Donald Trump

Trump order calls for creation of DOGE-linked agency payment-tracking systems

| Importance: 7/10

President Trump issued an executive order creating Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) systems requiring federal agencies to establish centralized technological tracking for all contracts, grants, and expenditures, with mandatory written justification for each payment to increase transparency …

Donald Trump Trump Administration government-contracts executive-order administrative-oversight
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Musk's DOGE leads systematic CFPB shutdown, raising regulatory conflict concerns

| Importance: 9/10

The Trump administration, led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), began a comprehensive dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Key actions included firing most of its 1,700 employees, closing its Washington headquarters, and effectively …

Donald Trump Elon Musk Linda Yaccarino Russell Vought Elizabeth Warren +4 more regulatory-capture tech-monopoly consumer-protection x-platform financial-services +1 more
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ICE arrests increase 627% in first month under Trump vs Biden era

| Importance: 8/10

Under President Trump, ICE made over 20,000 arrests in a single month - a 627% increase compared to just 33,000 at-large arrests for all of last year under Biden. This dramatic escalation marks the beginning of the administration’s mass deportation campaign.

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Trump Administration Introduces Expansive Special Government Employee Status for Private Sector Leaders

| Importance: 8/10

Trump administration creates new category of ‘Special Government Employees’ allowing officials like Elon Musk to work simultaneously in government and private sectors, bypassing traditional ethics requirements. Musk can work up to 130 days per year while maintaining his roles at SpaceX …

Donald Trump Elon Musk Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) kleptocracy regulatory-capture government-efficiency special-government-employees
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SEC Closes Investigation into Robinhood Crypto Division Without Enforcement Action

| Importance: 8/10

The SEC closed its investigation into Robinhood’s crypto division on February 24, 2025, without taking any enforcement action. Robinhood Chief Legal Officer Dan Gallagher claimed the investigation ’never should have been opened,’ marking a significant moment in the Trump …

Donald Trump Trump Administration Dan Gallagher Robinhood Crypto Division crypto regulatory-capture trump-administration sec fintech
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Trump Fires Joint Chiefs Chairman and Navy Chief in Unprecedented Military Purge

| Importance: 10/10

President Trump fires Joint Chiefs Chairman General Charles Q. Brown Jr. and Defense Secretary Hegseth subsequently dismisses Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti (first woman to lead the Navy), Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General James Slife, and the top military lawyers for Army, …

Donald Trump Pete Hegseth General Charles Q. Brown Jr. Admiral Lisa Franchetti General James Slife +3 more military-purge joint-chiefs brown-firing franchetti-firing systematic-politicization +2 more
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Coinbase says SEC intends to drop lawsuit against crypto exchange

| Importance: 8/10

The SEC agreed to drop its two-year lawsuit against Coinbase, marking a potential shift in the regulatory agency’s approach to cryptocurrency exchanges. Initially filed in June 2023, the lawsuit accused Coinbase of operating an unregistered securities exchange. The dismissal came after …

Donald Trump Trump Administration Gary Gensler SEC Coinbase Global Inc. crypto regulatory-capture justice-weaponization sec financial-regulation
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CFPB Drops Lawsuit Against Solo Funds, Signaling Regulatory Capture

| Importance: 7/10

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) under the Trump administration permanently dismissed its enforcement action against Solo Funds, a fintech platform providing small-dollar loans. The lawsuit, originally filed in May 2024, alleged deceptive lending practices with loans potentially …

Donald Trump Russell Vought Travis Holoway Lauren Saunders regulatory-capture justice-weaponization financial-predation cfpb-transformation
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Acting ICE Director Vitello removed for failing to meet impossible deportation quotas

| Importance: 8/10

Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello, a 20-year ICE veteran, was removed from his position on February 21, 2025, after failing to meet deportation quotas of 3,000 daily arrests despite only achieving 1,200-1,400 per day. Vitello was reassigned to a senior enforcement role after just one month leading …

Caleb Vitello ICE Donald Trump Department of Homeland Security personnel-purges impossible-quotas loyalty-tests deportation-quotas
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X Threatens Interpublic Group with Potential Government Interference Over Ad Spending

| Importance: 7/10

A lawyer at Interpublic Group received a call from X in December, suggesting the company boost client spending on Musk’s platform or risk potential government interference with their pending Omnicom merger. The call hinted at using the Trump administration’s influence to pressure the …

Donald Trump Trump Administration Elon Musk Linda Yaccarino Interpublic Group government-contracts corporate-coercion media-manipulation
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Consensys SEC case dropped after $100,000 inauguration donation

| Importance: 8/10

After crypto company Consensys donated $100,000 to President Trump’s inaugural fund, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dropped a case pending against the firm.

