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Friday, February 13, 2026
π½πππΌππππ: Trump’s biggest environmental rollback yet
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Offshores, Epstein, & the Reputational Economy (Part Two)
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Offshores, Epstein, & the Reputational Economy (Part Two)
A discussion with "Capital Without Borders" author Brooke Harrington
Good morning!
Early Thursday morning New York time—and noon in Italy—I sat down with the author and economic sociology professor Brooke Harrington to talk offshores, Epstein, boiling frogs, and, as she put it, “Jackass played as a global game among the richest and most powerful men in the world.”
(Note: I had to divide this video in half because Substack kept kicking out the full version. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
Offshores, Epstein, & the Reputational Economy (Part One)
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Offshores, Epstein, & the Reputational Economy (Part One)
A discussion with "Capital Without Borders" author Brooke Harrington
Good morning!
Early Thursday morning New York time—and noon in Italy—I sat down with the author and economic sociology professor Brooke Harrington to talk offshores, Epstein, boiling frogs, and, as she put it, “Jackass played as a global game among the richest and most powerful men in the world.”
Below is a transcript of some highlights of our discussion, edited for clarity.
(Note: I had to divide this video in half because Substack kept kicking out the full version. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
Planet of the Apes
Greg Olear (GO)
I was thinking about how this whole thing, the whole Epstein thing with the trafficking of the young girls and the rapes and all that, is sort of part and parcel with the patriarchy, in a lot of ways. Like, it’s almost like if you distill the patriarchy to its barest, most disgusting elements, that’s what you have left.
And I wonder if that resonates with you at all, that interpretation. And if you think that on some level, maybe, the Epstein stuff coming out now—because it’s clearly coming out now, whether they want it to or not—is it maybe the death rattle of the patriarchy? Is the patriarchy something that we can now smash, because the truth is coming out?
Brooke Harrington (BH)
I think there is this trait in a lot of human beings that only understands human society, human interaction, in terms of dominance relations. It’s a really impoverished way of being a human being. But you can see that for some people, it appears to be that the only way they can relate to other humans is, “Am I above you or below you? And if I’m below you, or even on the same level as you, I have to strive to trample you underfoot.”
And that is their only way of understanding what it means to like be in connection with other humans. And you’d feel sorry for them, if they weren’t so goddamn dangerous, especially with money in their hands….
When I look at primate studies of like chimps versus bonobos, I think that some people are just born more like chimps—and that includes some women as well as men. And chimps really seem to interact with each other on the basis of dominance hierarchies. If they have a conflict, they just beat the shit out of each other until one of them dies or withdraws. Whereas others of us are more like the bonobos. The bonobos resolve their conflicts by cuddling up, even having sex. They have a much more egalitarian kind of society, and they just generally seem to be happier than the stressed-out agro chimps. But the kind of society we’ve created, especially in the corporate world, rewards chimps. It rewards chimp dominance behavior: “Crush those beneath you, scale the ladder.”
And going back to JD Vance, he does seem like the kind of guy who is fully bought into the prospect that one day he can be the dominant chimp of the group. And he’s just biding his time, until his turn comes.
But Trump is really good at those kinds of dominance relations. And you can see that one of the ways in which he is broken, and many of his followers are broken, is that he has no alternative way of perceiving the world or interacting with the world except, like, “Me on top or me beneath. And if I’m beneath, I’m gonna kill you to get on top.” And that’s what this whole “I am your retribution” tour is in his second term.
And obviously some of his followers eat that up. I don’t know if that’s even inherently the patriarchy. Patriarchy builds on it. But my real fear is that that’s just built into a lot of people, no matter what the form of social organization is. And what non-patriarchal societies do is, they exile those people. They’re like, okay, you want to be like that? Go live on your own. Elephant troops do that to unruly young male elephants.
GO
Poor JD Vance is not ever gonna be the lead chimp….
BH
And that’s one of the only sources of hope I have, because nobody but nobody is willing to lay down their lives for JD Vance. And if he becomes president through whatever means, 25th amendment, or if Trump dies for some reason, all of a sudden you’re going to see a bunch of Republican Congress members grow a spine and oppose him because everybody hates him. So that will fracture the MAGA coalition better than any protest.
Get in, the Water’s Great
GO
I’m wondering what your sense is, because you also have a different perspective— because you’re abroad, and you can see how normal people are. Giorgia Meloni is a right-wing politician, but we would love to have her here. We should be so lucky.
What’s your sense of this, looking at the United States from across the pond? How screwed are we, do you think?
BH
I think the frogs are at a full rolling boil, and many of them are just doing the backstroke.
