It may be hard for many, given our collective issue remembering anything that happened in politics more than six months ago, but recall the unprecedentedly bleak vibe shift that rattled the nation across the first half of 2025. Dark days for millions of Americans began Jan. 20 with Donald Trump ’s return to the Oval Office. An inauguration featuring a Nazi salute from the world’s wealthiest man gave way to the signing of a staggering number of sweeping executive orders that rescinded many of the previous administration’s actions and zeroed in on vulnerable members of the working class. Over the subsequent weeks, news of Trump testing his power with the courts and for vendetta fulfillment became quotidian; by June, the chilling effects of the sacking of those who dared question or cross o

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