We’re just 11 days from the midterm elections, and Donald Trump and his allies are ramping up efforts to steal them.
This week, we learned the Trump administration asked a federal agency to hack voting machines, the president lost it – again – on reporters, and Trump censor-in-chief Brendan Carr warned broadcasters against “fake polls” (we all know what that means).
Needless to say, Trump and his allies were extremely busy harming American democracy, undermining the Constitution, and hurting societies worldwide. Here’s more from ‘This Week in Democracy – Week 92’:
Saturday, Oct. 17 - Meta Suspends No Kings Instagram Account, Blames ‘Error’
Meta temporarily suspended the No Kings Instagram account for several hours while thousands of rallies were held in all 50 states and in Washington, D.C., to encourage people to vote early in the looming midterm elections.
The company later apologized, claiming the suspension was a result of an “automated action … clearly taken in error.”
Sunday, Oct. 18 - Trump Cut Legal Immigration in Half Early This Year
The New York Times reported that legal immigration was cut in half early this year after the Trump administration implemented policies to block visas for immigrants from nearly half of the world.
The State Department issued just 26,000 immigrant visas in February, down from an average of 52,000 per month in the years before Trump’s second term. And while federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to resume visa issuances, the vast majority of blocked applicants are still awaiting their approval.
Monday, Oct. 19 - The Trump Admin Asked CISA to Hack Voting Machine
ProPublica published a bombshell report detailing a request during the early months of the Trump administration for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is meant to protect election systems, to secretly acquire a voting machine, hack it, and give the findings not to the voting machine company – but to the White House.
The shocking request, which made employees fear they were engaging in political interference, was rejected in part because Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency laid off the same agents who would have completed the operation, ProPublica reported.
Tuesday, Oct. 20 – Trump Loses It at Reporters, Wants Them Removed From White House
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump snapped at The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg multiple times, pointing a finger at him and saying, “I don’t know who the hell you are, but you better be careful,” and later asking him if he was a “sick person.” He also shushed and yelled at a female reporter to “wait” before going on to take a male reporter’s question instead.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that, in August, Trump floated the idea of replacing the White House briefing room with a swimming pool, which would effectively remove news organizations from the White House.
Wednesday, Oct. 21 – Trump’s FCC Chair Warns Against Airing ‘Fake’ Polls
On Twitter, FCC chair Brendan Carr warned broadcasters against airing so-called “Fake Polls,” writing that they should avoid engaging in what he called “News Distortions or running Broadcast Hoaxes by airing Polls that would violate their regulatory behavior.” The warning comes after Trump has repeatedly criticized polls showing low support for him and his policies.
Later, the sole Democratic FCC commissioner, Anna Gomez, pushed back against Carr, tweeting that “broadcasters who report publicly available polling data should never be punished when a poll is wrong,” and adding that “FCC rules on news distortions or hoaxes do not apply to a station that reports this data in good faith.”
Thursday, Oct. 22 – Trump Files Lawsuit to Block Possible Dem Win in Alaska
The Trump administration filed a preemptive lawsuit to block the certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate election if Democratic candidate Mary Peltola wins – a move that could affect a race that may very well decide which party controls the Senate during the second half of Trump’s presidency.
An election law professor told CNN the lawsuit is centered around a “strange and unusual” legal theory, and raised questions about how the courts could practically intervene in the way the DOJ is proposing.
Friday, Oct. 23 – Trump Expected to Nix Tariffs to Help Republican Senator in Midterms
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration is getting rid of its 50% tariffs on some Canadian agricultural and forestry products in an effort to help tip the scales for Senator Susan Collins, who is in a tight race for re-election in Maine against Democratic candidate Troy Jackson.
“The action is intended to help Collins, who has requested relief from tariffs that hit Maine industries and consumers,” the Journal wrote.
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:
First Interference Red Flag: Manipulation of Data Of Record(DOR)
Large metro areas in Texas despite heavy mail in voting are reporting that the numbers are not being recorded (bit.ly/4i621ZO).
Vigilance is the key going into the midterms. The alarms are ringing and Cheeto, Thiel, and the Musrat are hard at work.
It’s clear that Cheeto and his fascist Fed allies will do multiple things to avert the electoral blue tsunami awaiting them in the coming week. There is ongoing investigative reporting by TWH(This Will Hold bit.ly/4jAAS2t) on its substack channel about the fascists affecting the DOR after one’s ballot is submitted. TWH is supporting a nationwide network of citizens to watch for data reporting irregularities. No computer science degree required. No cybersecurity background necessary.
If you have a couch, a television, and a cell phone, and you’re willing to help monitor election-night results, please use email to ProtectTheMidterms@proton.me to get training materials. And urge other substack chanels to start reporting on this and make people aware of manipulation of the DOR(bit.ly/4zQGM4jdemocracycounts.org)
We already know that the president will cry “unfair” should the Republican Party tank in the election as predicted ( except by the republicans). Which schemes do you predict he will attempt to play out (national security emergency, some deceleration of war, marshal law) in order to fake a “win” for himself?