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How Trump panic broke the Democratic Party and fueled endless crisis politics

Published

3 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Since 2016, Democrats have increasingly asked voters to rally not around a compelling vision of America’s future, but around fear of what happens if Donald Trump returns. Every election is cast as the final firewall before catastrophe. Democracy is on the ballot. Institutions are under siege. The country cannot survive another Trump term. Some of those warnings may be sincerely felt, and some may even be justified. But when politics becomes an endless sequence of alarms, something deeper begins to erode: a political party can forget how to talk about anything beyond the emergency itself.

In my work as a psychotherapist, I often see what happens when people organize their lives around preventing old pain from recurring. Their thinking narrows into vigilance, avoidance, and threat management. Instead of moving toward the life they want, they become consumed with making sure the worst thing never happens again. It’s a pattern I explore more broadly in my forthcoming book, Therapy Nation, and it offers a useful lens for understanding what has happened to Democratic politics.

For a decade now, the Democratic Party’s most emotionally coherent message has often been less about what kind of country it wants to build than what catastrophe must be prevented. That urgency has been politically useful. It unified some moderates, progressives, and uneasy independents who agreed on little except the need to stop Trump. But every election framed primarily as catastrophe prevention carries a hidden psychological cost: it trains voters to experience politics as permanent emergency management. A party can sound endlessly clear about the danger it sees while remaining frustratingly vague about the future it wants to create. Alarm can drive turnout, but it is far less effective at building durable allegiance.

WHEN WE CALL EVERYTHING AN ‘ISM,’ WE STOP HEARING WHAT VOTERS ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT

Politics can fall into the same trap. For Democrats, 2016 was more than an election loss. It shattered a story many in the party had quietly internalized: that demographic momentum, elite cultural influence, and even the arc of history itself were all moving in their direction. Hillary Clinton’s defeat disrupted a sense of inevitability that had shaped elite political assumptions for years. What followed was understandable. The central strategic question became how to prevent Trump’s return.

In the short term, that worked. Opposition created discipline. It supplied urgency, money, turnout, and a common emotional language for an otherwise unwieldy coalition. But fear is an unstable long-term motivator. Think of the patient who starts exercising only after his doctor warns that he is nearing a heart attack. Panic may get him into the gym, but that motivation often fades once the immediate danger recedes.

By contrast, the person training for a marathon is driven by something more durable: a vision of who he wants to become. The discipline lasts because it is attached to aspiration, identity, and a meaningful future. Political parties are no different. A movement can win moments by telling voters what must be stopped, but it builds lasting identity only by telling them what future is worth creating.

That is where Democrats now appear stuck. Their strongest unifying message too often remains the need to block Trump, defend institutions from him, or prevent a return to the disruption he represents. Those arguments can mobilize in the short run, but they do not answer the deeper democratic question voters eventually ask: what positive national story are you offering? You can see the problem in the way nearly every policy disagreement, court ruling, or election result is now narrated as existential collapse rather than ordinary democratic conflict.

DEMOCRATS ARE MAKING A CRITICAL MISTAKE — AND VOTERS ARE LETTING THEM KNOW

The long-term cost of reactive politics is identity. Fear creates short-term cohesion while postponing hard debates over class, immigration, public safety, economic aspiration, and cultural priorities. Those tensions do not disappear simply because a coalition remains emotionally united against a threat. They remain unresolved beneath the surface, only to return later with greater force. What fear suppresses, it never truly reconciles.

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That is why Democratic identity has felt unstable. When opposition becomes the organizing force, aspiration gets crowded out. Strategy turns defensive. The political imagination narrows. A movement that defines itself mainly by the threat it opposes eventually risks becoming psychologically captive to that threat.

Over time, the cost is fatigue and exhaustion. When politics becomes an endless sequence of alarms, citizens begin to lose faith in the possibility of collective progress itself. Democracy starts to feel less like self-government and more like perpetual triage. Cynicism hardens. Trust erodes.

Voters will rally around danger for a while, but eventually they want something more sustaining: direction, purpose, and a future they can actually see themselves living in. Fear may win elections, but vision builds governing identity.

