BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

Venezuelans on the streets of Caracas on Monday. Credit: Getty Images

For those who think Donald Trump is doing a bad job of running one country, imagine him trying to run two.

Pity the Venezuelans who have lived under dictators for nearly three decades. Now they have an authoritarian-in-abstentia. Trump attempting to run the show from 2,000 miles away is a disaster in the making.

If the president believes …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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Stephen Stills is a man who has worn many hats. He was a member of two of the most successful folk-rock groups in history: Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash. He is a singer, a songwriter, a musician, a harmonizer, an arranger, and a producer. He has created rock, folk, and country music. He plays the guitar, bass, banjo, piano, and organ. He famously played …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

October 1, 2025, New York City Credit: Getty Images

As Benjamin Franklin was leaving Independence Hall at the close of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a woman asked him what kind of government had been established. “A republic, if you can keep it,” he famously and presciently answered.

A republic is a form of government in which power is held by the people, who elect representatives to exercise that …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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Annie Lennox is a Christmas baby, which seems incredibly apropos considering how much joy she has brought to the world. She is 2025’s ultimate reason to smile.

Lennox is a classically trained pianist and flutist. She attended the Royal Academy of Music in London. Toward the end of her tenure at the school, she realized her heart wasn’t in playing music. She left before she graduated …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

Fully redacted pages of the just released Epstein Files. Credit: Getty Images

The story of Jeffrey Epstein and his sordid life, how he died and who helped him recruit girls and young women to abuse is horrific to contemplate and difficult to follow. That is by design. Those in high places don’t want you to know the truth. And we have a president, and longtime friend of Epstein, who …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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You might have noticed that we try to choose upbeat songs to put a smile on your face every Sunday. So when I got to thinking about my favorite Christmas songs, I struggled a bit because they tend toward more somber hymns.

Then I remembered an interview I did a few years back with Michael Bublé, who can’t help but make you smile when he sings. …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

With Carl and Rob Reiner in 2019

In every reporter’s career, there are moments they remember vividly. That’s especially true for interviews where we learn something truly profound or unexpected. For me, Rob Reiner was one of those interviews.

He was thoughtful, and, unlike some in Hollywood, warm and engaging. He was also passionate — about his films and his country. His ability to explain the American experience on …

By Bret Stephens

Opinion

Though I tend to think it’s usually a waste of space to devote a column to President Trump’s personality — what more is there to say about the character of this petty, hollow, squalid, overstuffed man? — sometimes the point bears stressing: We are led by the most loathsome human being ever to occupy the White House.

Markets will not be moved, or brigades redeployed, or history shifted, because Rob Reiner …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

Brown University students hold a vigil for fellow students killed in a mass shooting on campus. Credit: Getty Images

Leaders of great nations rise to the occasion. Leaders of great nations commiserate with their citizens after a tragedy, promising to do what they can to help and change what can be changed, in the hope that victims and their families will feel a recognition of their pain and suffering.

…

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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This week’s reason to smile is a celebration of Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero. You might know her better as Connie Francis. Saturday would have been her 88th birthday.

Francis was the Taylor Swift of her day. She was the most popular female vocalist from 1958 to 1964. Her song “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” reached No. 1 on the fledgling pop charts in 1960, making her the first …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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We recently heard a heartbreaking story from a friend we’ve known for quite a while. Jane (not her real name) is deeply worried. She’d just received notice that her health care premiums will increase next year from $65 a month to more than $900. Jane is in her mid-30s, self-employed, and has relied on the Obamacare subsidies to make her health insurance affordable. An $835 a …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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We need to have a serious conversation about Donald Trump’s health — what we know, and, more importantly, what we don’t know, which is a lot. Just how bad or good is it? We’ve tallied many indications of flagging vitality, just in his second term alone, and by any reasonable analysis he is not a picture of good health, to say the least.

