The arrests of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort today raise the stakes for all journalists, but especially for those reporters, videographers, photojournalists, researchers and others who work independently, here on Substack and elsewhere.

We are all in this together. I stand with Don and Georgia and all my colleagues.

This is a fight for American freedom. #democracy #donlemon #trump #minnesota

Media outlets are scared to tell the truth about President Trump's unprecedented power grabs. It's time to stop being cautious and start being honest about what's happening. From threatening Greenland to using ICE as his personal paramilitary, here are four major steps toward autocracy that Trump is already taking.

#democracy #uspolitics #trump #venezuela #greenland #ice

As Donald Trump breaks the limits of the presidency, will the Supreme Court stand up to him or let him run wild? Law Professor Kate Shaw joins Terry Moran to discuss how the court created an imperial presidency and whether ICE violence, attacks on the First Amendment, the investigation of Jerome Powell, or even plans to annex Greenland will be enough to make them rein Trump in.

#ice #supremecourt #trump #democracy #greenland #venezuela #federalreserve

In the first week of 2026, Terry Moran sits down with his wife Johanna for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about what the year ahead may bring.

They talk through the shock of Venezuela, the erosion of congressional power, the rise of strongman politics, and the quiet resilience of everyday American life. From midterm elections and executive overreach to parenting, community, and why politics hasn’t completely poisoned neighborly relationships, this episode blends hard analysis with lived experience.

A thoughtful, personal way to start a turbulent year — and a reminder that most Americans are still normal.

⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 – Starting 2026 and why it already feels overwhelming

01:00 – Venezuela and executive power without Congress

04:18 – Elections, intimidation, and what to watch this year

07:16 – Strongman government and the collapse of institutions

10:30 – What Trump’s unpredictability means globally

14:52 – No plan for Venezuela and why that matters

19:44 – Greenland, NATO, and trust with allies

23:08 – Power, humiliation, and Trump’s worldview

25:22 – Politics vs real life in American neighborhoods

28:24 – Community support after Terry’s firing

31:18 – Why most Americans are still normal

33:00 – Hopes, predictions, and what to root for in 2026

#2026 #USPolitics #Venezuela #Democracy #WorldAffairs

Historian Douglas Brinkley joins Terry Moran to make sense of one of the most chaotic years in modern American history.

In this wide-ranging year-in-review conversation, Brinkley places Trump’s second term in historical context — from the collapse of the Cold War consensus and NATO anxiety to the return of economic nationalism, political violence, and a reshaping of global power. They explore why Trump resonates with disaffected voters, how billionaire populism works, the legacy of the long 1960s, and why this moment echoes earlier eras of upheaval.

The discussion also covers assassinations, immigration, climate, executive power, the Supreme Court, and why historians are already calling Trump a world-historical figure.

⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 – Making sense of a chaotic year

01:25 – Trump as an end-of-era figure

03:15 – The dismantling of the Cold War order

05:05 – NATO, Europe, and American abdication

07:45 – Economic nationalism and the Ross Perot legacy

09:25 – Why Trump connected with left-behind voters

11:40 – Trump’s desire for historical immortality

13:35 – Parallels to Nixon, Jackson, and earlier presidents

17:30 – Political violence and assassinations in 2025

21:00 – The Pope vs. Trump: competing moral visions

24:20 – Immigration and the erosion of rights

26:55 – The long shadow of the 1960s

29:25 – Executive orders and authoritarian drift

33:00 – Is Trump slipping or doubling down?

38:15 – What historians are watching in 2026

#DouglasBrinkley #DonaldTrump #USHistory #WorldPolitics #Democracy

Former Chicago mayor and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel joins Terry Moran for a sweeping, provocative conversation about banning social media for kids under 16, the psychological damage algorithms are inflicting on adolescents, and the deeper threats social platforms pose to American democracy.

Emanuel outlines why he believes parents are losing a generational battle against addictive systems designed to overwhelm judgment — and why government must step in. He and Moran explore bipartisan support for restrictions, the First Amendment challenges, how algorithms undermine solidarity, and why tech companies profit from division.

The conversation expands to national service, political courage, the collapse of institutional leadership, and the forces pulling the country apart.

One of the most urgent and wide-ranging interviews in the series.

⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 – Rahm Emanuel joins Terry Moran

terry-rahm

01:01 – Why Rahm wants to ban social media for kids under 16

01:15 – Evidence of harm: depression, anxiety, isolation

02:35 – Parents vs. algorithms

03:49 – Can government force platforms to cooperate?

04:38 – What enforcement could look like

05:54 – Bipartisan appetite for regulation

07:24 – Will kids just get around the rules?

07:59 – Adults or algorithms — the binary choice

08:37 – Why algorithms and democracy are incompatible

09:47 – Free speech and the First Amendment question

11:19 – Are we losing a generation?