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FBI Director Kash Patel files $250 million lawsuit against The Atlantic over ‘defamatory hit piece’

Published

51 minutes ago

April 20, 2026

Addison Blake

FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million lawsuit on Monday against The Atlantic over a piece published Friday alleging he has alarmed colleagues with excessive drinking, erratic behavior and frequent absences.

The Atlantic published a piece on Friday, headlined, “The FBI Director Is MIA,” which cited multiple anonymous sources telling the outlet that the FBI director had an “emotional outburst” related to difficulty logging into a computer system, has had “bouts of excessive drinking” and been absent enough to prompt security concerns.

The lawsuit states The Atlantic, and its staff writer, Sarah Fitzpatrick, must be held “accountable for a sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece published on April 17, 2026.”

It continued, “Defendants are of course free to criticize the leadership of the FBI, but they crossed the legal line by publishing an article replete with false and obviously fabricated allegations designed to destroy Director Patel’s reputation and drive him from office.”

KASH PATEL TAUNTS SWALWELL WITH FBI SIT-DOWN AS RESIGNATION FALLOUT GROWS

Fitzpatrick reported, among other claims, that Patel has been difficult to wake up by his security team on multiple occasions because he was seemingly intoxicated.

Patel vowed over the weekend to sue The Atlantic for the story.

The suit states, “Defendants published the Article with actual malice, despite being expressly warned, hours before publication, that the central allegations were categorically false; despite having abundant publicly available information contradicting those allegations; despite obvious and fatal defects in their own sourcing; despite The Atlantic’s well-documented, long-running editorial animus toward Director Patel; despite a request for additional time to respond that Defendants refused to honor.”

FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL: WE HAVE MADE AMERICA SAFER IN JUST ONE YEAR

“We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit,” The Atlantic said in a statement.

Patel took aim at the piece in a post to X on Saturday.

“Memo to the fake news – the only time I’ll ever actually be concerned about the hit piece lies you write about me will be when you stop. Keep talking, it means I’m doing exactly what I should be doing. And no amount of BS you write will ever deter this FBI from making America safe again and taking down the criminals you love,” Patel wrote.

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Atlantic in a statement that Patel “remains a critical player on the Administration’s law and order team.” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also threw his support behind the FBI Director, telling Fitzpatrick, “Patel has accomplished more in 14 months than the previous administration did in four years. Anonymously sourced hit pieces do not constitute journalism.”

Patel made an announcement Sunday during an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” where he confirmed his intent to pursue legal action against the publication.

“Absolutely, it’s coming tomorrow,” Patel said when asked about whether he would officially file a lawsuit.

The report said Patel had been able to hang on to his job so far “because of his commitment to using the federal government to target political or personal adversaries of the president.” It also said he’s been aggressive in cracking down on employees he deems disloyal.

Patel told Bartiromo that the story was proof he was doing his job.

“We have to fight back against the fake news,” he said, adding, “I won’t tolerate their attacks on me, because in their indirect attacks on the men and women of the FBI that we’ve cleaned up, and this historic, prolific year of crime reduction across the board… They’ve never going to stop me from completing the mission that President Trump asked me to do, which is safeguarding America, and we’re doing it better than ever before.”

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Hawaii tourist charged with attempted murder, accused of stabbing veteran boat captain on snorkel tour

Published

51 minutes ago

April 20, 2026

Addison Blake

A Kansas man allegedly tried to kill his boat captain mid-snorkel tour in Hawaii, police say.

Hawai‘i Island police said that 21-year-old Avery Nissen of Overland Park, Kansas allegedly stabbed a 62-year-old male boat captain on Thursday during a three-hour snorkel tour. Nissen was charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault.

According to KHNL, the injured boat captain was identified as Stanley Lurbiecki, who is a veteran in the boating industry. Police said the 62-year-old man received numerous stab wounds to the head and hands, as well as a stab wound to the lower abdomen. The man was transported to a local hospital where he’s in stable condition.

