. There’s no such thing as an “illegal person.”

Even major style guides like the Associated Press now recommend using “undocumented” rather than “illegal” to avoid dehumanizing language that fuels stigma.

What Happens to Undocumented Workers?

Undocumented immigrants face steep consequences — detention, deportation, separation from families, and bars to future legal re-entry — even when they’ve lived in the U.S. for years, paid taxes, and contributed to their communities.

And despite popular myths, they’re less likely to commit crimes than U.S. citizens. A 2024 Reuters fact check showed that in Texas, the homicide conviction rate for undocumented immigrants was 2.2 per 100,000 — lower than the 3.0 per 100,000 rate for native-born Americans.

Still, immigration enforcement disproportionately targets undocumented individuals, even though many are filling essential roles in our economy.

What Happens to Employers Who Hire Them?

Federal law requires employers to verify a new hire’s authorization using Form I-9, but enforcement is notoriously lax. Many employers simply accept documents that “reasonably appear genuine” — even when they suspect otherwise. And it’s completely legal for them to do so, as long as they don’t knowingly violate the law.

Penalties on Paper

• Civil fines range from $698 to $27,894 per unauthorized worker.

• Criminal charges can apply for a pattern of illegal hiring, with fines up to $3,000 per worker and up to 6 months in jail.

In Practice

Very few employers are prosecuted. While two companies did forfeit $2 million each in 2024, these cases are the exception, not the rule. A 2021 shift in DHS policy ended mass workplace raids and focused instead on employers who exploit labor, but audits remain rare and underfunded (source).

Who’s Really Working Without Papers?

The U.S. economy runs on undocumented labor — and has for decades.

• As of 2022, about 11 million people were living in the U.S. without legal status, with 8.3 million of them in the workforce — about 4.8% of all U.S. workers (Pew Research).

• In some industries, that presence is even higher:

  • Construction: 13%

  • Agriculture/Forestry/Fishing: 12%

  • Leisure & Hospitality: 7% (source)

These jobs are often grueling, poorly paid, and unfilled by U.S. citizens. In short: undocumented immigrants are doing work that needs to be done, but the system provides no legal way for them to do it.

Access to Social Services: Facts vs. Fear

Contrary to popular belief, undocumented immigrants are ineligible for nearly all federal public assistance programs. That includes:

• Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, and housing assistance

• Exceptions include:

  • Emergency medical care (via Emergency Medicaid)

  • Public K–12 education (guaranteed by Plyler v. Doe, 1982)

  • Free/reduced school meals and WIC benefits for children (Migration Policy Institute)

Even where benefits are technically accessible, fear often keeps people away. The Trump-era “public charge” rule created a chilling effect that reduced participation in programs by mixed-status families, including U.S. citizen children (The Guardian).

So why do undocumented immigrants stay? It’s not for free stuff. It’s for work — often the only path to stability, family reunification, or even safety from persecution.

Enforcement for Workers vs. Employers: A Lopsided Reality

Undocumented workers face deportation, detention, and the daily risk of losing everything — including family. Employers, on the other hand, often walk away with minimal consequences. This lopsided system reflects not just legal inconsistency, but a willful blindness to the economic realities that drive undocumented employment.

Immigrants aren’t coming here because the U.S. is handing out benefits — they’re coming because employers are hiring. And they’re staying because the work is here, and the law provides no viable way for most of them to participate legally.

What Would a Better System Look Like?

Reform isn’t just possible — it’s necessary. Here’s what a more functional, humane, and economically sound immigration system could include:

Expanded Legal Work Visas

Current visa programs for low-wage labor (like H-2A for agriculture) are cumbersome and too limited. We need scalable, affordable visa pathways that match labor market needs without exploiting workers.

Earned Legalization

Millions of undocumented immigrants have lived here for years, paid taxes, raised families, and contributed to our communities. A path to legal status — not necessarily citizenship — would benefit them and the economy.

Real Accountability for Employers

Make enforcement real — not by punishing paperwork errors, but by cracking down on companies that exploit workers or knowingly break the law. Pair penalties with support for ethical hiring practices.

National E-Verify with Worker Protections

Implement a national employment verification system with strict oversight to prevent discrimination, wrongful firings, and misuse.

Decouple Immigration from Local Policing

People should feel safe reporting crimes or labor violations without risking deportation. Separating immigration enforcement from local law enforcement is key to public safety and workplace fairness.

Conclusion: Language, Logic, and Leadership

“Illegal immigrant” isn’t just an inaccurate term — it’s a distraction. It blames the people with the least power while letting the system’s real flaws go unaddressed.

If we want an immigration system that actually works — for citizens, immigrants, and employers alike — we need to be honest about who’s here, why they’re here, and what the law is doing (or failing to do) about it.

The problem isn’t that undocumented immigrants are breaking the law.

The problem is that the law is broken.

The Labor Shortage They Created

How Anti-Immigrant Policies Backfire on the Economy

For years, Donald Trump has framed immigration as a threat: to jobs, to public safety, to American identity. He promises in his second term to double down on deportations, restrict legal immigration even further, and crack down on undocumented workers with harsher penalties.

But reality paints a different picture.

The truth is that immigrants—documented and undocumented—form the backbone of key sectors of the U.S. economy. From agriculture and construction to hospitality and elder care, immigrant labor isn’t displacing American workers—it’s filling essential jobs Americans are unwilling or unable to take.

Aggressive anti-immigrant policies don’t solve economic problems. They create them.

Florida’s Immigration Crackdown: A Cautionary Tale

In 2023, Florida enacted one of the harshest immigration laws in the country (SB1718), championed by Governor Ron DeSantis and praised by Trump allies. It included steep fines for businesses hiring undocumented workers, invalidation of out-of-state driver’s licenses for immigrants, and mandatory use of E-Verify.

The results were swift—and disastrous:

• Labor shortages hit agriculture, construction, and hospitality industries almost immediately.

• Crops were left rotting in the fields as migrant workers fled the state, fearful of arrest or harassment.

• Farmers and contractors scrambled to find replacements—and couldn’t.

A Florida strawberry farm owner put it bluntly: “A lot of people went north and never came back.”

This wasn’t a surprise. Economists and business leaders had warned for months that the bill would gut Florida’s economy. A 2023 report from the American Business Immigration Coalition estimated that the law could cost Florida’s economy over $12 billion in losses【source: ABIC】.

