‘We Need to Do McCarthyism to the Tenth Power’

For decades, Senator Joseph R. McCarthy’s name has been used as shorthand for the opposite of the aspirational ideal of civilized American politics. In the way that Kleenex has become interchangeable with tissue, McCarthyism, for many, is an eponym for the unjust, reprehensible use of political power. Indicating that anything resembled the tactics and smears of the late senator from Wisconsin has been enough to suggest that such behavior was out of bounds, with no rightful place in our modern politics. But now comes a small, influential group of hard-line…

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Fetterman Breaks Ranks: Dems ‘Need to Own the Shutdown’

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., openly criticized his own party‘s refusal to reopen the government on CNN’s “State of the Union,” stating that Democrats “really need to own the shutdown.“ PA Senator John Fetterman blames his own party for the shutdown ? @CNNSOTU "I feel like the Democrats really need to own the shutdown. I mean, WE’RE shutting it down." pic.twitter.com/62CIaFTX1C — Dave Briggs (@davebriggstv) November 2, 2025 “Fundamentally, I’m deeply distressing that 42 million Americans are going to lose their SNAP benefits. And now that’s one of the big reasons…

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Trump: ‘I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had’

To support The Atlantic’s journalism, please consider subscribing today. In April 2020, Vanessa Guillén, a 20-year-old Army private, was bludgeoned to death by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood, in Texas. The killer, aided by his girlfriend, burned Guillén’s body. Guillén’s remains were discovered two months later, buried in a riverbank near the base, after a massive search. Guillén, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, grew up in Houston, and her murder sparked outrage across Texas and beyond. Fort Hood had become known as a particularly perilous assignment for female soldiers,…

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We Still Need to Trump-Proof America

What will happen if Donald Trump secures a second term as president? Polling remains close—and though a Democratic victory seems far more likely than it did before the Biden-Harris swap, it’s hardly assured. Should Trump pull out a win in November, voters might imagine that they know what to expect: more chaos, more grievance, more all-caps rants on social media. But a second Trump term would be much more dangerous than the first. Trump’s unexpected victory in 2016 left him flailing to staff the executive branch and unequipped with the…

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Why you need a strategy when it’s time to claim Social Security benefits

Social Security taxes start automatically the day you start working. But when the time comes you have got to file an application to get your benefits. When to file? Well, it’s not that simple. You need a “strategy.” To look at some of those important considerations,  the Federal Drive with Tom Temin  talked with federal retirement expert Tammy Flanagan. Interview Transcript:  Tammy Flanagan Tom. I’m glad to be back. And this is a very important topic. A lot of people ask about claiming, and a lot of people have opinions.…

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K-12 ‘Action Civics’ Trained Students Encamped on College Campuses. Here’s What Parents Need to Know.

Parents asking why their college student’s graduation is canceled this year need only remember when their child was in high school. K-12 schools have been training students to disrupt the systems around them for years through the teaching of “action civics,” which primes students to be activists even if it deprives them of understanding if, when, or why a demonstration would be necessary. Rioting students’ encampments on college campuses today are disrupting schools around the country, putting classes on hold in some places and leading to the canceling of graduation…

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