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Trait 11
Transparency laws are weakened or unenforced 4Government archives are sealed, sanitized, or destroyed 3Economic data is selectively published, massaged, or ignored 2Memory is curated by power—what cannot be controlled is erased 2Administrative agencies are deregulated or captured by private interests 1Chaos is used as a strategy to fragment focus and disable accountability 1Civic education is hollowed out and replaced with market ideology 1Civil service roles are politicized or privatized 1Data and algorithms are used to manipulate, not serve, the public 1Executive power operates without effective oversight 1Universities are pressured to suppress dissent or lose funding 1
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
Aug 21, 2026 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scaled back foodborne illness surveillance from eight pathogens to two Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
Reduced federal disease-tracking capacity degraded the nation's ability to detect and respond to public health threats, contributing to a documented outbreak.
Supporting reports
- CDC scaled back foodborne disease surveillance from eight pathogens to two — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scaled back the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) from tracking all eight pathogens to tracking only two pathogens.
- Federal funding cuts reduced food safety inspection capacity by more than 40 percent — Federal funding cuts scaled back the ability of federal agencies to conduct food inspections and provide grants to state and local health departments, reducing food safety detection systems by more than 40 percent.
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 83 – 2026-08-15–2026-08-21
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Aug 16, 2026 Trump made false claims with RFK Jr. that childhood vaccines cause autism and that the MMR vaccine is lethal Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
Presidential and cabinet-level dissemination of vaccine misinformation threatens public health authority and risks endangering children.
Independently corroborated by2 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- RFK Jr. and Trump made false claims about vaccine safety at press conference — At a press conference, Trump and RFK Jr.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 83 – 2026-08-15–2026-08-21
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Aug 10, 2026 Trump issued an executive order restructuring the childhood vaccine schedule based on unproven autism claims Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
Bypassing established scientific bodies to promote a discredited vaccine-autism link spreads medical misinformation likely to reduce immunization rates and increase disease risk.
Primary sourceA record that carries the claim alone
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump signs executive order redefining U.S. childhood vaccine recommendations and directing legal challenges to state vaccine mandates. — President Trump signed Executive Order 14420 establishing "Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations" aligned with peer nations' practices, reducing the number of recommended vaccines and doses.
- Trump signs executive order restructuring childhood vaccination schedule — Donald Trump signed an executive order directing sweeping changes to the CDC childhood vaccination schedule, including breaking the MMR vaccine into three separate shots, reducing recommended vaccines from 18 to 11
- Trump issued executive order mandating split MMR vaccine and separate childhood immunizations — Trump signed an executive order requiring the combined MMR vaccine to be administered as three separate single-disease shots and mandating that childhood immunizations be given at separate medical visits, once
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 82 – 2026-08-08–2026-08-14
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May 9, 2026 The FDA halted publication of vaccine safety research Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
Suppressing accepted research weakened public access to evidence needed for informed debate about health policy and trust in science.
Independently corroborated by3 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- FDA Halts Publication of Vaccine Safety Research — The FDA reportedly stopped the publication of research on the safety of shingles and Covid vaccines, which had been accepted by the journal Vaccine.
Attacks
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 69 – 2026-05-09–2026-05-15
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May 5, 2026 The FDA blocked publication of taxpayer-funded studies that found Covid-19 and shingles vaccines were safe Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
The decision withheld evidence relevant to public health and trust, showing state control over information that citizens use to judge policy and risk.
Independently corroborated by3 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- FDA Blocks Publication of Vaccine Safety Studies — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has blocked the publication of several studies that found Covid-19 and shingles vaccines to be safe.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 68 – 2026-05-02–2026-05-08
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Apr 24, 2026 The CDC blocked publication of a report on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
Withholding scientific findings limited public access to evidence needed for informed health decisions and weakened trust in official information.
Independently corroborated by4 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- CDC blocks publication of vaccine efficacy report — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) blocked the publication of a report demonstrating the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine in reducing hospitalizations and emergency room visits among healthy adults
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 66 – 2026-04-18–2026-04-24
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Nov 19, 2025 The CDC under direction from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. changed website language on vaccines and autism Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
The change weakened a clear public-health message and risked using a federal scientific platform to blur settled evidence.
Independently corroborated by4 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- CDC Updates Vaccine-Autism Language — The CDC updated its website to state that the claim "vaccines do not cause autism" is not evidence-based, contradicting previous scientific consensus.
Attacks
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 44 – 2025-11-15–2025-11-21
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Oct 20, 2025 The Trump administration removed FTC blog posts about AI harms Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
Taking down agency material reduced public access to prior regulatory analysis and showed executive control over the official record.
Independently corroborated by2 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- FTC Blog Posts on AI Removed — The Trump administration removed several blog posts from the Federal Trade Commission's website that were published during former chair Lina Khan's tenure.
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 40 – 2025-10-18–2025-10-24
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Oct 2, 2025 The White House issued a press release claiming Tylenol use in pregnancy causes autism Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
The release presented contested science as settled fact and risked using official channels to mislead the public on health evidence.
Independently corroborated by4 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- White House Issues Press Release on Tylenol and Autism — The White House issued a press release claiming that the use of acetaminophen (Tylenol) during pregnancy causes autism, citing several scientific studies.
