Welcome to today’s Trump Tyranny Tracker…
Federal agents infiltrating and investigating political groups opposed to Trump, DOJ tools that can be used against his enemies, ICE adding dangerous new weapons, and the mounting costs of Trump’s Iran war were among today’s top stories.
• Federal agents infiltrate and investigate left-leaning political groups.
• Pentagon shuts Democrats out of classified defense budget briefings.
• U.S. loses roughly 25% of its Reaper drone fleet in Trump’s Iran war.
What Happened: DHS launched an expansive investigation into left-leaning organizations during Trump’s Minnesota immigration crackdown, obtaining years of financial records from unions and advocacy groups and sending undercover agents into meetings, churches, parks, and Signal chats. Many groups were never accused of crimes, yet investigators treated their activities as part of a potential “domestic terrorist financing” operation.
Why It Matters: Federal agents infiltrated political groups, obtained their financial records, and monitored private communications without evidence they had committed crimes. Trump’s government is using counterterrorism powers to investigate political opposition.
Source: New York Times
What Happened: The Treasury Department permanently halted requirements for U.S. companies to disclose their true owners under the Corporate Transparency Act, a bipartisan anti-money laundering law Congress passed over Trump’s veto in 2021. The information was intended to help law enforcement track shell companies used for money laundering, sanctions evasion, drug trafficking, and other crimes.
Source: New York Times
What Happened: Texas paused billions in federal broadband funding amid an audit and allegations that its grant process favored Elon Musk’s Starlink. State lawmakers found that rules were changed at Gov. Greg Abbott’s direction days before grants were awarded, giving satellite providers different upfront payment terms than other broadband companies.
Why It Matters: Billions in taxpayer money are now frozen amid allegations that government rules were changed to benefit Musk’s company. Once again, a Trump ally is getting special treatment from the government.
Source: Associated Press
What Happened: Trump plans to spend at least $927 million on White House construction, with most of the cost covered by taxpayers. Instead of seeking congressional funding, the White House is routing hundreds of millions from other agencies, including $415 million in Secret Service funds, into a little-used White House maintenance account.
Why It Matters: Trump is bypassing Congress’s constitutional power over federal spending to finance his White House construction. After lawmakers refused to give him the money, his regime redirected hundreds of millions appropriated for other purposes instead.
Source: Washington Post
What Happened: Pete Hegseth repeatedly excluded Democratic senators from classified briefings on Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion military budget increase. Republican senators have also objected, with Sen. Mike Rounds saying Pentagon officials cited fears that classified information would leak.
Why It Matters: The Pentagon is denying elected members of Congress access to classified national security briefings simply because they are Democrats. A federal agency does not get to decide that only one political party is entitled to carry out oversight.
Source: The Guardian
What Happened: U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro convened a rarely used special grand jury in Washington, overseen by a prosecutor involved in investigations of Trump targets, including former Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Unlike a regular grand jury, it can issue a public report naming people and alleging wrongdoing even when prosecutors lack enough evidence to bring charges.
Why It Matters: Trump’s DOJ is now using another tool to publicly accuse his perceived enemies of wrongdoing even when there isn’t enough evidence to charge them with a crime.
Source: Washington Post
What Happened: ICE plans to spend tens of millions of dollars on electric shock gloves designed to incapacitate people during arrests and deportation operations. The manufacturer’s own manual warns the devices can cause physiological changes associated with “sudden death” and advises against using them on pregnant women, small children, elderly people, and people with severe disabilities.
Source: 404 Media
What Happened: The Trump-controlled Kennedy Center board voted to put Trump’s name back on the building after a federal judge ruled it had been unlawfully added and an appeals court refused to halt its removal. The board also voted again to close the main building for two years after the same judge blocked the closure, finding board members lacked sufficient information to approve it.
Source: NPR
What Happened: A Guatemalan immigrant who suffered a seizure after being detained at Delaney Hall in Newark has died, becoming the third immigrant to die after being held at the facility. His death comes amid documented problems with medical care and sanitation and an ongoing New Jersey civil rights investigation into conditions at the privately operated detention center.
Why It Matters: Three people have now died after being detained at a facility already under investigation over its horrendous conditions. ICE’s new policy also means deaths occurring after detainees are released from custody no longer have to be investigated or publicly reported.
Source: New York Times
What Happened: HHS awarded a $158 million no-bid contract to Our Rescue to provide legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children after allowing a contract with nearly 100 experienced legal nonprofits to expire. Our Rescue, formerly Operation Underground Railroad, is led by a former senior ICE official and has no record of providing immigration legal representation.
Source: NPR
What Happened: ICE has ramped up enforcement against Haitians in Ohio after Trump ended Temporary Protected Status for roughly 350,000 Haitians nationwide. In Springfield, Haitians who fled violence and built lives in the community are being summoned to ICE facilities and fitted with ankle monitors as they face possible deportation to Haiti.
Why It Matters: Trump first targeted Springfield’s Haitian community with lies that fueled threats and neo-Nazi activity. Now his regime is stripping their legal protections and preparing to deport them to a country they fled because of extreme violence and instability.
Source: The Guardian
What Happened: The USS Abraham Lincoln has spent more than 250 days deployed and more than 200 consecutive days at sea during Trump’s Iran war, amid reports of supply shortages, plumbing problems, and deteriorating mental health. U.S. officials confirmed that a sailor went overboard August 3 in what the Navy considered a mental health episode and was rescued within an hour.
