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‘Maybe DHS Was a Bad Idea’

January 17, 2026 maybe, Idea0 comment

“We don’t do politics in the Department of Homeland Security,” Tom Ridge, the nation’s first DHS secretary, liked to say whenever reporters would ask how he handled pressure from the White House. Ridge, a moderate Republican and a Vietnam vet with a square jaw and gentle manner, was the governor of Pennsylvania when nearly 3,000 Americans were killed on September 11, 2001. The nation was gripped with fear and horror, and President George W. Bush put the bipartisanship-seeking Ridge in charge of making sure there wouldn’t be another terrorist strike.…

Is a Red Line Still a Red Line?

January 17, 2026 still, line0 comment

One of the most embarrassing moments of the extremely embarrassing Barack Obama presidency came in the context of the Syrian civil war. In August 2012, Obama vowed that “a red line for us,” which would thereby necessitate some sort of American intervention, “is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized.” The 44th president continued: “That would change my calculus.” Except it didn’t. A year later, former Iran- and Russia-backed Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad crossed Obama’s “red line,” launching a lethal sarin gas on…

What We Built Together and What Comes Next

January 17, 2026 Next, Together, comes, built0 comment

As we begin a new year, we wanted to take a moment to look back on what we’ve accomplished together in 2025, and to look forward to all that we will accomplish together in 2026. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Because of MoveOn members like you, we took action when it mattered. We pushed back against harmful fascist agendas, fought to protect democracy, elected progressive leaders up and down the ballot, and helped ensure millions of voices were heard. None of that happens without people willing to…

Rebel without a pause: Trump forged a frenetic first year

January 13, 2026 Without, Trump, rebel, pause, forged, frenetic, first, year0 comment

President Trump kicked off his first year back in office with an Inauguration Day for the record books, signing 26 executive orders that erased much of his predecessor’s legacy and began his own quest to remake the federal bureaucracy in his image. The Washington Times stories: White House

Lawmakers push to overhaul complex reserve duty status system

January 13, 2026 System, Lawmakers, Complex, Push, Duty, status, Reserve, overhaul0 comment

The Defense Department has long tried to simplify and reform the reserve duty status system, which has expanded to more than 30 separate statutes scattered across about 20 different titles of federal law. This complex system has created pay and benefits inequities and frequent administrative delays when National Guard members and reservists shift between duty statuses. A new bipartisan bill now seeks to consolidate dozens of duty statuses under which National Guard members and reservists are called to service to just four. If passed, the Duty Status Reform Act would…

The Biggest Myth About Trump’s Base (And Why Many Believe It)

January 13, 2026 about, believe, many, Biggest, base, trumps, myth0 comment

This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. Sign up for it here. To judge by recent accounts, Donald Trump’s intervention in Venezuela has imperiled his standing among his own supporters. Traditional-media outlets have warned of a MAGA schism, as have some high-profile right-wing influencers. “President Trump seized control of the Republican Party on an anti-interventionist ‘America First’ platform,” The New York Times reported on January 4, but his removal of Venezuela’s leader “threatened to open a new rift within the political movement he has built.”…