Georgia’s Self-Inflicted Harvest Crisis

Florida’s experience echoed what happened in Georgia more than a decade earlier. In 2011, Georgia passed strict anti-immigration legislation aimed at forcing undocumented workers out of the state.

It worked—and crippled the agricultural sector. Farmers couldn’t find enough legal workers to replace the lost labor force. One estimate from the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association found that crops worth hundreds of millions of dollars were left unharvested.

The state briefly tried to solve the crisis by encouraging unemployed U.S. citizens to take the jobs. Few showed up—and those who did often quit after a single day, finding the grueling farm labor too physically demanding for low pay.

The Bigger Problem: America’s Demographic Reality

Trump and his allies talk about immigration as if the U.S. labor market has an endless supply of willing workers. It doesn’t.

The reality is:

• Birth rates are falling. The U.S. is not replacing its population fast enough.

• Native-born workers are aging out. More Americans are retiring every year.

• Hard labor jobs—harvesting crops, roofing houses, cleaning hotel rooms—are ones many Americans don’t want.

Without immigrant workers, industries from food production to construction grind to a halt. Prices rise. Economic growth slows. And rural economies, in particular, suffer.

Anti-immigrant crackdowns don’t bring back jobs for American citizens. They leave critical jobs unfilled, driving up costs for everyone and hollowing out key sectors of the economy.

The Dangerous Path Ahead

If Trump follows through on his mass-deportation agenda in a second term, the economic damage will spread far beyond farms and hotels. It will ripple across supply chains, into grocery stores, housing markets, and small businesses across the country.

America doesn’t need fewer immigrants. It needs immigration reform that recognizes the economic reality—and builds a system that supports workers, employers, and families alike.

Punitive crackdowns won’t make America stronger. They’ll make it weaker, poorer, and less able to compete in a global economy.

Up Next

Labor shortages are just one symptom.

Tomorrow, let’s look at how authoritarian overreach threatens justice, civil rights, and the rule of law in America.

The Playbook

How to Gut a Company and Get Away With It

There’s no smash-and-grab.
No gunmen in ski masks.
No vaults blown open at midnight.

The private equity heist is quieter.
More technical.
More devastating.

And it starts with a move so clever, so simple, most people never even notice it’s happening.

You buy a company — not with your own money — but with the company’s.

It’s called a leveraged buyout, but it might as well be called what it is: a hostage situation.

The private equity firm promises new investment, new growth, new prosperity.
In reality, they’re tying the company to a ticking debt bomb — and lighting the fuse.

Once the ink is dry, the “new owners” owe almost nothing.
The company owes everything.

And that’s just the beginning.

Here’s how the playbook works — step-by-step:

Step 1: Load Up the Debt

The first rule of the heist: always use someone else’s money.

The private equity firm buries the company under staggering debt — sometimes several times its actual value — using its own buildings, land, equipment, even intellectual property as collateral.
It’s like taking out a second mortgage on a house you already own… and handing the deed to someone else.

Suddenly, a stable, profitable business is forced into survival mode.
Debt service becomes the priority.
Growth, innovation, long-term planning — all of it is put on hold.
The company isn’t working for customers or communities anymore.
It’s working for the bankers.

Step 2: Slash and Burn

Debt pressure is a feature, not a bug.

• Stores close.

• Workers are laid off.

• Pay freezes, benefits disappear, pensions evaporate.

• Maintenance and modernization are deferred indefinitely.

Anything that costs money — anything that supports workers, customers, or communities — is slashed in the name of “efficiency.”

And if the company owns valuable assets, like real estate?
Those are sold off too — often in sweetheart deals that benefit the private equity firm or its allies.

What’s left is a stripped-down shell, more fragile with each passing quarter.

Step 3: Milk the Host

Before the company stumbles, the private equity firm moves in to collect its winnings.

They pay themselves “management fees” for consulting services.
They pay themselves “advisory fees” for overseeing the damage.
They sometimes even force the company to take on even more debt to issue “special dividends” directly into the pockets of investors.

It’s the business equivalent of taking out a payday loan — not to keep the lights on, but to throw a party for the landlord.

And if the company starts slipping toward bankruptcy?
Doesn’t matter.
The private equity firm has already been paid.

Step 4: Sell It, Burn It, or Let It Die

Once the host is drained — once the debt burden becomes unsustainable — the final phase begins.

Maybe they flip the company to another buyer, spinning the story of “turnaround potential.”
Maybe they take it public, dumping shares on unsuspecting investors.
Maybe they simply walk away, letting the company collapse into bankruptcy court, taking workers’ pensions and unpaid suppliers with it.

In every scenario, the private equity firm gets away with the loot.

The workers?
Out of jobs.

The retirees?
Out of pensions.

The communities?
Left with empty malls, abandoned factories, and broken promises.

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Today, in False Promises, we examined the False Promise of Tariffs — how broad, poorly targeted tariffs are raising costs for American businesses without delivering real local benefit. Instead of protecting workers or rebuilding industry, they’re making it harder for companies to survive — while doing nothing to address the underlying rot.

Private equity runs the same kind of scam.

They promise to rescue companies.
In reality, they load them down with debt, strip them of assets, and leave them weaker than before — all while walking away richer.

In both cases, the price is paid by the very people the promises were supposed to help.

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Coming up tomorrow:

The First Big Score: Killing Toys R Us for Profit.

(The inside story of how Wall Street took down a beloved American brand — and why no one ever paid the price.)

The False Promise of Tariffs

How Economic Nationalism Hurts American Workers

In his second term, Donald Trump is once again promising to revive American industry through aggressive tariffs and economic nationalism. He claims that higher taxes on imports will bring manufacturing back to U.S. soil, creating a new golden age of prosperity for American workers.

But we’ve seen this movie before—and it doesn’t end the way he says it will.

Tariffs aren’t a new idea. Trump’s first term already tested this approach, and the results were clear: rather than reviving American manufacturing, tariffs raised costs for U.S. businesses, triggered retaliatory trade wars, and ultimately hurt the very workers they were supposed to help.

Tariffs That Hurt the Heartland

One of the most striking examples came from Missouri. In 2018, Trump’s 25% tariff on imported steel was supposed to boost U.S. steel production. Instead, it nearly destroyed Mid Continent Nail Corporation, the largest nail manufacturer in the United States.

The company’s costs skyrocketed, forcing them to raise prices—leading customers to flee to cheaper, foreign alternatives. Within weeks, Mid Continent’s sales plunged by 50%. The company laid off over 100 workers and warned it might shut down entirely.

