Former CIA officer Jim Lawler and former FBI senior executive Lauren C. Anderson host Mark Zaid, a renowned national security attorney who has represented whistleblowers, been personally targeted by a presidential clearance revocation, and fought for government transparency for nearly three decades. They discuss the real difference between a whistleblower and a leaker (using Edward […]
Graphic Generated by AI President Trump is escalating his efforts to use the DOJ as an instrument of vengeance, using loyal appointees and dubious legal maneuvers to tilt the system—undermining the courts and the rule of law. The recent announcement that octogenarian Joe diGenova has been called out of obscurity to lead the South Florida-based […]
This week the Steady State zeroes in the misperception that what looks like political turbulence is in fact a structural drift; the repeated normalization of institutional overreach, manipulation of truth, and declining restraint across government and civic life is gradually hollowing out the guardrails of American democracy. Read more… THE ESSENTIALS TRENDING If paying an […]
Civility is the discipline that keeps conflict from becoming chaos; without it, polarization deepens, institutions erode, and leadership drifts toward instability. A quiet erosion is underway in American public life. It does not appear in GDP reports or polling averages, but it is unmistakable in tone, in trust, and in the fraying fabric of civic […]
The real “Trump Derangement Syndrome” is not found among his critics, but in the persistent denial of reality, normalization of falsehoods, and cult-like behavior surrounding the former president and his movement. These are tumultuous times, even a time of war. Sorting truth from falsehood, fact from fiction, is a daily challenge. This is particularly true […]
Unpacking this week’s Sentinel podcast: Here’s what you need to know from a conversation that ranges from the battlefields of the MAGA media wars to the paralyzed hallways of the FBI. In the latest episode of The Steady State Sentinel, John Sipher welcomes David Corn, Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones, MSNBC analyst, and one […]
AI Generated Graphic A poorly informed electorate makes it easier to vilify public servants, dismantle expertise, and replace governance with self-serving power. The tumult of recent years has illuminated how little the average citizen knows about the United States government and the people who perform its functions. As politicians continue to slash civil service jobs […]
AI Generated Graphic The focus on partisanship is distracting from a more serious threat: the weakening of democratic checks and balances. I have published multiple negative essays and commentaries regarding our current president and the damage done by both him and his appointed band of sycophant grifters, especially in his second incarnation. Those many pieces […]
Former CIA officer John Sipher sits down for the latest Sentinel podcast with David Corn, Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones and one of the nation’s most respected political journalists. They dive deep into the explosive schisms within MAGA world triggered by the Iran war, from Tucker Carlson accusing Trump of being the anti‑Christ to […]
War does not suspend the law—the principles of distinction, necessity, proportionality, and humanity are not optional, and abandoning them carries real strategic and moral consequences. In the several weeks since the United States and Israel attacked Iran, the President and Secretary of Defense have announced on a number of occasions that we are winning the […]