David Troy

4 days ago | america2.news | Dave Troy |David Troy

At this point there is no doubt as to whether we are having an authoritarian moment. We are — but we don't yet know how long it might last or how exactly we will exit from its grip. This week we glimpsed what may be the beginnings of a pathway out, with the historic election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV.

2 weeks ago | america2.news | Dave Troy |David Troy

ūüí°Editor's note: this creative fiction essay attempts to convey abstract ideas that may be unfamiliar to most readers. More than one reading is recommended. Take the time to look up references, as needed. This is a message from the future. My calendar says June 2031, though some on social media argue it is, in fact, October 2033, and have presented rather compelling evidence in support of their position.

3 weeks ago | america2.news | Dave Troy |David Troy

Every day we are warned about the dangers of impending Fascism, Nazism, authoritarianism, and autocracy — and with good reason. In the United States, our system of constitutional checks and balances has broken down quickly. Each day we awaken to dark new realities: people being disappeared illegally, defiance of court orders, citizens' rights being threatened, agencies being illegally dismantled. Trump and his allies are very obviously following the “fascist playbook” — and it's working.

1 month ago | america2.news | Dave Troy |David Troy

Historians (if they exist in the future and any records of this period survive) will note this month as one where the United States slipped fully into authoritarianism. Incompetence, luck, and real leadership may yet intervene, but we have already crossed several “red lines” warned about by experts. At the TED conference this past week in Vancouver, British Columbia, about 1,700 multidisciplinary thinkers gathered to hear and discuss dozens of prepared talks.

1 month ago | america2.news | Dave Troy |David Troy

As the world continues to digest Donald Trump's haphazard announcement of wide-ranging tariffs that threaten to upend the global economy, reshape capital markets, and decimate individual retirement accounts, one vulnerability is becoming clear: the MAGA coalition is not united, and contains exploitable fault lines. Voices as diverse as Mike Pence and Elon Musk have expressed concerns about the tariffs, their scope, and their potential effects.