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Trump Tyranny Tracker | Day 606: Sept. 21, 2026
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The Pentagon logo in the briefing room, following the United States and Israel-led strikes on Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth FrantzWelcome to today’s Trump Tyranny Tracker…
The Pentagon undercounting American military deaths, ICE hiding the locations of thousands of detainees, and more government agencies being used against Trump’s political opponents are among today’s top stories.
Today at a Glance
Pentagon’s public database leaves out at least four U.S. military deaths from Trump’s Iran war.
ICE removes thousands of detainees with final deportation orders from its public locator system.
Former federal prosecutors say Trump Media’s $100,000 early access service likely violates criminal law.
What We Need to Pay Attention To
More U.S. troops have died amid Iran war than Pentagon has disclosed publicly
What Happened: At least 22 U.S. service members have died in the Middle East since Trump’s launched the Iran war began, according to five U.S. officials, four more than the Pentagon has publicly reported. A sixth official put the number at 23. The Pentagon declined to explain the discrepancy.
Why It Matters: Americans are entitled to know how many service members have died in a war. Governments hiding military casualty numbers is something that happens in countries like Russia. The Pentagon needs to explain why American deaths are missing from its public count.
Source: The Washington Post
Corruption
RFK Jr. Got Free Flights to Fiji and Greece From a Top Donor
What Happened: RFK Jr. disclosed more than $250,000 in gifts from Gavin de Becker, a longtime friend and major donor to Kennedy’s 2024 presidential campaign. The gifts included nearly $97,000 in flights to Fiji, about $45,000 in airfare to Greece, and use of a Washington vacation home.
Why It Matters: A Cabinet secretary accepted more than $250,000 in gifts from one of his biggest political donors. Kennedy says HHS ethics officials approved the gifts, but that does not erase the obvious corruption and conflict of interest.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Ex-federal prosecutors say Trump media company’s scheme to sell early access to Truth Social posts is likely criminal
What Happened: Fifty-three former federal prosecutors and agents told a federal court that Trump Media’s $100,000 Truth API, which gives paying investors faster access to Trump’s market-moving posts, likely violates federal criminal laws involving securities, conflicts of interest, and public corruption.
Why It Matters: Trump’s company is charging wealthy investors $100,000 for faster access to his posts announcing government policy. That allows paying customers to trade on information before everyone else gets it, while his company makes money selling this advantage.
Source: CBS News
Power Consolidation
How Trump turned a refugee bureau into a $410 million deportation operation
What Happened: Trump officials have authorized or pledged at least $410 million for deportation agreements with 31 countries, allowing the U.S. to send migrants to countries where they have no ties. The program is being run through a new Office of Remigration inside the State Department bureau responsible for refugees and humanitarian assistance.
Why It Matters: Trump took an office meant to help refugees and turned part of it into a deportation operation that pays foreign governments to take disappeared migrants. Some of the agreements were structured to get around human rights safeguards and congressional requirements.
Source: The Washington Post
Weaponization of Institutions
Bill Pulte Scrutinized Mortgages of Trump’s Political Rivals—and Todd Blanche
What Happened: Federal housing chief Bill Pulte scrutinized the mortgages of Trump targets including Adam Schiff, Letitia James and Lisa Cook. He also reportedly examined then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s mortgages while the two clashed over the investigations. Some officials believed Pulte was looking for information to pressure Blanche to move the cases forward.
Source: Wall Street Journal
ICE hides locations of thousands of detainees with final removal orders
What Happened: ICE removed thousands of immigrants with final deportation orders from its public detainee locator on September 15, leaving lawyers and families unable to find where many are being held. Nearly 16,000 people booked into ICE detention in July had final removal orders.
Why It Matters: People with final deportation orders still have the right to challenge their removal in court. If their lawyers cannot find them, they can be deported before an attorney or court has a chance to intervene.
Source: Associated Press
Media Suppression & Authoritarian Tactics
CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue Trump administration over White House access
What Happened: CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued Trump after he revoked their journalists’ White House access because he objected to their coverage. The outlets argue the ban violates the First Amendment and due process protections and are seeking an immediate court order restoring access.
Why It Matters: Trump is using White House access to punish news organizations for coverage he dislikes. This is part of his broader attack on the press, using government power to intimidate journalists and punish outlets that report things he does not want Americans to hear.
Source: CNN
Freedom oppressed: the journalists caught up in Trump’s ICE crackdown
What Happened: Journalists covering immigration enforcement have been arrested, assaulted, and detained by federal authorities. Immigrant journalists have also faced ICE detention and deportation. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker documented 32 journalist arrests and 170 assaults in 2025, most during protests.
Why It Matters: Journalists are being arrested, assaulted, and detained while documenting federal law enforcement. Going after reporters makes it harder to expose abuses and is meant to keep the public from seeing what the regime is doing.
Source: The Guardian
Human & Civil Rights Abuses
Man shot by ICE in Austin being held in detention center with bullet in his back, lawyer says
What Happened: An ICE officer shot Venezuelan DoorDash driver Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in the back in Austin, according to his attorney. ICE then transferred him from the hospital to a detention center with the bullet still lodged near his spine, where he said he was initially denied pain medication and a bed.
Why It Matters: ICE shot a man and then put him in detention with the bullet still in his body, where he says he was initially denied pain medication and a bed. Another example of the grave human rights violations being committed by this regime.
Source: CBS News
Judge orders return of Honduran migrant deported to Central African Republic
What Happened: A federal judge ordered the government to return Brayan Omar Sanchez Servellon to the U.S. and release him after ICE deported him to the Central African Republic, a country where he has no citizenship or personal ties. His federal court case was still pending when ICE deported him.
