A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit unanimously ruled that the Trump administration must be forced to pay full SNAP food benefits for November, declining to block U.S. District Judge John McConnell’s order requiring the administration to use available federal …
First Circuit Court of AppealsJulie RikelmanTrump AdministrationUSDAjudicial-rebukesocial-safety-netfood-insecuritygovernment-shutdownappellate-courts
The Supreme Court on Friday evening, November 7, 2025, temporarily blocked a federal court order requiring the Trump administration to provide full SNAP benefits to approximately 42 million Americans for November during the ongoing government shutdown. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued the …
Supreme CourtKetanji Brown JacksonJohn McConnell Jr.Department of AgricultureTrump Administrationsnap-benefitsfood-assistancesupreme-courtgovernment-shutdownpoverty+1 more
Cornell University announced a $60 million settlement with the Trump administration to restore more than $250 million in federal research funding that had been withheld amid investigations into alleged civil rights violations related to antisemitism. The agreement requires Cornell to pay $30 million …
Pope Leo XIV issued a direct challenge to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on November 4, 2025, calling on ICE authorities to allow pastoral workers and clergy to minister to detained migrants. Speaking from Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence, Pope Leo XIV stated he “would …
Pope Leo XIVICECardinal Blase CupichBroadview ICE Processing CenterChicago Archdiocese+2 morepope-leo-xiviceimmigrationreligious-freedombroadview+6 more
On October 30, 2025, the Associated Press revealed that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting a criminal investigation into whether leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement defrauded donors who contributed tens of millions of dollars during racial justice protests in 2020. The …
Department of JusticeBlack Lives Matter Global Network FoundationU.S. Attorney's Office Central District of CaliforniaTrump Administrationdojcriminal-investigationnonprofit-targetingcivil-societypolitical-prosecution
On October 29, 2025, the Department of Justice unsealed a federal indictment charging Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh and five other activists with conspiracy to impede federal law enforcement officers and forcibly impeding ICE officers during a September 26 protest outside an …
Kat AbughazalehDepartment of JusticeImmigration and Customs EnforcementCatherine SharpMichael Rabbitt+1 moredojindictmentpolitical-prosecutionfirst-amendmentice+1 more
President Trump announced termination of SNAP food assistance benefits for 42 million Americans starting November 1 during the second month of his government shutdown, despite $5 billion in available contingency funds that could maintain the program. The administration’s refusal to deploy …
Donald TrumpMike JohnsonTrump Administrationabuse-of-powercorruptioncrueltyweaponization-of-government
MAGA-aligned lobbying firms, led by Ballard Partners (founded by Trump fundraiser Brian Ballard), have quadrupled revenue as corporations seek influence on tariffs, healthcare, and China policy through Trump’s inner circle. Major clients including Harvard, TikTok, and Fortune 500 companies pay …
Brian Ballardcorporate clientsPam BondiSusie WilesTrump Administrationconflicts-of-interestcorruptioninstitutional-capturelobbyingpay-to-play
The U.S. Army awarded Unusual Machines a major contract to produce 3,500 drone motors, with expectations of 20,000 additional components in future orders, months after Donald Trump Jr. joined the company’s advisory board in November 2024. Trump Jr. holds a disclosed $4 million stake in the …
Donald Trump Jr.Unusual MachinesPentagonU.S. ArmyTrump Administrationcorruptionconflicts-of-interestkleptocracyself-dealingnepotism
Reclusive billionaire Timothy Mellon donated $130 million to the Pentagon to help pay military salaries during the Trump administration’s government shutdown. The donation, accepted under the Pentagon’s gift authority, raises serious legal concerns about violating the Antideficiency Act, …
Trump officials negotiated with quantum computing firms (IonQ, Rigetti, D-Wave) to trade federal funding for government ownership stakes, mirroring state control models used by authoritarian regimes. Commerce official Paul Dabbar and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick led negotiations to embed …
Paul DabbarHoward LutnickTrump Administrationquantum computing companiescorruptionstate-captureconflicts-of-interestinstitutional-captureauthoritarian-economics
