Fascism then and now

in 2005:

When will the word “fascism” first be used by a mainstream media outlet, in any context, let alone to describe the United States?

I haven’t heard the word, or variants thereof, for quite a while.

Must’ve fallen out of favor.

Or maybe people don’t remember what it means.

in 2016:

Nobody took my bet. But people are using the word “fascism” now.