Source: ABC News
‘Disturbing’: Jacob Soboroff sounds alarm on ICE’s missing miscarriage data
What Happened: ICE recorded at least 18 miscarriages in detention from January through September 2025 but has no miscarriage data after October 3. At the same time, more pregnant women and teenagers are being detained. Women in ICE custody have also reported difficulty getting prenatal and emergency medical care, including treatment after miscarriages.
Why It Matters: ICE is detaining more pregnant women while no longer keeping track of miscarriages in its custody. Without that data, there is no way for the public to know how many women are losing pregnancies in detention or hold ICE accountable for inadequate medical care.
Source: MS NOW
Government Disruption
A new DOJ program restores ex-felons’ right to own guns. What you need to know
What Happened: The Justice Department created a new process allowing people federally prohibited from possessing firearms to apply to have their gun rights restored. DOJ expects hundreds of thousands of applications, with decisions made through the Office of the Pardon Attorney.
Source: NPR
Trump says he will demand drug companies split up vaccines into more doses
What Happened: Trump said he will demand that drug companies split vaccines into as many as five smaller doses given six months apart, claiming it would “reduce autism.” Decades of research have found no link between vaccines and autism, and medical experts say spacing out vaccines can leave children unprotected from preventable diseases.
Why It Matters: Trump wants to change how children are vaccinated based on conspiracies that vaccines cause autism. Spreading doses months apart would leave children without full protection for longer and put them at greater risk of preventable diseases like measles.
Source: The Washington Post
Imperial & Geopolitical Watch
US strikes on alleged drug boats may constitute ‘crimes against humanity’, UN expert says
What Happened: A U.N. special rapporteur found “reasonable grounds to believe” that 68 U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats, which killed 223 people, constituted crimes against humanity of murder under international law. The report also describes the strikes as extrajudicial killings and rejects the U.S. government’s self-defense justification.
Why It Matters: The U.S. military has killed 223 people without arrest, trial, or publicly providing evidence that those targeted posed a military threat. Now a U.N. expert says the killings may amount to crimes against humanity.
Source: The Guardian
US watching Chinese marine presence off Alaska, Arctic Coast Guard chief says
What Happened: Four Chinese research vessels have operated off Alaska this year, including around the Aleutian Islands and Bering Strait. The ships remained in international waters but did not provide customary advance notice. U.S. officials are watching whether their research could help China explore seabed resources or gain a military advantage in the Arctic.
Source: Military Times
Far-Right & Russian Influence Watch
Trump seeks fertilizer deal with Russia ally Belarus amid Canadian tensions
What Happened: Trump said the U.S. is working on a major deal to buy cheaper potash from Belarus instead of Canada. Belarus helped Russia launch its genocidal full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Also, increased shipments to the U.S. would likely have to travel through Russian ports because its traditional route through Lithuania remains closed.
Source: Washington Post
Economic News
Iran War Will Make Winter More Expensive for Some Americans
What Happened: Heating oil prices have risen roughly 60% since the U.S. and Israel began attacking Iran in February. In New York, heating oil averaged $6.14 a gallon in mid-September, compared with $3.70 a year earlier.
Source: New York Times
Resistance
Check out 50501 for local and nationwide events…
Source: 50501
Air Force Officer Charged After Protesting Trump Says He Spoke to Defend Constitution
What Happened: Air Force Maj. Jason Watson faces 10 military charges after publicly criticizing Trump and calling for his impeachment, including carrying out a protest at the Capitol. Watson has been held in pretrial confinement while the military decides whether his case will proceed to court-martial.
Source: New York Times
By the Numbers
22–23 — U.S. service members, officials say, have died since Trump launched the Iran war, compared with 18 publicly reported by the Pentagon
$100,000 — Price for faster access to Trump’s posts through Trump Media’s Truth API
~ 16,000 — People booked into ICE detention in July who had final deportation orders
223 — People killed in U.S. military strikes on boats
60% — Increase in heating oil prices since the U.S. and Israel began attacking Iran
What to Watch Next
The Pentagon is reporting fewer U.S. military deaths than its own officials say have occurred — Will it explain why American deaths are missing from the public count?
ICE is making thousands of detainees harder for their lawyers and families to find — How many people will be disappeared before their attorneys can locate them?
Trump’s attacks on the press are expanding — What other news organizations and journalists will lose access or face federal action?
Trump is pushing changes to childhood vaccines based on conspiracies about autism — How much further will federal health policy move away from established medical science?
Key Takeaways
Rising Costs — Heating oil has jumped roughly 60% since Trump’s Iran war, leaving families in the Northeast facing much higher winter heating bills.
More Corruption — Trump Media is charging investors $100,000 for faster access to Trump’s posts announcing government policy.
Weaponized Government — Federal officials continue to use government agencies against Trump’s political opponents while ICE makes thousands of detainees harder for lawyers and families to find.
Press Suppression — Trump is banning news organizations over coverage he dislikes as journalists covering immigration enforcement face arrests, detention and assaults.
Hidden War Deaths — Pentagon records show fewer American military deaths than multiple U.S. officials say have occurred since Trump launched the Iran war. A tactic seen in Russia.
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.
Contact Lawmakers: Demand accountability for Trump’s unchecked power and war on oversight.
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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https://youtube.com/@unmaskingrussia
Thanks for reading the Trump Tyranny Tracker. Stay tuned for more updates.
