This Yale professor thinks patriotism is some kind of hate crime



Timothy Snyder has built a career trying to convince Americans that Donald Trump is a latter-day Adolf Hitler — a fascist demagogue hell-bent on dismantling America’s institutions to seize power. Last week, the Yale historian and author of the bestselling resistance pamphlet “On Tyranny,” briefly changed course. Now, apparently, Trump is Jefferson Davis.

In a recent Substack post, Snyder claimed Trump’s speech at Fort Bragg amounted to a call for civil war. He argued that the president’s praise for the military and his rejection of the left’s historical revisionism signaled not patriotism but treason — and the rise of a “paramilitary” regime.

Trump doesn’t want a second civil war. He wants the first one to mean something.

No, seriously. That’s what he thinks.

Renaming Fort Bragg

Trump’s first alleged Confederate offense, Snyder said, was to reinstate the military base’s original name: Fort Bragg. The Biden administration had renamed it Fort Liberty, repudiating General Braxton Bragg’s Confederate ties. Trump reversed the change.

The Biden administration had renamed the base Fort Liberty, citing General Braxton Bragg’s service to the Confederacy. Trump reversed the change. But he didn’t do it to honor a Confederate general. He did it to honor World War II paratrooper Roland L. Bragg, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth explained.

Snyder wasn’t buying it. He accused the administration of fabricating a “dishonest pretense” that glorifies “oathbreakers and traitors.”

That charge hits close to home.

My grandfather Martin Spohn was a German Jewish refugee who fled Nazi Berlin in 1936. He proudly served in the U.S. Army. He trained with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Bragg before deploying to Normandy. Like thousands of others, he saw the base not as a Confederate monument but as a launchpad for defeating actual fascism.

Restoring the name Fort Bragg doesn’t rewrite history. It honors the Americans who made history — men who trained there to liberate Europe from tyranny.

That’s not fascism. That’s victory over it.

Deploying the National Guard

For Snyder, though, Trump’s real crime was calling up the National Guard to restore order in riot-torn Los Angeles. That, he claimed, puts Trump in the same category as Robert E. Lee.

According to Snyder, the president is “preparing American soldiers to see themselves as heroes when they undertake operations inside the United States against unarmed people, including their fellow citizens.”

Let’s set aside the hysteria.

Trump didn’t glorify the Confederacy. He called for law and order in the face of spiraling violence. He pushed back against the left’s crusade to erase American history — not to rewrite it but to preserve its complexity.

He didn’t tell soldiers to defy the Constitution. He reminded them of their oath: to defend the nation, not serve the ideological demands of woke officials.

Snyder’s claims are as reckless as they are false.

He smears anyone who supports border enforcement or takes pride in military service as a threat to democracy. Want secure borders? You’re a fascist. Call out the collapse of Democrat-run cities? You’re a Confederate.

This isn’t analysis. It’s slander masquerading as scholarship.

The real division

But this debate isn’t really about Trump. It’s about power.

The left has spent years reshaping the military into a political project — prioritizing diversity seminars over combat readiness, purging dissenters, and enforcing ideological loyalty. When Trump pushes back, it’s not authoritarianism. It’s restoration.

The left wants a military that fights climate change, checks pronouns, and marches for “equity.” Trump wants a military that defends the nation. That’s the real divide.

Over and over, Snyder accuses Trump of “trivializing” the military by invoking its heroism while discussing immigration enforcement. But what trivializes military service more — linking it to national defense or turning soldiers into props for progressive social experiments?

RELATED: The real tyranny? Institutional groupthink disguised as truth

  Photo by Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

And Trump isn’t breaking precedent by deploying the National Guard when local leaders fail. Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson used federal troops during desegregation. Johnson federalized the Alabama National Guard to protect civil rights marchers. The Guard responded during the 1967 Detroit riots, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and the Black Lives Matter and Antifa upheavals of 2020.

Trump acted within his authority — and fulfilled his duty — to restore order when Democrat-run cities descended into chaos.

