This Week in American Autocracy
📅 July 7–July 13, 2025 | From data dragnets and troop deployments to FBI polygraph loyalty tests and threats to take over U.S. cities, Trump is ramping up his authoritarian crackdown.
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📰 Top Stories You May Have Missed This Week
ICE Is Searching a Massive Insurance and Medical Bill Database to Find Deportation Targets
ICE is using a massive database called ISO ClaimSearch—originally built for insurance fraud detection—to track immigrants for deportation. The system holds over 1.8 billion records, including names, addresses, tax IDs, license plates, and 58 million medical bills. It’s now being secretly repurposed to target undocumented individuals.
By mining private health and insurance data without consent or oversight, the government is turning mass data collection into a weapon of authoritarian control—eroding privacy and civil liberties in the name of “enforcement.”
Source: 404 Media
What to know about the troops and federal agents in LA’s MacArthur Park Show of Force at LA’s MacArthur Park Sparks Outrage
Nearly 90 National Guard troops and federal immigration agents swarmed MacArthur Park, a landmark in LA’s immigrant community, in an hour-long operation with Humvees, tactical vehicles, and armed soldiers. No arrests were confirmed, and officials gave few details, prompting accusations of political theater and intimidation.
Trump continues to condition Americans to accept military force on U.S. streets—this time in a public park. The operation marks an unprecedented use of armed troops in a domestic immigration raid, pushing legal boundaries and terrorizing communities. This is a deliberate show of force to suppress dissent and defy state leadership.
Source: Associated Press
Incoming DHS Intelligence Lead Promotes Unlawful Activities
Matthew Kozma, Trump’s pick to lead DHS intelligence, told Congress that officers may use fake identities to access private communications—despite legal bans. He downplayed rules restricting collection to public info, sparking fears of activist surveillance.
Kozma’s position signals a dangerous expansion of domestic spying—as Trump builds a surveillance state. With safeguards gutted, Trump’s DHS is poised to weaponize surveillance to monitor and silence dissent under the cover of national security.
Source: Just Security
The F.B.I. Is Using Polygraphs to Test Officials’ Loyalty
The FBI has ramped up polygraph testing, asking officials whether they’ve criticized Kash Patel. Dozens have reportedly faced loyalty questions, part of a wider crackdown on leaks and dissent, with employees fearing retaliation for past investigations.
Loyalty tests based on personal allegiance—not national security—continue turning the FBI into an enforcement arm for Trump. This dangerous politicization mirrors tactics in Russia, where security services serve the ruler, not the rule of law.
Source: New York Times
JD Vance: Some Americans Are More American Than Others
JD Vance told the far-right Claremont Institute that Americans with deep ancestral roots have a stronger claim to the country than immigrants or those who embrace American values. He rejected the idea of America as a nation built on ideals, attacking birthright citizenship and elevating heritage over principle.
Vance is pushing a bloodline-based extremist white nationalist ideology of citizenship. It’s dangerous, fascist, and lays the groundwork for denaturalization, mass deportation, and a two-tier system of who counts as “truly” American.
Source: TPM
Trump Ominously Threatens the ‘Corrupt Media’: ‘I Think Changes Are Going to be Made’
Trump lashed out at CNN and The New York Times over reports challenging his Iran strike narrative, demanding reporters be fired and warning that “changes are going to be made” to the media. He accused the press of harming military morale and labeled them “crooked” and “corrupt,” hinting at retaliation.
This is an authoritarian-style attack on press freedom. Trump is escalating efforts to intimidate journalists and delegitimize independent reporting—paving the way to weaponize federal agencies for censorship, prosecutions, and even state-controlled media.
Source: Mediate
Trump and GOP target ballots arriving after Election Day that delay counts and feed conspiracy fears
Trump’s March executive order, currently paused by lawsuits, aims to ban counting mail ballots received after Election Day. He lied that such ballots are illegal and uses delayed counts to stoke fraud narratives. GOP-led states like Kansas and North Dakota are now advancing laws to cut grace periods for mail voting.
More targeted voter suppression. Trump continues undermining trust in elections by weaponizing routine vote counting, laying the groundwork to dispute results and delegitimize future elections in 2026 and 2028.
Source: Associated Press
Why some fear government data on the U.S. economy is losing integrity
Budget cuts, retirements, and political interference are crippling agencies like the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Trump officials are pushing to alter key economic benchmarks while slashing funding, making inflation and job reports less reliable.
Discrediting and reshaping official data is a classic authoritarian tactic. Without trusted stats, the public loses its compass—and the truth becomes whatever the regime says it is. This is how it works in Russia, where data serves the Kremlin.
Source: The Washington Post
Trump suggests taking over New York City and Washington
Trump suggested a federal takeover of New York City and Washington, D.C., claiming the White House has “tremendous power” to intervene if local leaders don’t comply. He mocked NYC mayoral candidates and said his team is “testing” cooperation with D.C.’s mayor.
Trump is openly threatening to override local control in major U.S. cities—an authoritarian move cloaked in “law and order.” It would be a dangerous test of executive power that echoes thuggish tactics—seen in Russia—used to crush democratic self-rule.
