This Week in Democracy – Week 25: Epstein Cover-Ups, Crypto Corruption, and Trump's Tariff Tyranny
Zeteo's project to document the ongoing, week-by-week growth of authoritarianism in the Trump second term.
A “WITCH HUNT!”
Donald Trump sure has a thing for defending far-right, anti-democratic politicians facing criminal charges in their own countries.
In April, it was far-right French politician Marine Le Pen. Then, it was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And this week, it was the “Trump of the Tropics,” former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is standing trial for his alleged role in a coup plot, after thousands of his supporters stormed Brazil’s Supreme Court, Congress, and presidential palace following the far-right leader’s loss in the country’s 2022 election (sound familiar?).
When Trump wasn’t defending his fellow far-right buddies, he and his allies continued to take a number of actions this week that undermine the Constitution, hurt free societies, and harm democracy and American values.
From violent immigration raids to a Republican congressman’s Islamophobic and racist comments to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, here’s your ‘This Week in Democracy – Week 25’:
Saturday, July 5
On Truth Social, Trump thanked ICE agents for their efforts to “reclaim our Sovereignty and Freedom,” even as they face allegations of racial profiling and excessive force in their enforcement actions. Trump also invoked the term “remigration” in his post, which has been criticized as a racist concept embraced by the European far-right for ethnic cleansing through mass deportation.
Following a 24-hour poll on Twitter, Musk announced that he would be forming a third political party known as the “America Party” to “give you back your freedom.”
The Trump administration deported eight immigrants who had been incarcerated on a US military base in Djibouti to South Sudan, a country to which the majority of them have no ties. The move came just two days after the Supreme Court granted an emergency appeal to expel the men to South Sudan following a temporary block by a lower court judge.
The New York Times reported that due to the Trump administration’s mass firings, critical positions at local National Weather Service offices were vacant when a devastating flood struck central Texas on Friday, killing more than 100 people, including at least 36 children. In response, the Department of Homeland Security accused the mainstream media of “deliberate lying about the events leading up to” the floods.
Sunday, July 6
Semafor reported that the New York Times rushed to publish last week’s article about Zohran Mamdani’s 2009 application to Columbia University to avoid being scooped by right-wing activist Christopher Rufo, an outspoken opponent of critical race theory and LGBTQ+ rights, who offered a $5,000 reward in 2024 for proof of Trump’s baseless claims that Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs in Ohio.
On Truth Social, Trump once again attacked Elon Musk, saying he is “saddened” to watch his former adviser “go completely ‘off the rails,’” and “essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks.” He also suggested that Musk’s desire to start a third political party is only good for “the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS.”
Trump also threatened to add an additional 10% tariff rate for any country aligning itself with “the Anti-American policies” of BRICS, an intergovernmental organization that includes countries like Brazil, China, and India.
Monday, July 7
A coalition of 18 states filed an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit challenging whether recent mass immigration enforcement raids in Los Angeles are constitutional. The filing, which asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order to block the raids, alleged that the actions of masked and unidentified ICE and CBP agents have “shattered [the] rhythms of everyday life” in LA and have left people “afraid to leave their homes.”
The DC news outlet NOTUS reported that the Trump administration targeted San Jose State University in March before a Title IX investigation into the school had been completed as part of an effort to ramp up punishments against universities.
During a court hearing involving a First Amendment lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to deport pro-Palestinian academics and student activists, a Justice Department lawyer argued that “there are nuances to the First Amendment” for non-citizens when it comes to “national security, foreign policy, immigration enforcement, and enforcement discretion,” 10 minutes after admitting that all people in the US “share the same rights under the First Amendment.”
Trump sent letters to the leaders of more than a dozen countries, including Japan and South Korea, informing them of their new tariff rate. He also signed an executive order delaying so-called reciprocal tariffs to August 1, a date he said is “firm, but not 100% firm.” Trump later said on Truth Social that no extensions will be granted.
Speaking to reporters, border czar Tom Homan said that immigration agents are planning to ramp up arrests in New York City as they “double down and triple down” on sanctuary jurisdictions where policies limit law enforcement cooperation with ICE.
Trump Media & Technology Group launched a global streaming service, ironically named Truth+. The streamer includes the right-wing cable channel Newsmax.
Politico reported that the Department of Health and Human Services sent a “whistle-blower questionnaire” email to employees to report cases of discrimination based on past diversity, equity, and inclusion directives.
On Truth Social, Trump defended former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing a trial on charges of trying to overturn his country’s 2022 election. Trump claimed Bolsonaro “is not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE” and called his prosecution a “WITCH HUNT.” He added that, “The only Trial that should be happening is a Trial by the Voters of Brazil — It’s called an Election.”
