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Trump Tyranny Tracker | Day 628: Oct. 13, 2026
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The American Bar Association building in Washington. Aaron Schwartz/Sipa USA/ReutersWelcome to today’s Trump Tyranny Tracker…
The Justice Department threatening the American Bar Association, federal investigators expanding their investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar, and former DOGE operatives profiting from their government connections are among today’s top stories.
Today at a Glance
The Justice Department threatens to investigate the American Bar Association.
Federal investigators target Rep. Ilhan Omar’s citizenship and subpoena her family.
Diesel prices surge as Trump eases sanctions on Russia.
What We Need to Pay Attention To
Justice Department Threatens Probe of American Bar Association on Law School Rules
What Happened: The Justice Department threatened to investigate the American Bar Association unless it changes rules restricting how much part-time professors can teach first-year law students. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward gave the ABA 15 days to respond and criticized its positions on abortion, affirmative action, and transgender healthcare.
Why It Matters: The Justice Department is threatening an independent legal organization that has challenged Trump in court, while targeting its positions on abortion, affirmative action, and transgender healthcare. Yet again, the DOJ is being weaponized to go after organizations that oppose Trump’s policies.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Corruption News
A Trump Loyalist, a Turkish Investor and a Battle for Wealth and Influence
What Happened: Trump’s former personal lawyer Alina Habba married Turkish investor Turhan Mildon, whose business dealings with people close to Maduro had been investigated by U.S. officials. Venezuela’s interim president reportedly decided not to cancel Mildon’s lucrative contracts after learning that he married Habba.
Why It Matters: Mildon’s marriage to Trump’s former lawyer reportedly helped protect his business interests in Venezuela. People close to Trump continue to use their connections to secure lucrative deals and protect their financial interests.
Source: New York Times
Ken Paxton Partied in Dubai With Fugitives Ahead of High-Stakes Texas Senate Race
What Happened: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton attended a New Year’s Eve party in Dubai with two fugitives indicted on federal healthcare fraud charges who remained outside the United States. One of them, Anosh Ahmed, donated $190,000 to Paxton, including $25,000 just days after his indictment. Trump endorsed Paxton despite warnings about the trip.
Source: Wall Street Journal
They came to Washington to dismantle government. Now, they’re profiting from it.
What Happened: Roughly two dozen former DOGE operatives have secured private-sector jobs, investments, and business opportunities after leaving government. Companies founded or backed by former DOGE operatives have raised at least $500 million, including a cybersecurity company valued at $1.4 billion that is seeking federal contracts.
Source: The Washington Post
Power Consolidation
Supreme Court agrees to hear watchdog lawsuit seeking records on Elon Musk’s DOGE
What Happened: The Supreme Court agreed to hear Trump’s challenge to a lawsuit seeking public records from Musk’s DOGE. Lower courts ruled that DOGE must comply with public records requests, but Trump argues that it is a presidential advisory body exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.
Why It Matters: Trump is fighting to keep DOGE’s activities secret despite its role in dismantling federal agencies and accessing sensitive information about Americans and the government. Will the Supreme Court require DOGE to follow federal transparency laws or allow Trump to hide its operations?
Source: Associated Press
Weaponization of Institutions
U.S. probe of Rep. Ilhan Omar focuses on birth date, citizenship papers, people familiar say
What Happened: Federal investigators are looking into decades-old allegations that Rep. Ilhan Omar or her late father provided false information on immigration documents, including her birth date. Investigators searched Omar’s home and subpoenaed family members, including her sister, even though previous federal investigations resulted in no charges. Trump has repeatedly attacked Omar, and the investigation could lead to an attempt to revoke her U.S. citizenship. Omar denies the allegations.
Why It Matters: Trump has repeatedly attacked Omar, and now federal investigators are targeting her citizenship, searching her home, and subpoenaing her family weeks before an election. This is how political persecution works in countries like Russia, where law enforcement is used to intimidate political opponents and threaten their families.
Source: The Washington Post and New York Times
Media Suppression & Authoritarian Tactics
Pentagon Names One of Its Own Public Affairs Officials to Run Stars and Stripes
What Happened: The Pentagon appointed public affairs official Christian Devine as acting publisher of Stars and Stripes, allowing him to keep his Pentagon job while overseeing the independent military newspaper. The appointment follows the firings of the paper’s editor-in-chief, publisher, a reporter, and ombudsman following disputes over editorial independence.
Why It Matters: The Pentagon is putting one of its own communications officials in charge of a newspaper that is supposed to report independently on the military. This gives the Pentagon direct influence over its leadership and coverage.
Source: Military.com
Human & Civil Rights Abuses
Trump administration cuts refugees’ deadline to contest status termination, raising fears
What Happened: Trump officials are cutting the time refugees have to challenge the termination of their legal status from 30 days to 10, starting October 14. Officials are also reviewing at least 185,000 refugees admitted under Biden who have pending green card applications.
Why It Matters: Refugees who entered the country legally now have just 10 days to find a lawyer, gather evidence, and fight to remain in the United States. People who fled persecution and violence face losing their legal status and being sent back to the countries they escaped.
Source: Associated Press
Trump’s Medicaid cuts strip refugees and other legal immigrants of their health coverage
What Happened: Medicaid restrictions that took effect October 1 have stripped health coverage from hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants, including refugees and human trafficking survivors. The cuts are part of Trump’s 2025 tax and spending law, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will leave 7.5 million more people uninsured.
