The Dictatorship
The Trump admin’s book purge at the Naval Academy goes beyond petty authoritarianism
The Trump administration’s rush to enact authoritarian policies has touched all parts of American lifebut we didn’t expect it to affect our family the way it did.
We are a mother-daughter writing team. In mid-April, one of us, Cathy Johnson, found out that the U.S. Naval Academy had removed her book in a Trump administration-led purge of its library. To her, and to the rest of our family, this decision came as a surprise. Cathy and her co-authors published the book, “Creating Gender: The Sexual Politics of Welfare Policy,” in 2007. It’s an academic book that received positive reviews from leading political science journals.
But without offering an explanation to Cathy or her publisher, the academy removed it from circulation. A spokesperson for the Navy told us that the removals were “in order to comply with directives outlined in Executive Orders issued by the President.”
Without offering an explanation to Cathy or her publisher, the academy removed it from circulation.
Neither of us are strangers to pushback from the right. One of Cathy’s courses at Williams College on feminism and political activism was targeted by campus conservative groups in the early 2000s. Hannah, her daughter, has been reporting on and researching the radical right, including its ties to the first and second Trump administrations, for nearly a decade. While we’re not shocked by these brazen attempts to quash intellectual inquiry from an administration whose prior term ended with an armed insurrection in the U.S. Capitol, we find these developments particularly disturbing.
Co-authored with professors Georgia Duerst-Lahti and Noelle Norton, “Creating Gender” argues that ideas about gender are a flashpoint in American politics, one that intersects with the familiar left-right spectrum. By drawing on gender theory, social welfare policy and the study of legislative behavior, the book examines the ways in which political actors use policy to shape “the way men and women should live their lives.” Policy praises and condemns; it rewards and punishes.
“Creating Gender” investigates how ideas about gender influenced the design and implementation of social welfare policy as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) — a program that helps states fund services for low-income families with children — was adopted and then implemented by the states.
The administration and its allies have railed against “gender ideology extremism,” which it has used to enact anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. To the extent that “gender ideology” refers to the notion that ideas about gender can, and do, inform policymaking, it’s clearly a bedrock principle of the administration. President Donald Trump has referred to himself as “the fertilization president” and floated pro-natalist policies that would direct cash bonuses to mothers after the births of each child.
The administration has made clear that not all families are equal. Project 2025 — the Heritage Foundation’s 900-plus-page guidebook for the administration’s speedrun into authoritarianism — encouraged all levels of government to manipulate their services to prioritize married heterosexual, cisgendered couples.
“Married men and women are the ideal, natural family structure because all children have a right to be raised by the men and women who conceived them,” Project 2025 declared. Elsewhere, it implores the Department of Health and Human Services to “prioritize married father engagement in its messaging, health, and welfare policies.” It attacks TANF on the grounds that it has supposedly failed to prioritize “[m]arriage, healthy family formation, and delaying sex to prevent pregnancy.”
Today, “Creating Gender” and the 380 other books the Naval Academy removed from Nimitz Library are now inaccessible to patrons. The full list represents a bizarre collection of books that appear to be identified based on keywords.
Reporting in The New York Times and elsewhere has described the book purge as tied to a Jan. 29 executive order that seeks to end “radical indoctrination” in kindergarten through 12th grade classrooms. The Naval Academy, a college, thought it was exempt from the order, but the Times reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office told the Naval Academy that the secretary “expected compliance” from the military academies, too.
These authoritarian outbursts have much deeper roots.
That same executive order also called for the revival of Trump’s 1776 Commission, a committee that he formed during his first term to support “patriotic education.” (Curiously, the list of removed titles even includes a book from one of the commission’s former membersCarol Swain, author of the 2004 book “The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration.”)
“We’ve said goodbye to the harmful effects of woke culture and so-called diversity, equity and inclusion programs. We’re removing DEI content,” Secretary Hegseth said during a visit to the Army War College in April.
It isn’t clear why the Naval Academy was the first to conduct these removals, but other institutions of higher education within the Defense Department appear prepared to implement similar processes.
The head of the Naval War College recently announced to community members in an email that there were plans to form a committee consisting of faculty and Defense Department officials to assess how to conduct similar removals, according to two sources who received the email and who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, over concerns of professional retaliation. The sources said that it was unclear who specifically would be on the committee, and officials have not announced when this process would begin. A spokesperson for the Naval War College did not respond to our request for comment regarding whether such removals were going to be implemented at the school.
“I think the bans are appalling,” Lynne Rienner, whose eponymous publishing house released “Creating Gender” in 2007, told us. The book was one of four titles that Lynne Rienner Publishers released from academics that the academy purged.
