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Tier 1 carried by a primary record
Corroborated 2+ independent news desks
Every result is verified and democracy-related.
Open an event to see its evidence. Attack and trait tags link to their definitions
Jun 22, 2026 President Trump appointed William Pulte as acting director of national intelligence after canceling a Senate confirmation hearing. Corroborated Power and Authority
The appointment bypassed normal confirmation checks and expanded direct presidential control over a core intelligence post.
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump cancels Senate hearing for DNI confirmation — On June 17, 2026, President Trump canceled a Senate hearing for the confirmation of Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence, allowing William Pulte to assume the role without Senate approval.
- Trump appoints William Pulte as acting DNI — President Trump appointed William Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence, despite bipartisan opposition and Pulte's lack of experience in intelligence.
- Trump installs loyalist as acting director of national intelligence — President Trump appointed William Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, a move criticized for politicizing the intelligence community and redirecting its focus from foreign threats to domestic political
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 75 – 2026-06-20–2026-06-26
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Jun 22, 2026 President Trump ordered the firing list of National Counterterrorism Center staff to be compiled. Tier 1 · Primary Power and Authority
The reported purge planning suggested direct political control over intelligence staffing and weakened professional independence inside national security institutions.
Independently corroborated by4 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump orders firings at National Counterterrorism Center — After assuming office, acting DNI William Pulte ordered staff at the National Counterterrorism Center to compile a list of approximately 300 individuals to be fired.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 75 – 2026-06-20–2026-06-26
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Jun 11, 2026 Former FBI agents and intelligence officers formed the FBI Support Network Tier 1 · Primary Civil Rights and Dissent
The network responded to reported politicization and attrition inside federal law enforcement, framing institutional defense as a form of civic resistance.
Independently corroborated by3 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- FBI Support Network Formed in Response to Trump Administration's Actions — In response to actions taken by the Trump administration, former FBI agents and intelligence officers have formed the FBI Support Network.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 73 – 2026-06-06–2026-06-12
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Jun 9, 2026 President Trump announced that Bill Pulte would become acting director of national intelligence Corroborated Power and Authority
The appointment put a political loyalist without intelligence experience atop a key security post, heightening fears of politicized surveillance and weakened oversight.
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump Appoints Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence — President Donald Trump announced that Bill Pulte, currently the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, will take over as Acting Director of National Intelligence on June 19th.
- Trump plans to install Bill Pulte as acting intelligence chief — President Donald Trump announced his intention to appoint Bill Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence, bypassing the usual confirmation process.
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 73 – 2026-06-06–2026-06-12
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Jun 3, 2026 EOIR attorney-advisors with disabilities filed a class action over an alleged no-telework accommodations policy. Tier 1 · Primary Institutions and Governance
The suit challenged internal federal employment practices and tested whether an agency was meeting legal duties to disabled workers.
Primary sourceA record that carries the claim alone
Supporting reports
- Complaint filed — Panian v. Blanche — On June 3, 2026, Kimberly Panian and Hoi Yee Baxter, two attorney-advisors with disabilities at the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), filed a class action complaint in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 72 – 2026-05-30–2026-06-05
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Jun 3, 2026 President Trump signed an executive order making it easier to fire senior policy-influencing federal workers. Tier 1 · Primary Power and Authority
The order weakened civil-service protections and increased the president's ability to remove career officials for political reasons.
Primary sourceA record that carries the claim alone
Independently corroborated by5 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump signs order to make it easier to fire 8,000 highly paid federal workers — On June 3, 2026, Donald Trump signed an executive order that removes job protections for approximately 8,000 senior federal workers earning up to $200,000 annually.
- Executive Order: Implementing Schedule Policy/Career in the Excepted Service — On June 3, 2026, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to implement the Schedule Policy/Career in the excepted service.
- Trump signs executive order stripping civil service protections — President Donald Trump signed an executive order that removes the protected status of nearly 10,000 career civil service workers, allowing for their dismissal at the president's discretion.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 72 – 2026-05-30–2026-06-05
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May 26, 2026 The Office of Personnel Management proposed nondisclosure agreements for federal workers Tier 1 · Primary Power and Authority
The proposal expanded executive control over employee speech and could deter disclosures that support public oversight and press accountability.