Attacks
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 37 – 2025-09-27–2025-10-03
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Sep 4, 2025 Susan Monarez warned that antivaccine rhetoric was shaping CDC recommendation processes Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
The warning described political filtering of scientific communication inside a public health agency, weakening information integrity.
Independently corroborated by3 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Former CDC Director Warns of Antivaccine Influence — Former CDC director Susan Monarez warned in an op-ed that she was directed to preapprove recommendations from a vaccine advisory panel with antivaccine rhetoric, compromising the CDC's ability to fulfill its obligations.
Attacks
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 33 – 2025-08-30–2025-09-05
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Jul 14, 2025 NASA said it would not publish major climate change assessments on its website Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
The decision reduced public access to government scientific information that informs democratic debate and policy choices.
Independently corroborated by4 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- NASA Withholds Climate Change Reports — NASA announced it will not publish major climate change assessments on its website, despite earlier commitments.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 26 – 2025-07-12–2025-07-18
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Jul 1, 2025 The Trump administration shut down the U.S. Global Change Research Program website Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
The shutdown removed public access to official climate information and narrowed the visible federal record on a major policy issue.
Independently corroborated by4 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump Administration Shuts Down Climate Change Website — ABC News reported on July 1, 2025, that the Trump administration shut down the US Global Change Research Program's website, which featured climate change reports and resources.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 24 – 2025-06-28–2025-07-04
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Jun 26, 2025 The CDC advisory committee recommended against flu vaccines containing thimerosal despite federal assurances of safety Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
The recommendation risked amplifying distrust in vaccines by elevating a contested safety claim through an official public health body.
Independently corroborated by3 independent news desks
NPR · CNN · The Atlantic
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- CDC Committee Recommends Against Thimerosal in Flu Vaccines — Five new members of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend against flu vaccines containing thimerosal, despite CDC assurances of its safety.
Attacks
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 23 – 2025-06-21–2025-06-27
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Jun 24, 2025 A CDC presentation by Lyn Redwood included a nonexistent study about thimerosal and brain effects Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
Using false material in a federal health presentation undermined trust in official scientific communication and public health decision-making.
Independently corroborated by4 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- CDC Presentation Includes Nonexistent Study — A CDC presentation included a study that does not exist, claiming thimerosal in vaccines has long-term brain effects.
Attacks
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 23 – 2025-06-21–2025-06-27
wk23_IM_006
Mar 24, 2025 Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spread dubious vaccine claims while serving as the nation’s top health official Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
Official misinformation from a senior health official undermined trust in public health guidance and evidence-based policy.
Independently corroborated by2 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Health Secretary RFK Jr Spreads Dubious Vaccine Information — Robert F.
Attacks
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 10 – 2025-03-22–2025-03-28
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Feb 11, 2025 The Trump administration kept an NIH funding freeze in place despite court orders until NIH later resumed grants Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
The episode showed executive resistance to judicial orders and the use of funding control to pressure research institutions.
Independently corroborated by2 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump Maintains Funding Freeze at NIH, Defying Court Order — Despite a court order, the Trump administration has continued to maintain a funding freeze at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- Trump Administration Maintains NIH Funding Freeze Despite Court Orders — The Trump administration continues to enforce a funding freeze at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), defying two federal court injunctions.
Attacks
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 4 – 2025-02-08–2025-02-14
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Feb 10, 2025 A federal judge blocked the Trump administration's NIH grant-rate change Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
The ruling protected research funding rules from abrupt executive alteration and preserved public-health research capacity.
Primary sourceA record that carries the claim alone
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump modifies NIH grants, blocked by federal judge — A federal judge issued a ruling that blocked modifications made by Trump to National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, which were part of DOGE's broader strategy to reshape federal programs.
- Federal judge blocks Trump administration's biomedical research funding cuts — A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from cutting federal biomedical research funding for equipment, maintenance, utilities, and support staff at the National Institutes of Health.
- Judge blocks Trump from cutting NIH research funding — A federal judge in Massachusetts has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to impose a 15% cap on "indirect costs" for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants.
Attacks
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 4 – 2025-02-08–2025-02-14
wk04_IM_008
Feb 5, 2025 DOGE representatives accessed NOAA systems and climate data reportedly disappeared Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
The episode raised concerns that politically sensitive scientific information could be altered or suppressed.
Independently corroborated by2 independent news desks
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- DOGE Accesses NOAA Systems, Climate Data Disappears — A representative from the Department of Government Efficiency gained access to NOAA's computer systems, leading to the disappearance of some climate data.
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 3 – 2025-02-01–2025-02-07
wk03_IM_008
Jan 21, 2025 President Trump ordered health agencies to pause external communications, reports, meetings, grants, contracts, and travel Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
The blackout restricted the flow of official health information and scientific communication, weakening transparency during active public health work.
Primary sourceA record that carries the claim alone
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- Trump instructs health agencies to pause external communications — President Trump instructed all federal health agencies on January 21, 2025, to pause external communications, including scientific reports and health advisories.
- Trump Orders Communications Blackout for Health Agencies — The Trump Administration has ordered a communications blackout for national health agencies.
- Trump administration pauses communications and cancels meetings at HHS — Following the inauguration of President Trump, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has paused public communications and canceled scientific meetings.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 1 – 2025-01-20–2025-01-24
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