“Torn parchment labeled ‘1st Amendment’ beneath the headline ‘Trump’s War on the Separation of Powers,’ with a Decked Out logo, symbolizing constitutional damage and political conflict.

Trump’s War on the Separation of Powers

07/11/2026 Clocking It: The Political Rundown — The Verdict Earlier this week, Halfway Clocked laid out the philosophical architecture of American governance. The Founders, drawing on centuries of political thought from Aristotle to Montesquieu, constructed a system designed to do one thing above all else: prevent the concentration of power. They divided authority among three branches, gave each the means to resist the others, and … Continue reading Trump’s War on the Separation of Powers

Separation of powers: Why the Founders Divided Power: Painting of the Founding Fathers gathered around a red‑covered table in an ornate room, dressed in 18th‑century attire, reviewing documents and scientific instruments during a formal meeting.

Separation of powers: Why the Founders Divided Power

07/08/2026 Clocking It: The Political Rundown — Halfway Clocked The most radical idea in the Constitution is not that the people should govern. It is that the people should not trust any single part of the government to do so. When James Madison sat down to write Federalist No. 51 in February 1788, he was not composing a theoretical treatise. He was making a practical … Continue reading Separation of powers: Why the Founders Divided Power

The 250th Birthday Most Do Not Want to Celebrate: Crowds gathered on the National Mall watching bright fireworks explode above the Washington Monument at night, with reflections glowing in the Reflecting Pool as people record the display on their phones.

The 250th Birthday Most Do Not Want to Celebrate

06/27/2026 Clocking It: The Political Rundown — The Verdict Earlier this week, Halfway Clocked documented the uncomfortable truth that the first Trump administration, for all its chaos, all its turnover, all its late-night tweets, was somehow better than the current one. That is not a compliment. That is an indictment. Pence to Vance. Mattis to sycophants. Guardrails to open field. The adults have left the … Continue reading The 250th Birthday Most Do Not Want to Celebrate

Trump’s First Administration was “Better”: Trump's first Swear in.

Trump’s First Administration was “Better”

06/24/2026 Clocking It: The Political Rundown — Halfway Clocked Let’s be honest about something uncomfortable: Trump’s first administration was better than his current one. Yes, yes, we know. That is like saying a root canal is better than having your teeth pulled with pliers. It’s still a root canal. But at least during Trump 1.0, there were some adults in the room. There were people … Continue reading Trump’s First Administration was “Better”

Trump Booed: The Death of the Fairness Doctrine and the Rise of “Two Realities” in American Media: Front entrance of the FCC building

Trump Booed: The Death of the Fairness Doctrine and the Rise of “Two Realities” in American Media

06/09/2026 Clocking It: The Political Rundown — Halfway Clocked On a Monday night in June, Donald Trump walked into Madison Square Garden as the first sitting president in history to attend an NBA Finals game. He walked out to the sound of something he has spent a lifetime trying to outrun: the truth being witnessed by 20,000 people at once. The first sitting U.S. president … Continue reading Trump Booed: The Death of the Fairness Doctrine and the Rise of “Two Realities” in American Media

How High Can Gas Prices Go and How Fast? Gas station price sign showing regular gasoline at 725.9 cents, plus at 745.9, and premium at 775.9, displayed on a blue board with a clear sky and trees in the background.

How High Can Gas Prices Go and How Fast?

Clocking It: The Political Rundown — Halfway Clocked If you filled up your tank in Wisconsin this week, you felt it. Parts of the state have seen prices touching $6 per gallon. The national average surged to $4.457 on Monday, with an eye-watering 35-cent jump in just one week. Drivers in California are now paying over $6.11 per gallon. The frustration is real, the pain … Continue reading How High Can Gas Prices Go and How Fast?