What happened to America?

When I woke up this morning, I shared this on Substack: “I’m really struggling today, knowing our country is on the verge of a complete fascist takeover, and I still have to do normal things like answer emails, show up to meetings, and keep functioning, all while trying to make sure my daughter has a good childhood in a country that is becoming more dangerous and less free for her and all of our children.”

And maybe that feeling hit harder than usual because yesterday was her birthday, and I kept thinking about how much of her life Trump has already stolen. I talk about how she has fewer rights today than she had the day she was born. And that’s the reality for her, and for millions of other kids who are growing up under something that no longer resembles a functioning democracy.

And I think about what’s at stake every day when I sit down to read the news. Today was a doozy. I haven’t even had time to process all of it, because there’s been a flood of court rulings and lawsuits in motion. I’m not an attorney or a legal expert, so when I read these filings, I also go straight to the professionals. I follow the people who do this work every day, because some catch what others miss, and their interpretations help piece together a full picture. And even with all of that, even after waking up already feeling this weight, I’m still shocked by how much can happen in a single day.

Let’s start with the most ridiculous news story first, but I need you to look past the absurdity of it. Don’t write this off as just empty words from an adversary and a dictator. Because today, North Korea publicly condemned the United States for what it called “shameless moves” and accused Washington of committing a “hideous criminal act.” Now, North Korea has no moral authority. None. It is a brutal, authoritarian regime with a well-documented history of terrorizing its own people. But that’s not the point. Because this isn’t one of those situations where we can just roll our eyes and say, “Well, it’s North Korea, who cares?” No. The point is that what they said is actually true. The United States is acting shamelessly. Washington is carrying out acts that are criminal and violent. And I’m not saying that to be provocative. I’m saying it because it’s the reality of what is actually happening. And when even North Korea can describe what’s happening in America and be right, that changes how every other country sees us. It chips away at what little respect, trust, or dignity we have left.

This is what happens when a country’s institutions are gutted, its laws ignored, and its leadership consumed by revenge, delusion, and absolute loyalty to a single man. Trump thinks he’s in some special club. He calls dictators smart and great people, thinking that praising them makes him powerful. But that’s not how dictators work. They don’t make friends. They use people. And Trump, for all his bragging, is nothing more than a pawn to them, a useful fool who weakens alliances, destabilizes global norms, and dismantles his own government from the inside out. He doesn’t understand how power operates at that level, and they see it. They use it. And they will discard him the second he stops being useful to their goals. That’s why this condemnation matters. It isn’t about North Korea’s moral standing. It’s about the fact that they now see the United States as weak and unraveling, a nation so consumed by internal collapse that even dictators feel emboldened to publicly shame us. And it lands because we’ve lost our credibility. Trump has made sure of that. And now that weakness is showing up everywhere, in the way our allies respond, in the way our agreements are being tested, and in the way the rest of the world is starting to back away.

Greenland has now formally rejected Donald Trump’s plan to use their territory for unilateral U.S. military operations. Their government came out publicly and said what used to be unthinkable: that Greenland’s defense is a NATO matter, not an American one. And we must see this for the threat that it is. These are fractures at the foundation of the world order we’ve relied on for more than seventy years. The 1951 U.S.-Danish defense agreement allows the United States to operate military bases in Greenland, but only under the shared structure of NATO defense. It does not grant ownership. It does not authorize unilateral force. It’s a cooperative agreement built on trust, and Trump is shattering it. He is treating NATO countries like enemies. And then, as if none of it happened, he gets on Truth Social and declares, “I’m the one who saved NATO!!!” President DJT.

That isn’t just delusion. It’s a propaganda tactic ripped straight from the authoritarian playbook. You erase the facts, you insert your own version of history, and you say it loudly enough and often enough that people start to question what’s real. The difference now is that the people watching this aren’t just Americans; they’re our allies, our neighbors, our global partners, and they’re not confused. They see what this is. They see what Trump is doing. And they’re backing away because they know this country can no longer be trusted to follow its own rules or international laws. That’s how far we’ve fallen. And that’s what it looks like when the world stops believing the United States is still capable of leading it.

The hardest part of writing these posts is choosing which stories to share. There’s just too much. Every single day brings nonstop headlines that, in any other time in our lives, would’ve been unthinkable, administration-ending. But today, they’re just the news of the day. That’s why I’m focusing on the bigger picture. Not the legal technicalities. Not the daily whiplash of lawsuits. But the deeper truth: America itself is changing. The new United States is already here.

And this next story says it all. Not because it was subtle, but because it wasn’t. They’re trying so hard to be big, strong Americans. But we can all see they are the most unoriginal bunch of the worst people, pulling straight from the dictator playbook, not just in tone, but in spirit. They use the same tactics used by fascist regimes. And now those tactics are being repackaged as American policy.