This was not an isolated case. Across the manufacturing sector, companies dependent on imported materials faced a cruel choice: eat the cost and risk going under, or raise prices and lose business. Neither outcome was good for workers.

According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the steel and aluminum tariffs may have saved 8,700 jobs in those industries—but they cost around 75,000 jobs elsewhere in the economy.

Farmers Became Collateral Damage

Meanwhile, American farmers—many of them loyal Trump supporters—were caught in the crossfire of retaliatory tariffs. China, Europe, and other trading partners responded by slapping tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports like soybeans, pork, and dairy. Exports collapsed. Entire harvests were left unsold.

To stop rural anger from boiling over, the Trump administration authorized over $28 billion in emergency aid to farmers—essentially using taxpayer dollars to pay farmers for losses caused by the trade war.

In the end, the tariffs didn’t just fail to bring back lost jobs—they increased government spending, raised prices for consumers, and destabilized key sectors of the economy.

Why Economic Nationalism Backfires

Tariffs are sold as a way to “protect” American workers, but in a global economy, they often do the opposite:

• Higher input costs make U.S. manufacturing less competitive, not more.

• Retaliatory tariffs close off foreign markets for American exports.

• Uncertainty discourages businesses from investing in long-term growth.

Manufacturing is already evolving. Automation, global supply chains, and shifting consumer demand mean that simply slapping tariffs on foreign goods cannot turn back the clock to a 1950s-style industrial economy.

Instead of a resurgence, tariffs often lead to layoffs, factory closures, and bailouts.

A Future of Isolation and Decline

If Trump’s second term repeats these mistakes—on an even larger scale, with blanket tariffs of 10% or higher—the outcome will be worse. Businesses may accelerate offshoring to avoid tariffs. Inflation will rise. Jobs will be lost, not gained.

And once again, the communities that place their trust in promises of economic revival will be left behind—betrayed not by foreign competition, but by bad policies that misunderstand how today’s economy really works.

The reality is clear: true support for American workers requires investment, innovation, and partnership—not isolation and tariff walls.

Up Next

The harm from economic nationalism doesn’t end with lost jobs.

Next, we’ll explore how anti-immigrant crackdowns are creating labor shortages and hurting key industries.

The Setup

How Wall Street Plotted the Perfect Crime

No alarms were triggered. No headlines screamed.
There was no raid, no getaway car, no televised trial.
But across America, a silent heist was already underway.

The clues were scattered in plain sight:

• Shuttered toy stores.

• Empty shopping plazas.

• Small-town hospitals closing their doors.

• Workers showing up one morning to find their jobs — and pensions — gone.

At first, it was easy to explain away.
“That’s just the market,” they said.
“Amazon is killing retail,” they shrugged.
“Healthcare is complicated.”

But beneath the surface, something more deliberate was unfolding.
A new kind of predator had emerged — one that didn’t need to invent, build, or serve.
Private equity firms had found a way to hijack the real economy, stripping value from companies, communities, and workers without ever facing consequences.

They would buy healthy businesses, saddle them with crushing debt, extract every ounce of cash they could, and abandon the wreckage — often while walking away with fortunes.

It was the perfect crime.
Legal. Invisible. Systematic.
And it would quietly help unravel the economic foundations that millions of Americans had spent generations building.

---

Today, in False Promises, we began with Unraveling Pax Americana — tracing how short-term thinking, corruption, and political cowardice are actively weakening America’s standing in the world.

The heist unfolding inside corporate America mirrors this collapse.

While Washington is chasing quick wins and easy slogans, private equity firms are dismantling the companies that once formed the backbone of American life:

• The local retailers that anchored neighborhoods.

• The hospitals that kept rural America alive.

• The manufacturers that provided stable, middle-class jobs.

These businesses weren’t collapsing under the weight of global competition or innovation.

They were deliberately targeted — stripped for cash, loaded with debt, and left to fail.

Because when trust crumbles and grifters run the show, the only thing left to do is loot the place before the lights go out.

In this series, we’ll trace the blueprint of the heist:

• The tools they used.

• The targets they chose.

• The victims they left behind.

Because America didn’t lose Toys R Us, JoAnn Fabrics, your local hospitals, or hundreds of other businesses by accident.

They were sold for parts.
And the getaway is still happening.

---

Coming up tomorrow:

The Playbook: How to Gut a Company and Get Away With It.

(Once you see how it works, you’ll never look at a “buyout” the same way again.)

Unraveling Pax Americana

How Tariff Chaos and Economic Nationalism Undermine U.S. Power

For nearly eight decades, American global leadership has rested on a fragile but powerful promise: stability. The Pax Americana wasn’t built solely on military might or cultural influence—it was rooted in the idea that the United States was a predictable partner, a safe haven for capital, and a steady hand guiding global trade and diplomacy.

That foundation is starting to crack.

Donald Trump’s return to power threatens to accelerate the erosion of this global trust. His erratic approach to trade, particularly his obsession with tariffs, may play well at rallies—but abroad, it signals volatility, nationalism, and unreliability. And in a global economy that depends on long-term confidence, that unpredictability could shake the very pillars of American dominance.

The Tariff Whiplash

In his first term, Trump launched a wave of tariffs against China and even traditional allies like the European Union and Canada. The justification was “fair trade,” but the execution was chaotic: tariffs announced via tweet, exceptions carved out inconsistently, and retaliatory measures following swiftly.

Now, in his second term, Trump is floating even more sweeping actions: universal tariffs of 10% on all imports, and 60% or more on Chinese goods. These are not targeted economic tools—they are blunt-force instruments of economic nationalism.

The immediate consequences for American consumers and manufacturers are real: higher prices, strained supply chains, and uncertainty for businesses trying to plan for the future. But the long-term consequences are even more dangerous: the erosion of trust in the United States as a trading partner.

Trade Partners Look Elsewhere

Global trade relies not just on comparative advantage, but on predictability. When America becomes erratic—lurching between free trade and protectionism with each administration—other nations seek stability elsewhere.

• The EU and China have accelerated trade talks, including strengthening the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment.

• Latin American and Southeast Asian nations are deepening regional pacts to reduce reliance on the U.S. market.

• Countries are diversifying currency reserves and entering non-dollar trade agreements (such as BRICS cross-border payment systems or China’s yuan-based oil contracts).

In essence, the U.S. is no longer the reliable engine of global capitalism—it’s becoming the wild card.

