DHS releases year-end enforcement statistics claiming ICE arrested the “worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens” including individuals convicted of heinous crimes. The announcements use inflammatory language describing arrests of people convicted of “raping a child under …
Department of Homeland SecurityU.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementKristi Noemimmigrationenforcement-statisticsmass-deportationpropaganda
The State Department announced the U.S. Institute of Peace has been renamed the ‘Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace,’ with Trump’s name installed on the building’s facade in Washington, DC. The renaming follows the administration’s armed takeover and gutting of the …
Donald TrumpState DepartmentU.S. Institute of PeaceFederal Judiciaryauthoritarianisminstitutional-capturepropagandanarcissismrule-of-law
Trump administration officials notified Congress of plans to close six Voice of America overseas bureaus and four shortwave radio transmitters, defying federal court orders requiring VOA operations to resume. The closures will shut down VOA presence in Jakarta, Islamabad, Nairobi, Prague, and other …
Donald TrumpKari LakeVoice of AmericaFederal JudiciaryState Departmentmedia-suppressionforeign-policyauthoritarianismchinarussia+1 more
On November 30, 2025, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with Kristen Welker and publicly denied defying a federal court order—despite the Justice Department having admitted in court filings just four days earlier that she personally made the …
Kristi NoemDepartment of Homeland SecurityU.S. District Judge James BoasbergKristen WelkerNBC News+1 morecourt-defiancejudicial-independenceconstitutional-violationpropagandawillful-disregard+3 more
President Trump announced on Truth Social that a $2,000 “tariff dividend” would be paid to Americans excluding “high income people,” promising that remaining funds after these payments would be used to “substantially pay down national debt.” The announcement …
Donald TrumpScott Bessenteconomic-policytariffspropagandafiscal-irresponsibilityfalse-promises
By mid-2024, U.S. defense contractors and surveillance technology companies began systematically marketing their systems as “battle-tested in Ukraine,” transforming the ongoing war into a real-world demonstration and validation platform for AI-powered surveillance, autonomous weapons, …
By October 2022, Sinclair Broadcast Group owned or operated 294 television stations across the United States in 89 markets, reaching approximately 40% of American households and maintaining its position as the nation’s largest owner of local television stations. This unprecedented …
Sinclair Broadcast GroupFederal Communications Commission (FCC)David SmithLocal News Anchorssinclair-broadcastingmedia-consolidationpropagandalocal-news-capturemarket-dominance+3 more
On July 16, 2018, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced “serious concerns” about Sinclair Broadcast Group’s proposed $3.9 billion acquisition of Tribune Media and referred the merger to an administrative law judge for a hearing—an extremely rare action that effectively killed the deal. …
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)Ajit PaiSinclair Broadcast GroupTribune MediaDavid Smith+1 moresinclair-broadcastingmedia-consolidationregulatory-capturefccpropaganda+3 more
In mid-April 2017, just weeks after quietly departing the Trump White House in March, Boris Epshteyn was hired by Sinclair Broadcast Group as “chief political analyst,” creating a direct propaganda pipeline from the Trump administration to 173 local television stations in 81 markets …
Boris EpshteynSinclair Broadcast GroupDonald TrumpWhite House Office of CommunicationsTrump Administrationsinclair-broadcastingpropagandamedia-consolidationtrump-coordinationrevolving-door+3 more
During his first address to Congress on February 28, 2017, President Trump orchestrated an emotional moment honoring Carryn Owens, widow of Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens who died in the botched Yemen raid Trump approved on January 29. The chamber gave a standing ovation lasting 1 minute …
Donald TrumpCarryn OwensWilliam OwensRyan OwensJames Mattismilitary-incompetencepolitical-theateryemenaccountabilitypropaganda
The New York Times reveals that the Obama administration has adopted a secret policy counting “all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants…unless there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent.” This Orwellian methodology allows the administration to …
In 2007, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) launched its first annual ‘Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index’ report, co-authored by economist Arthur Laffer, Stephen Moore, and ALEC staff. The report ranked all 50 states based on 15 …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)Arthur LafferStephen MooreJonathan WilliamsKoch Industriesaleccorporate-corruptiontax-policyrace-to-bottompropaganda+4 more
The Department of Education violated federal law by paying conservative commentator Armstrong Williams 40,000 through Ketchum Inc. PR firm to promote the No Child Left Behind Act without disclosing the government funding to audiences. Williams regularly promoted NCLB on his syndicated TV and radio …