Why It Matters: More than 5,000 sailors and Marines are paying the price for Trump’s Iran war, all while Hegseth fails to address deteriorating conditions and Trump mocks the troops complaining about them.
Source: CNN
What Happened: Senate Armed Services Committee ranking Democrat Richard Blumenthal demanded answers from Pentagon leaders after the USS Abraham Lincoln surpassed 250 days deployed and 200 days without a port call during Trump’s war with Iran.
Source: ABC News
What Happened: The DOJ declined to block a federal court ruling allowing some Americans to possess silencers, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns without registering them with the federal government. The ruling followed Trump’s 2025 tax law eliminating the $200 tax that had helped underpin federal regulation of the weapons since 1934.
Source: CBS News
What Happened: DHS spent $464 million through a no-bid contract to buy 10 used aircraft it said were urgently needed for deportations, but most have barely been used. The contract went to a company whose chairman donated to a political committee supporting Kristi Noem, and three of the aircraft were luxury business jets.
Why It Matters: DHS claimed an emergency to bypass competitive bidding, handed $464 million to a politically connected company, and then barely used the planes it supposedly urgently needed. This is another example of government waste and cronyism.
Source: New York Times
What Happened: The VA has cut its backlog of disability claims from more than 400,000 in March 2024 to roughly 70,000, but veterans, attorneys, and VA employees say the push for faster decisions is producing basic and sometimes “egregious” errors. Pending higher-level reviews of denied claims have doubled since Trump took office.
Source: NOTUS
What Happened: Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz “under Iran’s control and management” after Trump claimed the U.S. has “total control” of the critical waterway and said, “I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT.” Most oil shipments through the strait remain blocked as the U.S. threatens further economic pressure against Tehran.
Why It Matters: Months into Trump’s war, Iran still controls access to one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints while Trump claims the U.S. has “total control.” The standoff continues to disrupt oil supplies, drive up gas prices, and risk further regional escalation.
Source: CBS News
What Happened: The U.S. military has lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones during Trump’s war with Iran, roughly 25% of its fleet and more than $1.3 billion worth of aircraft. The war has also depleted U.S. stocks of Tomahawk, Patriot, and THAAD missiles, forcing commanders to conserve some weapons.
Why It Matters: Six months of Trump’s war have destroyed a quarter of America’s Reaper fleet and depleted critical missile stockpiles. The U.S. is burning through weapons and capabilities it may need for far more serious conflicts.
Source: Washington Post
What Happened: Putin made his first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, traveling to Iturup, one of four islands seized by the Soviet Union from Japan at the end of World War II. Japan summoned Russia’s ambassador, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the visit “absolutely unacceptable,” reaffirming Japan’s claim to the islands.
Source: The Guardian
What Happened: According to GasBuddy, the national average price of gasoline climbed above $4 a gallon. Prices have surged as Trump’s war with Iran and disruption of the Strait of Hormuz have constrained global oil supplies.
Source: The Hill
What Happened: The federal budget deficit reached a record $432 billion in July, bringing the fiscal year deficit to $1.8 trillion with two months remaining. Customs receipts were negative for the third straight month as the government refunded tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court. The CBO projects tariff revenue will fall about $250 billion short of earlier estimates.
Source: Reuters
Check out 50501 for local and nationwide events…
Source: 50501
$927 million — White House construction Trump plans to finance largely with taxpayer money, including $415 million redirected from Secret Service
$158 million — No-bid contract awarded to a politically connected group with no clear record of providing immigration legal representation
$464 million — DHS spent on 10 “urgently” needed aircraft that have sat unused
250+ days — USS Abraham Lincoln deployment as sailors report deteriorating conditions
25% — Share of the U.S. Reaper drone fleet lost during the Iran war
$1.3 billion+ — Value of Reaper drones lost during the war
$4+ — National average gas price, a record for this time of year
$432 billion — Record federal budget deficit in July
$250 billion — Amount tariff revenue is now projected to fall short of earlier estimates
Federal agents are infiltrating political groups — Will Congress investigate DHS’s use of counterterrorism powers to surveil organizations engaged in lawful political opposition?
The Pentagon is excluding Democrats from classified briefings — Will Congress push back against Hegseth deciding which elected lawmakers are allowed to conduct national security oversight?
Trump is bypassing Congress to fund White House construction — Will lawmakers or courts challenge the diversion of hundreds of millions appropriated for other purposes?
Pirro convened a special grand jury — Will DOJ use it to publicly accuse his perceived enemies even when prosecutors lack enough evidence to charge them?
The Iran war is depleting U.S. military resources — How much more equipment and ammunition will be lost as Trump’s war stretches beyond six months?
Rising Costs — Higher oil prices, new tariff threats, and growing trade tensions are pushing up the cost of groceries, school supplies, and other everyday essentials.
Surveillance State — Federal agents infiltrated political organizations, obtained financial records, and monitored private communications without evidence of crimes.
Partisan Government — The Pentagon is excluding Democrats from classified briefings while Trump’s DOJ gains another tool capable of publicly targeting his perceived enemies.
Cronyism & Waste — Politically connected organizations and companies are receiving massive no-bid contracts while hundreds of millions in taxpayer money are being redirected or wasted.
War Costs — Trump’s Iran war has destroyed a quarter of the Reaper fleet, pushed a carrier deployment beyond 250 days, and helped drive gasoline again above $4 a gallon.
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Thanks for reading the Trump Tyranny Tracker. Stay tuned for more updates.
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