Feature / December 23, 2024

When Our Orgy of Gun Violence Came to My Hometown

After Columbine and Sandy Hook, after the AME Church in Charleston and the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, we stopped saying “It can’t happen here.” And then it did.

Eric Orner

Support independent journalism that exposes oligarchs and profiteers


Donald Trump’s cruel and chaotic second term is just getting started. In his first month back in office, Trump and his lackey Elon Musk (or is it the other way around?) have proven that nothing is safe from sacrifice at the altar of unchecked power and riches.

Only robust independent journalism can cut through the noise and offer clear-eyed reporting and analysis based on principle and conscience. That’s what The Nation has done for 160 years and that’s what we’re doing now.

Our independent journalism doesn’t allow injustice to go unnoticed or unchallenged—nor will we abandon hope for a better world. Our writers, editors, and fact-checkers are working relentlessly to keep you informed and empowered when so much of the media fails to do so out of credulity, fear, or fealty.

The Nation has seen unprecedented times before. We draw strength and guidance from our history of principled progressive journalism in times of crisis, and we are committed to continuing this legacy today.

We’re aiming to raise $25,000 during our Spring Fundraising Campaign to ensure that we have the resources to expose the oligarchs and profiteers attempting to loot our republic. Stand for bold independent journalism and donate to support The Nation today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel

Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Eric Orner

Eric Orner is a former Capitol Hill staff counsel, and a cartoonist. His most recent graphic novel, Smahtguy, was an NPR Books We Love selection. He is a fellow at the New York Public Library Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, working on a book about Jimmy Carter’s presidency. Earlier in his career Eric wrote and drew a popular alt-weekly comic strip about LGBTQ life, called The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green.

More from The Nation

Roxane Gay on What Feminism Can Do in This Moment

Roxane Gay on What Feminism Can Do in This Moment Roxane Gay on What Feminism Can Do in This Moment

An interview with the best-selling author about her latest project, The Portable Feminist Reader.

Q&A / Sara Franklin

Pro-Palestinian Jewish Americans gather outside the ICE headquarters on March 20, 2025, at the emergency rally to release Palestinian green-card holder and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil and reject the Trump administration’s mass deportations.

What’s Happening at Columbia University Won’t End There What’s Happening at Columbia University Won’t End There

The actions of the Trump administration have not made our campus a safer place, and their broader McCarthyite punishment of dissent is just beginning.

StudentNation / Destiny Spruill and Jordan Weinstock

George Foreman poses as he trains in 1972 in New York, New York.

The Time George Foreman Sang Me Some Dylan The Time George Foreman Sang Me Some Dylan

With the passing of the boxing legend, I want to recall an interview I never expected and will never forget

Dave Zirin

A visitor in silhouette at an art gallery.

We Need to Reengage My Generation In Art Appreciation We Need to Reengage My Generation In Art Appreciation

Art history, once a staple in every college humanities curriculum, is now seen as elitist and futile. With Donald Trump back in the White House, the arts are more at risk than eve...

StudentNation / Allegra Devine Lief

Joseph Howley, an associate professor at Columbia University, speaks after a hearing for Mahmoud Khalil on March 12, 2025, in New York City. The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil over his participation in pro-Palestinian protests at the school.

Reading “King Lear” at Columbia in the Wake of Mahmoud Khalil’s Kidnapping Reading “King Lear” at Columbia in the Wake of Mahmoud Khalil’s Kidnapping

Trump’s war on my colleagues and students helped me understand the play’s political caution, which is not just about bad actors but those who fail to stop them.

Joseph A. Howley

Jackie Robinson served with the US military during World War II.

Jackie Robinson Again Teaches Us to Never Back Down to Bigots Jackie Robinson Again Teaches Us to Never Back Down to Bigots

An article on Robinson’s military career was restored to the Defense Department’s website. It’s a reminder that we can beat back the racist right.

Dave Zirin