12:53 – The one issue that could unite Democrats and Republicans

14:02 – Social media’s “solidarity” argument for marginalized kids

16:13 – Why Rahm believes parental power must be restored

18:46 – Why not regulate the algorithm instead of banning the apps?

19:40 – Are we hurting kids’ tech literacy?

20:08 – Tech fluency vs. algorithmic addiction

21:57 – Corporate America’s silence and complicity

24:51 – Why elites have failed

26:46 – Trump’s intimidation strategy and institutional collapse

28:29 – Why politicians abandon their independence

30:22 – The media’s failure to stand up

31:41 – Section 230, the Fairness Doctrine, and a bigger reform package

33:53 – Democracy vs. the platforms

36:51 – Universal national service and rebuilding common experience

41:13 – Diversity as strength vs. vulnerability

43:12 – The next political language: community and renewal

47:16 – Loss of control and the economics of resentment

48:17 – 2026 midterms and Democratic momentum

51:46 – Why MAGA voters feel betrayed

52:46 – Trump as a transformational president

53:37 – Final reflections and stories from parenthood

#RahmEmanuel #SocialMedia #MentalHealth #Algorithms #USPolitics

Senator Mark Kelly, a Navy combat veteran and former astronaut, joins Terry Moran for one of the most urgent conversations yet about military integrity, illegal orders, presidential power, and the looming risk of conflict in Venezuela.

Kelly explains why he and several Democratic senators released a video reminding service members of their duty to refuse unlawful orders — a message rooted directly in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He discusses the backlash, Trump’s threats, the firing of JAG officers and inspectors general, and the profound institutional damage he believes is underway inside the Pentagon.

The discussion turns to Venezuela, where Kelly raises alarm about Trump’s intentions, the lack of a clear mission, and the danger of dragging American troops—many already worn from Iraq and Afghanistan—into another conflict with no justification, no planning, and no explanation to the American people.

Kelly also speaks about political violence, his wife Gabby Giffords’ survival, and why he refuses to be intimidated by presidential threats.

A bracing, unfiltered interview about democracy, duty, and danger in 2025.

⏱ Chapters

00:00 – Terry Moran welcomes Senator Mark Kelly in Washington

01:04 – Why Kelly told the military they can refuse illegal orders

03:08 – Why he believes “something really bad could happen”

05:29 – Kelly defends the message as simple UCMJ fact

06:47 – Trump calls for Kelly to be executed; consequences and fear

07:49 – Why firing JAG officers and IGs threatens accountability

08:25 – The Venezuela crisis and moral danger for service members

10:46 – Are we too quick to pull the trigger?

11:20 – What decades of war have done to the military

12:25 – Risk of a new conflict in Venezuela with no clear purpose

13:50 – The Juan Hernández pardon and troubling signals

15:46 – Personal safety, political violence, and refusing intimidation

17:01 – Why subservience in Trump’s cabinet is dangerous

17:53 – Could Kelly run for president? His answer

18:52 – Closing reflections and thanks

#MarkKelly #Military #Venezuela #USPolitics #Democracy

Ambassador John Bolton joins Terry Moran in Austin for an unflinching conversation about the Trump administration’s approach to Venezuela, the Ukraine peace plan, the Pentagon shake-up, and what Bolton sees as a dangerous breakdown in U.S. foreign policy decision-making.

Bolton argues that Trump’s actions toward Venezuela lack planning, strategy, and congressional or hemispheric support. He tells Moran he sees “a mishmash of thinking” in the White House and warns that a failed military flex in the Caribbean could seriously damage American credibility.

The discussion turns to Ukraine, where Bolton says the proposed peace plan appears aligned with Russian interests and reflects a chaotic internal process driven by Trump’s impulses rather than American national security.

He also raises alarms about the politicization of the military, the firing of senior officers, and the erosion of long-standing norms of civilian-military relations.

One of the most substantive interviews yet in the series — and a sobering look at U.S. foreign policy at a moment of global instability.

⏱ Chapters

00:00 – Terry Moran introduces Ambassador John Bolton in Austin

00:36 – What is happening in Venezuela and the U.S. force posture

00:42 – Bolton says the administration is confused and unprepared

02:10 – Moran challenges Bolton on regime change and past U.S. interventions

02:52 – Bolton explains why Venezuela is a unique case

03:40 – The risk of acting without alignment with the opposition

04:33 – Is Trump showing force for the sake of optics?

05:09 – Bolton on Trump being “in a box” over military action

06:29 – Are we going to war with Venezuela?

07:40 – The Ukraine peace plan and signs it aligns with Russia

08:27 – The collapse of internal foreign-policy process

09:37 – Moran on military politicization and senior officer firings

10:13 – Bolton on damage to civilian-military norms

11:08 – Should members of Congress encourage refusal of unlawful orders?

11:20 – Bolton says Congress needs to legislate, not post

11:56 – Closing and farewell

#JohnBolton #Venezuela #Ukraine #ForeignPolicy #USPolitics