The Treasury Time Bomb

Perhaps the most overlooked risk is what happens if China and other large holders of U.S. Treasuries begin to divest.

China currently holds nearly $800 billion in U.S. debt—a number that has been shrinking steadily since Trump’s first term. While a full sell-off is unlikely (as it would hurt China, too), continued drawdown and diversification could still raise U.S. borrowing costs, especially if paired with domestic fiscal instability.

If countries no longer see U.S. Treasuries as the ultimate safe asset—because U.S. politics are increasingly erratic, or because they fear being targeted by economic sanctions—they will slowly shift to alternatives: gold, euro-denominated bonds, or regional reserve assets.

That shift threatens America’s ability to borrow cheaply, fund social programs, or maintain its military edge. In other words, economic nationalism at home could undermine national strength abroad.

The Bigger Picture: Trust Is Power

Pax Americana didn’t just happen—it was earned. Through decades of (mostly) consistent trade policy, strong institutions, and leadership in global crises, the U.S. convinced the world to bet on its system. That trust made the dollar the world’s currency, made U.S. markets the world’s investment safe haven, and gave America enormous geopolitical leverage.

Trump’s second-term plans threaten to squander that trust.

Tariffs don’t just disrupt trade—they send a message: the rules can change at any moment, depending on who holds power in Washington. Allies are watching. Rivals are taking notes. And the global order is already shifting.

If Pax Americana ends, it won’t be with a bang—it will be with a shrug. A quiet turning away. One trade deal here. One currency swap there. And eventually, the world will stop waiting to see what America does next.

Coming This Week: False Promises

The end of Pax Americana isn’t inevitable.

But if we ignore the patterns — economic chaos, authoritarian overreach, hollow promises — we risk losing more than global leadership.

In our next series — False Promises — we’ll expose how Trump’s second-term policies have already failed elsewhere — and what a smarter, stronger path forward could look like.

The truth is clear. The future is still ours to shape.

This Is How Liberty Dies (And How It Can Be Reborn)

A Star Wars Day Reflection at the End of the Modern Authoritarianism Series

May the Fourth Be With You — And May We Keep Fighting for Democracy

Cue the credits crawl…

Over the past week, we’ve walked through some dark territory:

• How authoritarianism creeps in through elections, not coups

• How strongmen discredit courts, silence the press, and rewrite the rules

• How power shifts away from the people—not all at once, but step by step

And now we’ve reached the end of the Modern Authoritarianism series.

But really, it’s not the end.
It’s just the beginning of the resistance.

And there’s no better day to remember that than Star Wars Day.

The Empire Always Rises the Same Way

George Lucas didn’t invent authoritarianism. He studied it.

The rise of Palpatine wasn’t fantasy—it was a warning.

• Emergency powers that never get relinquished

• Disinformation used to divide and conquer

• Scapegoating minorities to build political loyalty

• Militarization disguised as “order”

• Suppression of dissent framed as patriotism

It’s the same pattern we’ve traced across Hungary, Turkey, India, and yes—right here in the United States.

The only difference between their galaxy and ours?
Ours is still unwritten.

Star Wars Is About How You Fight

Star Wars isn’t a story of perfect heroes. It’s a story of ordinary people choosing to fight back against impossible odds:

• Leia resists from the inside.

• Luke stands up, even when he’s afraid.

• Finn breaks free from a system designed to control him.

• Cassian fights because someone must, not because it’s easy.

Rebellion isn’t about anger. It’s about hope armed with action.

And that’s exactly where we are now.

We know the authoritarian playbook.
We see the forces gathering.
And we know how it ends—if we don’t resist.

We Are the Firewall

If Modern Authoritarianism taught us anything, it’s that democracy doesn’t defend itself.

• It needs local officials who certify elections under threat.

• It needs journalists who tell the truth even when it’s dangerous.

• It needs voters who show up when it would be easier to stay home.

• It needs everyday people who refuse to let fear dictate their future.

You don’t have to be a Jedi. You just have to be counted.

This fight won’t be easy. Authoritarians are betting that we’ll get tired, get cynical, or get afraid.
But rebellions are built one person at a time. One act at a time. One voice at a time.

Thank You for Reading

This week’s Modern Authoritarianism series wasn’t easy to write—and it wasn’t always easy to read.

Authoritarianism thrives on confusion, fear, and fatigue.
This series was built to do the opposite:
To offer clarity. To build courage. To invite action.

If you made it all the way through, thank you.

Thank you for being the kind of person who doesn’t look away.
Thank you for believing that what we do—and what we refuse to accept—still matters.

Authoritarianism counts on silence.
You chose knowledge.
You chose engagement.
You chose hope.

And that choice, small as it might feel, is exactly how change begins.

May the Fourth Be With You — And May We Be With Each Other

As we close out this series, remember:

Hope is not naïve. Hope is necessary.

It’s what keeps us showing up.
It’s what turns the tide.

May the Fourth be with you.
May the resistance be with you.
And may we fight like hell for a future where liberty doesn’t die with thunderous applause—but lives because we stood up when it mattered most.

You Are the Firewall: What You Can Do Now

Authoritarianism doesn’t win because it’s strong.
It wins because too many people believe they’re powerless.

But here’s the truth: you are not powerless.
Democracy isn’t something we inherit. It’s something we do. And right now, doing it matters more than ever.

You don’t need to be famous, elected, or rich to fight back. You just need to be willing to act. Here’s how.

Get Local—and Stay Local

The front lines of democracy are closer than you think.

• Attend your local school board, city council, or town hall meetings.

• Ask about transparency, inclusion, and the protection of civil rights.

• Run for office—seriously. Start with your local library board, planning commission, or school council.

Authoritarianism thrives when people ignore the small stuff.
But power often changes hands at the local level first.

Defend the Vote—Every Vote

Democracy depends on participation. And it’s under attack.

• Register voters. Volunteer with nonpartisan groups like When We All Vote or Vote Riders.

• Work the polls. Election officials need people with integrity more than ever.

• Fight disinformation. Help friends and family find accurate, local voting info—not memes.

The goal of voter suppression is simple: make you give up.

Don’t let them win that quietly.

Support Independent Media

A free press is one of the first things authoritarians go after—and one of the best tools to fight back.

• Subscribe to a local paper or investigative outlet.

• Share credible stories. Challenge disinformation in your circles.

• Donate to independent journalism projects or public media.

Truth doesn’t spread on its own. We have to carry it.