Primary sourceA record that carries the claim alone
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- White House Proposes NDAs for Federal Workers — The Trump administration has proposed that federal employees sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) to prevent them from leaking confidential information to journalists.
- Trump Administration's Proposed Nondisclosure Agreement — The Trump administration proposed a requirement for federal employees to sign a nondisclosure agreement, a move that critics argue would limit transparency and accountability in government operations.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 71 – 2026-05-23–2026-05-29
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May 1, 2026 The Trump administration gutted EPA research capacity and shifted remaining work toward administration priorities Tier 1 · Primary Economic Structure
The cuts weakened the scientific base of environmental regulation, reducing independent expertise inside a key public-protection agency.
Primary sourceA record that carries the claim alone
Supporting reports
- EPA research arm dismantled — Over 1,500 scientists and experts at the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development have been laid off, reassigned, or pressured to retire, leaving only 124 researchers.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 67 – 2026-04-25–2026-05-01
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Apr 25, 2026 Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned as labor secretary amid misconduct allegations Tier 1 · Primary Institutions and Governance
The resignation exposed instability and accountability failures inside a cabinet department responsible for labor standards and workplace oversight.
Independently corroborated by4 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigns as Labor Secretary amid controversies — Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned as the Secretary of the Department of Labor following controversies including allegations of an affair, misuse of travel funds, and steering grants to politically connected figures.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 67 – 2026-04-25–2026-05-01
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Apr 6, 2026 The Department of Education terminated civil rights settlements that protected transgender students in schools and college Tier 1 · Primary Power and Authority
Ending the settlements withdrew federal enforcement power from a vulnerable group and narrowed practical civil-rights protection in education.
Independently corroborated by4 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump administration ends civil rights settlements for trans students — On April 6, 2026, the US Department of Education announced the termination of civil rights settlements with five school districts and a college, which were established under previous administrations to protect
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 64 – 2026-04-04–2026-04-10
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Mar 31, 2026 Former FBI agents filed lawsuits alleging they were fired for investigating Trump or for perceived political opposition Tier 1 · Primary Institutions and Governance
The suits challenged whether career law-enforcement staff were purged for political reasons, a direct test of civil-service neutrality.
Primary sourceA record that carries the claim alone
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Ex-FBI Agents File Class-Action Lawsuit Against FBI and DoJ — Class-action suit against FBI and justice department alleges agents were wrongfully terminated for investigating Trump
- Complaint filed — Garman v. Patel — Three former FBI agents filed a complaint in the U.S.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 63 – 2026-03-28–2026-04-03
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Mar 26, 2026 The Trump administration left the CDC without a Senate-confirmed director Tier 1 · Primary Power and Authority
The prolonged vacancy weakened independent public-health leadership and concentrated authority elsewhere in the executive branch.
Independently corroborated by4 independent news desks
The Washington Post · ABC News · NPR · PBS
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- CDC Director Position Remains Unfilled — The Trump administration has not yet nominated a permanent director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), leaving the agency without a Senate-confirmed leader for over 210 days.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 62 – 2026-03-21–2026-03-27
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Mar 21, 2026 President Trump deployed ICE agents to assist TSA at airports Tier 1 · Primary Power and Authority
The deployment blurred lines between immigration enforcement and routine public administration during a shutdown.
Independently corroborated by4 independent news desks
Associated Press · CNN · PBS · The Hill
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- ICE Agents to Be Deployed at Airports — Former ICE Director Tom Homan announced plans to deploy ICE agents at American airports, starting the following day.
- ICE Deployment Plan Criticized — The plan to deploy ICE agents at airports has faced criticism from lawmakers and civil rights advocates.
- Trump Deploys ICE Agents to Airports — President Trump announced the deployment of ICE agents to assist TSA at airports, with the stated purpose of "guarding exits." This move has raised concerns about the militarization of airport security and the message
Attacks
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 62 – 2026-03-21–2026-03-27
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Mar 7, 2026 A federal judge ruled that Kari Lake had unlawfully run the U.S. Agency for Global Media and voided her actions Corroborated Institutions and Governance
The ruling enforced appointment rules and restored legal limits on executive control over a public media institution.
