The article reports on various events and actions taken by the Trump administration in the past week, as part of a broader pattern of undermining democracy and harming societies worldwide. The key numbers mentioned include over 1,000 stock trades made by President Trump in June, at least 227 deaths resulting from US military strikes since last year, and up to 200,000 visas that may be revoked by the Trump administration. The article notes that these actions are part of a larger effort to restrict mail-in voting, as evidenced by the Supreme Court's recent ruling on Trump's executive order. Additionally, ICE arrests reached a record high in July, with nearly 50,000 people detained.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-31,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
We’re less than 10 weeks out from the midterm elections, and Americans witnessed a whipsaw of news about mail-in voting this week that some experts fear could sow confusion and chaos as Nov. 3 nears.
uncertain
Nov. → ’re → confusion
On Monday, the Supreme Court sided with Donald Trump, issuing an emergency order allowing his administration – for the time being – to move forward with implementing his executive order to restrict mail-in voting.
asserted
administration → side → voting
By Thursday, the lower court judge overseeing the case had again temporarily blocked the plan after those challenging the Trump administration refiled the case to comply with the high court’s ruling.
asserted
those → oversee → ruling
The case could soon be headed back to the Supreme Court.
uncertain
case → head → Court
We get it.
asserted
We → get → it
It’s confusing – and that confusion and chaos are exactly what Trump and his cronies want for an election that Republicans are expected to lose big.
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Republicans → ’ → that
Hopefully, this time, democracy wins out.
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democracy → win → ?
When they weren’t trying to disenfranchise voters, Trump and his allies continued other efforts to harm democracy, undermine the Constitution, and hurt societies worldwide.
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Trump → try → societies
From U.S. Central Command blacklisting journalists to ICE making a record number of arrests, here’s ‘This Week in Democracy ‘ – Week 84’:
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Week → blacklist → Democracy
Saturday, Aug. 22 – Trump’s Financial Disclosure Reveals Timely Trades
Bloomberg reported that Trump made more than 1,000 stock trades during the month of June.
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Trump → reveal → June
The president invested in SpaceX less than two weeks before the Musk-led company’s initial public offering, bought Boeing stock the same day the Navy issued an $880 million contract to the manufacturer, and purchased shares of Palantir just weeks before the company received a $10 billion contract with the U.S. Army.
asserted
company → invest → Army
The White House says there are no conflicts of interest with Trump’s investments, claiming they are independently managed, and the assets are in a blind trust.
Sunday, Aug. 23 – U.S. Strikes First Boat Since June
The U.S. military conducted a strike on a boat in the Eastern Pacific, killing two people.
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military → say → people
It marked the first known strike by the military, which the UN has described as extrajudicial killings, in two months.
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UN → mark → months
Another strike was conducted on Tuesday, killing four people in the Caribbean and bringing the death toll to at least 227 over the course of 68 strikes since the Trump administration began them last year.
Monday, Aug. 24 – Trump Admin Plans Largest Visa Revocation in U.S. History
AP reported that the Trump administration plans to carry out the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history as the State Department plans to revoke the business and tourist visas of up to 200,000 people who have sought asylum between 2016 and 2026.
Meanwhile, The Intercept reported that the U.S. Central Command has a secret list of journalists blacklisted by its press office, according to a spokesperson who threatened to add one of the outlet’s reporters to “the list of people to disregard.”
Tuesday, Aug. 25 – ICE Arrests Reach Record High
AP reported that ICE arrested almost 50,000 people during the month of July, marking the largest number of arrests in a single month since Trump returned to office.
That marked a 15% increase compared to June, with 20,000 of the arrests taking place in Texas and Florida.
uncertain
20,000 → conduct → Texas
Wednesday, Aug. 26 – Trump Administration Targets Palestine Action
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Administration → target → Action
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the Trump administration sanctioned the British pro-Palestine group, Palestine Action, as part of its crackdown on left-leaning organizations and movements.
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administration → announce → organizations
It’s yet another example of the Trump administration targeting pro-Palestinian groups.
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administration → ’ → groups
The move comes as Palestine Action appeals a designation by the British government that proscribed the group as a “terrorist” organization, a decision UN human rights chief Volker Türk called a “disturbing” misuse of the UK’s counter-terrorism legislation.
asserted
Türk → come → legislation
Thursday, Aug. 27 – Trump Admin to Ramp Up Deportation Flights to Haiti
The New York Times reported that the Trump administration is expected to expand deportation flights to Haiti from once a month to once a week, a move that could potentially result in the removal of hundreds of additional Haitians each month.
uncertain
that → ramp → Haitians
The expansion follows the Supreme Court’s June ruling that cleared the way for the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, despite the fact that the State Department has warned against visiting Haiti “due to the risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest, and limited health care.”
asserted
Department → follow → crime
Friday, Aug. 28 – Another Court Strikes Down Unconstitutional ICE Policy
For the eighth time, a federal appeals court ruled that ICE’s policy to detain almost all undocumented immigrants without a hearing is unlawful, finding that the agency violated mandatory detention laws, as well as the Fifth Amendment.
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agency → strike → laws
Undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for decades “are entitled to due process rights beyond those provided to noncitizens at the border,” the majority opinion reads.
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opinion → entitle → border
Did you miss previous weeks of ‘This Week in Democracy’?
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you → miss → Democracy