Join or Fund a Movement

There are people already organizing—against book bans, for reproductive rights, to protect immigrants, to fight corporate corruption, and more. Join them.

Can’t join? Fund them. Even $5/month makes a difference when multiplied.

Some places to start:

• Democracy Docket (legal defense of voting rights)

• ACLU (civil liberties)

• Protect Democracy (nonpartisan watchdogs)

• Movement Voter Project (local grassroots orgs)

Talk to People—Even the Ones You Disagree With

Authoritarianism feeds on fear, silence, and tribalism. Break the cycle.

• Have respectful, fact-based conversations—even when it’s hard.

• Don’t try to “win” arguments—ask questions, plant seeds.

• Share this series, or a single post, with someone you think might actually read it.

Hearts don’t change because of zingers. They change because someone cared enough to talk.

Show Up—Even When It’s Inconvenient

Protests. Public comment sessions. Courtrooms. Phone banks.
None of this is glamorous. But democracy is a team sport—and we need everyone on the field.

When you show up, you send a signal: We are watching. We still care. We’re not giving up.

And authoritarian movements? They hate that.

This Isn’t About Being a Hero. It’s About Being Accounted For.

The people who stop authoritarianism aren’t always the loudest.
They’re the ones who refuse to look away.
Who organize one meeting, one ride to the polls, one uncomfortable conversation at a time.

If you’re here, reading this, you’re already part of the resistance.
Now take that energy and turn it into momentum.

What Comes Next

This wraps up Modern Authoritarianism, but not the work. Not even close.

Stay subscribed. Keep asking questions. Keep watching what happens at every level of power. And most of all—keep showing up.

If this series helped you understand the stakes, share it. If it made you feel less alone, tell someone. If it made you angry—good. Now let’s do something about it.

What Do We Fight to Save?

Over the past three weeks, we’ve walked through the rise and unraveling of Pax Americana—not just as a foreign policy, but as a way of life.

We’ve seen how the U.S. used trade, culture, and finance to build a stable world order—and how that same system left millions of American workers behind.

We explored:

• The military, cultural, and economic foundations of Pax Americana

• The silent superpower of trade and the rise of globalization

• The slow erosion of jobs through automation

• The China Shock and sudden trade collapse in factory towns

• The political backlash that turned frustration into populism

• And the current attempt to rebuild America’s industrial core through tariffs, investment, and policy pivots

But now, as we close this series, we need to ask a deeper question:

What are we actually fighting to save?

Is it the jobs?
The stability?
The idea of a nation that once made things, paid living wages, and promised your kids would do better than you?

Or is it something even deeper—a vision of who we thought we were, and who we still want to be?

The Promise of Pax Americana

At its best, Pax Americana wasn’t just about tanks and treaties.
It was about peace through prosperity, global leadership, and the confidence that America could be both strong and fair.

It rebuilt Europe. Contained conflict. Powered innovation.
It built the middle class.

But it also:

• Ignored inequality

• Outsourced its pain

• Treated some communities as expendable

• And celebrated “efficiency” at the expense of belonging

The global economy we created delivered massive gains—for some.
But it also hollowed out the foundation of American life for many.

And no one came to explain why.

When the System Broke

Factory towns didn’t just lose paychecks. They lost:

• Purpose

• Community

• Trust in institutions

Automation and trade were part of it. But so were policy failures, corporate greed, and a political class that stopped listening.

People were told to move, retrain, or “adapt”—as if the trauma of losing an entire way of life could be fixed with a coding bootcamp.

And so, the promise of Pax Americana—global peace, domestic prosperity—began to crack.

The result?
A deep and dangerous sense of abandonment.

The Rise of Backlash—and the Call to Rebuild

That sense of loss became a political force.
People turned to leaders who promised revenge, repair, or revolution.

Some blamed immigrants.
Some blamed China.
Some blamed corporations, billionaires, or Washington itself.

But beneath all the noise was a real and righteous question:

“What happened to us?”

And now, the U.S. is trying to answer:

• With industrial policy

• With tariffs and reshoring

• With new investment in tech, energy, and infrastructure

But the truth is: we’re still debating whether we want to rebuild the old system, or imagine something new.

What Would a Just Economy Look Like?

What if this moment isn’t just about restoring what was lost, but about asking:

• What do we value?

• Who do we build for?

• What does dignity look like in a 21st-century economy?

It might mean:

• Valuing care work and education as much as construction or coding

• Building safety nets that support risk, not punish failure

• Seeing work not just as a paycheck, but as a place of meaning and belonging

• Rewriting trade and tech policy to support people, not just profit

Because maybe it was never just about jobs.
Maybe it was about identity.

What Do We Fight to Save?

This isn’t just about economics. It’s about who we are—and who we want to be.

We can’t go back. The world has changed.

But we can choose what kind of future we build.
And that starts by deciding what’s worth protecting—and what’s worth letting go.

So ask yourself, wherever you sit reading this:

What do you fight to save?

And what might it take to truly build something better?

The Golden Tickets: How Trump’s New Grift Works

The Parable of the Golden Tickets

There once was a famous showman named Don, known throughout the land for his grand promises and golden towers. One day, Don announced a new spectacle: The Palace of Freedom, a place he claimed would be the most luxurious, exclusive, and powerful gathering of patriots in history.

But the palace had no doors, no stage, and no performers. Still, Don proclaimed, “I’m offering Golden Tickets—rare, valuable, and only for the loyal. Those who buy them now may one day be granted a seat at my private banquet. Or perhaps they’ll become rich! Who knows?”

People rushed to buy them, not because they’d seen the palace, but because they trusted Don—or feared missing out. They traded their savings, their hopes, and even borrowed from friends. Don’s family quietly kept most of the tickets for themselves.

The palace never opened.

But Don held a small dinner for a few of the richest ticket holders and called it proof the dream was real. Meanwhile, he sold more tickets, opened a new booth, and claimed another miracle was just around the corner.

Some began to ask: Where is the palace? Why does the door never open?

But Don smiled and said, “The real palace is your belief in me. And the more you give, the closer you are to entering.”

And so the people kept buying, while Don kept counting.

What This Means in Real Life

This isn’t just a parable—it’s a fairly accurate description of how Donald Trump is currently using crypto, DeFi, and political branding to turn followers into revenue.

Let’s look at two real-world versions of those “Golden Tickets”:

#1 The $TRUMP Meme Coin

This is a cryptocurrency token bearing Trump’s name. It’s not backed by a product, a policy, or any clear purpose. Instead, it was marketed to Trump supporters as a kind of status symbol—and a chance to win favors. The top 220 holders were promised a dinner with Trump. The top 25 got even more.

