financial partners owned 28 of the 32 international teams. The 2035-2036 professional football season was considered a success, though no international team made it to the conference championships or the Super Bowl. The London team would lose by a field goal to the Steelers in the 2037 Super Bowl though.
Concurrently, the nation was also gripped with a highly entertaining college football season. Navy’s 6-foot six-inch option quarterback, Andy Jett, won the Heisman Trophy, the Sullivan Award, the individual and team rushing titles, and led his team in winning the national championship game against Ohio State.
The Department of Justice announced that legal action during the year eliminated any city ordinances that hindered detaining illegal aliens (sanctuary cities) in California (there were six cities in September 2035). The Department of the Treasury’s plans to refinance the federal debt had failed because of the lack of interest by China and other countries, and from the $22.1 trillion budget deficit ran up during the 32 months of the Powers Administration. At the end of September, the Departments of Interior and Energy closed down.
On October 11, 2035, the Department of Transportation announced that over 35% of all infrastructure projects had been finished over the last two years. These had employed almost 900,000 individuals and generated over $250 billion to the economy. This was the only bright spot in the economy. Unemployment was now at 11%. Most states had closed 25% of their public universities and colleges. Real wages were now less than those in 1990.
In accordance with a top secret protocol in the American-Japanese-Korean defense agreement, a combined naval force steamed into the South China Sea on January 6th and marines from all three countries landed on the artificial islands built by China on January 10th. Chinese forces on the islands were captured without causalities, and then these prisoners of war were flown through Taiwan and repatriated to China two days later. China protested this action at the United Nations Security Council, with Russian and the United States vetoing two resolutions. Tensions rose for several months, with some saber rattling by the Chinese military. In April 2036, Japan and Korea paid $23 billion to China for the purchase of the islands with all infrastructure and buildings, and agreed to use their Coast Guard forces for local security and law enforcement, with America providing overall security.
THE CAMPAIGN THAT NEVER WAS (FEBRUARY - SEPTEMBER 2036)
The Governor of California announced in June 2035 that he was running for the Progressive presidential nomination. During the next six months, five other Progressive candidates announced they were running. The Californian won the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary with 60% of the vote, and most his opposition dropped out by April. The Governor was officially confirmed as the Progressive nominee at their convention in San Francisco in August 2036.
On the Conservative side, four individuals announce in late 2035 that they were challenging the President for the nomination. Most challenged the incumbent as reckless in foreign policy and the usage of nuclear weapons. However, Powers received 70% of all votes in the initial primaries, and his re-nomination was never in doubt. The Conservative Convention in Boston was a giant info commercial of how his administration had improved America’s security, economy, and its way of life.
On June 2, 2036, the United States ended its involvement in student loans for higher education, as well as ending veteran benefits for education purposes. A number of private companies had entered the market over the last three years as government funding was slowly reduced to zero. It was estimated that the average student attending a public university would now graduate with a debt of $650,000 after five or six years. Student enrollment had declined by 15% over the last two years, and almost all for-profit institutions had closed or defaulted. A public study said that higher education was now out of reach for about 65% of all Americans.
On June 20, 2036, extremely high temperatures in Alaska due to climate change caused much flooding to dozens of communities, mostly Native American, killing 55. President Powers refused to declare a national disaster declaration due to problems with the submitted paperwork and the fact that people should not be living so close to the rivers. This caused a media stir, but little else. Powers vetoed every bill to provide federal aid to Alaska through the remainder of his administration.
A major hurricane on August 18, 2036 hit northern Florida and the coastal areas of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and then Texas over the next two days. It caused $3.6 billion dollars to damage and much disruption in oil supplies and energy industry functions. Only 13 people were killed. President Powers immediately issued disaster declarations, and signed a $5 billion recovery act before the end of August.
In its September issue, the Economist published an assessment of the Powers Administration’s efforts regarding China. Chinese trade had increased over 35% during the nearly four years, while United States imports to China had declined by 15%, primarily due to the implementation of duties by both countries. Americans wanted Chinese goods, and were willing to pay for them, compared to inferior American competition. China became the world leader of foreign and military aid as the United States ended partnerships to almost all countries, except with the United Kingdom, India, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, eastern and central Europe, and Argentina. Still, the United States economy was twice what China’s was, due to its internal demand for goods and services.
Unlike the 2032 campaign, there was little campaigning during the remainder of the primary season due to the lack of competition for the nomination. The two conventions were not watched my many Americans and generated little interest. Powers decided that there would be no debates in September or October with his Progressive challenger. Public polling after Labor Day showed Powers with a sold 15% lead nationally and in command with a significant majority of the Electoral College. Americans appeared to favor a retreat from the international stage and were disinterested in things unrelated to their paychecks and quality of life. The Progressive challenger was making positive progress in areas with significant poverty or unemployment during September. National and state polls in late September showed the race closing rapidly and a toss-up in the Electoral College.
MARTIAL LAW BEGINS (OCTOBER 2036)
During the first five days of October, there were 76 separate suspected terrorist attacks in the United States, killing 1,946 Americans and injuring almost 5,000. Almost all of the incidents were bombings, though there were about a dozen drive-by shootings. The FBI received information on 213 individuals involved in these incidents from anonymous sources and arrested them and known associates. They found bomb-making materials in their homes and apartments, computers filled with transmails, social media, and histories of searches to make bombs, ties to The League, and Islamic terrorist literature. And they were all Muslims, legal immigrants who were naturalized citizens prior to 2032. What we now know in 2178 is that while a few arrested may had some leanings towards committing terrorism, almost all were set up by white nationalist groups and framed, thanks to the undercover reporting of Brown, Smith, and Jones.
President Powers’ reaction was swift. He ordered the first fifty arrested to be tried by military commissions immediately. The first trials began on October 9th, over the objections of defense attorneys. The military justices, most of whom were sworn in days before into the military (because every Staff Judge Advocate in the armed serves refused to serve on these commissions, and were therefore immediately discharged by the Secretary of Defense), carried out swift justice. On Columbus Day, Powers presided over the execution live on television of the first six men. This ignited major protests in almost all large cities. Governors called out the National Guard. Media and private citizens filmed on their smart phones execution style shootings of peaceful protestors who failed to disperse.
On October 16, 2036, the Department of Transportation announced that over 65% of all infrastructure projects had been finished over the last three years. These had employed almost 1.4 mil
lion individuals and generated over $375 billion to the economy. Manufacturing jobs had continued their long decline. Unemployment had been reduced down to 9%. Gasoline prices had risen as several shale plays started to bottom out. Housing prices had fallen by 12% since 2032.
Over a four day period of October 16 through 19, 2036, there were an additional 36 bombings, killing another 213 people and injuring almost 1,000. Again, the FBI was directed to about 45 suspects, who were immediately arrested with evidence planted about their involvement. This doubled the mostly peaceful protests in the streets, and Powers called up active duty Army and Marines to assist the Governors and Mayors, under an initial Martial Law declaration on October 20th. About one or two bombings continued every day over the next week.
The first Martial Law declaration focused on the use of curfews at night, ability to temporary detain individuals for 96 hours in terrorist investigations, requirements for local governments to issue permits for assemblies involving more than twenty people (except dining, drinking, sporting, theaters, entertainment, churches, and funerals), confiscation of bomb