“It will not have a chilling effect on what we’re willing to publish. I’m concerned that it will have a chilling effect on academic research to the extent that people are dependent on federal funding for their research. And we’re already seeing that,” Rienner added.
We reached out to the Defense Department and the Naval Academy for comment regarding the purges and “Creating Gender’s” removal, specifically. A spokesperson from Hegseth’s office referred us to the Navy. When we followed up with a quote from Hegseth’s recent appearance at the Army War College, as well as a link to a Times article, which previously reported that the decision to remove the books arose from an order from the defense secretary’s office, the spokesperson said, “We don’t have anything additional to provide at this time.” The spokesperson again referred us to Navy officials.
Naval Academy media relations did not respond to a list of several questions related to the purges.
These book removals might seem in line with the Trump movement’s obsession with “trolling” liberals or punishing institutions of higher education for being insufficiently deferential to conservatives. He and his supporters have spoken openly about their attacks on colleges, universities, museums and cultural landmarks as being rooted in the misguided belief that they are victims.
But to us, these authoritarian outbursts have much deeper roots. For all the fawning pieces outlining the right’s “intellectual vitalism” in the second Trump era, the movement’s full-throttled embrace of censorship and hostility to its perceived enemies is indicative of a deep lack of curiosity about the world.
While graduates like Adm. James Stockdale might have read Karl Marx at the Naval Academy in the 1960s to understand an ideology the U.S. government saw as enemy No. 1, they at least read his books. Today’s petty authoritarians see no such need.
Hannah Gais
Hannah Gais is a journalist and researcher focused on the radical right. She is a frequent contributor to The Baffler.
Cathy Johnson
Cathy Johnson is a James Phinney Baxter III Professor of Political Science, Emerita, at Williams College.
The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a vote on acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination, a spokesperson said late Wednesday, as two retiring Republicans on the panel dug in over President Donald Trump’s personal “anti-weaponization” deal with the government he runs.
Sen. Chuck Grassley’s decision to delay the committee vote that had been set for Thursday marks a setback for one of Trump’s highest-profile Cabinet nominees, at the hands of Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a pair of Republicans set to leave the chamber next year.
“Chairman Grassley works to set President Trump’s nominees up for success in committee, not failure. Senators Cornyn and Tillis want written assurances from the Department of Justice regarding the Trump-IRS settlement,” the committee spokesperson said.
Blanche’s nomination to permanently head the Department of Justice needs the support of either Cornyn or Tillis to make it out of the committee to a vote by the full Senate, assuming all Democrats remain opposed.
“Why don’t you call over the Department of Justice and tell them they have one hour and 50 minutes to get me what I asked for,” Cornyn told reporters Wednesday afternoon amid the hardening standoff over his demand that Blanche and the DOJ put in writing a commitment never to pursue the president’s prized “anti-weaponization” fund, and to clarify the terms of Trump’s personal deal with the Internal Revenue Service.
Tillis told MS NOW that the conversations were complicated by the need for the Justice Department to get “several parties” to agree on the language of the statement Cornyn and Tillis are seeking.
“What I’ve advised the chair, and I would assume Senator Cornyn said something similar, is that we’re not prepared to vote yes yet,” he added.
“The Department has been in regular communication with Committee members for weeks, and we look forward to continuing to work productively with Senators to address any concerns,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in response to the decision to postpone the committee vote.
Cornyn was set to meet with Blanche on Wednesday morning, but the meeting was called off after Blanche failed to meet the senator’s demand for written proposals to modify the controversial settlement agreement he brokered between Trump and the IRS. The Republican senator is set to leave Congress when his term ends in January after a bruising May primary loss to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Trump’s chosen candidate.
“Maybe John Cornyn’s upset with me because I didn’t endorse him,” Trump told reporters Wednesday afternoon in the Oval Office. “I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard that there’s a problem. I heard (Blanche) is going through quite nicely.”
Cornyn made clear to Blanche during his confirmation hearing that he will not get his support until he agrees to reopen and modify the settlement. Due to the committee’s narrow Republican majority, one GOP “no” vote is enough to sink Blanche’s nomination.
The senator has asked Blanche to provide proof that the proposed nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund established as part of the deal between Trump and the IRS is formally dead, and he has also demanded Blanche narrow the tax audit immunity provisions the settlement afforded to Trump and his family.
Blanche has publicly stated that his department has dropped the fund, but he and the DOJ have dodged requests from Cornyn and a federal judge to put that in writing.