But here’s the catch:

• Trump-affiliated companies own 80% of the coin.

• He profits directly when people buy and trade it.

• The coin’s value depends entirely on hype and loyalty, not utility.

So what are buyers really paying for? Access. Not to a useful product, but to a political celebrity.

#2 World Liberty Financial

This was pitched as a new kind of financial platform—a decentralized, Trump-backed alternative to the global system. Investors were told to buy “governance tokens,” which supposedly would let them help shape the platform’s future.

But:

• The platform still doesn’t exist in any real, functioning way.

• The Trump family took $400 million in fees from early fundraising.

• The tokens give “voting rights” over a system that doesn’t operate.

It’s the palace all over again: lots of golden tickets, but no open doors.

Why It Matters

These schemes work because they blur the lines between fandom, politics, and finance. People aren’t just supporting a candidate—they’re “investing” in their loyalty. Trump has turned belief into a business, and every new venture becomes a test of faith.

It’s not just about whether it’s legal.
It’s about whether it’s honest.

Most of the people buying in won’t get dinner with Trump. They won’t strike it rich. They’ll just be left holding tickets to a show that was never really meant to happen.

Even Republicans are questioning this grift:

“I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to charge people to come into the Capitol and take a tour.” - Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska

“This is my president that we’re talking about, but I am willing to say that this gives me pause.” - Sen. Cynthia Lummis, of Wyoming

Final Thought

In the end, grifts like these aren’t about building anything real. They’re about taking just enough truth—a dinner here, a flashy coin there—to convince people the palace is coming, as long as they keep paying.

But the real palace? It’s built out of your money—and you’re never meant to get inside.

Sources and Further Reading

• Trump’s Biggest Meme-Coin Investors Get Invited to Dinner With the President – Wall Street Journal

• How Trump Turned a Dinner Invite Into a Crypto Boon Worth Millions – Washington Post

• How the Trump Family Took Over World Liberty Financial – Reuters

• Trump Campaign Funnels Donor Money Into His Own Businesses – USA Today

• Trump 2024 Campaign Merchandise and Side Hustles – Wikipedia

The Turnaround: How Democracies Fight Back

Authoritarianism can feel inevitable once it takes hold—like a tide you can’t fight. But history says otherwise.

Countries have fought back. They’ve overturned power grabs, rebuilt institutions, and reawakened civic trust. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t fast. But it was possible.

Today, we’re looking at places that clawed their way back from the brink—and what we can learn from their strategies.

Poland: Voting the Authoritarians Out

For years, Poland was a poster child for democratic backsliding. The ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) packed courts, suppressed independent media, and used state resources to maintain its grip on power.

But in 2023, something changed.

• A broad coalition came together, uniting liberals, centrists, and even some conservatives against authoritarianism.

• Civic education campaigns helped voters understand what was at stake—not just who to vote for, but why democracy itself mattered.

• Record turnout, especially among younger voters, tipped the election.

The PiS party lost power. The opposition is now working—slowly, carefully—to undo the damage and rebuild institutional trust.

Lesson: Unity of purpose can defeat even entrenched authoritarian governments—especially through elections.

South Korea: Legal Accountability After Scandal

South Korea’s turn came not from an election, but from a scandal.

In 2016, then-President Park Geun-hye was implicated in a massive corruption scheme. Rather than shrug it off, millions of South Koreans took to the streets in peaceful candlelight protests.

• The pressure worked: Park was impeached, removed from office, and eventually imprisoned.

• New elections ushered in reform-minded leadership.

• The country strengthened anti-corruption laws and transparency mechanisms in response.

It wasn’t a perfect fix—but it was proof that a mobilized population, paired with legal institutions, could demand real consequences.

Lesson: Peaceful protest and legal mechanisms, when working together, can deliver accountability—even at the highest levels.

Slovakia: Fighting Back with Facts

In Slovakia, journalists were under siege—especially after the 2018 assassination of investigative reporter Ján Kuciak.

Rather than succumb to fear or censorship:

• The media doubled down, continuing to expose corruption and criminal networks tied to politicians.

• Public outrage turned into political action. Protest movements formed, elections were held, and new leadership emerged.

• Transparency reforms followed, alongside greater protection for journalists.

Slovakia remains a work in progress—but it turned a moment of national trauma into democratic renewal.

Lesson: A free press, even under fire, can rally the public and shift the political tide.

The Common Thread: People Made It Happen

These turnarounds weren’t top-down miracles. They were bottom-up demands for change—driven by voters, journalists, students, civil servants, and protestors.

They happened because:

• People stayed engaged, even when it felt hopeless.

• They built coalitions wider than their own politics.

• They refused to normalize authoritarian tactics.

That’s what makes the difference. Not just outrage—but organized, sustained civic resistance.

Could It Happen Here?

It already is.

The United States still has independent courts, free media, grassroots movements, and the power of the vote. We’re not past the point of no return—but we’re close enough to see it.

What these countries show us is that even battered democracies can fight back—if enough people recognize what’s happening and act while they still can.

Tomorrow: What You Can Do

Tomorrow, we close the series with something practical: a list of things you—yes, you—can do to help stop the spread of authoritarianism.

Voting is just the beginning. There’s more you can do—and more people ready to do it alongside you than you might think.

If you’ve been with this series all week, thank you. Don’t miss the finale.

Trump Pardons Fraudsters

The Washington Post

Liz Oyer, the Justice Department’s recently fired pardon attorney, made a staggering claim on social media this week: President Donald Trump’s pardons of people convicted of white-collar crimes have cost Americans $1 billion.

Let that sink in. A president, convicted of business fraud, is now championing fraudsters all over the country by pardoning them.

This is not okay. This is not normal.

The pardon system is broken, and was never designed to be wielded by an immoral actor.

Can We Rebuild? Industrial Policy, Tariffs, and the 2025 Pivot

After decades of offshoring, deindustrialization, and policy neglect, something strange is happening in Washington:

People are talking about factories again.

From chip plants in Arizona to tariff hikes in 2025, the United States is trying to rebuild its economic engine—and reclaim the middle-class jobs it once exported away.

But the big question remains:

Are we actually rebuilding something new?
Or just slapping fresh paint on the same broken machine?

The Return of Industrial Policy

For decades, industrial policy was a dirty word in U.S. politics—seen as top-down meddling that picked winners and losers.