I’m thinking of my MAGA relatives who are still up on Facebook posting about, “Well, if they didn’t want to get rounded up by ICE, they shouldn’t have been illegals.” They just parrot these thought-stopping clichΓ©s from Fox News, and nothing seems to be able to break through their bubble.
Or the breakthroughs that do occur—like when a lot of white male gun owners who were Trump supporters saw Alex Pretti executed, you know, disarmed and then executed, that they identified with him. And I’m like, “Okay, good, we’ll take it.” But the process of attrition from MAGA is way too slow.
And I think Trump is doing to America what he’s done to the US court system for decades, which is he’s running out the clock so that he can’t be held accountable for anything. And I’m afraid that the damage that he is doing, and that he will continue to do, cannot be reversed. Like, we can’t magically make the East Wing of the White House reappear or the Rose Garden. I pray to God that he doesn’t get his greasy mitts on the National Parks, because if he starts selling off prime real estate in the Grand Canyon and Glacier, like, there’s also no undoing that.
And that’s nothing compared to all the lives he has taken, those precious, irreplaceable lives, and the reverberations their deaths will have for generations in their families. It’s almost—it’s hard to count the devastation.
And I’m just astonished at the extent to which so many of our fellow frogs are still like, “This is fine, everything is fine.” Like, what is it going to take? I really don’t know what it’s going to take for them to say it’s not fine.
GO
We had a plague and that didn’t work. I mean, if the plague doesn’t work, I don’t know what would work
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Shame, Status, & the Reputational Economy
BH
One of the things people get confused about with Trump and other wealthy people is they say, “Clearly these guys have no shame.” And that’s true in the sense that shame is premised on the idea of a shared moral code. And clearly there is no more shared moral code here. Or these rich guys evaluate their status in terms of their ability to violate it. So you can’t have shame and participate in that kind of status competition.
However, this understanding of the wealthy men forgets about a related phenomenon, which is status. They care a lot about status and reputation. So what they want is other people’s respect and deference. And when they don’t get it, they get very upset.
Think Alan Dershowitz going on this personal jihad against the poor pierogi dealer in Martha’s Vineyard. Some guy selling pierogies at a farmer’s market declines to do business with Alan Dershowitz. And instead of just taking his lumps and walking away, Dershowitz turns it into this sort of multi-week self-owned fiasco in the media— filming it, threatening to file charges. And, you know, it degrades him. But this is also the guy who in Trump One was whining publicly about not being invited to certain parties on Martha’s Vineyard because he was associated with Trump. And that is a big clue about what these guys care about.
Think also in Trump One, Sarah Huckabee Sanders being denied service at a restaurant and making a huge deal out of it rather than walking away quietly. That is a status offense and they really, really care about it. Putin cares about this. Remember after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, some European orchestras were refusing to play Tchaikovsky, or some of Putin’s associates were denied entry to Italy to enjoy their villas in Lake Como? That’s what finally made Putin get in front of news cameras and talk about, you know, “Russia is being canceled, and all this woke shit is so unfair!”
It’s like, why would it matter to Putin whether European orchestras played Tchaikovsky? You’d think he had better things to worry about. But if you’re a rich guy, you care about status and deference. And this was a status insult to Russia. And therefore Putin had to stand up and defend against it.
So what’s going on in this world of the Epstein files. And what Epstein is trying to leverage and also protect with secrecy is the reputational economy of some of the most powerful men in the world. Not even necessarily the richest, but people like Noam Chomsky and Larry Summers, who are revered—or were revered—figures in their academic fields, but not necessarily particularly rich. But what they have is reputational wealth. They have social capital. And Epstein traded in that, in just the way he managed the financial wealth of some of his associates, like Les Wexner….
GO
…Maybe this idea of, you know, social injury is the way to come at these people. Because we’ve had, this week, Greg Bovino got thrown out of a bar in Las Vegas, which is hysterical to me.
BH
Exactly, exactly. And that is exactly what we should be doing more of,. because it’s legal, it’s free. And anybody who encounters these figures can participate. Like if you’re the server at a restaurant where some Trump administration official comes in, you can just refuse to serve them. You can walk off the job.
Now I’m not saying that that is easy. People have mortgages to pay and food to put on the table. But especially, you know, if you talk about it with the owner of the establishment where you work, and they have your back, then by all means, do it. Because it seems so simple. It seems like it couldn’t possibly hurt these people. But we are constantly getting evidence that it’s among the most effective weapons, these status insults against these fascist pedophile monsters. Perversely, they want and expect to be liked and deferred to, and denying them the liking and the deference— they regard that as a serious injury that requires a response on their part.
