This Week in Democracy – Week 29: Hunting Democrats, Welcoming Putin
Zeteo's project to document the ongoing, week-by-week growth of authoritarianism in Donald Trump's second term.
Donald Trump and his Republican allies’ electoral power grab efforts ahead of next year’s midterms reached new heights this week, as the MAGA leader called for an unconstitutional new mid-decade census and the FBI agreed to – without any lawful way to do so – help chase down Texas Democrats who fled the state to block GOP attempts to pass a new controversial congressional map.
At the same time, Trump directed the Pentagon to prepare to take military action against Latin American drug cartels, and he shrugged off Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s now official plan to take over Gaza City, despite widespread opposition, including several European allies. Who was it again that said he’d be an antiwar president?!
Needless to say, it was another deeply troubling week for democracy, American values, and free societies worldwide, as Trump and his allies did everything but make America great. From Trump telling the Democratic Senate leader to “GO TO HELL” to the president going on another racist rant about migrants to a report that the State Department is significantly easing its criticism of human rights abuses in El Salvador, Israel, and Russia, this is your ‘This Week in Democracy – Week 29’:
Saturday, August 2
The Republican-controlled Senate voted to confirm staunch Trump ally and former Fox personality Jeanine Pirro as the US attorney for the District of Columbia. Pirro, a former judge and prosecutor, once called for the “cleansing” of the FBI and DOJ, spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, and was suspended from Fox after making xenophobic, Islamophobic comments about Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar.
On Truth Social, Trump told Chuck Schumer to “GO TO HELL!” after the Senate minority leader requested the release of federal funds and assurances from the president that he wouldn’t push for future clawbacks of federal funds in exchange for the confirmation of the president’s nominees, demands Trump called “egregious and unprecedented,” as well as “political extortion.”
Sunday, August 3
On Truth Social, Trump lashed out at ‘The Breakfast Club’ co-host Charlamagne tha God after he criticized the president on Lara Trump’s Fox show. Trump called him a “racist sleazebag” who “knows nothing about me or what I have done,” and a “dope.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened more than 50 Democratic state House members who left the state to prevent Republicans from being able to pass a mid-decade congressional redistricting map that is likely to give Republicans an additional five seats in the 2026 midterm elections. In a letter, Abbott accused the lawmakers of abandoning and forfeiting their elected state office and threatened to have the attorney general remove them from their positions if they don’t return by Monday afternoon. He also accused some Democratic lawmakers of committing felonies, alleging they are “soliciting funds” to evade fines.
Asked on Fox whether “fair coverage” means coverage that’s more favorable to Trump, FCC chair Brendan Carr argued that media organizations “need to operate in the public interest” and “serve the interests of their local communities.” He added that the FCC is working to determine how it can “constrain the power of these national programmers” like ABC, CBS, and NBC.
Asked about his relationship with far-right conspiracy theorist and Islamophobe Laura Loomer, Trump said he considers her a “very nice person,” noted he’s known her for a long time, and called her a “patriot.” He concluded by saying, “I like her, OK.”
Monday, August 4
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS News that scandal-plagued “Alligator Alcatraz” will serve as a model for state-run immigration detention facilities, with potential new sites under consideration in Arizona, Nebraska, and Louisiana.
The State Department announced it’s planning to launch a one-year pilot program that would require applicants for business and tourist visas from certain countries to post a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the US in an effort to deter them from overstaying their visas.
The New York Times reported that half of the immigrants arrested in New York City since Trump took office have been detained after being called to federal immigration offices or immigration courts. At least 2,365 immigrants have been arrested by ICE between late January and the end of June, marking a nearly 200% increase compared to the five months before Trump’s term started. More than half of those who have been arrested have no criminal record.
Rwanda announced it reached an agreement with the Trump administration to accept up to 250 migrants deported from the US.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a new guidance that will allow federal immigration officials to begin deportation proceedings for immigrants who don’t have lawful status but are seeking green cards through marriage or lawful permanent residency through other family members. Another new guidance will prohibit trans women athletes from obtaining “extraordinary ability” visas to compete in women’s sports in the US.