Source: ABC News
Document Casts Doubt on White House’s Claims About Deported Venezuelans
A Salvadoran memo to the UN reveals El Salvador is holding nearly 140 disappeared Venezuelans solely at the request of the U.S., contradicting Trump officials’ claims that El Salvador has full custody. The men were disappeared under the Alien Enemies Act without due process.
The memo exposes a Trump cover-up and shreds Trump officials’ legal defense. It raises even more grave constitutional and humanitarian concerns over secret, extrajudicial disappearances of migrants to foreign prisons.
Source: New York Times
I.R.S. Says Churches Can Endorse Candidates From the Pulpit
In a court filing, the IRS stated that churches can now endorse political candidates to their congregations without violating the Johnson Amendment, which bans campaigning by tax-exempt nonprofits. The move settles a lawsuit from two Texas churches and religious broadcasters, carving out a narrow exemption for houses of worship.
The decision will unleash a wave of political activity, blurring the line between faith and politics. This opens the door for candidates to directly court churches as campaign platforms.
Source: New York Times
Pro-Israel website was used to find names of student protesters to investigate, senior ICE official says
A senior ICE official testified that “most” of the names targeted in Trump’s deportation crackdown came from Canary Mission, a pro-Israel site that doxes pro-Palestinian students. DHS’s “Tiger Team” reviewed the list of 5,000+ names and redirected counterterror analysts to monitor campus dissent.
Trump officials are using an anonymous political blacklist to surveil and investigate students for their beliefs. This weaponizes federal agencies against free speech and sets the stage for a new era of ideological purges in America.
Source: CNN
Miami city officials cancelled an election. Outraged voters call it a power grab
In a 3–2 vote, Miami’s city commission unilaterally delayed local elections until 2026, giving themselves an extra year in office. Officials cited cost savings and higher voter turnout in presidential years, without public input—despite other referendums still scheduled for 2025.
By canceling an election and extending their own terms without voter approval, Miami officials have trampled democratic norms. Legal challenges are underway, but the damage to public trust—and the dangerous precedent—may already be done. Once again, Florida is serving as a laboratory for testing the most outrageous and anti-democratic Republican tactics.
Source: The Guardian
Four senators bought AI stock while Senate considered deregulating AI
4 U.S. senators or their families bought AI-related stocks—Google, Nvidia, Meta, and Amazon—while the Senate weighed AI deregulation. Two bought Google shares the same day as a key Senate hearing with AI executives; three sit on the Commerce Committee.
These trades highlight how lawmakers continue to profit while shaping policy. Investing in firms lobbying against AI rules raises serious ethical red flags. Without a ban on congressional stock trading, public trust will keep eroding.
Source: CREW
Giant bugs, heat and a hospital visit: Inside Alligator Alcatraz’s first days
Migrants are being detained at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz,” marked by blackout tents, extreme temperatures, constant lighting, broken toilets, and no access to confidential legal counsel. One man was hospitalized—officials denied it. Lawmakers are blocked from visiting, families can’t get answers, and it’s unclear if detainees are in ICE or state custody. DHS says Florida is solely responsible.
This is a human rights crisis unfolding on U.S. soil. Migrants are being disappeared into internment camps with no oversight or legal recourse, and held in harsh conditions.
Source: Miami Herald
👊🏼 Resistance Spotlight
7/17- Next National Day of Action
Check out the link for other local events…
Source: 50501
Soldiers Are Taking a Stand Against Trump’s Abuses
On July 4, the veterans group About Face launched a campaign urging Congress to protect service members who refuse unlawful or immoral orders under Trump. Troops are increasingly alarmed by recent deployments against civilians, including Marines in Los Angeles, and fear being used as tools in Trump’s authoritarian crackdown.
Source: The New Republic
Democratic senators introduce bill to prohibit Ice agents from wearing masks
Senators Alex Padilla and Cory Booker introduced the “VISIBLE Act” to ban ICE and DHS agents from wearing masks or hiding badge numbers during immigration enforcement. The bill responds to reports of masked, unidentified agents detaining people without warrants and abducting individuals off the streets without due process.
Source: The Guardian
Trump Fired Them. Now They’re Plotting to Stop Him
Former USAID and State Department officials ousted by Trump are organizing resistance networks inside and outside government. Under the banner “DemocracyAID,” they’re training civil servants in “noncooperation,” holding invite-only workshops, and sharing tactics once used against autocrats abroad.
Source: Notus
🎙️ Substack Live Events
Don’t forget to tune into Trump Tyranny Tracker LIVE with Zev Shalev—Monday through Friday at 2:00 PM EST.
Don’t miss Julie Roginsky and my new episode of Pax Americana this Thursday at 11 AM EST on Substack Live. We dive into the dangerous intersections between Trump and Russia—and what it means for Ukraine, NATO, and the future of American democracy.
Catch up on the last episode…
Pax Americana Episode 13
Thank you to everyone who tuned in to our latest episode of Pax Americana! Below are the show notes… See you next week!
November 13, 2020
ODNI Names Matthew Kozma as IC CIO; John Ratcliffe Quoted
Kozma will focus his efforts on the IC’s continued transition to the cloud, through its multi-billion-dollar Commercial Cloud Enterprise (C2E) contract, as well as the adoption of artificial intelligence.
thanks for doing this. it is so hard to keep up with the firehouse of awfulness