After announcing his meeting with Blanche would not take place Wednesday morning, Cornyn told reporters that changes from Blanche “in a modified release form” would be acceptable, but that “for some reason … they simply refuse to do it,” referring to the DOJ.
Shortly after the meeting was called off, a Justice Department official told MS NOW that the department “provided a written proposal to Senator Cornyn’s staff yesterday following ongoing discussion with both the Committee and the Senator’s office.”
Cornyn said that proposal was “not responsive” to his demands because it did not address the tax audit immunity provisions in the settlement, one of his key demands.
In May, Blanche signed an addendum as part of the deal that granted Trump, his family and his businesses immunity from pending IRS tax audits. That agreement, which has been decried by former IRS officials and legal experts as unlawful self-dealing, is being contested in federal court.
Cornyn noted that Blanche testified under oath that he could meet the request during his confirmation hearing.
“Maybe they think I’m just going to give up or you know, go along, but they’re mistaken,” Cornyn said when asked why he thinks the DOJ could be slow-walking his request.
Kevin Frey contributed to this report.
Sydney Carruth is a breaking news reporter covering national politics and policy for MS NOW. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at SydneyCarruth.46 or follow her work on X and Bluesky.
Mychael Schnell is a reporter for MS NOW.
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at BLN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived this week for his tour of Washington, he may have had a mission in mind.
Netanyahu needed to overcome his newly diminished stature and waning influence over his once close friend President Donald Trump as both leaders grapple with the unpopularity of a war they started together and is escaping their control.
His meeting at the White House with Trump on Tuesday, which was closed to the press, was the first face-to-face encounter between the two allies since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack against Iran on Feb. 28.
Trump gave him a muted welcome and afterwards simply described the meeting as “very good.” “Obviously, many important subjects were discussed,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Rather than an intimate one-on-one setting, the Oval Office was full of top U.S. officials — Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
But Netanyahu continued the full court press on the Trump administration.
Over the course of two days, in addition to seeing Trump and attending Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral at the Capitol, Netanyahu also met separately with Vance, Hegseth, and Rubio, White House and Israeli officials confirmed to MS NOW.
The Israeli prime minister’s slate of meetings with key U.S. national security officials comes at a pivotal moment in the Iran conflict as tensions escalate in the region and Americans increasingly sour on the war. A recent Quinnipiac poll shows 60% of American voters opposing U.S. military action against Iran and 74% against sending U.S. ground troops into Iran.
Not only does Trump face pressure as Republicans face an uphill battle to retain congressional control in this fall’s midterms, Netanyahu’s fate as prime minister is at stake in Israel’s upcoming September elections – and he can’t afford to lose Trump’s favor.
The talks largely focused on what to do next as Iran continues to menace shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and retaliate against American bases in the region and launch attacks on Gulf allies.
According to a senior Israeli official who was granted anonymity to describe the closed-door meeting, President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu did not come to a final decision after discussing three paths forward: get a “good deal” focused on Iran’s nuclear program and enriched material, have no deal and instead continue the blockade and economic pressure, or take escalated military action.
But Netanyahu did not tell Trump what he should do – nor did he express a preference.
The senior Israeli official noted Netanyahu has not ruled out diplomacy – as long as it is coupled with “very strong pressures,” calling the push to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program “a contest of will and a contest of force.”
“There are ways of squeezing them and squeezing them and squeezing them and negotiating at the same time,” the official said.
Netanyahu did not present President Trump with new intelligence regarding the underground Iranian nuclear facility Pickaxe Mountain, per the senior Israeli official, noting the U.S. and Israel already are constantly sharing intelligence – and know where Iran’s highly enriched material is. “We don’t think it’s moved, and I think we have a pretty good grasp on that,” the official said.
During their meeting on Tuesday, Trump and Netanyahu discussed ways Israel and the U.S. can work together to stop Iran’s nuclear program and get the Strait of Hormuz open to maritime trade, the senior Israeli official said.
The two leaders also discussed a third goal: to continue to undermine the Iranian regime and “possibly create future conditions for a change in that area.” U.S. officials have backed away from pursuing paths that would overthrow the current leadership, but Netanyahu still believes that could happen.
“The chasm that has been created between the people and the regime is not about to be closed,” the senior Israeli official said of Netanyahu’s thinking.
Netanyahu advised Trump in February that Israeli intelligence indicated launching strikes against Iran would lead to the toppling of the Islamic Republic’s regime – and five months later, the slain ayatollah’s son retains power with a close circle of hardliners, calling into question the accuracy of Israel’s intelligence apparatus.