GO
I think it’s a good idea. And it reminds me of this thing I read. I don’t even know if this is a true thing, but somebody posted this on social media a couple of years ago where he was sitting in a bar and a guy came into the bar who was very nice, you know, sort of egregiously friendly. And he was wearing a jacket with insignia on it. And the bartender went over and said, “Get the fuck out of here.” And the guy was like, “Well, I’m not doing anything.” He’s like, “I know what the signs mean. Get out.”
So the guy left, and the guy sitting there asked the bartender why this had happened, and he said, “That’s a Nazi insignia there. Those are white supremacist Nazi symbols. So what they do is, they send their nice guy, their face-guy Nazi. And if you yield to him, he’ll bring a friend, and then they’ll bring another friend. And the next thing you know, it’s a Nazi bar—and we can’t have that. So you have to stop it dead in its tracks.”
And I feel like that’s the takeaway from that is, you know, here’s poor Scott Bessent at the wine bar trying to enjoy his wine, but don’t let him enjoy his wine. That’s the other thing you’re allowed to do. If you see these people, you’re allowed to give them a hard time, because it will ruin their dinner. You know, ruin their dinner. There’s nothing wrong with ruining somebody’s dinner.
BH
Yeah. And in case some listeners think, you know, that’s a fun hobby, harassing MAGA fascists, it actually has political impact. One of the reasons that Pinochet’s regime fell in Chile was that you can’t be a fascist unless you have supportive elites. And you can peel away the support of those elites by making the elites persona non grata, making sure that they can’t be admitted to the parties they want to be admitted to, that they’re not received in polite society. So basically, you make the cost benefit analysis very unfavorable to the elites who support the dictator. And that’s how you peel away the dictator’s support, and ultimately, the dictator falls.
It took about a decade for that to work with Pinochet. We won’t have to wait that long with Trump because he’s just clearly not in good enough health to hold up until, you know, 99 years of age. But it works. And you can tell that it works by how loud those hit dogs holler in the Trump administration.
GO
Yeah. Yeah. And they do. They do holler—and they shouldn’t be allowed to go anywhere ever again in polite society without being called out. You know, I don’t want to say the word “harassed” because that implies some illegality, but it’s not illegal to be like, “Hey, that’s that guy. He’s awful. Why are we allowing Nazis to sit here?” Like, Stephen Miller should never be allowed in a restaurant again, you know, comfortably.
BH
Yeah. Right.
GO
Which I think he knows. That’s why these people are holed up at military bases. So whoever the Door Dash driver is there—you know, be mindful. You know, it’s OK to bring the food late and cold.
Out, out—
BH
The pieces of the big jigsaw puzzle are coming together. And it’s horrifying. The picture is horrifying. And I expect it will continue to get even more horrifying as more and more pieces find their way out to the public.
And it’ll be useful to have real-time accounts like this, where historians have a record of people like us trying to work out what the bigger picture is. And I expect that I’ll be surprised not just by the depravity but by the extent of this network. You know, Jackass played as a global game among the richest and most powerful men in the world.
GO
There’s names in there we haven’t heard yet. That’s the other thing, I think. I have some suspicions about who might be in there. So it’ll be interesting to see what happens and what comes out. And hopefully, the flip side of all of this is that all of this evil can produce a response that will send it back from whence it came and hopefully destroy all the rotten institutions so much that they’ll have to be rebuilt in a way that we can ensure that this sort of thing doesn’t happen ever again.
BH
I hope so. A lot of people have been saying, “Nothing’s going to happen. It’s going to be like the Panama Papers.” But with the Panama Papers, the reason there weren’t a lot of prosecutions, and even fewer convictions, is because a lot of what happens financially offshore is technically legal. It shouldn’t be, and it’s clearly immoral. But it’s hard to prosecute when someone hasn’t broken the law.
Child sex abuse is a whole different animal in this respect. You can’t really wiggle out of that, especially if there are tapes. The only attempts to wiggle out of it that we’ve seen have been efforts that have really backfired spectacularly, like saying, “Well, you know, the girls were 15. They were practically adults. What’s everyone getting so worked up about?” Yeah, who was it? Megyn Kelly was trying that one, and that went over like a lead balloon.
And now that more and more evidence is getting out of children who are nine, 10 years old being involved in this, that takes that deflection completely off the table. There’s a lot less wiggle room to escape accountability among these elites in the Epstein files than there were in the Panama Papers.
My fear is that we’re going to get another Gerald Ford type response of, “Let’s turn the page and heal the nation by pretending none of this ever happened.” And we know how that turns out. And I hope there will be enough anger and uprising in American civil society that we don’t let them turn the page and allow the complicit to escape accountability.