Ronald Reagan was …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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The Grammy winning soundtrack for “O Brother Where Art Thou?”, a blend of bluegrass, country, gospel, Delta blues, and Appalachian folk music, is credited with reigniting interest in the musical genre known as Americana. It was released 25 years ago this week and is our reason to smile.

The soundtrack was produced for the movie of the same name, a satirical comedy-drama that is a retelling …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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The 318 days of Donald Trump’s second term have been littered with one outrageous, norm-shattering act after another. The pardon of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández is near the top of the list. And the record of other pardons is long and sickening.

Hernández, who walked out of prison on Tuesday, had been found guilty of trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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If there was any doubt that this country desperately needs — now more than ever — a vigorous and unyielding press, look no further than the recent reporting on Pete Hegseth, the Fox TV weekend anchor turned Secretary of Defense.

The Washington Post has some serious editorial ownership issues with Trump sycophant Jeff Bezos, but kudos to its reporters who continue to fight the good fight.

…

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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A word of welcome for those of you new to Steady and a quick note of explanation.

Every Sunday, to escape the often distressing and overwhelming news of the day, we present a musical performance meant to put a smile on your face, called a “Reason to Smile.” We try to choose a song with an interesting backstory and/or a song by interesting artists. Today’s checks …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

Donald Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff. Caption: Getty Images

We tend to digest the news in small bites because, as has been said, the news is the first draft of history. But sometimes we need to step back and take a look at the wide shot to understand the broader implications of what is going on and why.

The president was elected by followers who bought the …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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If not for teachers who cared deeply about our education, it is unlikely that many of us would have come anywhere near to realizing our potential. Many years ago, I wrote that “the dream begins with a teacher who believes in you.” And we are a nation that knows good schools are the foundations of its strength.

With those points in mind (and as many teachers …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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The Supremes, the girl group from Detroit that would become Motown’s most successful act, achieved superstardom almost 60 years ago this fall. They are our reason to smile.

Though they had already had several No. 1 hits, it wasn’t until the release of their 1966 album, “The Supremes A’ Go-Go,” that the group achieved a No. 1 album. They did it by knocking the Beatles’ “Revolver” …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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Not long ago, asking tough questions of the President of the United States was just the press doing its job. Ten months later, things have changed. Dramatically. Now, reporters are often browbeaten by the thin-skinned president. Journalists who manage to ask him hard questions should be vaunted, consequences be damned.

To go up against this petulant bully, who will say anything and insult anyone, takes courage, …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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It is interesting to see what happens when Donald Trump knows he’s going to lose.

House Republicans were about to defy the president, one of the few times ever, by voting to release the Epstein files. For months, Trump has tried everything to keep the files locked up, including keeping the House out of session for two months! When that ended, he summoned wavering Republicans to …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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The late, great country singer Kenny Rogers’s biggest hit was, without question, “The Gambler,” a staple of karaoke bars and long road trips. It was released 47 years ago this week and is our reason to smile. Who can resist his dulcet voice telling the story of a dying gambler passing on his hard-won wisdom? But it was almost a hit for someone else.

Rogers and …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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The Situation Room at the White House is designed to track a crisis. It’s where President Obama watched Navy SEALSs take out Osama bin Laden, where President Johnson strategized Vietnam, and President Kennedy monitored the Cuban Missile Crisis.

On Monday, behind its soundproof walls, it was used to strong-arm a Republican member of Congress into changing her mind about releasing the Epstein files. Rep. Lauren Boebert …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), one of the architects of the deal to end the government shutdown. Credit: Getty Images

Today, Americans awoke to what can only be described as political surrender by Democrats. We’ve seen it called everything from capitulation to buckling to caving. And what we’ve heard from party faithfuls is full-on fury.

You can hardly blame them. Only days after finally seeing some daylight in big election …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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The hills are alive again with the sound of music. The beloved movie musical, “The Sound of Music,” is celebrating its 60th anniversary with much fanfare. It is this week’s reason to smile.