The most shocking example was when Kristi Noem stood at a podium shortly after the killing of Renee Nicole Good, with the phrase “One of ours, all of yours” printed on the front. That language carries a name in international law: collective punishment. It’s the doctrine that says if you harm one of us, we will retaliate against all of you, your family, your neighbors, your entire community.

This was the exact logic the Nazis used to justify the massacre at Lidice, a Czech village wiped off the map in 1942 after the assassination of SS officer Reinhard Heydrich. Every man and teenage boy in that village was executed. Every woman was sent to a concentration camp. The children were taken, most sent to extermination camps and gassed. The Nazis didn’t hide what they did. They announced it proudly as a warning to anyone who might resist.

That’s what collective punishment looks like. And now, in 2026, a U.S. official is using language that invokes the same threat. You don’t put a phrase like that on a government podium by accident. You use it because it sends a message, one of fear and dominance. It says: we will punish you and everyone you hold near and dear. And we can’t pretend that we don’t know exactly what that means.

And it’s not just Kristi Noem. It’s Vice President J.D. Vance, too. On January 9, he confirmed on Fox News what many of us feared: that the Trump administration’s plan for mass deportations isn’t just about increased surveillance or lawful immigration proceedings. It’s about door-to-door enforcement. His exact words were:

“I think we’re going to see those deportation numbers ramp up as we get more and more people online working for ICE, going door to door, making sure if you’re an illegal alien you’ve got to get out of this country…”

That is the language of authoritarian rule. It’s not vague or policy speak. It’s a promise to use the power of the state to hunt people down, not because they’ve committed violence or crime, but because of their status alone. And history shows exactly what door‑to‑door enforcement means. In Nazi Germany, the regime used that tactic to find Jews, Roma, queer people, disabled citizens, political opponents, and anyone else they labeled “undesirables.” They started with lists, then went from street to street, house to house, family by family, rounding people up in full view. Entire communities disappeared. It wasn’t done quietly. It was done publicly to terrify bystanders into silence and submission.

And now, in the United States of America, the vice president is using that same language on national television. If we let leaders talk this way without consequence, they won’t stop. Because what they’re describing isn’t law enforcement. It’s a purge, a system for removing people by force under the guise of policy. Once a government gets comfortable with that kind of talk, it doesn’t stop at one group. It moves on to the next. And the next. And before you know it, it reaches anyone who dares to speak out or dissent. This is not a warning about what might happen someday. The plan is already in the works.

And I’ve been thinking about that a lot today, how we’ve entered a new level. A different phase of this. The authoritarian shift has deepened. And the question I keep coming back to is: what can we do in this moment? Something every single one of us can do, no matter our income, our energy, our time, or our physical ability. What action is still in our hands? And the answer is simple: visibility. There are more of us than there are of them. That is a fact. And we need to remind each other, and those trying to normalize this new United States, and the world watching from a distance.

What we can do right now is this: encourage everyone we know to make a public statement, very clearly, that we do not stand with a dictator hijacking our country. That we stand with our immigrant communities. That we believe in law, not revenge. That we believe in dignity, not cruelty. This is something every single person can do, and encourage others to do as well. This is the moment to use our voices. Let it be known that you are not a safe place for racism. Say clearly that you oppose ICE violence. That you reject the Trump regime. That you stand for due process, human rights, truth, and accountability. You don’t have to say it perfectly. You don’t need thousands of followers. You just need to say it, because silence sends a message too.

This is the moment when people draw the line and decide what side of history they’re on. And the more of us who speak up, the less safe they’ll feel spreading hate, justifying violence, or threatening democracy. Your words tell your community where you stand. They also tell your representatives, local, state, and federal, that you’re paying attention. That you won’t quietly go along. This country is not yet a blank slate for authoritarian rule. But it’s moving there fast. And unless we stop pretending this is normal, it will be.

If you feel physically unsafe making a public statement, I understand. Your safety comes first. But if what’s holding you back is discomfort, fear of backlash, or the desire to keep the peace, this is your moment to speak anyway. Make your own post. Use any of my words if you need to. Borrow the message, but make it yours. Say what matters. Say what you believe. Say what you will not accept.

Because the second we stay quiet is the second they assume we agree. And the more people who see that they’re not alone, that we are the powerful majority, the more will start to speak out too. And that’s how momentum shifts. That’s how people come together. That’s how we remind the world that this country is still worth fighting for. And that is why I still have hope for America. And I hope you do too.

I’ll see you tomorrow,
Heather

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