Brooke Harrington is an Economic Sociologist studying the offshore financial system and the professionals who run it. Her research addresses inequality, both political and economic, as well as globalization and the professions. Since 2007, she’s focused on the offshore financial system, which she studied from the inside after spending two years earning a wealth management credential; that was followed by six more years traveling to every region of the world, interviewing and interacting with practitioners in 18 offshore centers.
Trump Tyranny Tracker: Day 388
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Trump Tyranny Tracker: Day 388
February 11, 2026
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π Trump Tyranny Tracker: February 11
Welcome to today’s Trump Tyranny Tracker, where I’m breaking down the key news from the day alongside ongoing developments as Trump and his regime move swiftly to consolidate power, undermine democracy, and dismantle civil rights and freedoms.
π₯ In Corruption News
House Dem Identifies ‘Wealthy, Powerful Men’ Redacted in Epstein Files
What Happened: Rep. Ro Khanna entered into the Congressional Record the names of six wealthy men whose identities were redacted from the Jeffrey Epstein files, including Leslie Wexner and DP World CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. Khanna said the redactions violate the Epstein Transparency Act and accused Trump officials of shielding powerful figures while millions of pages remain withheld.
Why It Matters: We have a two-tier justice system operating in plain sight. By hiding the names of powerful men tied to a global underage sex trafficking ring, the DOJ is shielding elites, blocking accountability, and making clear that the rule of law stops at the top.
Source: PoliticoTrump orders Pentagon to invest in 'beautiful, clean' coal power
What Happened: Trump signed an executive order directing the Pentagon to purchase electricity from coal-fired power plants and ordering the Department of Energy to spend $175 million propping up six aging coal plants. The move was unveiled at a White House event celebrating “beautiful, clean coal,” despite coal’s well-documented environmental and health harms.
Why It Matters: National security is being used as cover to prop up fossil fuels and reward Trump’s political allies and donors. Trump is distorting energy markets, increasing emissions, and locking military infrastructure into outdated, polluting power instead of climate-friendly alternatives.
Source: ABC Newsπ‘️ In Power Consolidation News
Trump’s ‘Stop the Steal’ lawyer pushed for voter fraud evidence from US intelligence agency
What Happened: Kurt Olsen, a Trump lawyer tied to “Stop the Steal” and now a special government employee, pressured a U.S. intelligence contractor to search for evidence “supporting” Trump’s 2020 election lies. The contractor resisted expanding its mandate beyond election security work in Puerto Rico.
Why It Matters: Trump allies are trying to bend U.S. intelligence into a political weapon. Forcing contractors to hunt for evidence to prop up a lie about a lost election shatters legal firewalls, corrodes trust in election security, and shows how far they’re willing to go to rewrite reality and prepare for interference during midterms.
Source: ReutersPalantir CEO Alex Karp Recorded a Video About ICE for His Employees
What Happened: Palantir CEO Alex Karp circulated a prerecorded video to employees responding to internal backlash over the company’s work with ICE, but declined to explain how Palantir’s tools are used in enforcement operations. Employees were told they could sign NDAs for private briefings instead.
Why It Matters: Hiding basic information behind NDAs is deliberate opacity. As Palantir powers enforcement, targeting, and data fusion, it is building a surveillance state that erodes due process, bypasses civil rights protections, and shields coercive state power from public accountability.
Source: WIREDICE Is Expanding Across the US at Breakneck Speed. Here’s Where It’s Going Next
What Happened: Federal records show ICE and DHS quietly carried out a months-long expansion, securing more than 150 new leases and office expansions across nearly every state, often in or near major metro areas. Many new facilities sit near schools, medical offices, and places of worship, with DHS pressing the GSA to bypass standard procurement rules and hide lease details under claims of “national security.”
Why It Matters: This is the buildout of a permanent domestic enforcement apparatus. By expanding rapidly and in secrecy, ICE is embedding itself deep inside communities, bypassing oversight, and normalizing mass enforcement far from the border—eroding due process and civil liberties in ways that will inevitably extend beyond immigrants to everyone.
Source: WIRED⚖️ In Weaponization of Institutions News
Bondi had list of a Democratic lawmaker's Epstein files "search history" during Capitol Hill hearing
What Happened: Pam Bondi appeared at a House Judiciary Committee hearing with a document labeled “Jayapal Pramila Search History,” listing specific Epstein-related files accessed by Rep. Pramila Jayapal while reviewing DOJ records. Jayapal and other Democrats accused the Justice Department of surveilling lawmakers’ database searches during congressional oversight of the Epstein files.