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SpaceX Engineers Onboarded to FAA During Mass Staff Firings

| Importance: 7/10

The Trump administration fired hundreds of FAA air traffic control staff while bringing in three SpaceX engineers as Special Government Employees, raising significant regulatory capture concerns. These engineers were allowed to review air traffic control systems despite potential conflicts of …

Donald Trump Elon Musk Sean Duffy Brady Glantz Theodore Malaska +1 more kleptocracy regulatory-capture tech-industry faa trump-administration
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White House Posts "ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight" Video Packaging State Violence as Entertainment

| Importance: 8/10

On February 18, 2025, the official @WhiteHouse social media account posted a video titled “ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight” showing immigrants in shackles being transported on a deportation flight, with audio prominently featuring the sound of jingling chains being laid out on …

White House Donald Trump deportees white-house asmr deportation troll-culture dehumanization +2 more
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Trump Signs Order to Claim Power Over Independent Agencies

| Importance: 9/10

Trump signed executive order “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies” requiring independent agencies like FTC, SEC, and FCC to submit regulations for White House review, effectively ending 90 years of agency independence and bringing them under direct presidential control.

Donald Trump FTC SEC FCC CFPB +1 more independent-agencies executive-order political-control agency-capture
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Trump Asserts Unitary Executive Control Over DOJ, Echoing Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre

| Importance: 9/10

Trump administration officials invoked the unitary executive theory to assert direct presidential control over Department of Justice prosecutorial decisions, reversing decades of DOJ independence norms. The administration cited the Supreme Court’s Trump v. United States immunity ruling, which …

Donald Trump Michael C. Dorf Department of Justice Heritage Foundation executive-overreach doj-politicization constitutional-crisis institutional-capture unitary-executive-theory +1 more
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Trump Administration Terminates Critical Privacy Officials at OPM, Blocking Public Information Access

| Importance: 8/10

In a systematic move to dismantle transparency mechanisms, the Trump administration fired multiple members of the Office of Personnel Management’s privacy and communications teams, including those handling FOIA requests. This action effectively cut off external access to government information …

Donald Trump Trump Administration Elon Musk Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) regulatory-capture government-transparency foia trump-administration information-control
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Trump Leverages Presidential Position in PGA-LIV Golf Merger Negotiations

| Importance: 7/10

President Trump actively intervened in negotiations between PGA Tour and LIV Golf, hosting meetings with executives and claiming ability to broker a merger, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest and personal business motivations

Donald Trump Jay Monahan Yasir al-Rumayyan PGA Tour LIV Golf kleptocracy executive-influence trump-business
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Coins, watches and more: A look at Trump's crypto-related ventures, by the numbers

| Importance: 8/10

President Donald Trump rebrands himself as the ‘crypto president’ through multiple cryptocurrency ventures, including World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a $TRUMP meme coin, and American Bitcoin, while also establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve through an executive order.

Donald Trump Eric Trump Donald Trump Jr. Barron Trump Zach Witkoff crypto trump-business digital-assets executive-power
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Trump systematically fires federal officials investigating Elon Musk's companies

| Importance: 9/10

President Trump orchestrated the systematic removal of federal regulators investigating Elon Musk’s companies across multiple agencies. Officials fired included FDA staffers reviewing Neuralink’s clinical trials, EEOC leaders investigating Tesla discrimination claims, the NLRB Chair who …

Donald Trump Elon Musk FDA officials EEOC officials NLRB Chair +2 more elon-musk regulatory-capture corruption tesla spacex +2 more
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Trump Administration Systematically Removes DOJ Prosecutors

| Importance: 9/10

The Trump administration initiated a widespread purge of federal prosecutors, particularly those who previously investigated the president. Over 40 career prosecutors were fired without warning, with the acting attorney general claiming they could not be ’trusted to faithfully implement the …

James McHenry Michael Ben'Ary Jack Smith Donald Trump Department of Justice +1 more doj-weaponization prosecutorial-independence trump-administration political-retaliation rule-of-law +1 more
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Trump Administration Fires Prosecutors in Coordinated DOJ Purge

| Importance: 9/10

Acting Attorney General James McHenry systematically fired multiple Justice Department officials who worked on Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Trump’s election interference and classified documents case. In termination letters, McHenry argued the officials could not be …

James McHenry Donald Trump Jack Smith Jamie Raskin Gerald Connolly doj-weaponization prosecutorial-independence trump-administration retaliation rule-of-law +1 more
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Capital One CFPB case dropped after $1 million inauguration donation

| Importance: 8/10

After Capitol One donated $1 million to President Trump’s inauguration fund, the Trump Administration ended a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) case against Capital One involving allegedly misleading consumers about interest payments.

