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Trump Tyranny Tracker | Day 603-605: Sept. 18-20, 2026
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Demonstrators gather outside of the Kennedy Center in protest of Trump’s takeover and closure of the building. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post)Welcome to today’s Trump Tyranny Tracker…
Trump officials expanded their focus on the midterms, Trump blocked major news organizations from the White House, and Americans facing more increases in everyday costs are among the top stories this weekend.
This Weekend at a Glance
Election Pressure — DHS circulated a list of jurisdictions providing multilingual voting materials alongside DOJ guidance for prosecuting election crimes.
Press Suppression — Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over coverage he dislikes.
Affordability Crisis — Prices continue rising as mortgage rates near 7% and wages fail to keep pace with inflation.
What We Need to Pay Attention To
A DHS email raises new questions about the Trump administration’s election plans
What Happened: An internal DHS email included a 78-page list of states and counties that provide voting materials in languages other than English, along with DOJ guidance on prosecuting election crimes. DHS is also putting more resources into investigating noncitizen voting ahead of the midterms.
Why It Matters: Federal law requires many states to provide voting materials in other languages. Using immigration or criminal enforcement against these communities is meant to intimidate eligible voters and discourage them from voting.
Source: NPR
Corruption
Secret contracts reveal undisclosed terms in Trump’s drug-pricing deals
What Happened: Confidential agreements with Pfizer and Eli Lilly reveal that Trump officials gave pharmaceutical companies tariff protections and other benefits, and encouraged them to raise drug prices overseas. Key details about pricing and what the companies received in return were redacted.
Source: The Washington Post
‘My Money:’ Trump’s Claim That He Controls MAGA Super PAC Draws Watchdog Complaint
What Happened: The Campaign Legal Center filed an FEC complaint accusing Trump of violating campaign finance law by directing the spending of MAGA Inc., a super PAC with more than $400 million. Trump has repeatedly called it “my money that I control” and said he decides how it is spent.
Why It Matters: Trump reportedly is violating campaign finance law while the agency responsible for enforcing it has been gutted and cannot investigate him. This is the lawlessness and corruption that happens when government watchdogs are purged.
Source: New York Times
Power Consolidation
It’s illegal for armed federal officers to be at polls. Lawsuits seek to ensure that
What Happened: Two lawsuits are seeking to block federal officers from polling places after Trump officials repeatedly left open the possibility of deploying them during the midterms. Federal law restricts armed federal personnel at polls, and the Voting Rights Act prohibits voter intimidation.
Why It Matters: Armed federal agents at polling places are meant to intimidate voters. Using federal law enforcement around voting is an authoritarian tactic designed to make people afraid to exercise their rights.
Source: NPR
State blames mail delivery issues for dozens of ballots from rural Alaska not counting in primary
What Happened: Seventy-five ballots cast in person in seven rural Alaska communities arrived too late to be counted in the August primary because of mail delays. Election officials are changing how the ballots are routed for the general election to prevent it from happening again.
Source: Associated Press
Weaponization of Institutions
White House budget chief pushes for scrutiny of NIH grants in Oval Office clash
What Happened: Russell Vought pushed Trump to create a White House commission to review NIH research grants and reject funding that conflicts with Trump’s priorities. Political appointees would have control over billions of dollars in biomedical research funding normally awarded through scientific peer review.
Why It Matters: Trump and Vought are using federal research funding to control what scientists can study. Scientists are being forced to conform to his political agenda or lose funding.
Source: The Washington Post
Attorney General Blanche’s appearances at political events blur Justice Department boundaries
What Happened: Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared at a Republican Senate campaign rally and the GOP midterm convention, where he praised Trump and promoted Republican positions on crime and the economy. DOJ says the appearances were in his personal capacity and were cleared by ethics officials.
Why It Matters: The attorney general controls the country’s most powerful federal law enforcement agency. Campaigning for a political party erases the separation between enforcing the law and partisan politics.
Source: Associated Press
Media Suppression & Authoritarian Tactics
CNN, MS NOW, Politico say their journalists have been denied access to the White House
What Happened: Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House after accusing them of producing negative and “fake” coverage. Reporters from all three outlets were denied entry and had their press credentials disabled or confiscated.
Why It Matters: Banning news organizations from the White House because Trump does not like their coverage is a direct attack on press freedom and the First Amendment. Using government power to punish and intimidate the press is straight out of an authoritarian playbook.