Why It Matters: Tracking lawmakers’ research is an abuse of executive power. DOJ monitoring congressional searches mirrors Russia, where surveillance is used to intimidate and silence.
Source: CBS NewsA Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump was convicted of sexually abusing children
What Happened: Andrew Paul Johnson, a Jan. 6 insurrectionist who received a full pardon from Trump, was convicted in Florida of multiple felony charges, including child molestation and exposing himself to children. Prosecutors say Johnson abused children over months and attempted to silence a victim by claiming he would receive millions in Trump-backed restitution for Jan. 6 defendants.
Why It Matters: Trump’s mass clemency for Jan. 6 insurrectionists didn’t just rewrite history—it restored impunity to people with violent records, enabling further abuse while the regime glorifies them as “patriots.”
Source: NPRA privacy breach at the IRS: Taxpayer data wrongly shared with DHS, court filing says
What Happened: The IRS wrongly shared taxpayer information for thousands of people with DHS under a data-sharing agreement, according to a court filing. ICE requested data on 1.28 million people; the IRS verified only about 47,000 but still provided additional address information for others—likely violating federal tax privacy laws.
Why It Matters: This shatters one of the strongest legal firewalls in government. Tax confidentiality exists to prevent law enforcement abuse and political targeting. Once breached, it can’t be undone. The disclosure confirms immigration enforcement is overriding privacy law, due process, and safeguards meant to protect everyone.
Source: Associated PressCBP Signs Clearview AI Deal to Use Face Recognition for ‘Tactical Targeting’
What Happened: CBP signed a $225,000 contract granting intelligence units access to Clearview AI, a shady facial recognition system built from more than 60 billion images scraped without consent. The tool will be used for “tactical targeting” and network analysis by Border Patrol intelligence and the National Targeting Center.
Why It Matters: This expands mass biometric surveillance into routine domestic enforcement with no transparency or oversight. Clearview’s accuracy problems, lack of consent, and unclear limits raise serious risks to civil liberties—especially as DHS continues to sweep up U.S. citizens.
Source: WIREDICE is cracking down on people who follow them in their cars
What Happened: Trump officials have expanded federal assault and obstruction charges against people who follow or observe immigration officers, with at least 655 prosecutions since last summer—more than double prior years. Footage shows ICE and Border Patrol agents boxing in vehicles, drawing guns, using pepper spray, and arresting civilians for minimal conduct. ICE also tracks protesters using internal databases with names, photos, and license plates.
Why It Matters: Monitoring and observing police activity is being criminalized, with civilians threatened with decades in prison. ICE’s tactics mirror authoritarian domestic surveillance—using force, intimidation, and prosecution to silence witnesses and deter accountability.
Source: ReutersNebraska to hand over sensitive voter data to the Justice Department after court loss
What Happened: After losing a court challenge, Nebraska’s Republican secretary of state will hand over sensitive voter data—including birth dates, addresses, and partial Social Security numbers—to the Justice Department. The move comes as Trump’s DOJ seeks voter information from more than 20 states as part of a broader push to seize control over elections.
Why It Matters: Turning over voter data breaks a core privacy safeguard with lasting consequences. As Trump tries to centralize election control, the transfer opens the door to surveillance, intimidation, and voter purges—ahead of midterms.
Source: Associated PressPirro Taps Dance Photographer-Lawyer in Lawmaker Video Case
What Happened: U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro brought in two outside hires with limited federal experience—including Steven Vandervelden, a former local prosecutor who now runs a dance photography business—to present criminal charges against six Democratic lawmakers to a grand jury. The case, targeting a video reminding service members they may refuse unlawful orders, was rejected, while career DOJ prosecutors were sidelined.
Why It Matters: This is another attack on the First Amendment. Loyalists, not career prosecutors, pursued criminal charges over protected speech—weaponizing DOJ power to intimidate political opponents. A grand jury ultimately blocked the effort, refusing to return an indictment for this sham.
Source: Bloombergπ’ In Media Suppression and Authoritarian Tactics News
Homeland Security Hires Labor Dept. Aide Whose Posts Raised Alarms
What Happened: DHS hired Peyton Rollins, a 21-year-old former Labor Department social media aide, to help run its digital communications despite internal warnings that his posts echoed white supremacist, Nazi-era, and QAnon-linked rhetoric. Internal emails show repeated alarms were raised about extremist imagery, yet Rollins was promoted into a larger, more influential role at DHS.
Why It Matters: Extremist ideology continues to be embedded in the government. Putting someone flagged for Nazi and white nationalist propaganda in charge of DHS communications turns federal messaging into a propaganda arm—normalizing extremism as the agency expands mass deportations and domestic enforcement.