In an about-face, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it would no longer participate in a large-scale reduction in force. The department stated in a news release that it is on track to reduce its staff by nearly 30,000 by the end of 2025, significantly lower than the roughly 83,000 employees initially planned to be laid off.
The Supreme Court ruled that Trump can proceed with his plan to reduce the federal workforce through mass layoffs. In her dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson panned the ruling, writing, “This was the wrong decision at the wrong moment, especially given what little this Court knows about what is actually happening on the ground.”
The Justice Department published a memo regarding sex offender and friend of Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, concluding that he died by suicide while in custody. The memo also claimed that the review “revealed no incriminating ‘client list,’” no evidence that he “blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions,” and ultimately that investigators “did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.” Trump administration officials promised for months that a client list and documents would be released publicly.
On Twitter, Education Secretary Linda McMahon warned California Governor Gavin Newsom that the state could face legal action for refusing to ban trans athletes from girls’ and women’s sports. McMahon noted that Newsom will be hearing from Attorney General Pam Bondi.
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to provide details about a new plan to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a country other than El Salvador before his trial on human smuggling charges is heard, if he’s released on bail. The judge said, “It’s like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall to figure out what’s going to happen next week,” after DOJ lawyers failed to provide specific information regarding their deportation plan for Abrego Garcia.
National public health organizations sued Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for directing the removal of COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant people, a move they argue exceeded his authority and violated federal rules.
In a court filing, authorities in El Salvador confirmed for the first time that the jurisdiction and legal responsibility for the Venezuelan migrants who have been detained for months in their country’s megaprison lies with the US, rebuking Trump’s claims that he doesn’t have the authority to return them to the US.
On Fox, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin didn’t rule out the arrest of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after she confronted federal agents during a raid at MacArthur Park.
Trump announced that the US would resume sending military aid to Ukraine just days after the White House said the Pentagon had paused shipments to the country.
Trump, for the third time this year, hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, this time just one week after Netanyahu’s criminal corruption trial hearings were postponed following pressure from Trump. During a dinner, Netanyahu told Trump he had nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Also during the dinner, Trump and Netanyahu attacked Zohran Mamdani for saying he would arrest Netanyahu if he visited New York, which he told Zeteo in December, in conjunction with an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. Trump, who last week used the antisemitic phrase “shylocks,” baselessly accused Mamdani of saying “some really bad thing about Jewish people.” Calling Mamdani a “communist,” Trump also warned that he “better behave” if he becomes mayor of New York City, saying, “otherwise, he’s going to have big problems.”
The IRS announced in a court filing that churches and other houses of worship are free to endorse political candidates, creating an exemption for a decades-old ban preventing tax-exempt non-profit organizations from political activity.
A federal judge temporarily blocked a provision in Trump’s recently passed tax and spending bill that would terminate Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood and its member organizations for non-abortion health-care services for one year. The preliminary injunction came just hours after Planned Parenthood sued the Trump administration over the provision, arguing it was meant to target the group for providing access to abortion services.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter to the acting inspector general at the Department of Commerce requesting an investigation into whether staffing shortages at a local National Weather Service office resulted in any “delays, gaps, or diminished accuracy” when forecasting the deadly floods in Texas.
CBS News reported that immigrants who are detained at the new facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Florida Everglades have said conditions there are inhumane, including only being served one meal a day that had maggots in it, no water to take a shower, and a lack of access to healthcare.
Tuesday, July 8
DHS terminated the Temporary Protected Status of roughly 72,000 immigrants from Honduras and another 4,000 from Nicaragua, with their humanitarian relief ending on Sept. 6. Both countries have been designated for TPS since 1999.
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA opened a New York office in Trump Tower, a move that was heavily criticized by European football chiefs.
The Washington Post reported that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s Director’s Initiative Group wants access to emails and chat logs of the largest US spy agencies to use artificial intelligence tools to uncover efforts to undermine the Trump administration’s agenda.
A group of 16 House Democrats sent a letter to AG Bondi demanding the release of key documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking case that mention or refer to Trump, writing, “Stop protecting your boss and former client.”
CBS News reported that the Trump administration is currently detaining dozens of immigrants from 26 countries and six continents at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, including immigrants from Brazil, China, India, Kenya, Russia, the UK, and Vietnam.
Speaking to reporters during a Cabinet meeting, Trump suggested he may initiate a federal takeover of New York City if Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor, saying, “We have tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to.” Trump has no authority to run New York City, but “there are ways in which he can make life difficult,” one legal expert told Newsday. Trump added that his administration has been “looking at” doing the same in Washington, DC.
