This week I had to call my local municipality because there was an issue with the snow clearing service. For years, when I have called, I have always been greeted by a team of friendly, female receptionists who were impressively good at knowing exactly which one of their 11,000 employees you should talk to. To my dismay, I found out these women have now been replaced by an AI robot voice. I truly do not get how anyone would think that would be a better solution. I felt completely alienated.

Trump's "the people ICE kills are just left wing terrorists", is Putin's "the Ukrainians we kill are just nazis". It is a complete disregard for truth, for logic, and for the laws of the land. And that is the point — to establish a parallel reality in which no truth, no logic, and no laws create any friction while the dictator’s tanks plow on down the road to unfreedom. With all my heart I hope the American people save their democracy in November. 2026 is the last chance.