Now? It’s back in fashion. In fact, it might be the only thing both parties agree on.

Key efforts include:

• The CHIPS and Science Act: Investing billions in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.

• The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): Funding clean energy infrastructure, battery factories, and domestic production of green tech.

• Infrastructure law: Repairing roads, ports, and bridges to support a more resilient economy.

• “Buy American” rules: Prioritizing U.S.-made goods in federal contracts.

All of this amounts to a quiet revolution in U.S. economic strategy—one that puts place-based, job-focused investment front and center again.

The 2025 Tariff Pivot

Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s return in 2025 has brought tariffs and economic emergency powers back into the spotlight.

What’s new:

• Broad executive authority to impose tariffs unilaterally, citing “economic security.”

• New import restrictions targeting China, Mexico, and even some allies.

• Expansion of the “America First” agenda through supply chain reshoring mandates and targeted tax breaks.

To supporters, this is long-overdue muscle-flexing—finally putting American workers first after decades of being “sold out.”

To critics, it risks:

• Retaliation

• Price increases

• The erosion of global alliances built through trade

Either way, it’s a sharp break from the laissez-faire consensus of the post-Cold War era.

Can These Policies Actually Rebuild the Middle Class?

That’s the trillion-dollar question.

Potential strengths:

• Reinvesting in regions left behind by globalization.

• Creating new industrial hubs around green energy and advanced manufacturing.

• Breaking dependence on unstable foreign supply chains.

Major challenges:

• Most new jobs require specialized training or degrees.

• Many factories are heavily automated, meaning fewer hires.

• Without long-term investment in workers, new plants may not lift local economies the way old ones did.

In short: rebuilding the supply side without rebuilding the people side won’t be enough.

Are We Repeating Old Mistakes?

There’s a danger in industrial nostalgia.

We talk about bringing jobs back, but:

• Are we recreating mass employment—or capital-intensive, robot-run plants?

• Are we investing in communities—or offering one-time tax incentives?

• Are we fixing the system—or just shifting which corporations get favored?

America once built the blueprint for postwar prosperity.
But do we still remember how?

What Comes Next

Tomorrow, we’ll close out the series with a bigger question:

If this system isn’t working for everyone—what are we fighting to save?

Because rebuilding is one thing. But reimagining? That’s what real recovery might require.

Holding the Line: What’s Resisting So Far

Authoritarianism spreads when people give up—when institutions crumble, when watchdogs stay silent, when citizens look away. But that’s not the whole story.

Because even now, in the midst of a coordinated effort to concentrate power and dismantle democratic norms, some people, some systems, and some truths are holding the line.

Today’s post is about them—the remaining firewalls that are still doing their job, even as the pressure mounts.

Local and State Election Officials

In 2020, and again in 2024, many local and state election officials—Republicans and Democrats alike—refused to bend to pressure.

They certified results, rejected fake slates of electors, and told the truth even when it made them targets. Some lost their jobs. Some got death threats. But they kept going.

• Brad Raffensperger (R-GA) famously rebuffed Trump’s demand to “find 11,780 votes.”

• County officials in Arizona refused to decertify their own elections despite national pressure.

In an increasingly federalized world, local courage matters more than ever.

Journalists, Whistleblowers, and Investigators

While authoritarian movements try to silence or co-opt the media, independent journalism hasn’t stopped digging.

From ProPublica and The Washington Post to local watchdogs and freelance investigators, journalists continue to expose:

• Political corruption

• Civil rights violations

• Secretive executive actions

• Threats to immigrants, minorities, and whistleblowers

Even under threat of lawsuits, bans, or worse, the press continues to be a critical line of defense.

Some Courts Are Still Independent

Despite growing politicization, many judges have ruled against authoritarian overreach:

• Courts blocked Trump-era immigration bans, voter suppression efforts, and attempts to overturn election results.

• Even some conservative judges have issued decisions protecting the rule of law.

That independence is fragile—but real. It’s a reason to fight for judicial integrity, not to give up on it.

Inspectors General and Career Civil Servants

Many of the people inside government—the ones you never hear about—are still doing their jobs. Quietly. Relentlessly.

Even after waves of firings, some inspectors general, agency attorneys, and career analysts have leaked wrongdoing, resisted illegal orders, or flagged abuses of power.

Authoritarians want these people gone for a reason: they are some of democracy’s last honest brokers.

Civic Movements and Local Organizing

Change doesn’t just come from Congress or courts. It comes from below.

In the past few years, we’ve seen:

• Grassroots movements to protect voting rights

• Mutual aid networks in response to state neglect

• Community defense organizations against political violence

• Local school board candidates running against book bans and censorship

Even as national institutions struggle, civic energy at the local level is rising—and that’s where much of the fight for democracy will be won or lost.

The “Fighting Oligarchy” Tour: Mobilizing a Mass Movement

In the face of rising authoritarianism, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have launched the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour—a nationwide series of rallies aimed at confronting the influence of billionaires and corporate power in American politics. Since its inception in February 2025, the tour has drawn substantial crowds, including 36,000 attendees in Los Angeles and over 9,000 in Missoula, Montana.   

The tour’s message centers on combating economic inequality, advocating for policies like universal healthcare, and encouraging grassroots political engagement. By bringing these issues to the forefront, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are galvanizing a movement that challenges the status quo and seeks to empower everyday Americans in the democratic process.

https://berniesanders.com/oligarchy/

Why This Matters

Democracy isn’t a permanent condition. It’s a set of practices, norms, and systems—and people—that have to be defended and rebuilt every day.

What’s holding the line isn’t perfect. It’s not always fast. But it exists. And that’s the difference between a struggling democracy and a collapsed one.

The danger isn’t just that authoritarianism is spreading. It’s that we’ll stop noticing the people resisting it—and stop supporting them when they need us most.

Tomorrow: How Other Countries Fought Back

We’re not the first country to face this kind of erosion. In tomorrow’s post, we’ll look at how countries like Poland and South Korea clawed their way back from the brink—and what we can learn from them.

If today’s post gave you any hope, share it. Apathy is how authoritarianism wins. But hope that moves? That’s how it loses.

Backlash: The Politics of the Broken Deal

Trade used to be a wonky subject.
It lived in white papers, congressional committees, and business schools.
It was the language of economists—not campaign trail slogans.

But sometime in the 2000s, all that changed.