A House divided?

Snyder’s rhetoric about “protecting democracy” rings hollow. Trump won the 2024 election decisively. Voters across party lines gave him a clear mandate: Secure the border and remove violent criminals. Pew Research found that 97% of Americans support more vigorous enforcement of immigration laws.

Yet Snyder, who constantly warns of creeping authoritarianism, closed his post by urging fellow academics to join No Kings protests.

Nobody appointed Timothy Snyder king, either.

If he respected democratic institutions, he’d spend less time fearmongering — and more time listening to the Americans, including many in uniform, who are tired of being demonized for loving their country. They’re tired of being called bigots for wanting secure borders. They’re tired of watching history weaponized to silence dissent.

Snyder invokes Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to condemn Trump. But it was Lincoln who paraphrased scripture when he said, “A house divided cannot stand.

Americans united behind Trump in 2024. Snyder’s effort to cast half the country as fascists or Confederates embodies the division Lincoln warned against.

Here’s the truth: Trump doesn’t want a second civil war. He wants the first one to mean something.

He wants a Union preserved in more than name — a Union defined by secure borders, equal justice, and unapologetic national pride.

If that scares Timothy Snyder, maybe the problem isn’t Trump.

Perhaps, the problem lies in the man staring back at him in the mirror.

‘You built this country’: Trump, triumphant, celebrates historic US Steel-Nippon deal in Pittsburgh — it's home, for good



President Donald Trump celebrated on Friday the partnership between U.S. Steel and Japan-based Nippon Steel, telling Pennsylvania steelworkers, "We don’t want America’s future to be built with shoddy steel from Shanghai — we want it built with the strength and the pride of Pittsburgh!"

Trump marked the occasion with a rally at U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works-Irvin Plant in West Mifflin, just outside of Pittsburgh — a venue carefully secured in advance by the U.S. Secret Service, keen not to drop the ball again in the Keystone State.

'I proclaimed a simple but crucially important principle: If you don't have steel, you don't have a country!'

"This is an incredible deal for American steelworkers, and it includes vital protections to ensure that all steelworkers will keep their jobs and all facilities in the U.S. will remain open," Trump told rally-goers, evidently proud of shepherding the companies into an agreement that wouldn’t jeopardize American control or jobs.

The president also announced that the tariff on steel would double from 25% to 50% in order to help the steel industry even more. The audience applauded loudly at the proclamation.

"When I came into office eight years ago, I proclaimed a simple but crucially important principle: If you don't have steel, you don't have a country!" he added.

Trump lauded steelworkers as "the best people," saying, "You people and others like you built this country."

“We are once again going to put Pennsylvania steel into the backbone of America,” he said at the end of his speech.

Supporters of the deal were jubilant in their comments to CBS News.

"How I feel is I can take a breath today," said third-generation steel worker Andrew Macey. "It's just wonderful."

"When you see that everything you've done for the last two years come together, it's overwhelming with emotion," said West Mifflin Mayor Chris Kelly. "So yes, I was crying. I'm not ashamed to admit it. Big men cry, and I was crying with happiness."

Background

Former President Joe Biden torpedoed a $15 billion deal for the Japanese corporation to fully purchase U.S. Steel, stressing that "a strong domestically owned and operated steel industry represents an essential national security priority and is critical for resilient supply chains."

Biden's Jan. 3 decision — announced weeks before Trump retook office and just days after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States indicated it was unable to reach a consensus on the transaction — was condemned by both companies. They noted in a joint statement that Biden's action reflected "a clear violation of due process and the law" and relied upon a process "manipulated to advance President Biden's political agenda."

The companies subsequently took legal action, challenging Biden's order, and said of their litigation:

From the outset of the process, both Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel have engaged in good faith with all parties to underscore how the Transaction will enhance, not threaten, United States national security, including by revitalizing communities that rely on American steel, bolstering the American steel supply chain, and strengthening America’s domestic steel industry against the threat from China.

