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On the one hand, there’s no sugarcoating how progressives feel as President Trump retakes office: rough.

Trump and his allies in Congress are already rolling out plans to cut taxes for billionaires, slash services for the rest of us, pollute the planet, and deport people who’ve lived here their whole lives.

But if you look closely, you’ll see signs people aren’t just going to accept all this. Here are five that caught my eye from this past election year.

1. Populist anger is boiling over. 

Americans have had it with economic elites. Union activity has been on an upswing for a few years running now, with union petition filings in 2024 significantly up over 2023.

The negotiations in Doha involving the United States, Israel, Hamas, Egypt and Qatar remind me of Frank Sinatra’s query “Is it an earthquake or only a shock?, is it a good turtle soup or only a mock?” Given the history of the various Middle Eastern peace proposals of one kind or another that have briefly raised their heads only to die ingloriously, it would perhaps be wise to consider the latest Israel-Gaza ceasefire, originally due to start on Sunday, to be, like Sinatra’s soup, a work in progress. And maybe not even really in progress due to likely hidden agendas and understandings that might run counter to what is being put down on paper. I am particularly thinking of possible commitments to Israel by the United States that will give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu options that will enable him to resume hostilities by citing Hamas violations of details in the ceasefire terms, whether they have actually occurred or not.

A dramatic escape was cited by Israeli media as the reason that Yuval Vagdani, a soldier in the Israeli army, managed to escape justice in Brazil.

Uh oh, nukes coming in. Should we retaliate?

This strikes me as the stupidest question a human being could ask – and, just possibly, also the last. Our enemy of the moment is loosing hell on us (if warning signals are accurate), so let’s do the same back at them. If we kill more of them than they kill of us, we win! Yes, human life – all life – will likely be destroyed in a nuclear war, but that’s just the way things work. That’s not our concern.

Among the global superpowers, this scenario remains etched into the meaning of self-defense: the ability to retaliate, no matter the consequences of doing so. The marketing slogan, of course, is “deterrence.” As long as the bad guys understand that we have the capability to retaliate, they won’t start a nuclear war. Hence, staying safe as a nation means maintaining our ability to create Armageddon.

It's certainly the human paradox of the era. Are we stuck with it?

Dear President Joe Biden,

It’s been three months since I sent you my suggested list of Executive Actions that you could take in your last weeks in office. A “Bucket List” so-to-speak filled with legal declarations to make the lives of your fellow Americans just a little bit better.

I am happy you took some of my advice. Thank you.