In the latest episode of The Steady State Sentinel, Margaret Henoch (former senior CIA Operations Officer) sits down with Bob Drogin– a 38‑year veteran of the Los Angeles Times who served as a national correspondent, foreign correspondent, and ultimately White House editor during the first Trump administration. Drogin covered intelligence and national security for years, […]
A Memorial Day Reflection
/in SubstackToday we remember the Americans who gave their lives in service to this country. The best way to honor them is not only with gratitude, but with responsibility. We owe them a republic worthy of their sacrifice: one grounded in truth, accountable government, equal justice, and the steady defense of democracy itself. Memorial Day asks […]
The Weekly: A Gathering Storm
/in SubstackThe Steady State provides both a warning and a call to action: The greatest threat to the United States is not a sudden collapse of democracy but the gradual normalization of intimidation, institutional erosion, unchecked executive power, and public disengagement. We contend that democratic resilience ultimately depends not only on institutions, but on citizens willing […]
They Can Cancel the Show, Not the Audience
/in SubstackStephen Colbert mattered because he challenged power without cruelty. If corporations now silence or sideline voices that criticize Trump, citizens still possess leverage of their own: boycott and civic resistance. I stayed up late last night, 21 May 2026, to watch the final episode of Stephen Colbert on The Late Show. I am nowhere close […]
Has America Lost Europe?
/in SubstackBecause my current residence is in Italy, I often watch internationally oriented news broadcasts produced in Europe. There may only be a few democratically minded European Union leaders who do not despair over the continuing absurd, nonsensical, self-serving, and ultimately hazardous decisions made by Mr. Trump. Most seem to consider the man clownish—but clowns are […]
National Poll Shows Belief in Democracy is Strong, Silent Majority Fear Expressing Views, Rising Authoritarianism
/in UncategorizedOn the cusp of America 250, the machinery of democracy appears functional, but democratic discourse is rapidly cooling and there’s growing concern about the rise of authoritarianism. for immediate release: May 20, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new national poll on the health of democracy released today reveals a participation enigma. While a plurality of […]
ICYMI: “He’s Trying to Destroy the First Amendment” – Bob Drogin on Trump’s War on the Press
/in SubstackIn the latest episode of The Steady State Sentinel, Margaret Henoch (former senior CIA Operations Officer) sits down with Bob Drogin– a 38‑year veteran of the Los Angeles Times who served as a national correspondent, foreign correspondent, and ultimately White House editor during the first Trump administration. Drogin covered intelligence and national security for years, […]
Lies + More Lies= $1.8 Billion
/in SubstackThe DOJ’s “anti-weaponization fund: a federally sanctioned mechanism for settling political scores at taxpayer expense. The recent announcement by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that he has established an “anti-weaponization fund” in exchange for the Trump family dropping its collective lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a horrible misuse of authority in its […]
The Steady State Auxiliary: A Deeper Way to Engage
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The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself
/in Substack“Those in line can vote” photo with thanks to PBS The threat of armed federal personnel near polling places is meant to intimidate, not protect democracy. Americans must reject fear, defend the rule of law, and vote. The prospect of armed federal personnel appearing at or near polling places should alarm every American, regardless of […]
The War on the Press: How Trump Attacks the First Amendment
/in SubstackIn the latest episode of the Sentinel podcast, former CIA Operations Officer Margaret Henoch interviews Bob Drogin, a 38-year veteran of the Los Angeles Times. Drogin describes what he assesses as the Trump administration’s unprecedented assault on the First Amendment: cutting NPR and PBS funding, banning reporters from the White House and taking over the […]