About Vera2 News
Vera2 News runs alongside the Fall of America series and keeps one foot in the real world. The page tracks the same fault lines that drive the books—power and policy, courts and statehouses, money and influence—and explains them in plain language. When a headline shakes markets or pushes a committee to act, you’ll see the cause and the consequence laid out without filler.
This isn’t a recap site for the novels and it isn’t a stream of outrage. The goal is simple: deliver reporting that stands on its own and adds useful context to the world you’re already reading. If you’ve finished The Unmaking of America, the stress points will feel familiar: voting fights, institutional strain, and the tug-of-war over information. Vera2 News keeps a clean, revisitable record so you can follow a story over days and weeks instead of losing the thread.
You will find clear summaries, sourced explainers, and steady follow-through. Each piece starts with what changed and who made the decision. It then traces what the decision means next—at city hall, in a courtroom, or on a factory floor. Where history matters, we note the earlier case or policy that set the stage. Where numbers matter, we call out the single metric that actually moves the story. Vera2 News is not trying to win the race to be first; it is trying to help you see what matters and why.
Readers often ask how this connects to the series. The answer is direct. The books sketch a nation under pressure. The page shows the real-world pressures that echo that fiction. When a news item mirrors a familiar fracture—say, a change to absentee voting rules or a funding fight inside a state agency—we say so and move on. The point is to keep the fiction intact and the reporting useful, not to blur them. Vera2 News treats the crossover moments as signposts, nothing more.
There are a few lines we hold. We don’t bury the lede. We don’t pad a story to meet a word count. We don’t present speculation as settled fact. If a claim is still developing, it is labeled that way. If a number is uncertain, we explain the limits. You won’t see “both-sides” framing where the record is already clear, and you won’t see breathless language where a calm sentence will do. Vera2 News is meant to lower the temperature and raise the signal.
Who is this for? Anyone who wants to understand the stakes without giving up an afternoon. Teachers who need a quick, reliable brief before class. Readers who are deep into the series and want to keep a mental map of the real world while new chapters take shape. Community organizers who need the dates that actually matter. Busy professionals who step in and out of the news cycle. Vera2 News is written for people who value speed and accuracy in equal measure.
The page is easy to use. Start with the day’s top item to get oriented. Read the first few sentences for the what and the why, then decide if you need the depth that follows. If the story touches a thread you care about—elections, civil rights, global affairs, or the economy—bookmark it and check back when it moves. Updates are timestamped and easy to spot, so you can return after a week and pick up right where you left off. Vera2 News is built to be skimmed when you’re busy and read closely when you have time.
Why build this now? The pace is relentless and attention is thin. An election rule shifts, a court order lands, a budget deal collapses, and by nightfall a new cycle starts. It’s easy to miss the through-line. This page exists to hold that line. It favors decisions over noise, documents over vibes, and consequences over slogans. When you only have a few minutes, you should come away with the part that counts. That’s the promise of Vera2 News.
There’s also a simple measure of success: if a reader can explain a story clearly to someone else after five minutes here, the page did its job. If you come back a week later and can still follow the thread, even better. The aim isn’t to dazzle you with style. It’s to keep you oriented while the ground shifts. Vera2 News will keep the language plain, keep the sources visible, and keep the record tidy enough to be worth your time.
Fiction and reality meet on this page, but they don’t melt together. The novels give you the emotional arc. The coverage gives you the context to see what’s happening outside the book. Read one, read the other, or read both. Either way, the view should sharpen. That’s what Vera2 News is here to do.
Sources We Rely On
Major wires & outlets
Investigative & watchdog
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[Reveal (The Center for Investigative Reporting)]https://revealnews.org
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International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)
Government & primary documents
Data, economics & markets
Elections & civic process
Health, science & infrastructure
Courts & legal analysis
International orgs & global data
Connect with the Author
Curious about the inspiration behind The Unmaking of America or want to follow the latest news and insights from J.T. Mercer? Dive deeper and stay connected through the links below—then explore Vera2 for sharp, timely reporting.
About the Author
Discover more about J.T. Mercer’s background, writing journey, and the real-world events that inspired The Unmaking of America. Learn what drives the storytelling and how this trilogy came to life.
[Learn more about J.T. Mercer]
NRP Dispatch Blog
Stay informed with the NRP Dispatch blog, where you’ll find author updates, behind-the-scenes commentary, and thought-provoking articles on current events, democracy, and the writing process.
[Read the NRP Dispatch]
Vera2 — News & Analysis
Looking for the latest reporting, explainers, and investigative pieces? Visit Vera2, North River Publications’ news and analysis hub. Vera2 covers politics, civil society, global affairs, courts, technology, and more—curated with context and built for readers who want clarity over noise.
[Explore Vera2]
Whether you’re interested in the creative process, want to engage with fellow readers, or simply want the latest updates, these resources are the best way to stay in touch with the world of The Unmaking of America—and with the broader news ecosystem at Vera2.
Free Chapter
Begin reading The Unmaking of America today and experience a story that asks: What remains when the rules are gone, and who will stand up when it matters most? Join the Fall of America mailing list below to receive the first chapter of The Unmaking of America for free and stay connected for updates, bonus material, and author news.
