I'm from the United States of Betrayal, where the people in power are selling out everything we stand for, piece by piece, headline by headline.
Where Donald Trump is set to meet Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska to "negotiate peace" in Ukraine, without Ukraine even in the room. The likely terms? A ceasefire that cements Russia's illegal annexations in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
President Zelensky has made it clear: Ukraine's sovereignty and 1991 borders are written into its constitution and not up for negotiation. Russia invaded in 2022, killing tens of thousands and displacing over 14 million people. To reward that with stolen land is not peace.
It's betrayal. And it signals to every NATO ally that America's security guarantees are worthless when it's politically convenient. Ukraine isn't a NATO member, but we've spent years promising to support their sovereignty. If we abandon a country we've publicly backed, why would Poland or Estonia believe we'd honor Article 5 when it actually matters?
Where a man radicalized by vaccine lies tried to bring terror to the CDC. Patrick Joseph White, 30, believed the COVID-19 vaccine made him suicidal. On August 8, he drove to Emory University, fired into CDC buildings (including one housing a daycare for 92 children) and killed Officer David Rose before being killed himself. This is what happens when leaders feed conspiracy theories for political gain. It's not "free speech." It's calculated poison, and it leaves bodies behind. Disinformation doesn't just harm those it infects, it spreads in ways we can't even imagine. And now we have RFK Jr., who has spent years profiting from anti-vaccine fear while building a political career on dangerous misinformation. His financial empire depends on keeping people afraid of the very science that could save their lives.
Where shootings are so constant they barely make the front page. In the past couple of days alone, they've happened in New York City at NFL headquarters, Montana, Times Square, Emory, and tomorrow, somewhere else. In Montana, four people were killed in a bar shooting that local police say could have been prevented if red flag laws existed. In Times Square, gunfire erupted near the TKTS steps where thousands of tourists gather daily, sending families diving for cover. Meanwhile, Congress continues to block universal background checks supported by 90% of Americans. The names change, but the script stays the same: profit for gun lobbyists, funerals for the public, and politicians who offer thoughts and prayers instead of policy.
Where some Democrats want new leadership and Senator Ron Wyden vows to resist Trump's agenda. But Chuck Schumer? He's done nothing worth the title of Majority Leader. He gave in before the fight even started. Even after Project 2025 spelled out the plan for dismantling democracy, the party's top brass acted like Trump could be contained or at least tolerated. You cannot contain an authoritarian, and you certainly can't placate one. You either stop him, or you help him.
Where the IRS has been ordered to feed taxpayer data to ICE. The database includes names, addresses, and incomes of people who (by definition) are working and paying taxes. The Trump narrative says undocumented immigrants are draining the system. The IRS data proves they're contributing to it. This isn't law enforcement. It's targeting. It's propaganda. And it's how regimes convince the public that cruelty equals safety. This isn't fixing any of the immigration issues plaguing our country. This is planned terror designed to instill fear in all of us, documented or not.
Where international students are being driven away. Visa restrictions are causing double-digit declines in applications to universities from countries like India, China, Brazil, and beyond. We are losing some of the brightest hopes for our world in areas like health research and climate change. This doesn't just hurt these students, it hurts everyone living on this planet. The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 calls for slashing foreign enrollment and ending birthright citizenship. Why? Because an educated, globally connected population is harder to control.
Where Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promises to "overhaul" the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a system that has already paid out over $5 billion since 1988 to people with verified injuries. It works. But tearing it apart would turn it into a stage for anti-vaccine propaganda, not justice. This is just more MAHA/Trump Administration propaganda designed to give their followers talking points that aren't grounded in evidence-based medicine or reality.
Where Harvard is under federal review for its patents. The official story is about compliance. The unofficial truth? Harvard has opposed Trump's immigration bans and spoken out against his policies. Now its research funding, worth billions, is a political target. When power can't beat you directly, it tries to starve you into submission.
Where the FDA just reinstated Vinay Prasad as head of its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, less than two weeks after ousting him. Prasad, who questioned mask mandates and vaccine trial designs during the pandemic, will now oversee vaccines in an administration aligned with the anti-science movement. We won't be able to measure the harm this will cause for years to come because its ripple effects will last for decades. It will be such a tsunami of destruction that we'll be talking about this for decades. We might as well start referring to it as the "dumb ages."
Each story follows the same pattern: institutions that should protect democracy are being weaponized against it. Independent agencies become political tools. International alliances become bargaining chips. Scientific expertise gets replaced with loyalty tests. Dangerous people with no expertise are being placed in positions they're not qualified to hold, and their appointments will cause destruction and harm. This isn't random chaos, it's systematic dismantling.
These are not isolated events. They're part of the same strategy we talk about every day now.
We used to wake up with hope and excitement that comes with each new day, each new beginning. Now we wake up and hold our collective breath to see what this administration has unleashed. We open our eyes to headlines that not even satirical news sources could imagine.
We plan for a future where we might lose all of our rights piece by piece. While so many among us pretend everything is fine, because they would either have to admit their part in this, or face a very stark reality for their children and grandchildren.
But I also draw from the past for the hope we need today. I think back to the Underground Railroad, where people carved passages under their houses and gave refuge to those escaping slavery. I think of those enslaved people and try to imagine what it would have taken to not only survive captivity, but also to leave. I think about those who survived ghettos and concentration camps. About the young men who left home barely into adulthood and fought fascism and the Nazi regime. I think of the men and women back home who held their ground and kept the country going. About the mothers and fathers who never saw their children again, but who knew they died a hero's death.
America is the land of promise. The land people come to for a better life. The place where people have made unimaginable journeys for safety and security. We can't forget that.
So when the news becomes too much, let your mind drift back to other times we have had to rise to the occasion. Draw strength from our ancestors and power from our descendants. Let's make them both proud of us in this moment.
Keep spreading the word. Let everyone know how you feel. Tell them what is happening. Let them ask questions.
We are not voiceless, and we won't be silenced.
It is not hopeless.
I will never stop believing in America.
You shouldn't either.
I'll see you tomorrow,
Heather
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