The Trump administration capped refugee admissions at 7,500 with nearly all slots reserved for Afrikaners (white South Africans), bypassing UN refugee processes and standard persecution criteria. The fast-tracking of white refugees while excluding people of color from war-torn regions demonstrates …
Reuters revealed that 39 officials spanning the White House, DOJ, CIA, FBI, and intelligence agencies coordinate Trump’s systematic retaliation against perceived enemies from the Russia probe and January 6 investigations through a secret ‘Interagency Weaponization Working Group.’ …
Immigration and Customs Enforcement increased its weapons budget to over $71 million—a 700% surge—including acquisitions of guided missile warheads and explosive components. The massive militarization of immigration enforcement signals preparation for violent mass operations rather than traditional …
Department of Homeland Security purchased two Gulfstream G700 luxury jets for Secretary Kristi Noem at a cost of $172 million—more than triple the original $50 million request. The purchase occurred during the government shutdown while 1.4 million federal workers remained unpaid and many resorted to …
Florida officials concealed a $608 million federal funding request for an immigration detention facility nicknamed ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ misleading courts about federal involvement to bypass environmental safeguards and legal challenges. The DeSantis administration’s secrecy …
Trump’s proposed direct pharmaceutical sales to consumers would specifically benefit BlinkRx, where Donald Trump Jr. serves on the board, and Cantor Fitzgerald, connected to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s family. The policy change represents textbook corruption: government officials …
Donald Trump Jr.Howard LutnickBlinkRxCantor FitzgeraldTrump Administrationconflicts-of-interestsystematic-corruptiontrump-family-enrichmentpolicy-corruption
The Trump administration established a pattern of targeting political adversaries through the Federal Housing Finance Agency with mortgage fraud investigations. Beyond Letitia James’s indictment, the pattern includes investigations against Fed Governor Lisa Cook and Senator Adam Schiff, all …
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton faces imminent federal indictment on classified materials charges following FBI raids. This represents the third major Trump critic to be indicted in October 2025, following James Comey and Letitia James. The systematic pattern of indictments targeting …
John BoltonFBIDOJTrump Administrationpolitical-prosecutiondoj-weaponizationretaliatory-prosecutionsystematic-corruption
Dominion Voting Systems was sold to Liberty Vote, led by former GOP elections director Scott Leiendecker. The new ownership pledged alignment with Trump’s contested election directives that have been deemed unconstitutional by courts. The sale of a major voting systems company to partisan …
Scott LeiendeckerDominion Voting SystemsLiberty VoteTrump Administrationelection-integrityinstitutional-capturesystematic-corruptionvoting-systems
Public Citizen and Revolving Door Project analysis identified more than 40 Trump appointees with direct fossil fuel industry ties, plus 100+ more with related interests distributed across federal agencies. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum exemplify this systematic …
Chris WrightDoug BurgumTrump AdministrationPublic CitizenRevolving Door Projectregulatory-capturesystematic-corruptionfossil-fuel-industryrevolving-door
Paul Ingrassia, Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel (which oversees federal whistleblower protections and discrimination cases), faced allegations of sexually harassing a colleague during a DHS trip by allegedly canceling her hotel room. The irony of nominating someone …
Paul IngrassiaOffice of Special CounselTrump Administrationinstitutional-captureworkplace-harassmentwhistleblower-protection-erosionappointee-misconduct
The Justice Department indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution, alleging she misled a bank by stating a Norfolk, Virginia property would be a second home rather than an investment property, saving …
Roger Ver agreed to a $48 million deferred-prosecution deal to avoid jail in a tax fraud case after hiring Trump fixers Roger Stone and David Schoen. The settlement follows Trump’s systematic rollback of crypto enforcement, with Ver’s charges potentially being dropped if he complies with …
Roger VerRoger StoneDavid SchoenTrump AdministrationDOJsystematic-corruptioncrypto-corruptiontwo-tiered-justicepay-to-play
The White House blocked $2.1 billion in Chicago transit funding and targeted Portland aid, citing ‘race-based contracting’ as retaliatory punishment for Democratic opposition. The funding freeze represents systematic weaponization of federal resources to punish political adversaries and …