Armstrong WilliamsRod PaigeDepartment of EducationKetchum IncMaggie Gallagherpropagandamedia-manipulationnclbarmstrong-williamsgao
The Office of Special Plans (OSP), led by Douglas Feith, and the White House Iraq Group (WHIG) institutionalized daily coordination meetings to synchronize intelligence production with propaganda messaging. These meetings enabled the systematic manipulation of intelligence to support the Bush …
Douglas FeithPaul WolfowitzAndrew CardDick CheneyKarl Rove+2 moreintelligence-manipulationiraq-warospwhigpropaganda+1 more
The White House Iraq Group executes a coordinated propaganda campaign featuring the ‘smoking gun/mushroom cloud’ metaphor crafted by chief speechwriter Michael Gerson. On September 7-8, 2002, President Bush and top advisers appeared on multiple networks delivering identical nuclear fear …
White House Iraq GroupCondoleezza RiceDick CheneyGeorge W. BushMichael Gerson+1 morewhigmushroom-cloudpropagandairaq-warnuclear-fear+2 more
The White House Iraq Group (WHIG) coordinated an unprecedented media manipulation campaign in September 2002 to build public support for the Iraq War. On September 7-8, 2002, top administration officials including Cheney, Rice, and Rumsfeld appeared on all five major Sunday news programs, delivering …
Dick CheneyCondoleezza RiceDonald RumsfeldRichard MyersRichard Armitage+5 morepropagandawhigcorporate-contractor-relationshipspermanent-capture-infrastructurerevolving-door-institutionalization+11 more
White House Iraq Group systematically coordinates with network news executive producers across CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox News to create direct communication channels for messaging priorities and narrative synchronization, effectively bypassing traditional journalist-source relationships.
White House Iraq GroupDick CheneyKarl RoveCondoleezza RiceKaren Hughes+2 morewhigmedia-manipulationpropagandaexecutive-coordinationnetwork-news+2 more
By August 30, 2000, Clear Channel Communications completed its acquisition of AMFM Inc., creating a radio empire of 1,240 stations nationwide—representing a 30-fold increase from the 40 stations Clear Channel owned before the 1996 Telecommunications Act eliminated ownership caps. This unprecedented …
Clear Channel CommunicationsRush LimbaughAMFM Inc.Lowry MaysRepublican Partymedia-consolidationradio-monopolyconservative-mediatalk-radiopropaganda+3 more
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Amendments of 1965 into law at the Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri, creating Medicare and Medicaid with former President Harry Truman at his side. The legislation provides federal health insurance for Americans over 65 …
President Lyndon B. JohnsonPresident Harry S. TrumanAmerican Medical AssociationRonald ReaganWilbur Millshealthcareinstitutional-capturecorporate-resistancelobbyingpropaganda
The term “credibility gap” enters widespread use to describe the growing disconnect between the Johnson administration’s optimistic public statements about Vietnam War progress and the grim reality experienced by soldiers and reporters in the field. The New York Herald Tribune …
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamaraPresident Lyndon B. JohnsonSenator J. William FulbrightDepartment of Defensegovernment-deceptionmilitary-industrial-complexinstitutional-corruptionpropagandasystematic-corruption
The Chinese Nationalist government relocates its capital to Taiwan on December 8, 1949, after Communist forces complete their victory in the Chinese Civil War, intensifying the “China Lobby’s” campaign to shape U.S. foreign policy in support of Chiang Kai-shek’s regime. The …
Alfred KohlbergChiang Kai-shekT.V. SoongHenry R. LuceWalter H. Judd+1 moreforeign-lobbyingpropagandacold-waranticommunisminfluence-operations
President Harry S. Truman signs the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (Public Law 80-402), popularly called the Smith-Mundt Act after sponsor Congressman Karl E. Mundt (R-SD), on January 27, 1948. The Act regulates broadcasting of programs for foreign audiences produced under …
Harry S. TrumanKarl E. MundtU.S. CongressState DepartmentVoice of Americapropagandainformation-warfarecold-warstate-departmentvoice-of-america
The National Association of Manufacturers launches a massive multi-faceted propaganda campaign in response to the unprecedented 1946 strike wave, when nearly 10 percent of the US workforce goes on strike including major actions by the United Auto Workers against General Motors, United Steel Workers …
National Association of ManufacturersNational Industrial Information CouncilGeneral MotorsU.S. SteelGeneral Electric+3 morepropagandalabor-suppressioncorporate-lobbyingnamunion-busting+1 more
President Harry S. Truman becomes the first sitting president to propose a comprehensive national health insurance program, sending a special message to Congress calling for federal health insurance that would cover all Americans regardless of employment status. Truman declares healthcare …
