Letters to the Editor | Oct. 13, 2025

On Thursday, New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted on one count of fraud. This follows the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. It’s now important to ask who on Donald Trump’s long “enemies list” will be next.

It’s no longer arguable that these indictments exemplify political persecution; they incontrovertibly exemplify his craven quest to retaliate and seek vengeance against those he feels have wronged him. These are things that happen often in an authoritarian state; that is, in an autocracy. It’s not supposed to occur in a democracy, which begs the question: Is the United States still a fully functioning democracy?

This is what autocrats do to control, manipulate, and silence their opponents and critics. If you care about protecting the personal freedoms guaranteed to us in the Constitution and about preserving it, you should be alarmed, disturbed, and committed to calling out these egregiously wrong acts.

If you do not choose to push back and resist, then who will? And, if you do not do it now, then when? The rule of law in this country is facing a full-frontal assault, and we have the power to stop it if we choose to. Will you step up and do your part? That’s the question each of us must ask ourselves.

Ken Derow, Swarthmore

Regarding the government shutdown: It seems the Democrats have decided their entire focus will be on healthcare. They are demanding the reversal of several elements of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that will impact the healthcare of Americans, especially those who get their insurance via the healthcare exchange.

I believe choosing healthcare as a focus for the shutdown battle is a mistake and will not bring most Americans to the Democratic cause. There is a case to be made that Congress has abdicated its responsibilities in regard to the executive branch, and the Democrats should instead withhold support for reopening until the GOP majority begins to do its job. Specifically, I want the Democrats to refuse to reopen the government until the executive branch meets several constitutionally mandated responsibilities: the disbursement of funds already allocated, reversal of dismissals of the duly-appointed leaders of independent agencies, and stopping the illegal deployment of federal troops in American cities. We are a nation of laws. We have a Constitution. The executive branch is disobeying the laws and violating the Constitution. I believe the American people will respect an insistence on a restoration of checks and balances as a condition of reopening the government.

Jeffrey R. Jaeger, Philadelphia

As Will Bunch articulated so well in his recent column, Americans are now living in 1930s Germany. Anne Frank hiding in the attic to avoid being sent to a concentration camp is no different from immigrants and their children hiding in their apartments, only to be rousted in the middle of the night by mask-wearing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and sent to prisons in El Salvador or Africa. The Nazi brownshirts find their equivalents in the masked ICE agents and the National Guard members assisting them in their God-awful acts. Americans always said, “It could never happen here,” but it is — and we must all work to stop this travesty. I am a mother, a grandmother, a teacher, and now I am proud to be a member of antifa.

Mary Ann Furin, Philadelphia

Thank you to Will Bunch for calling what we are witnessing in the United States under the Trump administration what it is: fascism. From bombastic and dehumanizing rhetoric against disfavored groups to the destruction of democratic norms, recent events have many of the hallmarks of the authoritarian movements of the 20th century. I might add that in the case of the Third Reich, conservatives, though they knew better, placed Adolf Hitler in power, thinking they could control him and that he was preferable to the parties of the left. We know, in retrospect, how that turned out.

Some say it dishonors victims of the Holocaust to call the MAGA movement fascist. As someone who lost relatives in the Shoah, I assert that recognizing and speaking out about the warning signs we are all seeing now is one of the best ways to honor those who were murdered by the Nazis. To prevent us from losing our democratic republic, we must study history, note the parallels, and nip authoritarianism in the bud before it is too late. Like Bunch, I am a proud anti-fascist, as we all should be.

Bill Fanshel, Bryn Mawr

I turned off the nightly news years ago when the sensationalism overpowered the substance of what was being reported. In 2017, I stopped listening to podcasts about what was happening in our government because it made me so angry. In 2018, I opted for WXPN when driving instead of WHYY because even the news reported by NPR made the day too heavy. In 2025, I’ve considered putting down the newspaper because each front-page image and article makes my heart ache because of the downward spiral our country is in. However, lately I’ve begun to feel that putting my head in the sand isn’t the right answer, given all that’s happening today. Will Bunch’s determination to call out our president for what he is brings me hope. We need more Will Bunchs in our country — without them, we remain hopeless. And without hope, how will we find the strength to pull our country out of its downward spiral so it can recommit to the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses yearning to breathe free?

Christina Fuoco, Philadelphia

During the campaign, Donald Trump met with executives from the oil and gas industry and pledged to be their voice, their advocate in the White House. The only thing he needed was a $1 billion campaign contribution. There was minimal coverage in the mainstream media networks, and it was soon forgotten.

Trump publicly campaigned on bringing prices down on food and gasoline. Neither has been accomplished, and he has given little attention to the matter.

When Trump took office in January, the price of a barrel of crude oil was $70.58. Earlier this week, the price of a barrel of crude was $61.95. That’s a $9.63 drop in price, or a 13.6% decrease in price. In January, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the Mid-Atlantic was $3.16. Today, the price of a gallon of gasoline in Pennsylvania averages $3.30.

Now I don’t claim to be an economic genius, but the price of a barrel of crude oil went down 13.6%, while the price of a gallon of gas increased 4.4%. An 18% overall profit margin. I guess the oil and gas industry has to get reimbursed for its campaign contribution somehow. The profit margin does not include the tax write-offs it got for its political contribution.

The Trump economy: Money buys influence. Everyone else has to pay, pay, pay, and pay some more.

Patrick Thompson, Media

There is a new champion in Philly, but you hardly heard a peep about it.

Yes, for the second time in six years, the Philadelphia Union won the Supporters’ Shield in Major League Soccer, meaning they earned more points than any of the other 29 teams in MLS.

And yet, despite having one of the top soccer writers in the U.S. in Jonathan Tannenwald, The Inky put Union news on Page 5 of the Sports section recently, past articles on the Sixers and Flyers, who aren’t even playing.

How many titles have those two teams won since 2018? Zero. Add in the Phillies, and the number is still zero.

Only the Union and the Birds have won championships in that time, and two times each.

With the World Cup coming to town in 2026, keep Tannenwald busy and get him more time on the front page. You’ve got a new champion in town!

Rich Bernstein, Cherry Hill

President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against YouTube for shutting down his account was reportedly settled for $22 million — money he directed the company to pay toward the construction of the new White House ballroom. So much money is being transferred back and forth — with Trump, his family, and his friends benefiting from it — while average taxpayers are struggling.

Trina Thompson, Media

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