Trump AdministrationWhite HouseCity of ChicagoCity of Portlandsystematic-corruptionfederal-funding-weaponizationexecutive-overreachpolitical-retaliation
The Trump administration blocked $88 million in congressionally approved funding for more than 100 organizations serving human trafficking survivors, eliminating housing, counseling, and legal support services. The funding freeze affected critical services for some of society’s most vulnerable …
The Trump administration cut $500 million from the Emergency Food Assistance Program, canceling 4,300 food deliveries nationwide and eliminating 94 million pounds of food aid. The cuts left food banks critically under-resourced while millions of Americans face food insecurity. This deliberate …
CoreCivic, a private prison company, secured nearly $300 million in new ICE contracts to add 5,700 detention beds across California, Kansas, and Oklahoma, effectively doubling agency capacity by 2026. The contracts include $130 million annually for California City Correctional Facility, $60 million …
Blackstone CEO and Trump ally Stephen Schwarzman emerged as key broker between Harvard University and the White House over billions in frozen federal research funds. Schwarzman negotiated terms for restoring the funding, conditioning it on Harvard’s institutional adoption of Trump …
Stephen SchwarzmanBlackstoneHarvard UniversityWhite HouseTrump Administrationinstitutional-captureacademic-freedom-erosionbillionaire-influencesystematic-corruption
Trump administration systematically cut deals across more than 30 industries, trading tariff relief and federal financing for corporate concessions in a pattern resembling state-driven capitalism. Companies including Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and AstraZeneca faced pressure on production location and drug …
The Supreme Court ruled on 23 Trump administration policies via its emergency ‘shadow docket’ since Trump’s return to office, backing the administration in 21 cases without full arguments or normal deliberative processes. The Court allowed mass federal purges, foreign aid cuts, …
OMB Director Russ Vought systematically used government shutdown planning to execute mass federal purges, cancel funding, block oversight, and reclassify workers across agencies according to the Project 2025 framework. This represents a deliberate conversion of the Office of Management and Budget …
Russ VoughtOffice of Management and BudgetTrump AdministrationCongressinstitutional-capturesystematic-corruptionexecutive-overreachproject-2025-implementation
ProPublica investigation revealed that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson, a Trump appointee and former CIA officer, systematically protected El Salvador President Nayib Bukele from U.S. and Salvadoran law enforcement investigations. Based on a previously undisclosed State Department inspector general …
Ronald JohnsonNayib BukeleState DepartmentTrump Administrationinstitutional-capturediplomatic-corruptionobstruction-of-justiceforeign-autocrat-alignment
Pope Leo XIV delivered a powerful critique of American political hypocrisy on October 1, 2025, declaring that support for harsh immigration enforcement is fundamentally incompatible with pro-life values. Speaking in the context of the controversy surrounding Senator Dick Durbin receiving an award …
Pope Leo XIVTrump AdministrationWhite HouseSenator Dick DurbinCatholic Churchpope-leo-xivimmigrationpro-lifecatholic-churchchicago+4 more
On October 1, 2025, the Department of Justice fired Michael Ben’Ary, the chief of the national security section in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, after pro-Trump activist and writer Julie Kelly posted on social media falsely linking him to internal …
Michael Ben'AryDepartment of JusticeJulie KellyU.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of VirginiaTrump Administrationdojprosecutor-firingpolitical-prosecutioninstitutional-capturenational-security+1 more
On September 25, 2025, a federal grand jury charged former FBI Director James Comey with serious crimes related to the disclosure of sensitive information. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel announced the indictment, alleging that Comey obstructed a congressional investigation …
James ComeyPam BondiKash PatelTrump Administrationdojfbijames-comeyindictmentpam-bondi+4 more
On September 16, 2025, former Special Counsel Jack Smith delivered his first public remarks since leaving the Department of Justice in a speech at George Mason University, warning that “the rule of law is under attack like in no other period in our lifetimes.” NPR exclusively obtained a …
Jack SmithDepartment of JusticeGeorge Mason UniversityTrump Administrationdojrule-of-lawinstitutional-capturepolitical-prosecutionspecial-counsel+1 more
