Born in the USA. So What!

“Having been born in the US” is tied for dead last in the “What does it mean to be American” survey conducted by Ipsos US Public Affairs to honor the nation’s 250th anniversary.

At 36 percent, it was tied with “protesting actions you think are wrong” and “flying the American flag.”

“Treating people of all backgrounds equally” topped the list at 84 percent. “Believing in freedom, justice and equality” ranked next at 83 percent, followed by “voting in elections” at 70 percent.

Ipsos found that only half of the respondents say “being an American is an important part of how I think about myself.” Forty eight percent don’t think about being American that much.

Older people believe being American is a large part of their identity. For baby boomers (61 years+) it’s 65 percent and for Gen X (45-60) it’s 52 percent.

It's just not so for younger people. Being American is not a big part of the lives of Millennials (29-44) and Gen Z (18-28). They are tied at 39 percent.

The survey found that super partisanship is a huge turn-off for Americans. A solid majority (57 percent) say “we are divided over a lot of issues and we are splitting apart as a country.” Only 40 percent believe “there’s still more that unites us.”

A dispiriting high number of us don’t trust our fellow citizens. Sixty three percent of the respondents say others "put their own interest ahead of doing more to help the country.”

It might be time to retire JFK’s “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” call for civic engagement. It seems to be falling flat.

Man overboard… As the US Navy assembles a massive fleet to enforce the blockade of Iran, and president Trump issues a “shoot-to-kill” order against boats putting mines into the Strait of Hormuz, defense secretary Pete Hegseth fires Navy secretary John Phelan.

Pete was reportedly miffed that billionaire Phelan is a buddy of his boss and was stealing some of his spotlight. Phelan lives a short stroll from Mar-a-Lago.

The Holy Roller defense secretary especially took issue when Phelan pitched the idea of a new “Trump-class” battleship directly to the president.

Tensions between Hegseth and Phelan have been simmering for months so what’s the rush, Pete? Firing Phelan is a bad PR look. A PR counselor would have told you to hold off on canning Phelan at least until the current fiasco in Iran is over.

FTI Consulting’s $10M Man… Total compensation for FTI CEO Steven Gunby crossed the $10M line in 2025, according to the company’s proxy for the June 3 annual meeting at its DC office. He chalked up a 14.3 percent pay boost to $10,273,735.

Gunby was richly rewarded because FTI achieved record revenues, EPS and adjusted EPS. The past year marked the eighth year in a row of revenue growth and 11 consecutive years of adjusted EPS growth.

The firm also scored record results in the strategic communications, corporate finance and forensics & litigation consulting practices.

The good news for FTI: 68-year-old Gunby will be around for a while. His employment contract runs through June 6, 2029 and automatically renews for one-year periods unless he is terminated or decides to exit after giving 120 days or 90 days of written notice.

FTI also shelled out hefty compensation hikes to Curtis Lu, general counsel, and Paul Linton, chief strategy/transformation officer and interim CFO.

Lu’s compensation soared 88.7 percent to $4,649,840. Linton’s package rose 81.9 percent to $4,349,918 but that comp comes with an asterisk.

According to the proxy, Linton got a $700,000 cash bonus awarded on December 19, 2025, which is subject to repayment if he resigns his employment for any reason (other than death or disability) or is terminated for cause before the second anniversary of the payment date.

FTI posted a paltry 2.4 percent hike in 2025 revenues to $3.8M. Net income slipped 3.3 percent to $270.8M. It will report its Q1 financial results on April 30.

Banned in the USA… The American Library Association says 4,235 books were banned during 2025, the second highest number ever of challenged books. In 2023, 2,240 books were banned.

It reports the vast majority (92 percent) of book challenges came from pressure groups, government officials and opinion-shapers. That’s up from 72 percent in 2024. Less than three percent of the challenges came from parents.

“In 2025, book bans were not sparked by concerned parents, and they were not the result of local grassroots efforts,” said Sarah Lamdan, executive director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “They were part of a well-funded, politically-driven campaign to suppress the stories and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals and communities.”

Forty percent of the titles challenged books deal with the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color.

Patricia McCormick’s “Sold,” which deals with sex trafficking in India, ranked as the most banned book.

Rounding out the list of the Top 11 banned books are “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” “Empire of Storms,” “The Last Night at the Telegraph Club,” “Tricks,” “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” “Clockwork Orange,” “Identical,” “Looking for Alaska,” and “Storm and Fury.”

Escaping the fate of McCarthy… Will Kevin Warsh, who is Donald Trump’s choice to succeed Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve Bank chair, avoid the fate of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy?

Trump referred to the California Congressman as “My Kevin” because of his constant fawning over the president and his willingness to blindly follow his commands. It shredded McCarthy’s credibility.

Trump has already made his move on Warsh’s independence. He has suggested that perhaps he should set up an office near the Oval Office until renovations are completed at the Fed Reserve building. Ha, ha.

At his Senate confirmation hearing, Louisiana Republican John Kennedy asked Warsh if he was going to be the president’s human sock puppet?

We’ll see how long it takes before Trump is calling Warsh “My Kevin.”