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Police said officers responded to the incident at 3:21 p.m. on Thursday at the Honokōhau Harbor in Kailua-Kona.

Officials said other passengers onboard the boat restrained Nissen after he allegedly began attacking the man with a filet knife. Police said a motive for the alleged attack isn’t known.

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According to the report, the incident happened on a catamaran owned by Hawaii Nautical, a boat tour company.

Mark Towill, owner and president of Hawaii Nautical, told the outlet that, “Stan is stable, he’s recovering. He’s a real hero and a fighter.”

“I’m just incredibly grateful that our team is safe and that the situation ended the way it did,” Towill said. “I’ve never heard of anything like this happening in this industry before, and just really grateful to all of our team for the way that they reacted, the professionalism that was demonstrated.”

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Bail for Nissen was set at $1.57 million, and he’s expected in court on Monday afternoon.

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Give mom diamonds for less: 10 lab-grown options starting at $200

Published

51 minutes ago

April 20, 2026

Addison Blake

Lab-grown diamonds deliver the same sparkle as traditional diamonds for less, and we’ve handpicked some of the best options from brands like With Clarity, Quince and Brilliant Earth that make perfect Mother’s Day gifts. Shop pieces starting at $200, including a diamond cross necklace, a chic tennis bracelet, and classic studs marked down 30%.

Original price: $440

These round brilliant-cut diamond studs are set in four-prong settings and come in platinum or 14K white, rose or yellow gold, catching the light from every angle. The classic design and secure screw-back closure make them a go-to choice for daily wear.

Gift your mom a meaningful symbol of her faith with this cross necklace — the most affordable pick on the list. Crafted in 18K yellow gold vermeil, the 18-inch chain features a mix of round and baguette lab-grown diamonds totaling 1/5 carat for subtle sparkle. It strikes a balance between refined and understated, making it a thoughtful gift she’ll reach for often.

Original price: $331

The circular design on this With Clarity necklace symbolizes lasting love, making it a meaningful Mother’s Day gift. Now 15% off, the sterling silver chain is set with 25 lab-grown diamonds for a polished, wearable finish.

This refined bar necklace features seven lab-grown diamonds set in 14K gold. The adjustable chain comes in white or yellow gold, ensuring a comfortable fit whether layered with other pieces or worn on its own.

Show your love with this heart-shaped diamond pendant from Brilliant Earth. The adjustable chain (16 or 18 inches) comes in silver or gold for a personalized fit. It’s an understated but meaningful gift.

A gold pendant is a timeless choice that transitions easily from day to night. The single diamond is available in 0.25-, 0.5- or 1-carat sizes, so you can find the right fit for her style and your budget.

These VRAI studs stand out with a distinctive marquise shape that updates traditional round earrings. Set in sterling silver, white or yellow gold, they offer a clean, minimalist look with subtle shine.

A modern take on a classic huggie, these earrings are accented with a drop detail that adds movement and dimension. Crafted in 18K yellow gold vermeil, the lightweight design sits comfortably with a secure clip-on closure. Prong-set accents and an elongated silhouette add interest to her everyday style.

This low-profile tennis bracelet is designed to maximize sparkle with minimal metal, letting lab-grown diamonds take center stage. Round stones reset along one-fifth of the bracelet for a refined, lightweight look, while the 14K white or yellow gold setting keeps it classic. An adjustable length and secure lobster traps ensure a comfortable, customized fit.

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Original price: $410

When one diamond isn’t enough, this duet necklace pairs an emerald-cut stone with a smaller round diamond on a chain available in sterling silver or white, yellow or rose gold. The two-stone design adds a modern touch while remaining timeless and elegant.

Find more giftable jewelry pieces on sale now from brands like Swarovski, Pandora, Kendra Scott and more.

Baublebar bubble heart necklace: $16 (56% off)
Swarovski drop earrings: $67.99 (43% off)
Swarovski Emily tennis bracelet: $89.25 (44% off)
Kendra Scott Haven Heart gold chain bracelet: $46.40 (34% off)
Kendra Scott Elisa pendant necklace: $45 (25% off)