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Federal Judge Rules Against Kari Lake's Actions at Voice of America — US District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that Kari Lake acted unlawfully in her management of the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America.
- Judge rules Kari Lake unlawfully ran US media agency — A federal judge ruled that Kari Lake unlawfully led the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) without Senate confirmation, voiding mass layoffs and other actions she took during her tenure.
- Federal Judge Rules Kari Lake's Actions at Media Agency Unlawful — A federal judge ruled that Kari Lake, a Trump-appointed official, unlawfully ran the U.S.
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 60 – 2026-03-07–2026-03-13
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Mar 5, 2026 President Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and named Markwayne Mullin as her replacement Corroborated Power and Authority
The leadership change showed direct presidential control over a major coercive agency and signaled continuity of hardline immigration enforcement through loyalist staffing.
Independently corroborated by3 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Kristi Noem fired as DHS Secretary — Kristi Noem was fired from her position as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on March 5, 2026.
- Markwayne Mullin nominated as Secretary of Homeland Security — President Donald Trump has nominated Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), replacing Kristi Noem.
- Trump fires homeland security secretary Kristi Noem — President Donald Trump announced the firing of Kristi Noem as the homeland security secretary, following bipartisan criticism over her leadership, particularly after immigration agents killed two US citizens.
Attacks
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 59 – 2026-02-28–2026-03-06
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Feb 8, 2026 The Department of Homeland Security expanded immigrant detention capacity through new facilities and warehouse conversion plans Tier 1 · Primary Power and Authority
The buildout sharply increased federal coercive capacity in immigration enforcement and deepened reliance on mass detention as a governing tool.
Primary sourceA record that carries the claim alone
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- ICE Plans for New Detention Facilities Announced — The Department of Homeland Security has secured funding for new detention facilities, including a $87.4 million facility outside Philadelphia and a $37 million facility near San Antonio.
- Increase in Immigrant Detention Numbers Reported — Following the implementation of the new mass detention policy, the number of immigrants held in U.S.
- ICE Purchases Warehouses for Detention Camps — ICE has spent over half a billion dollars purchasing warehouses across the country to convert into detention camps.
Attacks
Traits
Citizenship is stratified by wealth, ideology, and heritageCivil service roles are politicized or privatizedPolice and military are aligned with elite preservation, not public defenseState power is outsourced to unaccountable private contractorsSurveillance of ordinary citizens increases; elite crimes remain opaque
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 56 – 2026-02-07–2026-02-13
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Feb 7, 2026 The Office of Personnel Management issued a final rule removing civil service protections from about 50,000 federal employees Tier 1 · Primary Power and Authority
The rule increased presidential control over the federal workforce and weakened merit-based independence and whistleblower safeguards inside agencies.
Primary sourceA record that carries the claim alone
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump administration strips civil service protections — The Office of Personnel Management issued a final rule to remove civil service protections from approximately 50,000 federal employees, allowing the administration to replace nonpartisan civil servants with loyalists.
- Trump administration moves to alter federal workforce protections — The Trump administration is implementing a new employment category that could remove job protections for approximately 50,000 federal workers.
- Federal Employment Protections Eliminated
Attacks
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 56 – 2026-02-07–2026-02-13
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Feb 5, 2026 The Trump administration moved to ease the firing of about 50,000 federal workers through an OPM rule Corroborated Power and Authority
The rule expanded presidential control over the civil service and weakened independent protections that help keep federal administration nonpartisan.
Independently corroborated by4 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump administration issues rule to ease firing of federal workers — The Trump administration has issued a new rule through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that aims to strip job protections from 50,000 federal employees, allowing the president to hire and fire these employees
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 55 – 2026-01-31–2026-02-06
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Jan 28, 2026 The EPA cut staff and reduced enforcement actions against polluters Tier 1 · Primary Power and Authority
The downsizing weakened the executive branch's capacity to enforce environmental law and protect public health.