U.S. Steel leaders suggested that without an infusion of capital from Nippon Steel, the American company would have to limit its legacy blast furnace investments and embrace cheaper nonunion electric arc furnaces, reported CBS News.

The company's mixed package of threats and warnings also included the suggestion that U.S. Steel might move its headquarters out of Pittsburgh.

Change of heart

Trump, like his predecessor, was not initially convinced the sale was a good idea.

The president, who emphasized in his first term that "if you don't have steel, you don't have a country," noted a month before Biden blocked the deal, "I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan."

Trump reiterated his opposition in late January, stating, "We saved the steel industry. Now, U.S. Steel is being bought by Japan. So terrible."

'US Steel will REMAIN in America.'

Despite his months-long opposition, Trump expressed an openness on Valentine's Day to the possibility of Nippon Steel acquiring a minority stake in U.S. Steel, saying he "wouldn't mind greatly." However, he suggested that "psychologically, we can't even think about letting that happen," in reference to a full takeover.

It appears there has since been a favorable shift in psychology and terms.

A month after speaking with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and Sen. Dave McCormick (R) about U.S. Steel and about keeping jobs and investment in the state, Trump announced on May 23 that the deal — or some form of it — had the green light to proceed.

RELATED: Revving up America — Trump’s Nippon Steel deal puts the pedal to the metal

  Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

The deal

Trump framed the deal not as an acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon but rather as the beginning of a "partnership" that would create at least 70,000 jobs — U.S. Steel presently employs just over 14,300 people in North America — and add $14 billion to the American economy.

"I am proud to announce that, after much consideration and negotiation, US Steel will REMAIN in America, and keep its Headquarters in the Great City of Pittsburgh," the president wrote on Truth Social. "For many years, the name, 'United States Steel' was synonymous with Greatness, and now, it will be again."

The president framed the $14 billion figure as an investment — the largest in "the History of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" — and noted that the bulk of the investment would occur over the next 14 months.

'That's a big deal.'

While the White House told Blaze News that the "details of the deal will be announced at the appropriate time," Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick, a champion of the deal, provided some insights into key elements of the arrangements with CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Tuesday.

McCormick confirmed that Nippon has agreed to invest $14 billion "into new investment into U.S. Steel, and that's going to be $2.4 billion, at least, minimum, in the Mon Valley right outside of Pittsburgh."

Gov. Shapiro confirmed at an event Thursday that, based on commitments Nippon Steel has made to him and the White House, there will be an investment of at least $2.4 billion in steelmaking in the state.

"That's a big deal, and it's something that I think we do need to celebrate," said Shapiro.

Besides the investment, there are apparently a number of assurances that Americans are still calling the shots.

RELATED: Trump signs steel, aluminum tariffs despite significant opposition

  Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

'This is being extremely well received in Pennsylvania.'

Sen. McCormick noted further that "it's a national security agreement that will be signed with the U.S. government. It'll be a U.S. CEO, a U.S. majority board, and then there will be a golden share that will essentially require U.S. government approval of a number of the board members, and that will allow the United States to ensure production levels aren't cut and things like that."

Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori told Reuters that trade and manufacturing capacity issues will be overseen by directors appointed by the CFIUS, effectively putting the Department of Commerce on the board.

Blaze News reached out to U.S. Steel, Nippon Steel, and the Department of Commerce for comment but did not receive responses by deadline.

The deal, according to McCormick, would save about 10,000 jobs in Pennsylvania and add another 10,000 jobs in the building trades. He noted elsewhere that the deal supports the creation of at least 14,000 jobs.

"This is being extremely well received in Pennsylvania," said McCormick. "The steel workers there are wildly excited about it, and I think it's going to be a great thing for my state."

While individual workers might be elated, the United Steelworkers, a general trade union headquartered in Pittsburgh, is skeptical — but was initially outright condemnatory.