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How Trump's Justice Department has Gutted the Government's Ability to Chase Public Corruption

| Importance: 8/10

Trump’s Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi has systematically dismantled federal efforts to fight public corruption by pausing investigations into corporate bribery, weakening the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), and disbanding key enforcement units. Key actions …

Donald Trump Pam Bondi Todd Blanche Trump Administration corruption foreign-influence regulatory-capture justice-weaponization executive-power-abuse
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Trump Fires Top Ethics and Whistleblower Protection Officials

| Importance: 9/10

President Trump fired key government officials overseeing ethics and whistleblower protections, including David Huitema (Office of Government Ethics), Hampton Dellinger (Office of Special Counsel), and Colleen Shogan (National Archivist). The removals were part of a broader effort to reshape federal …

Donald Trump David Huitema Hampton Dellinger Colleen Shogan Doug Collins ethics-violation personnel-changes whistleblower-protection executive-power
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How the Trumps Turned Social Media Platform Litigation into a Profitable Strategy

| Importance: 8/10

In early 2025, Donald Trump successfully negotiated a series of lucrative settlements with major media and tech platforms, including a $24 million settlement with YouTube over account suspension, a $25 million settlement with Meta, a $10 million settlement with X (Twitter), a $15 million settlement …

Donald Trump Alphabet Inc. Google YouTube Elon Musk +3 more media-control regulatory-capture lawsuit-settlements social-media legal-strategy +1 more
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DOJ Moves to Undermine Independence of Regulatory Agencies

| Importance: 8/10

The Department of Justice announced plans to challenge the constitutional protections that prevent the president from arbitrarily firing leaders of independent agencies like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris argued …

Donald Trump Trump Administration Sarah Harris Richard Durbin NLRB Leadership +1 more regulatory-capture justice-weaponization constitutional-crisis executive-power-expansion
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White House will not release visitor logs during Trump's second term

| Importance: 7/10

The Trump White House announced it will continue its policy of not releasing visitor logs, effectively preventing public and press access to information about who is meeting with the president. This approach, first implemented during Trump’s first term and challenged by transparency advocates …

Donald Trump Trump Administration Tom Blanton National Security Archive regulatory-capture transparency executive-power government-secrecy
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Trump Signs Executive Order for Large-Scale Federal Workforce Cuts Under DOGE

| Importance: 8/10

President Trump signed a sweeping executive order establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, which mandates massive federal workforce reductions. The order requires agencies to hire only one new employee for every four who depart, with exemptions for military, …

Donald Trump Elon Musk Trump Administration kleptocracy workforce-reduction executive-order institutional-capture musk-influence
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Trump Administration Systematically Halts Regulatory Investigations into Musk's Business Empire

| Importance: 8/10

Trump administration systematically stalled over 40 regulatory investigations into Musk’s companies across multiple federal agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board, SEC, FAA, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Strategic leadership removals and quorum eliminations …

Donald Trump Trump Administration Elon Musk Federal Regulatory Agencies regulatory-capture corporate-power trump-administration elon-musk
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Trump Administration Halts CFPB Operations, Freezing Consumer Protection Investigations

| Importance: 8/10

Russell Vought, as part of the Trump administration, ordered a complete work stoppage at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), effectively suspending all ongoing investigations, rule-making, and consumer protection activities. The order closed CFPB headquarters and directed employees to …

Donald Trump Russell Vought Elizabeth Warren regulatory-capture justice-weaponization financial-regulation consumer-protection
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Trump Administration Explores Consolidating Banking Regulators

| Importance: 8/10

Trump administration explores consolidating banking regulators by potentially merging FDIC and OCC under Treasury Department, reducing regulatory workforce and oversight. Proposed changes include combining regulatory functions, transferring employees, and potentially eliminating independent banking …

Donald Trump Trump Administration Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation regulatory-capture treasury-department banking-regulation trump-administration
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Trump Systematically Removes Key Government Ethics and Whistleblower Protection Officials

| Importance: 8/10

In a systematic move to dismantle government oversight, Trump fired the heads of the Office of Government Ethics and Office of Special Counsel, undermining key anti-corruption safeguards and potentially exposing whistleblower information.

