activism

Grassroots campaigns have proven instrumental in bringing about political, social or environmental change; you've got to start somewhere-might as well start here.

The Oval Office Clock Kept Moving While Nobody Said a Word
The clock in the Oval Office moved through ten minutes. Trump stood behind the Resolute Desk. His right index finger tapped the wood. Three taps. Stop. Two taps. Michael Dell stood in front of him, dark blue suit, tie knot pulled tight, as if the tie had just come out of the box. Susan Dell stood half a step to his right. Red dress. Red with no other color in it. Her heels sank into the carpet. Her ankles tilted slightly outward. She held herself straight. Shoulders back. Chin up. Someone behind her might have been pulling a string.
By Jin18 days ago in The Swamp
The Knox County Bypass
By Elliott J. Schuchardt For anyone who has driven through the western stretch of Knox County during rush hour, the reality is undeniable: the interstate infrastructure is at a breaking point. What was once a relatively smooth commute has transformed into a daily gridlock of idling engines, brake lights, and frustrated motorists. The combined corridor where Interstate 40 and Interstate 75 merge west of Knoxville has become one of the most severe bottlenecks in the state of Tennessee.
By Elliott J. Schuchardt19 days ago in The Swamp
Trump Put Taiwan’s Weapons on the Bargaining Table
1. The signature that never came In May 2026, Donald Trump returned to Washington after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping.
By Jin20 days ago in The Swamp
The Strait of Hormuz Is Opening Without a Deal
On September 25, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced a “seven-day plan” at the United Nations in New York. The plan was simple. The United States would carry out, within four or five days, the actions it had already promised in the June memorandum. The Strait of Hormuz would reopen on the sixth day. On the seventh day, the two sides would begin talks on a final agreement. Araghchi said the plan demanded “no new conditions.” It only asked for what Washington had already signed.
By Jin22 days ago in The Swamp
Another Day, Another Rally
Trump’s on the campaign trail, again. The question: why? Why is a second termed president hosting rallies? Why is he trying to win votes when he’s already in office? Legally speaking, Trump cannot run for a third term. The constitution (which he and his regime consider the equivalent of a one-ply toilet tissue) clearly states a president may hold no more than two terms. Yet, Trump constantly holds rallies with a dwindling audience. The answer: because he is on the ballot, just not in the way we think.
By Iris Harris22 days ago in The Swamp
I Remember Y2K. I Think We’re Doing It Again With AI.
I think about Y2K a lot lately. I remember people genuinely panicking as 1999 came to an end. Computers supposedly was not going to understand that the year had changed from 1999 to 2000. Systems would crash! Banks could fail! Everything connected to a computer might suddenly stop working!
By Cadma22 days ago in The Swamp
G7 released 100 million barrels of oil. Diesel is still the problem.
The first 20 days are diesel. The next four months are a political countdown. One line in the G7 statement is easy to miss: during the first 20 days, the group will release diesel reserves in a concentrated way.
By Jin23 days ago in The Swamp
A Restaurant Named “Xi Jinping” Was Attacked in South Korea. Then the Name Became the Story.
At about 2:40 a.m. on September 24, four masked men entered a Chinese restaurant in Seongnam, just south of Seoul. Surveillance footage shows them moving through the premises, spraying lacquer and paint and damaging equipment. Investigators also found a substance believed to be pesticide on food ingredients.
By Jin24 days ago in The Swamp
The Trump-Xi Summit
By September 28, Beijing had released more details about the agreements reached during Xi Jinping’s meeting with Donald Trump the previous week. The White House fact sheet had already been online for three days.
By Jin24 days ago in The Swamp
The Trump-Xi Summit: What They Left Unsaid Matters Most
The most revealing document from the Trump-Xi summit may be the one neither side published. There was no joint communiqué.
By Jin24 days ago in The Swamp
Spain Is Moving Closer to China. What It Reveals About Europe’s Strategic Divide
Barcelona offers the first clue Barcelona spent five days in September doing something that would have been unusual in an earlier phase of Europe-China relations.
By Jin24 days ago in The Swamp
The 6:1 Ratio: Inside the Cabinet Room Where Praise Replaced Policy
One in Six I January 29, 2026. The White House Cabinet Room. The cameras were already in place. Reporters had been allowed into a space that would normally be used for closed-door discussions of sensitive matters. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said to the camera: "What happened in Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine, under President Trump, they would never happen. The tragedy of October 7 in Israel would never have happened either."
By Jin24 days ago in The Swamp