Source: The Hill
Disney says Trump threats against reporters should prompt court to block FCC action
What Happened: Disney and ABC asked a federal court to block the FCC’s early review of eight ABC station licenses, arguing FCC Chair Brendan Carr is carrying out Trump’s demands against broadcasters whose coverage he dislikes. The FCC ordered the reviews one day after Trump called for ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel, even though the licenses were not due for renewal until 2028.
Source: Reuters
Human & Civil Rights Abuses
ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas, officials say
What Happened: An ICE agent shot 28-year-old Venezuelan Wilber Rafael Garces Perez during a traffic stop in Austin, leaving him seriously wounded. Mayor Kirk Watson called for an independent investigation rather than allowing ICE to investigate the shooting itself.
Source: Politico
Trump officials sending undocumented children to Texas sparks fears of mass deportation
What Happened: More than 90% of unaccompanied children entering new immigration proceedings in August were sent to Texas shelters that operate without state licenses and where very few children have lawyers. Federal officials are looking for additional facilities that could hold up to 3,000 children.
Why It Matters: Trump officials are sending children to unlicensed facilities where most don’t have lawyers while ICE is preparing to detain thousands more. Children are being stripped of basic protections and put through a detention system that will cause lasting psychological trauma.
Source: The Guardian
US appeals court rejects Trump policy allowing swift deportations to third countries
What Happened: A federal appeals court upheld a ruling that Trump’s policy allowing migrants to be rapidly deported to third countries without enough time to raise safety concerns is unlawful. More than 25,000 migrants have been sent to at least 29 countries under Trump’s third-country deportation agreements.
Source: Reuters
Men deported from US bound and beaten in Equatorial Guinea detention hotel, lawyers say
What Happened: Two men deported from the U.S. to Equatorial Guinea were bound, hooded, beaten and taken to prison after speaking about conditions at the hotel where U.S. deportees are being held, according to witnesses and human rights lawyers. About 30 other deportees are still being held there, many without legal status or ties to the country.
Why It Matters: The U.S. sent people to a country known for torture and arbitrary detention. Now people deported by the U.S. are being bound, beaten, and imprisoned there.
Source: The Guardian
Government Disruption
Hill investigates after F-35 parts diverted to Hong Kong
What Happened: F-35 components being shipped from Australia to the U.S. for repairs were diverted to Hong Kong, and some remain missing. The shipment included a cockpit canopy containing stealth technology. Congress and the Pentagon are investigating what happened.
Why It Matters: This is a surreal national security failure. Sensitive F-35 technology was diverted to Hong Kong, and some parts disappeared. The Pentagon still does not know who has the missing components or whether China got access to the technology.
Source: Politico
US military had close call after using AI for false intelligence report, sources say
What Happened: The U.S. military prepared to intercept and potentially board a Chinese ship after an AI-assisted intelligence report falsely identified its cargo as components for a nuclear weapons program. Military aircraft were already in the air when officials discovered the intelligence was false and stopped the operation.
Why It Matters: The same AI Trump sees no need to regulate produced false intelligence that nearly got the U.S. military into war with China. Aircraft were already in the air and armed troops were preparing to board. Nothing to see here.
Source: CNN
US judge strikes down Education Department’s anti-DEI grant policy
What Happened: A federal judge struck down the Education Department policy used to cancel more than 90% of grants in two teacher training programs, finding that it provided no clear standard for what counted as DEI and was “arbitrary and capricious.” More than $600 million in grants had been canceled under the policy.
Source: Reuters
Judge rules EPA illegally terminated $7 billion solar program intended to help poorer Americans
What Happened: A federal judge ruled that Trump’s EPA illegally terminated the $7 billion Solar for All program, which was designed to bring solar power to more than 900,000 lower-income households. The judge found that EPA did not have the authority to cancel grants Congress had already funded.
Source: Associated Press
Census Bureau Directs Staff to Keep Quiet During Comment Period for Controversial New Rule
What Happened: Census Bureau leadership ordered employees to halt outside events related to the 2030 Census during the public comment period for a proposed rule that would exclude many noncitizens from the population count and eliminate race and ethnicity questions.
Source: Talking Points Memo
Imperial & Geopolitical Watch
Trump Ramps Up Bid to Dismantle International Criminal Court
What Happened: Trump officials are preparing sanctions against the International Criminal Court that would block most transactions with the court and cut it off from U.S. dollars and much of the global financial system. Trump has already sanctioned individual ICC judges and prosecutors.
Why It Matters: Trump is trying to cripple the court responsible for prosecuting war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. That includes cases involving Russia’s genocidal invasion of Ukraine and the arrest warrant for Putin.
