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Trump Tyranny Tracker | Day 568: Aug 10, 2026
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A general view of a U.S. State Department sign outside the U.S. State Department building in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 11, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon/File PhotoWelcome to today’s Trump Tyranny Tracker…
New revelations about the Trump Russia investigation, more corruption and cronyism, an expanding immigration surveillance system, and continued attacks on independent institutions were some of today’s top stories.
Today at a Glance
• DOJ drops major fraud case after billionaire’s lawyers promised $10 billion in U.S. investment.
• Government shuts down election security work after researchers fail to validate Trump’s election lies.
• Trump moves to overhaul child vaccines despite decades of scientific evidence.
What We Need to Pay Attention To
How a Counterintelligence Inquiry Into Trump’s Russia Ties Was Derailed
What Happened: The White House released previously classified FBI documents as part of Trump’s campaign against officials who investigated Russia’s 2016 election attack. Instead, the records revealed that the FBI opened a separate counterintelligence investigation in 2017 to determine whether Trump was “directed by, controlled by, and/or coordinated activities with” Russia. The inquiry was sidetracked before it could be investigated.
Source: New York Times
Corruption
Trump Crypto Took $100 Million From a Businessman With Red Flags
What Happened: Guren “Bobby” Zhou, a businessman under investigation in Britain for alleged money laundering, invested $100 million in Trump’s World Liberty Financial through a newly created company. As much as $75 million went to a company controlled by Trump and his sons.
Why It Matters: A businessman under investigation for alleged money laundering put $100 million into Trump’s crypto business, with as much as $75 million flowing to Trump and his sons. And the source of the money is unknown.
Source: New York Times
The Suspected Gangster Causing Headaches for Kushner’s Albania Deal
What Happened: A development group backed by Jared Kushner paid more than $120 million for Albanian beachfront property despite villagers warning Kushner that the seller, Artur Shehu, had stolen the land and that its ownership had been disputed for years. Two months later, Albanian prosecutors sought Shehu’s arrest, accusing him of helping lead an international cocaine trafficking operation and laundering money through stolen property, including the land sold to Kushner.
Why It Matters: Kushner was directly warned that the land was allegedly stolen and went ahead with the $120 million deal anyway. Now the man his group paid is wanted in an international drug trafficking and money laundering investigation involving the same property.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Judge grants DOJ’s request to dismiss charges against billionaire Adani, but sharply criticizes DOJ officials
What Happened: A federal judge dismissed fraud charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani at the DOJ’s request but criticized the “irregularities” behind the decision. A political appointee overrode career prosecutors after consulting largely with Adani’s lawyers, who said he would invest $10 billion in the U.S. if the charges were dropped.
Why It Matters: Trump’s DOJ dropped a major fraud case after the defendant’s lawyers promised billions in investment. When money and political connections can override career prosecutors, the Justice Department becomes a system where the powerful can buy their way out of accountability.
Source: CBS News
Power Consolidation
Trump Made Calls to Warsh in Latest Sign of Bid to Influence Fed
What Happened: Trump has repeatedly called Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh since his confirmation in May, asking about his economic forecasts and views while publicly demanding lower interest rates.
Why It Matters: The Fed is supposed to operate independently of the president. Trump picked Warsh, is demanding lower rates, and is calling him directly about the economy. He is again openly pressuring and trying to take control of an independent institution.
Source: Bloomberg
Under Trump, 90% of ambassador nominations have gone to political supporters
What Happened: Ninety percent of Trump’s ambassador nominees in his second term are political appointees rather than career diplomats, the highest share of any modern presidency. Many are wealthy donors or political allies, while more than 100 U.S. diplomatic posts remain without confirmed ambassadors.
Why It Matters: Trump is turning ambassadorships into rewards for donors and loyalists at an unprecedented rate. Experience is being replaced by money and political loyalty in the people representing the U.S. abroad.