Source: New York TimesFormer federal prosecutor who quit amid Trump administration dispute now representing Don Lemon
What Happened: Former interim U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, who resigned amid clashes with Trump officials and turmoil inside the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office, is now representing journalist Don Lemon. Lemon faces federal civil rights charges over his reporting on a protest at a Minnesota church.
Why It Matters: This is another attack on the First Amendment and free press by Trump and his regime. As prosecutors resign and enforcement priorities are warped by politics, reporting on Trump’s abuses is increasingly treated as a crime—chilling journalism and accelerating instability inside the Justice Department.
Source: Associated Pressπ In Human and Civil Rights Abuses News
“I Have Been Here Too Long”: Read Letters from the Children Detained at ICE’s Dilley Facility
What Happened: Children detained with their families at ICE’s Dilley facility in South Texas wrote letters and drew pictures describing fear, isolation, missed school, and indefinite confinement. As of early February, more than 750 families and hundreds of women were held there, with child detention surging under the Trump regime.
Why It Matters: These heartbreaking letters expose the human cost of Trump’s immigration enforcement. Despite legal limits under the Flores settlement, children are being held for weeks or months, raising serious concerns about unlawful detention, psychological harm, and the routine abuse of migrant families in federal custody.
Source: ProPublicaDHS Shot Her and Called Her a “Terrorist.” New Videos Show Something Different.
What Happened: Body camera footage shows Border Patrol agents escalating a confrontation before agent Charles Exum shot Marimar Martinez five times in October 2025, contradicting DHS claims of a “terrorist ambush.” Videos reveal aggressive tactics, vehicle ramming, and celebratory texts after the shooting, after which prosecutors dropped all charges against Martinez.
Why It Matters: DHS continues to invoke “terrorism” claims to justify the use of force. Video evidence points to a pattern of aggression, misleading public statements, and institutional protection for officers who use excessive, and in some cases deadly, force against civilians.
Source: Mother JonesIdaho families sue over immigration raid that swept up hundreds, including U.S. citizens
What Happened: The ACLU filed a class-action lawsuit over an ICE raid at an Idaho event hall where more than 400 people, including U.S. citizens and children, were detained at gunpoint for hours. Agents allegedly used flash bang grenades, rubber bullets, racial slurs, and restraints while denying food, water, and bathrooms.
Why It Matters: Detaining citizens and children under militarized conditions underscores how due process and equal protection have collapsed under this lawless, cruel regime.
Source: NBC Newsπ Government Services Disruption and Collapse Watch
Pentagon let CBP use anti-drone laser before FAA closed El Paso airspace
What Happened: The Pentagon approved CBP’s use of an anti-drone laser near Fort Bliss without coordinating with the FAA, triggering the abrupt shutdown of El Paso’s airspace. The FAA initially ordered a 10-day closure before reopening the airport hours later, stranding travelers and blindsiding local and federal officials.
Why It Matters: Deploying experimental military technology near a major airport without aviation safeguards exposes dangerous failures in civil-military coordination—and raises the risk of future airspace emergencies driven by secrecy and incompetence.
Source: Associated PressSeveral ICE agents were arrested in recent months, showing risk of misconduct
What Happened: At least two dozen ICE employees and contractors have been charged with crimes since 2020, including sexual abuse, corruption, and violence, according to an AP review. The cases span multiple states and include senior personnel, as ICE rapidly expands under Trump with weakened oversight.
Why It Matters: As ICE grows faster than vetting, training, and accountability systems can handle, agents wield immense authority over vulnerable populations with barely any constraints. The result is a pattern of abuse, corruption, and lawlessness scaled up and embedded across the country.
Source: Associated PressModerna says FDA refuses its application for new mRNA flu vaccine
What Happened: The FDA declined to review Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine application, issuing a rare refusal to file despite a 40,000-person trial showing stronger protection for adults over 50. The decision follows increased hostility toward mRNA technology under RFK Jr.
Why It Matters: Blocking a next-generation flu vaccine without citing safety or efficacy concerns undermines medical innovation, delays improved protection for older Americans, and reiterates that conspiracy is shaping vaccine policy. As flu seasons intensify, the FDA is raising barriers instead of preparing.
Source: Associated Press‘We don’t have a corporate job’: Expiration of ACA subsidies put these farmers’ lives in limbo
What Happened: Enhanced ACA tax credits expired on January 1 after Congress failed to act, sharply raising insurance costs for millions of Americans, including farmers and self-employed workers. Many now face premiums consuming up to half their income, forcing exits from agriculture or off-farm work just to keep coverage.