'The latest "partnership" announcement continues to raise more questions than answers.'

"Allowing the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon, a serial trade cheater, will be a disaster for American steelworkers, our national security, and the future of American manufacturing," USW international president David McCall said in a statement on May 22. "It is simply absurd to think that we could ever entrust the future of one of our most vital industries — essential to both national defense and critical infrastructure — to a company whose unfair trade practices continue to this day."

Blaze News reached out to the union after more details emerged about the nature of the "partnership." In response, a spokesman provided the message the USW sent to members Wednesday, which contained softened language but sustained skepticism:

The latest “partnership” announcement continues to raise more questions than answers. Nippon still maintains it would only invest in USS facilities if it owned the company outright. We’ve seen nothing in the reporting to indicate that position has changed. We also have no confirmation if or how much of the stated $14 billion would go to our union-represented sites, or how much would be for new capital improvements versus routine repair & maintenance.

While the USW remains uncertain about the arrangement, there appears to be significant support in Pennsylvania, including at the top.

Gov. Josh Shapiro noted in a statement that he and Pennsylvania Lieutenant Gov. Austin Davis have long "worked with the leadership of Nippon and U.S. Steel, local labor, and federal, state, and local partners to press for the best deal to keep U.S. Steel headquartered in Pittsburgh, protect union jobs, and secure the future of steelmaking in Western Pennsylvania."

"Now that President Trump — who has sole decision making authority in the CFIUS process, has expressed his support for the deal — we have the opportunity to deliver historic investments, ensure the future of American steelmaking continues to run through the Mon Valley while the headquarters of U.S. Steel remains in Pittsburgh and have our workers, right here in Pennsylvania, continue leading the world with their skill and innovation," added Shapiro.

Davis said the announcement looked "promising" but noted that he wants to "make sure everyone involved in the deal holds up their end of the bargain."

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Report: Democrat Union Boss Uses Member Dues As A Personal Slush Fund

It's no wonder so many blue-collar families have abandoned a labor movement and a Democrat Party that have spent the past several decades abandoning them.

$86K for Plane Trips, $60K for Hotel Stays, $50K for Jesse Jackson: Labor Leader Used Union Funds as 'Unlimited Piggy Bank,' Report Finds

The head of the nation's largest health care union "has for years used the politically influential union's funds to benefit himself, his family and political allies," Politico reported after reviewing thousands of pages of financial records and interviewing more than 20 current and former union staffers.

The post $86K for Plane Trips, $60K for Hotel Stays, $50K for Jesse Jackson: Labor Leader Used Union Funds as 'Unlimited Piggy Bank,' Report Finds appeared first on .

'This will absolutely kill college sports': Dartmouth men's basketball ends bid to become first NCAA player's union



Dartmouth men's basketball has withdrawn its petition to unionize after more than a year of legal battles.

The petition was first filed in September 2023 and eventually voted on in March 2024, passing with a 13-2 vote in favor of becoming part of the Service Employees International Union Local 560 chapter.

The union then began representing the Dartmouth players, as they already work with other campus employment blocks.

After the team made their decision, Dartmouth refused to enter collective bargaining with the athletes and made a clear statement that it does not consider the athletes as school employees.

'This will absolutely kill college sports.'

According to On3, the players filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board in response and argued that Dartmouth was not bargaining in "good faith."

Former college football coach and Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said at the time that a move to unionize would "ruin" college sports.

"They're going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg — all these athletes are — because it pays for everything. Scholarships are paid — men and women — but there's a lot of people that don't bring in money to universities," Tuberville explained.

"What's going to happen here is you're going to see groups of people [that are] going to try to unionize and then it's going to spread across the country. We've been fighting it here. [Democrat] Joe Manchin and I did an NIL bill that was bipartisan, but it kept unionization out, but the Democrats wanted it in," Tuberville continued.

Tuberville further expressed that he believed college athletes are "not employees."