Because for millions of American workers, the promise of Pax Americana—that global trade would lift all boats—turned out to be a broken deal. And when the jobs disappeared, and no one showed up with a map back, anger filled the vacuum.

That anger didn’t stay quiet. It turned into politics. It turned into backlash.

From Policy to Identity

What began as economic pain—plant closures, job loss, wage stagnation—evolved into something deeper and more personal.

Because for many, it wasn’t just a paycheck that vanished.
It was:

• Status

• Stability

• Dignity

• A sense of belonging in a country they felt slipping away

And when they heard elites on TV call it “creative destruction” or suggest they “learn to code,” it didn’t just sting—it enraged.

The Rise of Economic Nationalism

Into that rage stepped a new political narrative:

“The globalists sold you out.”
“Trade deals killed your town.”
“We’ll bring your jobs back.”

And it landed.

From the Tea Party to Occupy Wall Street, and eventually to Donald Trump, the idea that America had made a bad trade—literally and figuratively—became a bipartisan grievance.

Suddenly, trade wasn’t just a policy issue.
It was a litmus test for loyalty:

• To your community

• To your country

• To the people left behind

“Bring Our Jobs Back”

What was once a marginal slogan became a mainstream demand:

• Tariffs on China

• Buy American rules

• Reviving U.S. manufacturing

• Opposition to new trade agreements

Presidents, senators, and candidates from both parties embraced a pro-worker, anti-trade establishment message.

Even Joe Biden—running on the opposite end of Trump—leaned into industrial policy and reshoring in his own way.

Because the anger never really went away. And politicians learned: ignore it at your peril.

Why It Hit So Hard

Job loss alone doesn’t always cause political upheaval. But when it’s paired with:

• Cultural change

• Geographic isolation

• Media echo chambers

• Generational decline

…it becomes something more powerful: an identity crisis.

People weren’t just asking “Where’s my job?”
They were asking:

“What happened to my town?”
“Why does my country feel like it forgot me?”
“Who am I in this new economy?”

And no trade deal could answer that.

What Comes Next

Tomorrow, we’ll explore how the U.S. has tried to respond—through industrial policy, tariffs, and the reassertion of economic nationalism.

Because if the old deal is dead, the question now is:

Can we build a new one?

The Seven Moves to Autocracy

Authoritarianism doesn’t emerge from a vacuum. It’s not chaos—it’s strategy.

Whether it’s Orbán in Hungary, Erdoğan in Turkey, Modi in India, or Trump in the United States, the pattern is shockingly consistent. These regimes don’t all look the same, but they follow a shared logic: consolidate power, suppress dissent, and make it harder for anyone to fight back.

Today we break down the authoritarian playbook—the seven core moves that appear again and again across countries, eras, and ideologies.

1. Discredit Independent Media

The first move is always to attack the press.

Authoritarians know that truth is a threat. So they flood the zone with lies, label journalists as enemies, and elevate partisan outlets as the only “trusted” sources. Over time, people stop believing anything—except what their leader says.

• Hungary: Independent media was defunded, then bought up by Orbán allies.

• U.S.: Trump branded the press “the enemy of the people” and boosted propaganda networks while suing or barring access to others.

2. Undermine the Courts

Next, they go after the judiciary—because courts can block authoritarian power.

That’s why strongmen pack courts with loyalists, remove or intimidate independent judges, and weaken judicial review. If the courts won’t play along, they’re sidelined or dismantled.

• Turkey: Thousands of judges were purged after the 2016 coup.

• U.S.: Trump now pressures courts via loyal legal groups and allies, with ongoing threats to independent judges. Even one was arrested and charged with obstruction.

3. Rig or Rewrite the Rules of Elections

Authoritarians often win elections—but then they change the rules to keep winning.

This might mean gerrymandering, restricting voter access, purging voter rolls, or even rewriting constitutions.

• Hungary: Electoral districts were redrawn to all but guarantee Fidesz wins.

• U.S.: Dozens of states have passed laws restricting mail-in voting, early voting, and voter registration—especially targeting urban and minority voters.

4. Target Minorities and Scapegoats

To maintain power, autocrats need enemies—and they usually target marginalized groups.

Fear is a powerful unifier. Leaders accuse outsiders or minority groups of threatening the nation’s values, safety, or identity. This justifies crackdowns and rallies the base.

• India: Muslims have been systematically vilified under Modi’s government.

• U.S.: Migrants, LGBTQ+ people, and people of color are repeatedly framed as threats to American “greatness” or “purity.”

5. Consolidate Executive Power

As institutions are weakened, authoritarian leaders pull more power into the executive branch.

They appoint loyalists, fire watchdogs, ignore norms, and test the limits of their authority. Over time, checks and balances are turned into formalities—or destroyed entirely.

• Brazil: Bolsonaro used the military to threaten oversight bodies.

• U.S.: Trump’s revival of Schedule F aims to purge the civil service and install a loyalist state.

6. Normalize Political Violence

The longer this goes on, the more dangerous the rhetoric becomes.

Authoritarian leaders stoke anger, hint at violence, and tolerate armed intimidation—until violence isn’t just a byproduct, but a tool.

• Turkey: Protesters and opposition figures have been violently suppressed.

• U.S.: January 6 was not an aberration—it was a test. And political violence has only become more acceptable among Trump’s base since then.

7. Use the Law to Punish Dissent

Finally, the system is turned into a weapon.

Dissenters are investigated. Critics are charged. Laws are selectively enforced to punish enemies and protect allies. At this stage, it’s no longer about winning power—it’s about eliminating resistance.

• Russia and Turkey: Anti-terrorism laws are used to imprison journalists.

• U.S.: The DOJ has been politicized, whistleblowers threatened, and investigations against Trump critics launched under flimsy pretexts.

This Is Not a Cycle—It’s a Sequence

These steps don’t always happen in the same order. But once the process starts, each move builds on the last. What begins as rhetoric becomes policy. What starts as a workaround becomes the new normal. And by the time institutions realize they’re being dismantled, it’s too late to stop it from the inside.

Authoritarianism is not just about strongmen—it’s about systems.
It’s about creating conditions where democracy becomes impossible without a fight.

Tomorrow: What’s Still Working—and Why It Matters

Not everything has collapsed. Yet. In tomorrow’s post, we’ll look at what institutions, officials, and civic efforts are still holding the line—and why they might be the last firewall between democracy and something far darker.

If you’ve stayed with the series so far, thank you. Please share this post with someone who still believes “it can’t happen here.” Because it already is.