To commemorate the anniversary, a newly restored and digitally remastered version of the film had a theatrical release in September. You can see and hear for yourself in the beautifully updated “Do-Re-Mi,” as …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

An American exercises her right to vote in Tuesday’s election in Costa Mesa, California. Credit: Getty Images

The president says the shellacking his party took in Tuesday’s elections is simply not his fault. He publicly blames the losses on the government shutdown, which he, in turn, blames on the filibuster rule in the Senate. In other words, the buck never stops anywhere in his vicinity. More on that in …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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Through the magic of technology, Frank Sinatra was able to record an album of duets without having to be in the same room with his collaborators. The album, aptly named, “Duets,” was released 32 years ago today. It became the best selling album of his career.

Because all the duets were digitally created to pair with the performances of other singers, there aren’t any videos of …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

A person receiving groceries at a Miami food bank. Credit: Getty Images

While there are seemingly no winners when the government shuts down, this time around, millions of Americans are losing big… losing food, losing paychecks, losing benefits, losing security, and losing hope.

They are pawns in a game of political brinksmanship. You can’t even label them collateral damage because that would imply that what is happening to them …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) shows off Trump 2028 merch. Credit: Getty Images

You would be hard-pressed to find a more unpopular idea in much of the country than Donald Trump running for a third term. Even less popular would be him winning. It is a notion, however, that Trump won’t let go of, despite his legally mandated expiry date from the White House of January 20, 2029. That’s 1180 …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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We are taking a little departure for this week’s reason to smile. Instead of choosing a song, we selected a ballet and groundbreaking dancer, one of the all-time greats.

This week, prima ballerina Misty Copeland took her final twirl on the stage at New York’s Lincoln Center. She is retiring from the American Ballet Theatre, her home for the past 25 years.

Copeland made history when …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished on October 23 in Washington, DC. Credit: Getty Images

And just like that, it was gone.

The East Wing of the White House has been demolished by Donald Trump and only Donald Trump. No hearings, no oversight, no input from anyone, just his desire to defile our nation’s most famous home with his …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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You would be forgiven for not knowing who Bobby Troup was or that Saturday would have been his 107th birthday. Even so, the American songwriter wrote one of the most quintessentially American rhythm and blues songs ever.

Troup’s “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” this week’s reason to smile, is a song about a westward road trip along the iconic U.S. Route 66, which stretches for …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

(Recently laid-off State Department employees. Credit: Getty Images.).

To the thousands of you who comment on Steady each week, first, let me say thank you. In reading your thoughts, it is safe to say you are: a) not happy with the direction of our country, and b) really not happy with the current president.

We’ve heard reports that millions of you will express your discontent on Saturday at “No …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

(Recently laid-off State Department employees. Credit: Getty Images.).

For many years, American public servants were celebrated for their altruism. Non-military government jobs were a good living, a steady paycheck, and a chance to contribute, to be a part of a greater good. My, how far we’ve fallen.

Today, the government, our democratically elected government, is driven by fear. It’s being used by the Republican Party to oppress Americans rather …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

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Fifty years ago this week, “Saturday Night Live” debuted. It was quite an experiment: a live, 90-minute sketch comedy show featuring musical guests and starting at 11:30 p.m. The experiment proved a success beyond everyone’s imagination. I don’t think even creator Lorne Michaels believed it would last five decades while maintaining its place in the cultural zeitgeist.

To celebrate SNL’s unprecedented achievement and anniversary, we thought …

BY DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY

(credit: Getty Images).

The new owners of CBS, billionaire Larry Ellison and his son David Ellison, believe CBS News is broken. And like their friend Donald Trump, they’re convinced the cure for a fracture is a sledgehammer. Let’s call it restoration by disruption.

Enter Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief of CBS News.

Weiss has been called a provocateur and is one of the most polarizing figures in today’s American …