Source: Washington Post
Weaponization of Institutions
Trump administration has revoked more than 175,000 visas, State Department says
What Happened: The State Department has revoked more than 175,000 visas, including over criminal allegations, immigration violations, social media activity, and comments officials deemed threatening or supportive of violence. It has also expanded social media screening and vetting of visa holders and applicants.
Source: Reuters
ICE to Pay LexisNexis Millions for Data to Feed to Palantir
What Happened: ICE plans to pay LexisNexis $6.7 million for access to more than 82 billion public and proprietary records that can be fed into Palantir and other ICE systems. The contract also calls for AI identity tools and facial recognition capable of searching massive image databases.
Why It Matters: ICE is building a surveillance state, combining billions of records, facial recognition, AI, and Palantir to identify people, map their connections, and track their movements and where they live. Once built, that system can be used to track and target far more than immigrants.
Source: 404 Media
Media Suppression & Authoritarian Tactics
The government was ready to expand its voting-security work. Then it pulled the plug
What Happened: A cybersecurity firm hired to examine voting systems found serious vulnerabilities but no evidence that votes were altered or the systems exploited. Officials initially approved an expansion of the work, but the project was abruptly terminated after Trump officials and allies pushed researchers to find evidence supporting lies of election manipulation.
Source: Defense One
Human & Civil Rights Abuses
Inside school investigations frozen under Trump: Racial slurs, sexual harassment and more
What Happened: Trump officials indefinitely froze dozens of completed Education Department civil rights investigations involving racial harassment, sexual harassment, and violence in schools. Over the past 18 months, the Office for Civil Rights has reached just three settlements involving racial harassment and none involving sexual harassment or violence after Trump gutted the office and redirected its resources.
Why It Matters: Students reported racial abuse, sexual harassment, and violence, and their cases were close to being resolved. Trump gutted the office responsible for investigating them, leaving students without answers or accountability.
Source: The Washington Post
Philadelphia nanny arrested by ICE at PHL as Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement at airports
What Happened: ICE arrested Iliana Lick, a 30-year-old Argentine woman living and working as a nanny in Philadelphia, as she prepared to fly to a World Cup match. Lick entered the U.S. legally and has a pending immigration application, but DHS claims she overstayed her visa and transferred her to an ICE detention facility in New Mexico.
Source: CBS News
Congressional Democrats launch probe into efforts to deport US military members and their families
What Happened: More than 60 congressional Democrats launched an investigation after an AP review found immigration authorities have detained more than 50 spouses and parents of active duty U.S. service members. Trump rolled back longstanding protections for military families, forcing some troops to take leave or delay deployments after their spouses were detained.
Source: Associated Press
Government Disruption
Trump Demands Major Changes to Childhood Vaccine Recommendations
What Happened: Trump signed an executive order calling for reducing the number of vaccines recommended for all children from 18 diseases to 11, spacing out shots, and breaking up the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. He again linked vaccines to autism despite extensive research finding no causal connection.
Why It Matters: Trump is using presidential power to rewrite childhood vaccine policy around conspiracies that science has repeatedly disproven. Medical experts warn the changes will leave more children vulnerable to preventable diseases.
Source: The Washington Post
DOJ's top prosecutor in LA hires law enforcement liaison with pending battery charge, string of DUIs
What Happened: The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles hired Shawn Christopher Lewis, a former aide to top federal prosecutor Bill Essayli, as a liaison to local law enforcement despite three DUI convictions and a pending battery charge. Lewis was still on probation for his third DUI when he was arrested for allegedly repeatedly punching a man and preventing him from calling 911.
Why It Matters: A federal prosecutor hired a political ally with three DUI convictions and a pending battery case to work directly with law enforcement. In Trump’s government, loyalty and connections matter more than qualifications, conduct, or basic standards.
