During his first address to Congress on February 28, 2017, President Trump orchestrated an emotional moment honoring Carryn Owens, widow of Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens who died in the botched Yemen raid Trump approved on January 29. The chamber gave a standing ovation lasting 1 minute …
Donald TrumpCarryn OwensWilliam OwensRyan OwensJames Mattismilitary-incompetencepolitical-theateryemenaccountabilitypropaganda
The first coordinated nationwide Tax Day Tea Party protests take place across the United States, organized primarily by Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks. These protests, while presented as grassroots citizen uprisings, were strategically orchestrated by well-funded corporate advocacy groups …
Americans for ProsperityFreedomWorksDavid KochCharles KochBrendan Steinhauser+2 moreastroturf-organizingcorporate-influencekoch-networktax-protestspolitical-theater+2 more
On April 22, 1954, the Army-McCarthy hearings began—36 days of televised proceedings that exposed Senator Joseph McCarthy’s methods to a national audience and began his political downfall. The hearings were triggered by the Army’s March 11 report charging McCarthy and his chief counsel …
Joseph McCarthyRoy CohnRobert StevensJoseph WelchG. David Schine+2 moremccarthyismcongressional-actionmilitary-politicspolitical-theaterinstitutional-resistance
On July 2, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison signed the Sherman Antitrust Act into law after it passed the Senate 51-1 (April 8) and the House 242-0 (June 20), creating America’s first federal anti-monopoly legislation—but the law was deliberately vague, weakly worded, and systematically …
Senator John ShermanPresident Benjamin HarrisonU.S. Congressantitrustregulatory-failurepolitical-theatergilded-agecorporate-power