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Podcast: When the stars begin to fall with Dr. Theodore R. Johnson

Podcast: When the stars begin to fall with Dr. Theodore R. Johnson

Dr. Theodore R. Johnson is the great-grandson of sharecroppers who, unfathomably, believed in what Johnson calls “the Promise,” that we Americans are created equal and that “each of us will respect and defend the rights and liberty of others.” Willie and Annie Johnson so believed in that promise that they named Dr. Johnson’s grandfather and namesake Theodore Roosevelt Johnson, after our 26th president invited the first black man, Booker T. Washington, to the White House for dinner. Dr. Johnson shares his family’s deep reverence for this American experiment, but also believes our failure to bind together around our highest ideals is an existential threat to our future.

Listen to Village Squarecast's recent podcast where Dr. Johnson makes an invitation—and a challenge—to all of us, born of lived experience as a black son of the American south and love of this country he took an oath to preserve.


When the Stars Begin to Fall with Dr. Theodore R. Johnson

When the Stars Begin to Fall with Dr. Theodore R. Johnson

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2026 Democracy Awards Honor Excellence Across Congressional Offices
white concrete building during daytime

2026 Democracy Awards Honor Excellence Across Congressional Offices

The Congressional Management Foundation's Democracy Awards recognize congressional offices that demonstrate excellence in public service. While the headlines often focus on conflict, this year's winners remind us that strong leadership, thoughtful management, and a commitment to continuous improvement strengthen both Congress and the constituents it serves

Constituent service remains one of Congress's core functions, and this year's winners of the Best of Constituent Service Award demonstrate that excellence requires exceptional organizations and internal infrastructure. For example, Senator Adam Schiff's office (D-CA) streamlined processes by creating online forms for casework authorization and privacy releases. This system allows constituents to submit requests in minutes, streamlining a process that traditionally required extensive time and resources, resulting in more efficient casework intake

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Graham’s legacy & his failure over Trump

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, listens to President Donald Trump unveiling the Kennedy Center Honors nominees on Aug. 13, 2025, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

(Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images/TCA)

Graham’s legacy & his failure over Trump

I met the late Sen. Lindsey Graham about 20 years ago, when I was coming up in conservative politics.

I had been part of the neoconservative wing that believed in the “benevolent hegemon” version of America, and the idea that “history can be pushed along with the right application of power and will,” as Francis Fukuyama once described it.

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Trump’s Defense of ICE Traffic Stops Shows a President Willing to Risk Lives for Politics

U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on July 14, 2026 in Washington, DC.

(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Trump’s Defense of ICE Traffic Stops Shows a President Willing to Risk Lives for Politics

President Donald Trump blasted ICE’s decision to suspend most vehicle stops after agents fatally shot two men just six days apart in Texas and Maine, declaring on his social media site: “We CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” His response made the stakes unmistakably clear. Instead of acknowledging the loss of life or the urgent need for accountability, Trump rushed to defend the very tactic that produced these deadly encounters. Once again, he signaled that the wellbeing of people — immigrants or citizens — matters far less to him than protecting his political agenda.

Trump’s posture toward ICE has always been rooted in escalation. He has framed undocumented immigrants as threats, encouraged aggressive enforcement, and rewarded secrecy over transparency. The consequences of that approach are now visible in a series of fatal encounters that reveal an agency operating without meaningful oversight.

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A War We Cannot Win — And a Lesson America Should Have Learned Long Ago

Protesters gather in central London to rally against what they see as Donald Trump's reckless and illegal war on Iran, marching from Westminster to the US embassy.

(Photo by Martin Pope/Getty Images)

A War We Cannot Win — And a Lesson America Should Have Learned Long Ago

The conflict between the U.S. and Iran has escalated into open confrontation, with operations intensifying near the Strait of Hormuz. What began in early 2026 as tit‑for‑tat exchanges has hardened into a grinding confrontation — one driven less by strategic necessity than by presidential ego and the fantasy of dismantling Iran’s Islamic Revolution. It is a war shaped by one man’s impulses, not by national deliberation. And it is a war the United States cannot win.

The question that echoes is simple: Did the United States learn nothing from Vietnam?

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