Texas Governor Abbott ordered police to find and arrest House Democrats who left the state to block Republicans’ gerrymandering efforts after the state GOP-led House issued arrest warrants. The warrants have no power outside state lines. Abbott also said he asked the Texas Rangers to investigate Democratic lawmakers who left the state for possible crimes, including bribery.
CBS News reported that border agents have been directed to stop deporting migrants under Trump’s asylum ban, following a court order issued last week.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene sent a letter to Trump, asking him to pardon former Rep. George Santos, who recently began serving a seven-year prison sentence after being convicted on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Greene called his sentence “an abusive overreach by the judicial system.” In the letter, Greene wrote, “While his crimes warrant punishment, many of my colleagues who I serve with have committed far worse offenses than Mr. Santos yet have faced zero criminal charges.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the Justice Department to launch a grand jury investigation into baseless claims by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that former President Barack Obama and his administration manufactured intelligence regarding Trump and Russia in the 2016 presidential election.
Hours after Reuters reported that the Trump administration implemented a policy to withhold federal aid for natural disaster preparedness to states and cities unless they certify that they will not sever “commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies,” the policy was reversed. While the explicit guideline was removed, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, tweeted that it will “enforce all anti-discrimination laws and policies,” including those related to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.” It added that, “Those who engage in racial discrimination should not receive a single dollar of federal funding.”
Rupert Murdoch and Trump reached an agreement to postpone the Wall Street Journal owner’s deposition in the president’s $20 billion libel lawsuit against him and the newspaper until a ruling is made on the outlet’s motion to dismiss the case. Trump’s lawyers previously requested that Murdoch be deposed within 15 days.
Yeonsoo Go, a 20-year-old South Korean student at Purdue University, was released from ICE custody after being detained by immigration officials in late July at a visa hearing and placed in expedited removal proceedings. DHS claims Go “overstayed her visa that expired more than two years ago,” but her lawyer says that Go entered the US lawfully and had a visa that was valid until December 2025.
In a court filing, the DOJ acknowledged that “much” of the grand jury testimony it is fighting to release related to Epstein and Maxwell’s cases has already been made public during court proceedings and in statements by victims and witnesses.
The Trump administration ramped up its defense of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro after a Brazilian Supreme Court judge, who was sanctioned by the US State Department last week, ordered Bolsonaro to be put under house arrest while awaiting trial for his alleged 2022 military coup attempt. In a tweet, the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs wrote that the judge “continues to use Brazil’s institutions to silence opposition and threaten democracy,” and added, “Let Bolsonaro speak!”
Tuesday, August 5
On CNBC, Trump claimed that Republicans are “entitled” to five more seats in Texas as part of the state’s mid-decade congressional redistricting effort. Additionally, he said he would “like to run” for a third term, which would be unconstitutional, but said he “probably” wouldn’t. Trump also went on a racist rant, suggesting that undocumented immigrants are “naturally” good at farm labor.
CNN reported that the Trump administration is considering releasing a transcript and audio recording of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s July interview with Ghislaine Maxwell.
CNN also reported that the National Weather Service is set to hire 450 meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar technicians. Many of the positions had been eliminated as part of cuts by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department for the Epstein files, along with several former government officials for depositions. The subpoenaed individuals include Hillary and Bill Clinton, former Attorneys General Merrick Garland, Loretta Lynch, Jeff Sessions, William Barr, Eric Holder, and Alberto Gonzales, and former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller. Some questioned why Trump’s former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, the former top prosecutor responsible for Epstein’s 2008 non-prosecution agreement, was not on the list.
Reuters reported that the Trump administration formally rescinded guidance implemented by former adviser Elon Musk, which required federal employees to summarize five workplace achievements from the past week in an email. Many federal agencies had already stopped complying with the guidance.
