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Jan. 12, 2026: “Regression as Progress?” by IP attorney and author Timothy Trainer

We are on the verge of reaching that one-year milestone since this administration came to be. About the only thing that represents progress are the hourly, daily reports about artificial intelligence (AI) and how that is changing our world in so many ways. Is that progress?

In the United States, aside from AI as a modern-day miracle that allows non-human ways of doing so much, there are signs of regression. There are developments in numerous areas where regression is the new norm, and there are far too many to list. Having recently mentioned the issue of the increased numbers of some childhood diseases due to the current anti-vaccination stance of many, a few other areas of regression are noted below.

Decades of work to evolve into an inclusive and knowledgeable society is now halted by overly sensitive and “snowflake” conservatives. We have an administration that fears facts and historical events and that comes through with executive orders titled in ways that describe its fears: Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling – The White House and Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History – The White House. Witnessing this administration’s undermining of teaching historical facts and its efforts at erasing events exposes the fear it has of basic history.

A nation that can’t face up to and teach its history of slavery, its unequal treatment of certain groups of people, its withholding of benefits based on gender or race, its continuing inability to recognize the uniqueness of certain individuals demonstrates its weaknesses and fears.

The administration’s immigration policies, reflecting the fears of many that people of color might someday make up the majority population, expose its racial tendencies. How else to explain an executive order that paved the way for white South Africans to enter the United States as refugees (DCPD-202500239.pdf) while issuing other executive orders banning immigrants from numerous countries where the population is made up of people of color: Restricting The Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats – The White House. The immigration policy complements the policy on education by focusing less on people of color and women.

For all the talk about making the country great again, the administration has gone to great lengths to weaken the country through its drastic cuts to research funding. Billions of dollars have been cut to university research: Will higher education researchers leave for opportunities abroad? | Higher Ed Dive. This leaves researchers in a state of limbo. More importantly, it makes them vulnerable to being approached by universities and governments abroad to continue research in critical areas. This impact can have negative effects on future economic growth.

As a result of the cuts to research, the European Research Council has reported that the number of U.S. applicants for research grants has tripled since 2024: Brain drain: Many scientists see better research options overseas | STAT. As the U.S. is seen as a less favorable place for scientific research, it gives China an opening to approach and offer incentives to U.S. researchers left out in the cold.

Finally, another indicator of this administration’s commitment to the past is its April 2025 Executive Order emphasizing continued reliance on coal: Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 14241 – The White House. This administration is bent on remaining married to the past while cancelling projects that would move the country to cleaner energy production: Wind and solar power frozen out of Trump permitting push | Reuters. Overall, whether it is energy production or auto industry conversion to electric vehicles and hybrids, the administration looks to the past more than the future.

The recent abduction of Venezuela’s Maduro and the subsequent reporting about the impact on China’s oil deal with that country says a lot about our backward-looking government. CNN reported that “the US intervention in Venezuela could only reinforce China’s pursuit of energy independence — attempting to produce more of its own energy at home and break reliance on foreign sources of energy that can be disrupted.” Trump wants to own Venezuela’s oil, but its largest oil customer is speeding toward clean energy | CNN.

China pursues its independence by including significant levels of solar and wind energy. It includes nuclear power as part of its overall strategy, and it is working aggressively to get fusion energy up and running in the country.

The article quotes a director at the Asia Society Policy Institute as observing that “The largest economy in the world is embracing a petrostate approach. It just reinforces this notion that the United States is increasingly going backward on the energy transition and on top of that, is very willing and able to deploy military forces to achieve that goal.”

This is where we are: the U.S. is willing to use advanced technology to develop military weapons systems and use those assets to go backward. Policies that take us backward will make it much more difficult to close gaps with adversaries who are looking forward.