Trump lashed out at a reporter for asking about the DOJ memo regarding Epstein, saying that asking a question about the sex offender “just seems like a desecration.” He also called for the firing of CNN Pentagon correspondent Natasha Bertrand, and added that he thinks “changes are gonna be made to the media.”
Los Angeles and seven other nearby cities agreed to join a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing its immigration enforcement has relied on “unlawful tactics to achieve its intended arrest numbers” in LA, including racial profiling and excessive use of force.
CNN reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn’t notify the White House before he authorized a pause on military aid to Ukraine last week, with AP reporting that Trump was left “flat-footed” by the announcement.
CNN also reported that during a 2024 presidential campaign fundraiser, Trump told a private group of donors that he once threatened to “bomb the shit out of Moscow” if Russia invaded Ukraine. He also said he gave a similar warning to Chinese President Xi Jinping if his country invaded Taiwan.
The New York Times reported that the Trump administration botched a deal to free US citizens who were imprisoned in Venezuela in exchange for roughly 250 Venezuelan immigrants the US sent to El Salvador. Rubio and a US envoy were negotiating two separate deals, and neither communicated with the other.
The FBI launched criminal investigations into former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey in relation to government investigations about possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
AP reported that Spanish-language journalist Mario Guevara is still in ICE custody despite a judge ordering his release on bond last week. Guevara, who was arrested last month while covering the “No Kings” protest, continues to face deportation proceedings.
Zeteo’s Prem Thakker reported that Grok, Elon Musk’s Twitter-integrated AI bot, went full Nazi after a so-called “upgrade” last week to become more “politically incorrect,” posting a slew of antisemitic tweets and calling itself “MechaHitler.”
Republican Rep. Randy Fine made Islamophobic comments about Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Zohran Mamdani. While Democrats called for him to apologize and some pushed for censure, Fine faced no significant criticism from Republicans.
Wednesday, July 9
CNN reported that the Trump administration insisted to the network last week that Paul Ingrassia, Trump’s pick to lead the Office of Special Counsel, had the support of “many Jewish groups” despite his history of racist statements and ties to Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. However, of the four organizations listed by the Trump administration, most told CNN they don’t support Ingrassia, and some don’t even know who he is.
On Twitter, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department imposed sanctions on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who is investigating human rights abuses in Gaza. Rubio noted that Albanese’s “campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated.” In response, Albanese tweeted, “Just to be sure, on this day more than ever: I stand firmly and convincingly on the side of justice, as I have always done.”
A federal judge ordered one of the organizers of Trump’s Jan. 6 rally to pay a daily fine of $2,000 after failing to comply with a civil court subpoena in a lawsuit against Trump brought by Capitol Police officers.
Asked by Fox’s Peter Doocy if he would like to see John Brennan and James Comey be incarcerated, Trump replied, “I think they’re very dishonest people. I think they’re crooked as hell. And maybe they have to pay a price for that.”
The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division sued California over its policies allowing trans student athletes to compete in girls’ and women’s sports, seeking “declaratory, injunctive, and damages relief for violations of Title IX.”
DHS said it would subpoena Harvard University for international student enrollment records, with spokesperson McLaughlin alleging in a statement that the school has “allowed foreign students to abuse their visa privileges.” Meanwhile, two other departments sent a notice to the school’s accreditor, the New England Commission of Higher Education, accusing Harvard of failing to comply with civil rights laws.
The Times Union, which covers Albany and surrounding communities in New York, reported that Trump-appointed interim US Attorney John Sarcone ordered his staff to remove the outlet and its reporters from his office’s media release list after it published a June article finding that Sarcone listed a boarded-up residence in Albany as his address.
During a meeting with leaders of five African nations, Trump praised the leader of Liberia for his ability to speak English, which also happens to be that country’s official language, asking President Joseph Boakai, “Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
Trump sent letters to leaders of several additional countries, including Sri Lanka, Iraq, and Libya, announcing tariff rates ranging from 20% to 30%, beginning August 1.
He threatened to impose a 50% tariff on Brazil and accused the country’s leader of orchestrating a “Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!” against former President Bolsonaro. Experts say the Brazil tariff, a direct attempt to interfere with another country’s politics, would be “blatantly illegal.”
A senior ICE official admitted in court that “most” of the student protesters investigated by the agency were identified from Canary Mission, a shadowy pro-Israel doxxing website that seeks to blacklist pro-Palestinian students, academics, and journalists.
The Supreme Court rejected a request from Florida to overturn a lower court’s decision to block an aggressive state immigration law that would make it illegal for undocumented immigrants to enter Florida or re-enter the state after being deported.
