No Free Press. No Democracy. What Now?

Olga Nesterova
5 minutes ago
2 min read

They won’t tell you this. But we need to talk about it.

Hi friends,

I went live this week to answer your questions—and the questions I’ve been asking myself.

It’s not an easy time to report the truth. There is no longer a free press in America—only a celebrated one that flatters power, and a silenced one that tells the truth. But I am still here. And I will keep going.

Here’s what I talked about in this week’s ONEST Livestream:

❓ Questions submitted:

How angry do you get when politicians blatantly lie?

Spoiler: Pretty angry. But also strategic. Because the bigger issue isn’t the lie—it’s the fact that the public rewards it.

How do we fight the Trump train of destruction—globally and locally?

I talked about Russia’s playbook, the role of Thiel and Vance, and what real-world resistance looks like.

What will it take to dismantle the Beltway’s “access journalism” cocktail circuit?

Short answer: stop rewarding it. Stop treating it like journalism. And stop clicking.

Which stories are most damaging to the Trump admin right now?

We talked about Epstein, tariffs, the collapsing of key institutions—and how Trump’s chaos is a tactic, not a glitch.

What’s shaping your news ambition the most right now?

The need for realness. For clarity. For coverage that isn’t distracted by what’s loud.

🧠 Real news, from me to you:

There is no free (mainstream) press right now—only press that flatters or gets crushed.
The U.S. has lost the trust of its allies. Relationships that took decades to build? Gone in 6 months.
All branches of government are now under Trump’s control. Democracy? Technocracy? Monarchy? We don’t know what this is anymore—but we know it’s not what it was.
And yet… was there ever true democracy? Or just democracy for the chosen?

💡 How we fight:

Through art. Through wit. Through noncompliance.Starve the machine. Adjust your attention.Use your voice, your gifts, your rage. Support the people who are showing up for truth. Ignore the ones who sold it out.

And more than anything—protect your light.Your decency, your clarity, your kindness, your peace. That is power no regime can touch. Unless you let them.