It Is To Weep — And to VOTE! October 25, 2026 Fareed Zakaria: Musk and Trump are destroying a priceless American asset. . . . After World War II, the United States pulled off something close to a geopolitical miracle. Japan and Germany became the second- and third-most-powerful economies on earth, yet neither sought nuclear weapons or the ability to defend itself alone. They aligned their security policy with Washington and entrusted their ultimate defense to American soldiers and American nuclear weapons. Think how strange that arrangement was. Great powers throughout history have acquired armies to counter the top dog. Yet America’s allies agreed to depend on it for their survival. They did so not because America was invariably wise or generous but because the entire international system thus created benefited the U.S., too. American power was formidable but trust in America was priceless. That trust is disappearing. A Pew Research Center survey conducted this year found that in 26 of 35 countries, China was viewed more favorably than the U.S. . . . Everything Trump touches dies. The East Wing. The Kennedy Center. America’s place in the world. The post-War world order. How can Carl, and tens of millions of mostly well-meaning people like him, have been tricked into allowing this to happen?! Unwittingly, unintentionally, aligning themselves with Russia and North Korea rather than Canada, Europe, the U.K., and the brave people of Ukraine? Unwittingly, unintentionally, providing unneeded tax breaks to plutocrats while cutting health care and food assistance to hungry children? Turning a beloved democracy into a pariah kakistocracy? Don’t forget to vote.