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced plans to extract government equity stakes from major corporations like Intel and Lockheed Martin in exchange for federal support, using tariffs and export licenses as pressure tools through a secretive ‘Investment Accelerator’ initiative. …
Howard LutnickDepartment of CommerceIntelLockheed MartinTrump Administrationinstitutional-capturecorporate-coercionregulatory-extortionsystematic-corruption
Immigration and Customs Enforcement contracted Clearview AI for $9.2 million to expand facial recognition surveillance capabilities, ostensibly for child exploitation investigations and officer ‘assault’ cases. ICE has already spent $3.7 million of the contract. Clearview AI’s …
Missouri’s Republican-controlled legislature advanced new congressional maps that would reduce Democratic representation from two seats to one by dismantling Representative Emmanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City district. The mid-decade redistricting, normally only done after census years, …
Education Secretary Linda McMahon initiated a dramatic 50% workforce reduction at the Department of Education, laying off approximately 1,950 employees. The mass layoffs, occurring on March 11, 2025, represent the first phase of the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the department, …
Linda McMahonDepartment of EducationFederal education workforceTrump AdministrationProject 2025 Leadershipeducation-dismantlingdepartment-eliminationworkforce-cutsfederal-educationproject-2025+1 more
The Trump administration announced on August 8, 2025, an increased federal law enforcement presence in Washington, D.C., with expanded patrols by federal agents at tourist sites, transit hubs, and government buildings. This surge in federal forces in the nation’s capital follows earlier …
Trump AdministrationDepartment of Homeland SecurityU.S. Marshals ServiceFederal Protective Servicefederal-deploymentlaw-enforcementwashington-dc
The EPA terminated all union contracts on August 8, 2025, immediately after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed a lower court injunction blocking Trump’s March executive order. EPA became the second federal agency (after VA) to cancel collective bargaining for its employees, affecting …
Environmental Protection AgencyAFGE Council 238 (8,000+ EPA workers)Justin Chen (AFGE Council 238 President)Ninth Circuit Court of AppealsNAGE, ESC, NAIL unions+1 morelabor-suppressionepaunion-bustingcollective-bargainingappellate-stays+2 more
Democracy Forward filed the first FOIA lawsuit against the Trump administration on August 8, 2025, seeking release of the Epstein files through legal action after the administration’s reversal on transparency promises.
Trump reversed his decision to bar Medicare from covering bandages after the biotech company Extremity Care—maker of high-end bandages crafted from dried placenta—donated $5 million to the MAGA Inc. super PAC
Donald TrumpTrump Administrationkleptocracycorruption
Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill earmarked $300 billion for US military modernization, with billions of dollars already set to go to Peter Thiel’s Anduril and Palantir–in which Stephen Miller owns $100,000 worth of stock
Donald TrumpTrump Administrationkleptocracycorruption
MAGA Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC, raised $177 million in the first half of this year from donors who have exchanged their patronage for access to the president–and, at times, policy outcomes, pardons, and ambassadorships
Donald TrumpTrump Administrationkleptocracycorruption
According to Washington Post analysis, the Trump administration has been accused of flouting courts in about a third of more than 160 lawsuits where judges issued substantive rulings against them. CNN reports the administration is “at war with the federal judiciary,” evading court orders …
Trump AdministrationFederal JudiciaryU.S. District Judge James BoasbergU.S. District Judge John McConnellJudge Paula Xinisconstitutional-crisiscourt-defiancerule-of-law-breakdownsystematic-non-compliancejudicial-authority+1 more
Days after Trump threatened pharmaceutical companies with federal action if they do not lower drug costs, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla attended a $25 million MAGA Inc. fundraiser at Bedminster
Donald TrumpTrump Administrationkleptocracycorruption
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg found probable cause that the Trump administration showed “willful disregard” for his order to halt deportation flights of Venezuelan migrants. The administration flew planes with hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador despite the judge’s order to …
U.S. District Judge James BoasbergTrump AdministrationEmil Bove (DOJ official)Venezuelan deporteesEl Salvador governmentcourt-defianceconstitutional-violationwillful-disregarddeportation-abuse