How Democrats Can Learn From the Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department Debacle — A Critical Book Review

Pulitzer-Prize reporters Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis expose Merrick Garland’s missteps at the U.S. Department of Justice—and offer five hard-earned lessons for Democrats planning accountability in the post-Trump era.

In their new book Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department, Pulitzer-Prize winners Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis deliver an unflinching portrait of how the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) under Attorney General Merrick Garland failed to act decisively at a critical political juncture. 

For Democrats that will someday hold power again, this is more than history — it is a cautionary blueprint packed with lessons on how not to execute legal accountability.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, Architect of Post-9/11 Power Presidency, Dies at 84

Dick Cheney’s death marks the end of an era in American geopolitics — the hard-charging strategist whose “Cheney Doctrine” reshaped U.S. foreign-policy posture and restored executive-branch muscle has passed away at 84 due to pneumonia and cardiac/vascular complications.

WASHINGTON | Dick Cheney, the 46th vice president of the United States and a defining figure in America’s war-on-terror era, has died at the age of 84. His family confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that Cheney passed on November 3, 2025, surrounded by loved ones, due to complications from pneumonia as well as cardiac and vascular disease. 

Cheney’s career spanned four decades and several key roles in national security and government. He served as White House Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford, was a long-time congressman from Wyoming, became U.S. Secretary of Defense under President George H.W. Bush, and ultimately served as vice president under President George W. Bush from 2001-2009. 

From the outset of his vice presidency, Cheney held the view that the executive branch needed to reclaim power after being constrained in the post-Vietnam era. He often viewed the presidency as requiring decisive, even preemptive, action in global hotspots. That worldview crystallised in what came to be called the “Cheney Doctrine” or “One Percent Doctrine” — the idea that if there is even a one-percent chance of a threat, the U.S. must treat it as a certainty and act accordingly.

Tricare to Raise Pharmacy Copays in 2026 While Expanding Coverage for Cancer, Heart Disease, and Pain Treatments

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, military beneficiaries will face higher retail and mail-order prescription costs but gain access to expanded benefits — including new cancer therapies, heart screening procedures, and chronic pain relief technologies.

WASHINGTON | Military service members, retirees, and their families will see higher out-of-pocket pharmacy costs in 2026 under Tricare’s latest update — but they’ll also gain access to expanded medical coverage for cancer, cardiac, and chronic pain treatments, according to a notice published Tuesday in the Federal Register.

The Department of Defense’s Tricare Pharmacy Program will raise copayments for prescriptions filled outside military treatment facilities beginning Jan. 1, 2026, while continuing to provide free prescriptions at on-base hospitals and clinics.

Under the new schedule, 30-day retail prescriptions will remain at $16 for generic medications but will climb to $48 for brand-name drugs. Mail-order prescriptions will cost $14 for generics and $44 for branded medications, while non-formulary drugs will rise to $85 for both retail and mail-order fills.

This marks a 12% to 15.8% increase compared to current copay levels set in early 2024 — part of a broader Congress-approved initiative (2018) requiring patients to gradually shoulder a higher portion of Tricare’s costs.

“The goal is to modernize cost-sharing while improving access to evidence-based treatments for chronic and life-threatening conditions,” a Defense Health Agency (DHA) spokesperson said Tuesday.

Colorado Sues Trump Administration for Alleged Political Retaliation in Space Command HQ Shift

Colorado Attorney General alleges the relocation of U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama, was driven by Donald Trump’s opposition to Colorado’s mail-in voting system and seeks an injunction to block the move.

Denver | In a bold legal challenge, the state of Colorado has filed suit against the federal government, alleging that the relocation of the U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama, was illegally motivated by partisan retaliation. The lawsuit, announced Wednesday by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, seeks to enjoin the move and to secure a judicial finding that the decision violates constitutional protections.

According to the complaint, former President Donald Trump explicitly cited Colorado’s robust mail-in voting system as a key factor in his decision to move the headquarters. In a September remark, Trump said, “The problem with Colorado is that they have a very corrupt voting system … So that played a big factor also.” 

Colorado contends that this admission transforms a national defense basing decision into a coercive act against a state exercising its sovereign authority to regulate elections. The lawsuit states: “President Trump has unlawfully retaliated against Colorado to punish the state for its exercise of sovereign authority to regulate elections.”