Thursday, July 10
CNN reported that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem didn’t authorize the deployment of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue teams to Texas until Monday, more than three days after the flooding began. The teams, which have been deployed in the past in anticipation of severe weather events, were delayed due to a new rule at the agency requiring Noem’s personal sign-off on any contract or grant valued over $100,000 before funds can be released. Noem later said on Fox that CNN “continuing to be political and push out fake information and false information and lies is not shocking, but it’s a disservice to the country.”
The non-profit watchdog organization Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington reported that 19 Trump administration officials own between $875,000 and $2.35 million in crypto assets that Trump has proposed to hold in a national reserve, according to financial disclosures.
On Truth Social, Trump warned Republicans who don’t vote to pass a recissions bill that would defund public broadcasters PBS and NPR that he would not support or endorse them for re-election.
Trump nominated right-wing Islamophobic influencer Nick Adams to serve as the US ambassador to Malaysia. Adams, a former local politician in Australia, was removed from his party due to conduct “likely to embarrass or cause damage to the reputation” of the party. Adams has also claimed that the most persecuted group in the US is “straight, white, Christian men.”
A federal judge issued a new nationwide block on Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, certifying a class action lawsuit and preventing the order from being enforced against any baby born after Feb. 20. The judge noted that “the deprivation of US citizenship and an abrupt change of policy that was longstanding … that’s irreparable harm.”
The Justice Department subpoenaed more than 20 doctors and hospitals that provide gender-affirming care for minors for confidential patient information, a move critics say is a campaign of intimidation.
Mahmoud Khalil sued the Trump administration for $20 million in damages, arguing he was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted, and smeared as an antisemite by the federal government.
Trump posted a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Truth Social threatening to impose a 35% tariff, beginning August 1. Trump accused Canada of “financially retaliat[ing]” against the US by imposing reciprocal tariffs and repeated baseless claims about the flow of fentanyl across the Northern border.
The Nation reported on a Dubai-based company that announced a $100 million investment in the Trump-affiliated crypto company, World Liberty Financial, and said it was unable to find any corporate registration, official filings or other documents about its existence, raising questions about the true source of World Liberty Financial’s biggest investor.
The New York Times reported that the FBI has asked senior employees to undergo polygraph tests in an effort to determine whether they have said anything negative about Kash Patel, and in one case, to find out who leaked to the media that Patel demanded a service weapon.
A federal appeals court rejected an appeal by Trump, affirming a jury verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming columnist E. Jean Carroll. Trump now has 90 days to ask the Supreme Court to hear his appeal.
The Trump administration announced it would ban undocumented children from enrolling in Head Start pre-school programs.
A federal judge ordered Los Angeles Police Department officers not to detain, assault, or restrict the movement of journalists who are covering protests and to refrain from using less-than-lethal bullets against them.
Protesters confronted federal immigration officials conducting raids at two Southern California farms. Two hundred immigrant workers were arrested, and one laborer who had been employed for 10 years at one of the farms died on Friday from injuries sustained during the raid.
Friday, July 11
Reuters reported that a farmworker died from injuries sustained during a violent immigration raid in California on Thursday. Federal immigration agents targeting two farms southern California farms were met by protesters. Video showed a chaotic scene, with authorities throwing what appeared to be tear gas at protesters. Two hundred immigrant workers were arrested during the raids, the government said.
The State Department started sending layoff notices to over 1,300 employees as part of Trump’s plan to downsize the federal government.
CNN reported that Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino is considering resigning from his position due to the fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein memo published earlier this week by the Justice Department, and a “heated confrontation” with Attorney General Pam Bondi about the handling of the case.
The Intercept reported that ICE quietly stopped reporting how many trans people are currently in immigration detention back in February, a number the non-profit organization Vera Institute of Justice says violates a congressional mandate to report how many trans and other vulnerable people are in ICE custody.
The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is walking back its plan to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency following the deadly floods in Texas, with changes likely amounting to a “rebranding” that highlights the role of state leaders in disaster response.
Wired reported that the FBI video footage from the night of Jeffrey Epstein’s death was likely modified, according to metadata from the footage. The reporting comes after Attorney General Pam Bondi faced questions about a missing minute of footage from the video.
By late Friday, Trump administration officials had not publicly condemned the alleged killing of an American by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Twenty-year-old Sayfollah Musallet, a Palestinian-American, was beaten to death by Israeli settlers earlier Friday, his family told Zeteo. Another Palestinian was also reportedly killed.
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Busy little Nazis, aren't they?
Excellent summary, but sadly, one can’t even breathe for a moment or you might be a victim of this horrible administration.