Welcome to ‘This Week in Democracy – Week 85’ – that’s more than 19 months of Donald Trump and his cronies harming democracy, undermining the Constitution, and harming societies worldwide. Sadly, we still have a little less than two-and-a-half years to go – that is, if Trump doesn’t try to run for an unconstitutional third term.
This week, Trump and his allies ramped up efforts to disenfranchise voters, attacked the free press – again – and more. Plus, two eye-popping whistleblower reports exposed more about the Trump administration’s plan to restrict mail-in voting and revealed the terrifying hiring practices of ICE. Here’s more on those stories and others:
Saturday, Aug. 29 – Treasury Blocks Journalists From Covering G20 Meeting
The Trump Treasury Department didn’t grant press credentials to New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg reporters to cover the G20 finance meeting in North Carolina, according to the Times.
A Times spokesperson said the move was “not just another disturbing effort by the administration to undermine independent journalism, but a blatant attempt to evade public scrutiny.”
Sunday, Aug. 30 – Trump Attacks Another Woman Journalist
On Truth Social, Trump lashed out at NBC News’s Kristen Welker after she accurately pointed out that the president has had “mixed results” in his record of political endorsements this election cycle.
The president said that Welker “will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment’ – a threat that Guardian columnist and former Times ombudsman Margaret Sullivan called “an attack on reality.”
Monday, Aug. 31 – DHS Ramping Up ‘Voter Fraud’ Probes Ahead of Midterms
CNN reported that the Department of Homeland Security is surging its efforts to investigate supposed voter fraud, which has already been proven to be nearly non-existent, ahead of the midterms.
The effort, which has already seen an unprecedented number of agents working on investigations, will increase probes in nine states – Washington, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, and Connecticut.
Tuesday, Sept. 1 – Whistleblower Exposes Trump’s Plan to Disrupt Mail-In Voting
Senator Richard Blumenthal’s office released a bombshell whistleblower report warning of a “secretive” and “rushed” effort to implement Trump’s executive order for the federal government to seize control of mail-in voting. The whistleblower warned that there is a high likelihood that new ballot mail verification processes “will result in major disruptions in mail ballots ever getting delivered to voters.”
“Potentially millions of American voters may not receive their mail-in ballot this election cycle in a timely manner, or at all,” the anonymous official said.
Wednesday, Sept. 2 – Trump Officials Blocked Serious Charges Against ICE Agent
ProPublica reported that Trump’s Justice Department leaders intervened to block civil rights charges against an ICE agent accused of shooting a Venezuelan immigrant and lying about it, over the “strongest possible” objections from a federal prosecutor. (The agent was later indicted on charges of making false statements, while the prosecutor who recommended more serious charges was reportedly fired.)
Meanwhile, the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel decided that states could lose billions in federal funding for low-income families if they fail to report undocumented immigrants to DHS.
Thursday, Sept. 3 – Whistleblower Reveals ICE’s Improper Vetting
The New York Times reported that the Trump administration broke the law and “improperly vetted” new hires during ICE’s hiring surge, according to an August 2025 whistleblower complaint. The “unprecedented lowering of standards” led to applicants receiving job offers without fingerprint, identity, or credit checks, exposing the agency to “grave national security risks,” the complaint said.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for the president’s plans to restrict mail-in voting to move forward ahead of the midterm elections.
Friday, Sept. 4 – Trump Argues Cases Against Him Should Be ‘Dismissed’
On Truth Social, Trump claimed his former fixer Michael Cohen “fully RECANTED” his testimony from the legal cases brought against him in New York – his civil fraud trial and his criminal conviction – alleging his former attorney was “pressured” and “coerced” to lie on the stand. The president argued the cases should be “immediately terminated and dismissed.”
(For more on Trump’s plan to use Cohen to go after his perceived political enemies, read Zeteo’s Asawin Suebsaeng’s recent reporting here.)
Did you miss previous weeks of ‘This Week in Democracy’? Catch up here. And check out more of Zeteo’s reporting from this week below:
The litany of crimes and corruption by Trump and his minions continues.