It should be clear to everyone by now that the United States no longer has a fully functioning government. The Department of Justice is at war with Congress, as are Treasury Department and the Executive branch, all three willingly ignoring lawful orders issued by Congress. The Supreme Court is now equipped with two Trump lackeys and one member that I can’t believe passed a bar exam. Large numbers of key positions remain unfilled, so many that it’s even alarming to the President’s own party.

“It’s a lot. It’s way too many,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.)

We haven’t had a U.N. ambassador in months.

It seems clear to me this group has no intention of giving up power, especially over something as silly as an election. The Republicans have demonstrated they’re willing to do anything to keep likely Democratic voters from the polls, from gerrymandering to placing undue burdens of proof of eligibility upon citizens. They have openly welcomed the help of a foreign adversary to gain and maintain power. They happily consort with despots from authoritarian regimes.

I’m fully convinced the Trump will “win” the next election, and if he doesn’t, they’ll deploy an innovative scheme to delay the transition of power. Most likely involving declaring the election void and using the Department of Justice and the Supreme Court as tools to keep them in power. The post World War 2 experiment in building a secure, prosperous global democracy has come full circle and has ended. In the eyes of the world, we are no longer the trusted power, the beacon of light.