Why It Matters: Removing ACA subsidies accelerates consolidation and weakens the local food systems that communities rely on. As Congress stalls, farmers and self-employed workers are being pushed out in real time, turning health insecurity into another force hollowing out rural America.
Source: MS NOWTrump Privately Weighs Quitting USMCA Trade Pact He Signed
What Happened: Trump has privately asked aides why he shouldn’t withdraw from the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the trade pact he signed during his first term. The comments come ahead of a mandatory July 1 review, turning what was expected to be a routine extension into a volatile renegotiation with Canada and Mexico.
Why It Matters: This injects more instability into North American trade and global markets. Threatening to scrap a deal Trump negotiated highlights his erratic economic policies, further undermines U.S. credibility with allies, and heightens the risk of tariffs, supply chain shocks, and recessionary pressure.
Source: BloombergTrump directs Energy Department to issue funds to keep coal plants online
What Happened: Trump directed the Department of Energy to issue $175 million in funding to keep six aging coal plants online and ordered the Department of Defense to purchase electricity from coal-fired plants. He also backed delaying closures at plants run by the Tennessee Valley Authority, reversing planned phaseouts as utilities had moved away from coal.
Why It Matters: This locks in higher emissions and higher costs to reward Trump’s coal donors. By using emergency powers and federal purchasing to prop up failing coal plants, the regime is distorting energy markets, undermining climate protections, and funneling public money to polluting industries while blocking cleaner, cheaper alternatives.
Source: Reutersπ Imperial and Geopolitical Watch
Pentagon Prepares Second Aircraft Carrier to Deploy to the Middle East
What Happened: The Pentagon ordered a second aircraft carrier strike group to prepare for deployment to the Middle East as Trump escalates pressure on Iran over its nuclear program. The carrier, likely the USS George H.W. Bush, would join the USS Abraham Lincoln, significantly expanding U.S. military presence.
Why It Matters: Pushing toward regime change and a potential war without congressional authorization concentrates war powers in the executive branch. Without a clear objective or defined strategy, the risk of another conflict continues to rise.
Source: Wall Street JournalHouse votes to nix Trump's tariffs on Canada in rebuke of trade agenda
What Happened: The Republican-led House voted 219–211 to terminate Trump’s tariffs on Canada, with six Republicans joining Democrats in a symbolic rebuke. Trump threatened retaliation against GOP lawmakers who opposed the tariffs.
Why It Matters: Even as the vote lacks immediate effect, it underscores mounting concern that tariffs are being weaponized for political leverage—eroding separation of powers while injecting instability into U.S. relations with a key ally.
Source: NBC NewsSenators question why US agency pushed out officials working on Chinese threats
What Happened: Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Mark Warner demanded explanations after the Commerce Department removed senior officials leading efforts to counter Chinese cyber and intelligence threats. The department has since slowed or shelved actions targeting Chinese telecoms, drones, vehicles, and supply chain risks.
Why It Matters: This weakens U.S. defenses against Chinese espionage and cyber threats. Forcing out experienced national security officials while stalling enforcement signals retreat, and leaves critical infrastructure and data more exposed.
Source: ReutersTrump official allies with Europe’s far right in attacks on migration and hate speech policies
What Happened: State Department undersecretary Sarah B. Rogers publicly aligned with far-right European parties, met with Germany’s AfD leadership, attacked EU and UK hate speech laws, and promoted sanctions against critics of disinformation efforts—despite AfD being designated a right-wing extremist threat by German intelligence.
Why It Matters: By backing Europe’s far-right and attacking liberal speech and migration laws, the Trump regime is exporting authoritarian politics and legitimizing Russian-backed far-right parties long used to destabilize democracies across Europe.
Source: The Guardianπ Far-Right & Russian Influence Watch
NATO innovation chief: Alliance must speed up, or risk Russian invasion
What Happened: Adm. Pierre Vandier, head of NATO’s Allied Transformation Command, warned that if the alliance fails to rapidly field new technologies, Russia could miscalculate and risk attacking NATO territory. Citing lessons from Ukraine, he said modern weapons and drones become obsolete almost immediately while Russia continues adapting across drones, space surveillance, and command systems.
Why It Matters: Deterrence depends on speed, and if NATO’s procurement and innovation cycles lag behind Russia’s battlefield adaptation, the alliance risks an invasion or attack by Russia. Ukraine has shown that slow bureaucratic systems are a strategic liability in modern warfare.
Source: Defense OneRussian losses in Ukraine 'astonishing,' former MI6 chief says
What Happened: Former MI6 chief Richard Moore said Russia lost roughly 30,000 soldiers killed in Ukraine in December 2025, about double the total Soviet deaths over the entire 10-year Soviet-Afghan war. Ukrainian military data shows Russian losses now exceed monthly recruitment, marking a turning point in Moscow’s ability to sustain manpower.