When asked about his view on a possible full occupation of the Gaza Strip by the Netanyahu government, Trump said: “I really can't say. It is going to be pretty much up to Israel.”
During a press conference, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce announced that citizens of Malawi and Zambia will be the first to require a bond of up to $15,000 to apply for a business or tourist visa in the US, beginning Aug. 20.
Over 2,300 members of the Writers Guild of America signed an open letter condemning the Trump administration’s “unprecedented, authoritarian assault” on democracy, including filing “baseless lawsuits” against news organizations and defunding public broadcasters PBS and NPR. Part of the letter reads, “We don’t have a king, we have a president. And the president doesn’t get to pick what’s on television, in movie theaters, on stage, on our bookshelves, or in the news.”
The New York Times reported that there is a framed photograph of Epstein with Trump and his then-girlfriend, Melania, in the late sex offender’s Manhattan townhouse. (The photo was cropped to remove Maxwell.) There were also framed photos of former Trump campaign strategist Steve Bannon in at least two rooms in the mansion.
In a court filing, Maxwell’s lawyers wrote that their client opposes efforts to unseal grand jury testimony in her case, calling the move a “broad intrusion into grand jury secrecy,” while also citing that Maxwell is “actively litigating her case.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that he would seek judicial orders to declare that state House Democrats who left the state to block redistricting efforts have vacated their office if they don’t return by Friday. Paxton tweeted, “The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don’t show up to work, you get fired.”
Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Abbott filed an emergency appeal with the state Supreme Court to remove Democratic caucus chair Rep. Gene Wu from office, calling him “the ringleader” of lawmakers who left the state in recent days, and arguing the move constitutes “abandonment of their office.” In response, Wu said, “I took an oath to the Constitution, not a politician’s agenda, and I will not be the one to break that oath.”
The New York Times reported that the Trump administration has been separating migrant children from their families. In at least nine cases, immigrant parents have been given the choice of self-deporting with their children or remaining in immigration detention while their children are sent to a shelter for unaccompanied children.
The Times also reported that ICE walked back a plan to offer $200 bonuses to agents for each immigrant deported within seven days of being arrested and $100 for those deported within two weeks. The reversal came less than four hours after the incentive was reportedly announced in an email to ICE staff, shortly after the Times asked the agency for a comment on the program. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed the program never existed, saying, “No such policy is in effect or has ever been in effect.”
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from terminating $4 billion in federal funding allocated by Congress to pay for natural disaster mitigation projects through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Trump said he would consider using the military at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to keep the games “safe.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Trump administration is cutting $500 million worth of contracts for developing mRNA vaccines, which were used to rapidly develop COVID-19 vaccines. A former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority warned that the move “puts every American at greater risk.”
On Truth Social, Trump threatened to have the federal government take control of Washington, DC, if it “doesn’t get its act together” after police say a former DOGE employee known as “Big Balls” was assaulted over the weekend. He also called for minors as young as 14 years old who are charged with violent crimes to be tried as adults in court, and “lock them up for a long time.” Trump, however, cannot take over DC by executive order, and would be required to go through Congress to do so.
The Government Accountability Office concluded that the Trump administration’s decision to freeze $8 billion in funding to the National Institutes of Health was illegal, marking the fifth time this year the congressional watchdog agency found the White House unlawfully impounded funds previously allocated by Congress.
Some probationary employees at FEMA were informed via email that they are being immediately reassigned to work with ICE, and have seven days to accept the reassignment or be fired from the agency.
Georgetown University researcher Badar Khan Suri reached a settlement with the Trump administration, reinstating his visa and allowing him to resume teaching at the school while continuing to challenge government efforts to deport him.
Wednesday, August 6
Sections of the US Constitution were temporarily removed from the Constitution Annotated website, which is maintained by the federal government. The missing sections included provisions like habeas corpus, which ensures the right for people to challenge their detention in court, and another that prohibits foreign emoluments for government officials. On Twitter, the Library of Congress blamed the removals on a “coding error,” and the sections returned to the website later in the day.