Source: CBS News
House Democrats Demand Answers From Trump’s VA on Vets Struggling to Access Mental Healthcare
What Happened: More than 60 House Democrats are demanding answers from VA Secretary Doug Collins after hundreds of mental health providers left without being replaced. Remaining therapists report being overwhelmed, with some individual appointments cut to as little as 16 minutes and group sessions growing to as many as 35 veterans.
Source: ProPublica
Imperial & Geopolitical Watch
Iran’s steep demands for US over Strait of Hormuz threaten to derail reopening
What Happened: Negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are at risk of collapsing as Iran and Trump trade escalating demands. Iran wants U.S. attacks and the blockade ended, sanctions lifted, frozen assets released, and compensation for war damages, while Trump is demanding Iran pay for deaths and destruction across the Middle East.
Source: The Hill
Far-Right & Russian Influence Watch
Poland and Baltics shield infrastructure, fearing a Russian false-flag strike
What Happened: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are tightening security around critical infrastructure after warnings that Russia could attack using Ukrainian drones and blame Kyiv. Dams, power plants, natural gas facilities, and other strategic sites are being protected amid growing warnings of Russian sabotage operations.
Source: Reuters
Unmasking RussiaWhy Is Russia Talking About Giving Kash Patel Kompromat on Democrats?A few weeks ago, I wrote about Patel’s reported upcoming trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg on October 14–15 and the serious implications of such a trip. I asked why the FBI director needs to travel to Russia, what he planned to discuss with Russia’s security services, and why the trip was taking place just weeks before the midterms…Read more2 days ago · 361 likes · 45 comments · Olga LautmanEconomic News
The Bond Market Is Signaling Rising Risks. Investors Should Listen.
What Happened: U.S. bond yields remain near their highest levels in two decades as investors weigh inflation, Trump’s tariffs, his Iran war, rising federal debt, and uncertainty over the Fed. Higher Treasury yields are keeping borrowing costs elevated, including mortgage rates for homebuyers.
Source: New York Times
Resistance
Check out 50501 for local and nationwide events…
Source: 50501
By the Numbers
$120 million+ — Amount Kushner’s development group paid for Albanian property whose seller is now wanted in an organized crime and money laundering investigation
$100 million — Amount Bobby Zhou invested in Trump’s crypto business, with as much as $75 million going to a company controlled by Trump and his sons
$10 billion — U.S. investment Adani’s lawyers offered while asking Trump’s DOJ to drop his case, which they did.
90% — Trump ambassador nominees who are political appointees rather than career diplomats
3 — DUI convictions of the political ally hired by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles to serve as a liaison to law enforcement
175,000+ — Visas revoked since Trump returned to office
82 billion — Records ICE is paying LexisNexis to access for its expanding surveillance state
What to Watch Next
The counterintelligence investigation into whether Trump was compromised by Russia was derailed — Will Congress ever investigate why?
Election security work was killed months before the midterms — Will Congress investigate why the project ended after researchers failed to validate Trump’s election lies?
ICE is building a massive surveillance system — How far will the government expand its use of billions of records, facial recognition, AI, and Palantir?
Trump is directly pressuring the Fed chair — Will Warsh resist his demands for lower interest rates?
NATO countries are preparing for a possible Russian false flag — Will Moscow stage an attack using Ukrainian drones and blame Kyiv?
Key Takeaways
Rising Costs — Higher oil prices, new tariff threats, and growing trade tensions are pushing up the cost of groceries, school supplies, and other everyday essentials.
Naked Corruption — Foreign money is flowing into Trump family businesses while Trump’s DOJ overrides career prosecutors to protect powerful interests.
Surveillance Expands — ICE is buying access to billions of records, AI identity tools, and facial recognition while the government monitors people’s online speech.
Election Lies — Trump allies pressured election security researchers to find evidence supporting his lies and shut down the work when they couldn’t.
Loyalty Over Independence — Trump is again pressuring the Fed while replacing career diplomats with donors and political loyalists at unprecedented levels.
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.
Thanks for reading the Trump Tyranny Tracker. Stay tuned for more updates.