Source: Associated Press
As Trump’s Wall Closes in, DHS Intimidates a Border Tribe With Surveillance, Masked Agents and Drones
What Happened: Trump’s Department of Homeland Security deployed masked agents, surveillance equipment, and drones against members of Arizona’s Tohono O’odham Nation while building a 62-mile border wall opposed by the tribe. Federal agents monitored religious ceremonies, questioned tribal members, and blocked the tribe’s police chief from entering a construction site.
Why It Matters: DHS is surveilling Native Americans, monitoring their religious ceremonies, and interfering with tribal authorities to build Trump’s border wall. The federal government is disregarding tribal sovereignty and threatening sacred lands to push forward a project the tribe opposes.
Source: ProPublica
Government Disruption
Judge halts USDA’s reorganization
What Happened: A federal judge temporarily blocked Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins from using federal funds to relocate thousands of USDA employees and reorganize agencies responsible for food assistance, forestry, agricultural research, and farm services. Federal employee unions sued to stop the plan, which has already led to resignations and early retirements.
Source: Politico
Hunger grips a rural community hit by Trump’s cuts
What Happened: More than 5 million Americans, including at least 1 million children, have lost food assistance following Trump’s SNAP restrictions. Nearly three-quarters of major food banks surveyed reported rising demand, while more than 80% received less federal food and funding, forcing some to cut back on distributions.
Source: NBC News
Imperial & Geopolitical Watch
Iran Fortifying Nuclear Sites and Rallying Its People for Return to Fighting
What Happened: Iran is reinforcing its nuclear facilities and preparing for renewed fighting, threatening to attack Saudi oil infrastructure, Gulf states, and regional communications networks if the U.S. launches more strikes. Trump has ruled out attacking Iran before the November 3 election, while the Pentagon is sending a third aircraft carrier strike group and additional Marines to the Middle East.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Saudi Arabia strikes key fuel depot in Yemen as conflict with Houthis escalates
What Happened: Saudi Arabia struck a major Houthi fuel depot in northern Yemen after a week of missile and drone attacks that killed at least 20 people and shut down Riyadh’s main airport. The Houthis launched further attacks on Riyadh and southern Saudi Arabia, including a strike on a Saudi Aramco facility that started a fire.
Source: CNN
Far-Right & Russian Influence Watch
Ukraine Says It Received No Intelligence About Strikes 2 Nights in a Row
What Happened: Ukraine received no advance intelligence warnings from Western allies before Russian missile attacks on October 12 and 13, including a strike on a Kyiv residential building that killed two people and injured 21. The missed warnings came after reports that Trump threatened to cut off intelligence sharing unless Ukraine stopped attacking Russian oil refineries.
Source: New York Times
Economic News
Diesel futures jump, signaling higher prices to come despite Trump’s Russia deal
What Happened: U.S. diesel futures jumped 5% Tuesday despite Trump’s deal with Putin to buy Russian diesel and suspend sanctions on Russia. Diesel prices have risen 70% since the war with Iran began, while Russian supplies would cover less than two weeks of U.S. demand.
Source: NBC News
The latest inflation data is expected to show price increases are accelerating
What Happened: Economists expect September inflation to rise 0.6% from August and 3.6% from a year earlier, driven largely by higher energy prices. Brent crude rose more than 14% in September as Trump’s war with Iran pushed oil prices higher, increasing pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.
Source: CNBC
Resistance
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Source: 50501
By the Numbers
$500 million — Raised by companies founded or backed by former DOGE operatives after their brief time in government.
185,000 — Refugees admitted under Biden whose pending green card applications are being reviewed by Trump officials.
5 million — Americans who have lost food assistance under Trump’s SNAP restrictions, including at least 1 million children.
7.5 million — Additional Americans projected to lose health insurance because of Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy.
70% — Increase in diesel prices since the U.S. war with Iran began.
What to Watch Next
The DOJ issues subpoenas to Ilhan Omar’s family — Will federal investigators attempt to revoke Omar’s citizenship as Trump continues attacking her and pursuing an investigation weeks before the midterms?
The Supreme Court will decide whether DOGE can keep its operations secret — Will the justices require DOGE to comply with federal transparency laws or allow Trump to keep its records hidden?
DOJ threatens to investigate the American Bar Association — Will the ABA comply with the Justice Department’s demands or face an investigation for refusing to change its rules?
Iran and the U.S. are preparing for another round of fighting — Will the growing U.S. military buildup and Iran’s threats against Gulf energy infrastructure lead to another round of attacks?
Key Takeaways
Political Weaponization — Trump’s Justice Department is threatening to investigate the American Bar Association, while federal investigators are digging into decades-old allegations against Ilhan Omar, searching her home, and subpoenaing her family.
Cronyism — Trump’s associates are using their connections to protect lucrative business deals, while former DOGE operatives are making money in the private sector after helping dismantle federal agencies.
Government Cuts — Millions of Americans have lost food assistance, food banks are struggling to keep up with demand, and a federal judge has blocked Trump’s plan to reorganize the Agriculture Department.
Russia First — Trump eased sanctions on Russian energy while pressuring Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries. At the same time, Ukraine went two consecutive nights without advance intelligence warnings before deadly Russian missile attacks.
Economic Strain — Diesel prices have risen 70% since Trump’s war with Iran began, while higher energy costs are driving up inflation and making everyday goods more expensive.
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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