Stanford University’s student newspaper, the Stanford Daily, sued Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over their targeting of pro-Palestinian international students, alleging that “writers present on student visas are declining assignments related to the conflict in the Middle East, worried that even reporting on the conflict will endanger their lawful immigration status.”
The Washington Post reported that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, with Trump’s blessing, overrode concerns from officials at the CIA and other intelligence agencies to release a minimally redacted version of a House report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The officials believed the report should have remained classified to protect the sources and methods of US spy agencies.
The Post also reported that the Trump administration is dramatically scaling back its criticism of human rights violations by El Salvador, Israel, and Russia, according to leaked drafts of the State Department’s delayed annual human rights reports. The drafts, which are significantly shorter than the ones issued by the Biden administration in 2024, removed any references to LGBTQ+ individuals or crimes committed against them, and softened the descriptions of government abuses by the three countries. The El Salvador section brazenly claims that the country had “no credible reports of significant human rights abuses” in 2024, despite organizations like Amnesty International sounding the alarm on hundreds of cases of torture, forced disappearances, and deaths in state custody.
Axios reported that Trump doesn’t oppose Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, which includes a new military operation in Gaza City that would displace roughly 1 million Palestinian civilians.
UCLA’s chancellor announced that the amount of federal funds frozen by the Trump administration is roughly $584 million, saying in a statement that, “if these funds remain suspended, it will be devastating for UCLA and for Americans across the nation.”
Speaking to reporters, Trump ramped up his threat to federalize Washington, DC, saying his administration is considering taking over the district’s police, as well as deploying National Guard troops, something he said he might do “maybe very quickly.”
Thursday, August 7
Republican Senator John Cornyn announced that FBI Director Kash Patel approved his request to have agents “assist state and local law enforcement in locating runaway Texas House Democrats,” though it remains unclear how the agency will approach the efforts without a breach of federal law.
Meanwhile, the FBI fired several more senior officials, including former acting director Brian Driscoll, who pushed back against demands from the Trump administration to turn over the names of agents who worked on investigations related to the Jan. 6 insurrection. In a message to colleagues, Driscoll noted that he was given “no cause” for his dismissal, which is effective Friday. Among the others purged from the agency were two agents who had worked on cases involving Trump.
On Fox, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s looking into whether a country can sue the New York Times for libel, after the outlet published a photo last month of a starving child in Gaza. The Times later issued an editor’s note to add that the boy, who has severe malnutrition, also has “pre-existing health conditions.” In a statement, the Times noted that “children in Gaza are malnourished and starving,” and added, “attempts to threaten independent media … are unfortunately an increasingly common playbook, but journalists continue to report from Gaza for the Times, bravely, sensitively, and at personal risk, so that readers can see firsthand the consequences of the war.”
Trump signed a presidential memo that requires colleges and universities to provide more detailed admissions data to the Education Department, not just for admitted students but also for applicants, in an effort to crack down on affirmative action. After the memo was released, Education Secretary Linda McMahon directed the National Center for Education Statistics to collect additional data from schools about their applicants in an effort to “ensure race-based preferences are not used in university admissions processes.”
Trump also signed an executive order to prevent banks from allegedly discriminating against conservatives and crypto companies, directing federal regulators and agencies to investigate instances of customers being denied accounts or loans for reasons unrelated to finances and “make reasonable efforts” to reinstate them. The order also criticized banks that participated in investigations relating to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
On Truth Social, Trump announced that he directed the Department of Commerce to conduct a new census that wouldn’t count undocumented immigrants, and that would use the “results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024,” a move that would violate the Constitution and likely generate legal challenges.
