I really feel like the cruelty of this administration is intentional. Just today, the official White House Twitter account posted an AI-generated cartoon depicting an ICE agent handcuffing a sobbing woman with brown skin. It feels like torture porn to me. This comes on the same day that Kristi Noem, our new Secretary of Homeland Security, shared a video standing in front of a prison in El Salvador—a place America should be shutting down instead of using to threaten others.

I remember during the Iraq War when images of smiling US troops next to people in horrific conditions at Abu Ghraib caused outrage; it was a major scandal. Now, it seems like this administration is using similar tactics to appeal to those who thrive on cruelty and want to see their leaders act as bullies. I don’t think the division is just between left and right anymore, or even between rich and poor. It feels more like a struggle between decent human beings who value compassion and empathy, versus those who want to use brute force to get their way, regardless of the suffering they cause. We're truly fighting for the soul of America, and it’s crucial that we don’t let them win.