By Adam Wasserman A new book, Common Sense: Take 2, A Call to Renew Democracy, contends that the United States is confronting not simply a political crisis but a deeper crisis of democratic capacity. Written by Russ Travers, a career public servant across multiple administrations who retired as Acting Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, […]
I’ve Seen Elections Stolen Before. I Never Expected to Worry About America.
/in SubstackI’ve spent 30 years watching democracies struggle to hold free elections. The warning signs I once saw overseas are becoming visible in the United States—and protecting the vote now requires ordinary citizens to act before Election Day. . Imagine a regime so paranoid about what it would face from opposition scrutiny that it begins to […]
The Flag Is Not a Prop
/in SubstackA burial of a fallen soldier in the quiet of Arlington Cemetery As America celebrates 250 years of independence, the greatest act of patriotism isn’t waving the flag—it’s defending the Constitution, honoring those who sacrificed for it, and remembering that loyalty belongs to the republic, not to any political leader. Our country celebrates 250 years […]
Common Sense Take II: States, Schools, and the Generational Roadmap – Part Two
/in SubstackBy Max Estevao A new book, Common Sense: Take 2, A Call to Renew Democracy, contends that the United States is confronting not simply a political crisis but a deeper crisis of democratic capacity. Written by Russ Travers, a career public servant across multiple administrations who retired as Acting Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, […]
A Declaration of Independence for our Time
/in SubstackAs America celebrates its 250th birthday, the greatest threat to liberty does not come from a distant king but from the growing acceptance of authoritarianism at home. Fidelity to constitutional democracy—not loyalty to any individual—is the true test of patriotism in our time. With attribution and apologies to Thomas Jefferson WHEN IN THE COURSE OF […]
The Robber Barons Never Left
/in SubstackAmerica’s original robber barons were not defeated—they evolved. Today’s technology oligarchs wield economic and political power on a scale their predecessors could scarcely imagine, aided by a government and judiciary increasingly willing to accommodate concentrated wealth rather than restrain it. A broad historical pattern emerges when we look at the disruptive, in ways both good […]
The Steady State: Letter in Opposition to the Nomination of Todd Blanche to Serve as Attorney General of the United States
/in Press, SubstackJuly 1, 2026 The Honorable Chuck Grassley Chairman Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate 135 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Dick Durbin Ranking Member Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate 711 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Subject: Opposition to the Nomination of Todd Blanche to Serve as […]
Common Sense, Take 2: States, Schools, and the Generational Roadmap
/in SubstackBy Adam Wasserman A new book, Common Sense: Take 2, A Call to Renew Democracy, contends that the United States is confronting not simply a political crisis but a deeper crisis of democratic capacity. Written by Russ Travers, a career public servant across multiple administrations who retired as Acting Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, […]
How America Lost Canada – A Canadian Perspective
/in SubstackThe Canadian Guest Author’s Name is Withheld The Peace Arch Tariffs, annexation rhetoric, and uncertainty about NATO have done what decades of geopolitical rivalry never could: convince many Canadians that the United States itself has become their greatest strategic concern. The Canadian Reaction Canadians have become disenchanted with the United States, not with Americans per […]
An Open Letter to Current Federal National Security Employees Regarding Classification
/in SubstackJune 30, 2026 Many federal employees understand that they have a duty to protect properly classified information. Fewer understand that they also have a duty to challenge information that is improperly classified. Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 420 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes […]
🎧 The Making of a Public Servant: Lauren C. Anderson’s Journey to the Senior Ranks of the FBI
/in SubstackIn a format shift, host Peter Mina turns the microphone over to co-host Lauren C. Anderson to explore her origin story — from a childhood visit to the FBI where a tour guide told her girls can’t be agents because “…they paint their fingernails,” to serving as a senior executive in the FBI across nearly […]