Trump demanded that the CEO of the tech firm Intel, Lip-Bu Tan, resign immediately, calling him “highly CONFLICTED” and saying, “There is no other solution to this problem.” While Trump didn’t provide details about his concerns, the post comes days after Republican Sen. Tom Cotton wrote a letter to Intel’s board chair claiming there are national security concerns over Tan’s alleged ties to China. In response, Tan said he’s “always operated with the highest legal and ethical standards” at the company.
NPR reported that senior DOJ adviser Jared Wise urged insurrectionists on Jan. 6, 2021, to “kill” police officers, according to bodycam footage obtained by the outlet. Wise hasn’t commented, but the DOJ said he was a “valued member” of the department.
The US Air Force said it would deny early retirement pay to all trans service members who have served between 15 and 18 years and are being separated from the force due to Trump’s ban. The denial leaves them with the option to choose between a lump-sum separation payment offered to junior troops or be removed from the service.
A federal judge ordered a temporary halt on construction at “Alligator Alcatraz” while she hears a case by environmental groups arguing that the facility was developed without completing an environmental review, which is required by federal law. In response, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tweeted, “Operations at Alligator Alcatraz are ongoing and deportations are continuing.”
In a statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Trump ordered an increase of federal law enforcement officers in DC, beginning as a one-week operation with “the option to extend as needed.”
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from banning birthright citizenship, marking the fourth time a court has blocked Trump’s executive order since a key Supreme Court ruling in June.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in a video that the Trump administration is doubling a reward for information that leads to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to $50 million, accusing him of using “foreign terrorist organizations … to bring deadly drugs and violence” into the US and calling him “one of the largest narco traffickers in the world” and a threat to national security.
Friday, August 8
NBC News reported that AG Bondi has named Ed Martin, the former interim US attorney for DC and Trump’s former “weaponization czar,” as “special attorney” to investigate allegations of mortgage fraud by Letitia James and Senator Adam Schiff. Both James and Schiff have denied any wrongdoing. Martin is a former ‘Stop the Steal’ organizer and promoter of Jan. 6 conspiracy theories.
An appeals court blocked Judge James Boasberg from pursuing contempt proceedings against Trump administration officials for their role in deporting Venezuelans to El Salvador in violation of a court order, finding Boasberg had abused his authority. While two of the three judges on the panel were appointed by Trump, the third, an Obama appointee, wrote in her dissent that government officials “appear to have disobeyed” Boasberg’s order. She added, “Our system of courts cannot long endure if disappointed litigants defy court orders with impunity rather than legally challenge them.”
Legal organization Democracy Forward sued the Justice Department and the FBI for records related to their handling of the Epstein files.
The New York Times reported that Trump secretly signed a directive ordering the Pentagon to prepare to use possible military force against drug cartels in Latin America that the administration considers terrorist organizations, which are usually pursued by law enforcement.
The Washington Post reported that the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History restored Trump to an impeachment exhibit, one week after the newspaper reported that the president’s name was removed from the display following a content review, which was prompted by the White House.
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from adding new restrictions to grants issued under the Violence Against Women Act based on Trump’s executive order on gender ideology.
CNN reported that the Trump administration is seeking a $1 billion settlement from UCLA.
Trump fired IRS Commissioner Billy Long, a former member of Congress who once sponsored legislation to abolish the IRS, and named Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as acting commissioner.
The Trump administration asked a federal judge to dissolve the Flores agreement, a decades-old policy that places restrictions on how long Customs and Border Patrol can hold immigrant children in custody and requires that CBP keep detained children in conditions that are safe and sanitary.
Texas AG Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit with the state Supreme Court to declare the seats of 13 Texas House Democrats vacant, after they failed to meet a return deadline imposed by Gov. Greg Abbott.
On Truth Social, Trump announced a forthcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska: “The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska. Further details to follow.”
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Thank you again, Mehdi. These newsletters are remarkable. As I say each week, I lived through all of this, and I cannot remember much of it because the "ZONE" is so full of fertilizer.
I can’t believe I’m only on Wednesday.😬