We’re just 11 days from the midterm elections, and Donald Trump and his allies are ramping up efforts to steal them.
asserted
Trump → ’re → 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.
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Trump → learn → societies
Here’s more from ‘This Week in Democracy – Week 92’:
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more → ’ → Democracy
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.
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thousands → suspend → 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.
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administration → apologize → 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.
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Department → issue → 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.
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majority → order → approval
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.
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ProPublica → ask → operation
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.”
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he → lose → him
He also shushed and yelled at a female reporter to “wait” before going on to take a male reporter’s question instead.
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He → shush → question
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.
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which → report → House
Wednesday, Oct. 21 – Trump’s FCC Chair Warns Against Airing ‘Fake’ Polls
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Chair → warn → 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.”
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that → warn → behavior
The warning comes after Trump has repeatedly criticized polls showing low support for him and his policies.
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Trump → come → him
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
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Trump → push → 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.
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party → file → 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.
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DOJ → tell → way
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.
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Journal → expect → industries
Did you miss previous weeks of ‘This Week in Democracy’?
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you → miss → Democracy
The Aporia