Donald Trump Trump Administration David Huitema Hampton Dellinger Doug Collins +1 more corruption ethics-violation administrative-capture oversight-removal
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Trump signs order pausing enforcement of foreign bribery ban

| Importance: 8/10

In an unprecedented move, Trump signed an executive order suspending enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which has banned US firms from bribing foreign officials since 1977. The order mandates a 180-day review of existing investigations and establishes new guidelines that could …

Donald Trump Trump Administration William Barr Department of Justice corruption foreign-influence executive-order anti-corruption corporate-accountability
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Trump pardons multiple financial criminals and white-collar offenders

| Importance: 8/10

President Trump issued a series of pardons to individuals convicted of financial crimes in February 2025, including Rod Blagojevich (former Illinois governor convicted of corruption), the Chrisleys (reality TV stars convicted of bank fraud), Michael Grimm (former congressman convicted of tax fraud), …

Donald Trump Rod Blagojevich Todd Chrisley Julie Chrisley Michael Grimm +5 more pardon financial-crimes white-collar-crime money-laundering wire-fraud +4 more
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Trump Executive Order Pauses Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement

| Importance: 9/10

President Trump issued an executive order on February 10, 2025, pausing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement for 180 days. The order directs the Department of Justice to halt all new FCPA investigations and review existing enforcement guidelines, effectively suspending investigations …

Donald Trump Pamela Bondi Department of Justice Securities and Exchange Commission U.S. corporations doj executive-order fcpa foreign-bribery corruption +4 more
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Stephen Miller Emerges as "Prime Minister" with Unprecedented Power Across All Policy

| Importance: 10/10

By February 2025, Stephen Miller had consolidated power to an extent unprecedented for a White House deputy chief of staff, earning the nickname “the prime minister” in Trump circles due to his sprawling influence over virtually all administration activities. Miller meets daily with …

Stephen Miller Donald Trump Susie Wiles Stephen Miller White House Power White Nationalism Authoritarian Consolidation
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Trump Purges Inspectors General Investigating Musk's Businesses

| Importance: 9/10

President Trump executed a coordinated mass firing of approximately 17 inspectors general across federal agencies on February 7, 2025, in an unprecedented action that effectively dismantled critical government oversight mechanisms. The purge targeted inspectors general conducting sensitive …

Donald Trump Elon Musk Robert Storch Phyllis Fong Sergio Gor +4 more kleptocracy oversight-obstruction inspector-general-purge institutional-capture government-accountability +2 more
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Trump Media Offers $800,000 Stock Award to Kash Patel Before FBI Director Confirmation

| Importance: 8/10

Trump Media & Technology Group awarded $800,000 in stock to Kash Patel on January 28, 2025, just days before his Senate confirmation hearing for FBI director. Patel claimed he would not accept the stock ’to avoid any appearance of conflict’, but the award raised significant ethical …

Donald Trump Trump Administration Kash Patel Donald Trump Jr. Linda McMahon media-control corporate-capture ethical-violations trump-administration
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Trump Air Force nominee arranged satellite contract in manner that favored Musk's SpaceX

| Importance: 8/10

Troy Meink, Trump’s Air Force Secretary nominee, allegedly structured a multibillion-dollar National Reconnaissance Office spy satellite contract to favor Musk’s SpaceX, according to Reuters investigation. Democratic senators Warren and Duckworth raised concerns about potential quid pro …

Troy Meink Elon Musk SpaceX National Reconnaissance Office Donald Trump +3 more regulatory-capture government-contracts conflict-of-interest defense-contracting
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President fires Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger; litigation ensues

| Importance: 6/10

President Trump fired Hampton Dellinger from his position as head of the Office of Special Counsel via email on Friday night, February 7, 2025, stating simply “your position…is terminated, effective immediately.” Dellinger immediately sued, arguing his removal violated statutory …

Donald Trump Hampton Dellinger (Special Counsel) Office of Special Counsel (OSC) Judge Amy Berman Jackson U.S. Senate (confirmed Dellinger 2024) courts personnel watchdogs whistleblower-protection for-cause-removal +2 more
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Trump Nominee Kash Patel Discloses Millions in Shares from Chinese Company Accused of Forced Labor

| Importance: 8/10

Kash Patel, a prominent Trump administration figure, disclosed holding between $1 million and $5 million in stock from Elite Depot Limited, the parent company of Shein, a Chinese corporation facing bipartisan criticism for alleged use of forced labor. Senator Adam Schiff demanded a comprehensive …

Kash Patel Donald Trump Trump Administration Adam Schiff Elite Depot Limited foreign-influence government-contracts human-rights corporate-capture
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Attorney General Bondi Dramatically Narrows FARA Prosecutorial Scope

| Importance: 8/10

Attorney General Pam Bondi issued memorandums directing the DOJ to limit Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) prosecutions to traditional espionage cases, effectively decriminalizing many forms of foreign financial influence and disbanding the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force.

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