"These students are student-athletes. And if you want the federal government involved and ruin something, you try to make the student-athletes employees. Soon the federal government will get involved, unions will get involved, and it will be a total disaster."

"This will absolutely kill college sports," he added.

— (@)  
 

Just before the new year, Dartmouth men's basketball withdrew their petition to unionize, with Local 560 president Chris Peck announcing the move while still attempting to put a positive spin on the situation.

"[The athletes] have pushed the conversation on employment and collective bargaining in college sports forward and made history by being classified as employees, winning their union election 13-2, and becoming the first certified bargaining unit of college athletes in the country."

The union also condemned Dartmouth for choosing "not to respect the team's decision" nor federal labor laws by "refusing to bargain, thus violating their own Code of Ethical Business Conduct."

The letter went on, per Front Office Sports' Amanda Christovich, "While our strategy is shifting, we will continue to advocate for just compensation, adequate health coverage, and safe working conditions for varsity athletes at Dartmouth."

The local union said it represents 500 workers from Dartmouth College including, power plant, custodial, security, and athletic department workers, among others.

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Biden Blocks Japanese Company’s $14 Billion Takeover of US Steel

President Joe Biden blocked the Japanese company Nippon Steel’s $14 billion bid to buy U.S. Steel on Friday, saying it posed a threat to national security.

The post Biden Blocks Japanese Company’s $14 Billion Takeover of US Steel appeared first on .

Union boss slams Harris for boasting she'd win election 'with or without' endorsement



Sean O'Brien, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, torched Vice President Kamala Harris for allegedly declaring she would win the election against President-elect Donald Trump "with or without" the union's support.

During a Monday interview on "The Tucker Carlson Show," O'Brien explained why the Teamsters refused to endorse Harris in the November presidential election. It marked the first time the union had not supported a candidate in nearly three decades.

'That's really arrogant.'

O'Brien stated that Harris had previously told Teamsters vice president Joan Corey that the union "better get on board soon" with endorsing her.

According to O'Brien, the union had repeatedly attempted to get Harris to sit down for an interview leading up to the presidential election.

"She finally agrees to come after we were putting pressure on her," he told Carlson. "I was doing interviews all over the place, saying, 'We haven't gotten invited to the DNC [Democratic National Convention]. They haven't accepted our invitation for her to come to a roundtable.'"

O'Brien explained that rank-and-file union members had prepared 16 questions for Harris to answer during the roundtable discussion. He noted that the union also held similar interviews with the other presidential candidates, including Trump, who answered all of the questions.

He claimed that Harris' team was trying to "negotiate" with the union only to ask her three questions.

"So she answers three of them, and on the fourth question, one of her operatives or one of her staff slips a note in front of me: 'This will be the last question,'" he told Carlson, noting that the roundtable was scheduled for another 20 minutes.

"Her declaration on the way out was, 'I'm gonna win with you or without you,'" O'Brien remarked.

Carlson responded, "Damn. I thought I was arrogant. That's really arrogant."

Following the roundtable event, O'Brien stated that he contacted President Joe Biden's former secretary of labor, Marty Walsh.

O'Brien claimed that he told Walsh, "Let me ask you a question, Marty. Excuse my French. Who does this f***ing lady think she is?"

"If I want support from any organization, I am not gonna point my finger in someone's face and say, 'You better get on board or else,'" he continued.

During his interview with Carlson, O'Brien also expressed concerns about Biden's health, noting that what he observed "kinda looked like elderly abuse."

"We had Biden in there, and you could just clearly tell he was not the man he was. It was kinda sad," he added.

Most Teamsters' members, 59.6%, supported Trump over Harris. The union, representing 1.3 million members, previously endorsed Biden and Hillary Clinton.

A spokesperson for Harris did not respond to a request for comment from Newsweek.

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Trump Vows To Make U.S. Steel Great Again As Debate Smolders Over Nippon Merger

Steel union members who had Trump's back in the election hope he will have theirs through the U.S. Steel deal.