Source: Wall Street Journal
U.S. Probes Iran Link to Cyberattacks on Texas-Bound Energy Tankers
What Happened: U.S. officials are investigating whether Iran was behind cyberattacks on two energy tankers traveling through the Strait of Gibraltar toward Texas. The Coast Guard and FBI boarded both vessels after they reached the Gulf of Mexico to investigate and secure their systems.
Source: Wall Street Journal
What to know after a week of Houthi attacks that threaten Saudi oil and have rattled world markets
What Happened: Iran-backed Houthis seized the strategic Yemeni port of Mokha and nearby Red Sea islands while attacking Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping. The fighting has displaced roughly 125,000 Yemenis and added pressure to global fuel prices.
Source: Associated Press
Far-Right & Russian Influence Watch
Russia Aims to Inject Chaos Into Elections, U.S. Intelligence Finds
What Happened: U.S. intelligence found that the Kremlin authorized a new online influence campaign targeting the November midterms, using covert disinformation to deepen divisions and undermine confidence in the election. Russia’s AI-generated videos are also targeting candidates in battleground Senate races.
Source: New York Times
Economic News
Farmer who voted for Trump talks about impact of high costs of Iran war, tariffs: “We’re all just in survival mode”
What Happened: North Carolina farmer Matt Bell says his diesel costs have nearly doubled from last year while prices on fertilizer, equipment, seeds and other expenses have also increased. Bell, who voted for Trump, says some farmers are considering leaving the industry because they can no longer afford the rising costs.
Why It Matters: Higher fuel, fertilizer and equipment costs are making it more expensive to produce food. Those higher costs will mean higher prices for Americans at the grocery store.
Source: CBS News
Weeks Before the Midterms, Almost Everything Is Getting More Expensive
What Happened: Consumer prices are up 3.4% from a year ago, gasoline is near its highest level since 2022, mortgage rates are approaching 7%, and wages have failed to keep pace with inflation for five straight months. The Federal Reserve also raised interest rates for the first time in three years, adding to borrowing costs.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Resistance
Check out 50501 for local and nationwide events…
Source: 50501
Protesters form human chain at Kennedy Center amid Trump’s threats to demolish it
What Happened: Thousands protested outside the Kennedy Center after Trump threatened to close or “rip down” the center unless he gets recognition for its renovation. A federal judge has blocked Trump’s name from being added to the building and ordered 30 days’ notice before any demolition.
Source: ABC News
By the Numbers
$400+ million — Money controlled by MAGA Inc., the super PAC Trump says is “my money”
90%+ — Unaccompanied children entering new immigration proceedings who were sent to Texas shelters in August
25,000+ — Migrants sent to at least 29 third countries under Trump’s deportation agreements
$7 billion — Solar for All program Trump’s EPA illegally terminated
$600+ million — Teacher training grants canceled under the Education Department’s anti-DEI policy
3.4% — Increase in consumer prices over the past year
Nearly 7% — Current mortgage rates
5 months — Wages have failed to keep pace with inflation
What to Watch Next
Trump is expanding control in the midterms — What other federal agencies will be pulled into election enforcement before November?
Trump is banning news organizations from the White House — Will more outlets lose access over coverage he does not like?
Russia has launched another operation targeting the midterms — What other Russian influence operations will U.S. intelligence uncover?
Prices are rising while wages fall behind — How much more will Americans pay as higher fuel costs, tariffs, and interest rates spread through the economy?
Key Takeaways
Election Control — DHS is putting more resources into election enforcement as Trump officials refuse to rule out sending federal agents to polling places.
Media Suppression — Trump banned three major news organizations from the White House while the FCC faces accusations that it is using licensing power against broadcasters he dislikes.
Government Weaponization — Trump officials are pushing political control over scientific funding while the attorney general campaigns for Republicans.
Immigration Cruelty — Children are being sent to unlicensed facilities with little access to lawyers while thousands of migrants have been deported to third countries.
Affordability Crisis — Prices are up, mortgage rates are nearing 7%, wages have fallen behind inflation for five straight months, and farmers are warning that rising costs are becoming impossible to absorb.
Call to Action
Document Everything: Document purges, corruption, and power grabs. Share credible information with journalists, watchdogs, and legal experts. Silence enables authoritarianism—see something, say something.
Defend Press Freedom: Support independent journalism by subscribing to and sharing reporting that challenges Trump’s power grab.
Mobilize for Action: Organize or join legal efforts and resistance movements to protect democracy and human and civil rights.
Support Whistleblowers: Encourage legal defense funds for government workers facing retaliation for exposing corruption.
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Thanks for reading the Trump Tyranny Tracker. Stay tuned for more updates.
