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Join 450+ former national security and intelligence officials as they break down today's most complex issues. Bound by a shared oath to defend the Constitution, The Steady State provides the expert commentary you need to navigate uncertain times.
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When Trump Buys a Piece of America
A slide toward state capitalism, political favoritism, and crony control
The 51 Were Warning. Trump Calls It a Lie.
The difference between an intelligence assessment and a political talking point.
We Took an Oath. It Has No Expiration Date
We left the government. We never left the commitment to the Constitution.
The Return of War as Plunder
How the transactional politics of “U.S. Inc.” threatens to revive the oldest rule of international affairs: might makes right.
You Live Differently When the Soldiers Arrive
The hidden costs of putting armed troops on the streets of an American city.
The FBI Is Not Yours, Kash Patel
The FBI director is a steward, not an owner, and that distinction matters.
Next On the Chopping Block: Civil Service Protections?
The Supreme Court has weakened the guardrails around presidential power. The federal workforce may be next.
He Signed the Case Against Himself
Trump’s own declassified intelligence contradicts the story he’s been telling for nearly a decade.
When Impulse becomes Strategy
When personal instinct overwhelms diplomacy, intelligence, and military judgment.
THE GUARDIANS OF NOVEMBER
A plea to Americans to defend those who administer our elections, and to the nation’s military leaders to preserve the constitutional boundary between the armed forces and partisan politics.
The President’s Most Dangerous Enemy Isn’t “Godless Communists”
It’s the temptation to bend intelligence to fit politics, a mistake that has haunted American presidents for generations.
The Terrorism Court That Sat Empty for 30 Years
Why the Trump administration’s first use of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court deserves more scrutiny than it is getting
An Obsession With Article II
Trump told us where he believed his power came from. We should have listened more carefully.
The Cowardice of Congress
When fear, party loyalty, and political convenience replace constitutional duty.
From Fighting Corruption Abroad to Fighting It at Home
A 40-year veteran of the U.S. State Department/Foreign Service examines the emerging corruption in his own country.
The Red Menace Returns! Or So We’re Told.
Trump is reviving the language of America’s Cold War Red Scares—but the real objective may have less to do with communism than with expanding the definition of the enemy.
How the Secretary of State Degraded his Own Intelligence Agency
One year after the State Department’s purge, a former INR analyst explains why he resigned and how the loss of expertise is making America less prepared for the crises ahead.
The Spies America Is Losing
Abandoning our democratic ideals by our leadership is destroying the CIA’s most valuable recruiting tool—the people willing to risk everything for what America once represented.
The Forgotten Parties of January 6
As courts revisit January 6 cases, federal law requires us to remember the people Congress said must never be ignored.