Harry S. TrumanAmerican Medical AssociationMorris FishbeinRobert TaftWhitaker and Baxterhealthcareinstitutional-capturelobbyingpropagandaama+1 more
The La Follette Civil Liberties Committee exposes and names the “Mohawk Valley Formula” in 1936-1937, documenting a systematic corporate strategy for breaking strikes and defeating union organizing campaigns that James Rand Jr., president of Remington Rand, developed during the 1936 …
Remington RandJames Rand Jr.National Association of ManufacturersLa Follette Committeecorporate managementunion-bustingcorporate-resistancelabor-suppressionpropagandawagner-act+1 more
On January 25, 1936, former New York Governor and 1928 Democratic presidential candidate Al Smith delivers the keynote address at the American Liberty League dinner at Washington’s Mayflower Hotel, launching a scathing attack on President Roosevelt that accuses the New Deal of fomenting class …
Al SmithAmerican Liberty LeagueFranklin D. RooseveltJouett ShouseDu Pont familycorporate-resistancenew-dealpropagandared-baitingpolitical-realignment+1 more
In 1935, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) under president Robert Lund launches what Business Week headlines as “The NAM Declares War” (December 14, 1935)—an unprecedented multi-million dollar propaganda campaign to discredit Roosevelt’s New Deal and promote …
National Association of ManufacturersRobert LundDu PontGeneral MotorsAT&T+3 morecorporate-resistancepropagandanew-dealinstitutional-capturemedia-manipulation+1 more
On August 22, 1934, the American Liberty League is announced in Washington, D.C., as a purportedly bipartisan organization to defend the U.S. Constitution against “radical” New Deal policies, with Jouett Shouse appointed as president. The League’s formation represents the first …
Irénée du PontJohn Jacob RaskobJouett ShouseAl SmithJohn W. Davis+4 morecorporate-resistancenew-dealpropagandainstitutional-capturethink-tanks+2 more
Edward Bernays orchestrates his most famous propaganda campaign, hiring a group of young women to march in New York’s Easter Parade while smoking cigarettes and announcing to press photographers that they are lighting “torches of freedom” in a strike against male domination. The …
Edward BernaysAmerican Tobacco CompanyGeorge Washington Hillpropagandamedia-manipulationcorporate-influencepublic-relationshealth
The National Industrial Conference Board (NICB), founded in 1916, reaches peak influence during the 1920s as the research and propaganda arm of corporate America’s campaign against labor organizing. Working alongside the National Association of Manufacturers and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the …
National Industrial Conference BoardNational Association of ManufacturersU.S. Chamber of CommerceAmerican Plan Associationpropagandalabor-suppressioncorporate-influenceinstitutional-capturepublic-relations
Edward Bernays, nephew of Sigmund Freud and veteran propagandist for the Committee on Public Information during World War I, publishes “Crystallizing Public Opinion,” the first book to codify techniques for manipulating mass psychology in service of corporate and political interests. …
Edward BernaysAmerican Tobacco CompanySigmund Freudpropagandamedia-manipulationcorporate-influenceinstitutional-capturepublic-relations
On September 22, 1919, the American Federation of Labor launched a massive strike against the U.S. steel industry after 98 percent of workers voted to walk out, shutting down half the industry including mills in Pueblo, Chicago, Wheeling, Johnstown, Cleveland, Lackawanna, and Youngstown. The AFL had …
American Federation of LaborUnited States Steel CorporationElbert H. GaryAttorney General A. Mitchell PalmerJ. Edgar Hooverlabor-suppressionstate-surveillancepropaganda
One week after Congress declared war on Germany, President Woodrow Wilson created the Committee on Public Information (CPI) by executive order, establishing the first large-scale government propaganda apparatus in American history. Journalist George Creel was appointed chairman, heading a massive …
President Woodrow WilsonGeorge CreelSecretary of State Robert LansingSecretary of War Newton BakerSecretary of the Navy Josephus Danielspropagandaworld-war-istate-repressionprogressive-eramedia-manipulation
A German U-boat torpedoed the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania about 11 nautical miles off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, sinking the ship in just 18 minutes and killing approximately 1,200 of nearly 2,000 passengers and crew, including 128 Americans. The Germans had circulated warnings that the …
RMS LusitaniaGerman NavyBritish GovernmentJP Morgan & Co.American passengerswar-profiteeringworld-war-ijp-morganpropagandacorporate-negligence
An explosion tears through the hull of the USS Maine anchored in Havana Harbor, Cuba, sinking the ship and killing 266 American sailors. Sober observers and an initial report by the colonial government of Cuba conclude the explosion occurred on board, but newspaper magnates William Randolph Hearst …
William Randolph HearstJoseph PulitzerNew York JournalNew York WorldUSS Maine crew+1 moregilded-agemedia-manipulationimperialismpropagandaspanish-american-war