Independently corroborated by2 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- EPA Reduces Workforce and Enforcement Actions — The EPA has reduced its workforce by a quarter through firings and early retirements, with entire divisions, such as the scientific arm, slated for closure.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 54 – 2026-01-24–2026-01-30
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Jan 20, 2026 President Trump dismissed 17 inspectors general Tier 1 · Primary Power and Authority
The firings weakened internal oversight across the executive branch and reduced independent checks on presidential and agency conduct.
Independently corroborated by2 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump dismisses 17 independent inspectors general — President Trump rapidly dismissed 17 independent inspectors general despite legal objections.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 53 – 2026-01-17–2026-01-23
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Jan 17, 2026 The Trump administration deployed thousands of federal immigration agents to Minnesota Tier 1 · Primary Civil Rights and Dissent
The surge expanded coercive federal presence in one state, affecting bodily security, due process, and daily life for immigrant communities.
Independently corroborated by3 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump Administration Mobilizes Federal Agents in Minnesota — The Trump administration has deployed 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota, significantly outnumbering the local police force.
- Trump administration sends 3,000 immigration and border patrol officers to Minnesota — The Trump administration has deployed 3,000 immigration and border patrol officers to Minnesota, amid protests against the government's deportation policies.
- DHS Deploys 2,000 Federal Agents to Minneapolis for ICE Operations — Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deployed 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis as part of the Trump administration's largest operation targeting immigrants.
Attacks
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 53 – 2026-01-17–2026-01-23
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Jan 12, 2026 Federal prosecutors and DOJ civil-rights officials resigned over the refusal to investigate the Renee Good shooting as a civil-rights case Tier 1 · Primary Civil Rights and Dissent
The resignations signaled an internal breakdown in federal civil-rights enforcement around a high-profile use-of-force case.
Independently corroborated by2 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Mass Resignation in DOJ's Civil Rights Division — At least four leaders of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division resigned after the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Harmeet Dhillon, decided not to investigate the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer.
- Resignation of Minnesota Federal Prosecutors — Six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned over the Department of Justice's (DOJ) decision to investigate the widow of a woman killed by an ICE agent, while refusing to investigate the shooting itself.
- Federal prosecutors resign over lack of investigation into ICE shooting — Six federal prosecutors from the US attorney’s office in Minnesota and four leaders from the Department of Justice's civil rights division resigned in protest over the decision not to investigate the fatal shooting of
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 52 – 2026-01-10–2026-01-16
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Jan 3, 2026 Attorney General Pam Bondi fired DOJ senior ethics attorney Joseph Tirrell Corroborated Institutions and Governance
Removing a senior ethics official without explanation weakened internal safeguards meant to keep law enforcement administration impartial and accountable.
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Firing of DoJ Senior Ethics Attorney Joseph Tirrell — Joseph Tirrell, the Department of Justice's senior ethics attorney, was fired without explanation, as communicated via an email from Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 51 – 2026-01-03–2026-01-09
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Dec 31, 2025 ICE announced a $100 million recruitment campaign for new agents Tier 1 · Primary Power and Authority
The campaign aimed to rapidly expand deportation capacity, deepening the federal government's coercive reach in immigration enforcement.
Independently corroborated by3 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- ICE plans $100m media blitz for recruitment — The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced a $100 million, yearlong media campaign aimed at recruiting new agents.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 50 – 2025-12-27–2026-01-02
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Dec 16, 2025 The Trump administration restricted top performance ratings for federal workers across agencies Tier 1 · Primary Power and Authority
The directive weakened merit-based civil service protections and created a tool for political control, demotion, and future purges.
Independently corroborated by3 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump Administration Restricts Federal Worker Performance Ratings — The Trump administration is restricting the number of federal workers who can receive top ratings in their annual performance reviews, a move experts warn is illegal and could facilitate the firing of federal employees.
- Trump Administration Restricts Federal Employee Performance Ratings — The Trump administration has directed federal agencies to limit the number of employees receiving top performance ratings, regardless of actual performance.
- Federal Employee Performance Rating Restrictions — The Trump administration instructed federal managers in several agencies, including Commerce, Justice, and Energy, to limit top performance ratings to 1-5% of staff, regardless of actual performance.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 48 – 2025-12-13–2025-12-19
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