But the senior Israeli official said at the time, Netanyahu did not promise the Iranian people would take fate into their own hands following a coordinated attack. Rather, he chose his words carefully and said that an attack could create conditions to “advance the probability or the possibility that that would happen.”
The conditions needed for the Iranian regime to fall, “did not materialize,” the official told MS NOW, adding, “not for lack of insight, but for either operational failure or decisions that were made.”
Despite Netanyahu insisting Israel and the U.S. are on the same page, differences still remain: the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and the Saudi nuclear arrangement did not come up during Wednesday’s White House meeting, according to a second Israeli official granted anonymity to describe sensitive discussions.
Meanwhile, the conflict continues to spread, with an Iranian drone attacking a U.S. gas storage tanker off the coast of Egypt on Wednesday.
Trump indicated he would not let Iran’s latest action slide, telling reporters on Wednesday that the U.S. would retaliate against Iran even as he leaves room for diplomatic talks to resume.
“It’s our turn, and we’ll see if we get there with an agreement at some point,” Trump said. “But we’re going to hit them very hard.”
As for what it would take for Israel to join the U.S. strikes, the senior Israeli official said that if Israel is attacked by Iran, “We will respond very, very forcefully and very quickly. And I think Iran would make a great mistake.”
Julia Jester covers politics for MS NOW and is based in Washington, D.C.
International rage over FIFA’s close ties to President Donald Trump has reached a fever pitch after soccer’s governing body announced a plan to sell a significant stake to an investor group led by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law.
The president and his family have all but turned the White House into their personal piggy bank. And FIFA — which has its own sordid history of corruption — seems to have made itself a party to Trump’s self-enrichment under Gianni Infantino’s leadership, such as by paying for space inside Trump Tower in New York. (The organization has defended the office rental as a World Cup outpost.)
Soccer is seen by many as a unifying game. But Trump’s incorporation of FIFA into his political dynasty is threatening that idea.
FIFA has announced plans to sell a large minority stake in a new company that will run its main events, including the World Cup and Club World Cup, as part of a plan to triple the amount of development money it dishes out to its 211 member associations.
Under the proposals — which are subject to approval by a majority of those national associations and FIFA’s 37-member council — a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE) will take over all commercial operations, while FIFA remains the game’s global governing body and retains a majority stake in FFE.
A press release from FIFA confirmed the plans and said Thrive Eternal, which was launched by Joshua Kushner, is expected to lead the investment group that would control FIFA Forward Enterprise. FIFA did not clarify why Thrive Eternal was selected, and Kushner was already dabbling in sports.
But Trump basically has already given son-in-law Jared Kushner carte blanche to dictate U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East while simultaneously hatching business plans in the region. (Jared Kushner has denied any conflicts of interest.)
Joshua Kushner reportedly has been a major donor to Democrats. But, predictably, the idea of another Kushner becoming financially entwined with the World Cup — the world’s most popular sporting event — and basically being dropped into a position of global significance isn’t going over well. Several other soccer governing bodies have expressed concerns, including Europe’s UEFA.
“This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross,” UEFA said in a statement about The Athletic’s report, adding: “The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade — especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee also rebuked the plan, writing on X: “Apparently the fake Peace Prize and giant lease with Trump Tower weren’t enough — now Infantino performs a kickback hat trick by pursuing a multibillion-dollar deal with Jared Kushner’s brother to sell ownership stakes in the World Cup to private investors.”
FIFA, Donald Trump’s favorite corrupt racketeering enterprise in world sports, is now going directly into business with the Trump family!
Apparently the fake Peace Prize and giant lease with Trump Tower weren’t enough—now Infantino performs a kickback hat trick by pursuing a… https://t.co/knSZibuMea
— House Judiciary Dems (@HouseJudiciary) July 28, 2026
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., has already launched an investigation into the FIFA leader’s relationship with the Trump administration, while dozens of European lawmakers — citing concerns about “potential breaches of political neutrality” — have called for the FIFA Ethics Committee to investigate Infantino. This new proposal seems unlikely to assuage those concerns.
But what it does seem likely to do is fuel global anger toward the U.S. — the kind that has been growing since Trump retook office.
And when you consider that, it’s truly remarkable how the same MAGA movement whose members whined for years about politics mixing with sports is now in lockstep with a president who seems dead-set on casting his shadow over every sports event he can.
This post on X basically sums up the foul stench around FIFA’s latest proposal.
Sepp Blatter was Infantino’s predecessor as FIFA president and oversaw the organization amid some of its many scandals. When heof all people, is warning about how Trump and Infantino’s relationship is “deeply damaging” soccer, it’s a sign of how far FIFA has descended into the gutter.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.
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