Why It Matters: Russia is losing troops at a pace it cannot easily replace, even as Putin presses on with the genocidal war. The scale of casualties shows the Kremlin’s vulnerability to sustained pressure—and the cost of Western hesitation as Ukraine fights a grinding war of attrition against a regime willing to expend its own population.
Source: Kyiv Independentπ΅ In Trump Economic Downturn News
U.S. had almost no job growth in 2025
What Happened: Revised Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows employers added just 181,000 jobs in 2025, down from the previously reported 584,000 and far below the 1.46 million added in 2024. The revisions make 2025 the weakest year for job growth since 2020, with multiple months adjusted sharply downward.
Why It Matters: The revised data undercuts claims of a strong labor market and confirms significant cooling. With weak manufacturing, soft consumer sentiment, and nearly a million jobs erased in revisions, Trump’s economic slowdown is now reflected in official numbers.
Source: NBC NewsTop Dem shares ‘alarming’ report about rising bankruptcies under Trump
What Happened: Personal bankruptcies have reached their highest level since 2019, according to a House Budget Committee analysis shared by Rep. Brendan Boyle, with filings rising in 47 states. Families spent an estimated $1,625 more last year on basic costs, with tariffs and rising medical expenses, compounded by expired ACA subsidies, driving more households into bankruptcy.
Why It Matters: While costs climb and health care access collapses, Americans are being pushed into bankruptcy just as deeper Medicaid cuts loom, signaling worse financial fallout in 2026. Trump’s promises to lower costs have led to economic stress, medical debt, and policy choices that hit working families the hardest.
Source: MS NOWππΌ In Resistance News
2/17: Next National Day of Action
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Check out 50501 for local and nationwide events…
Source: 50501National Guard troops were quietly withdrawn from some U.S. cities
What Happened: Trump officials quietly pulled federalized National Guard troops out of Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland after courts blocked or constrained the deployments. More than 5,700 troops were sent in under Title 10 orders despite opposition from state leaders, but legal rulings, including a Supreme Court order limiting federalization, left the forces largely sidelined and ineffective, forcing a full withdrawal by late January.
Source: Washington PostFederal Judge Blocks DOJ Bid for Michigan Voter Data
What Happened: A federal judge dismissed a Department of Justice lawsuit seeking access to Michigan’s voter rolls, ruling that federal law does not require the state to hand over the data. The case is the latest setback in the DOJ’s sweeping effort under Trump to obtain voter information from at least 23 states and Washington, D.C., despite elections being administered at the state level.
Source: Associated PressEx-prosecutor from Jack Smith's office announces run for Congress in Virginia as a Democrat
What Happened: J.P. Cooney, a longtime federal prosecutor who served as top deputy to former special counsel Jack Smith in two criminal prosecutions of Trump, announced he’s running for Congress in Virginia as a Democrat. Cooney was purged from the Justice Department in January 2025 after Trump took office.
Source: ABC Newsπ By the Numbers
2/17 — Next nationwide National Day of Action
150+ — New ICE offices and leases quietly secured nationwide
5,700+ — National Guard troops deployed domestically before courts forced withdrawals
$496 million — Cost of failed National Guard deployments to U.S. cities
1.28 million — Voter records requested by DOJ across at least 23 states
47,000 — Names verified by IRS before broader data was still shared with DHS
655 — Prosecutions for observing or following ICE vehicles since last summer
$175 million — Ordered to prop up aging coal plants
30,000 — Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine in December alone
181,000 — Jobs added in all of 2025 after major downward revisions
47 — States reporting rising personal bankruptcies under Trump
40,000 — Participants in Moderna’s rejected flu vaccine trial
π What to Watch Next
Trump is laying the groundwork to go after Social Security and Medicare — How soon before seniors and disabled Americans feel the full impact?
ICE is violating American citizen rights — How far will the regime be allowed to go in bypassing due process and constitutional protections?
DOJ Is Expanding Its Voter Data Dragnet — Will more states resist, or will federal coercion intensify before the midterms?
Lawmakers Are Being Put Under Surveillance — How long before oversight itself is treated as a crime?
Biometric Tracking Is Scaling Rapidly — How far will Clearview and similar tools be deployed against Americans before courts intervene?
Prosecutions Are Becoming Political — Which journalists, lawmakers, or activists are targeted next?
Trump continues to escalate against Iran — What happens if Trump launches regime change without congressional approval or a plan?
π‘ Key Takeaways
Trump’s Economic Warfare — His erratic tariff policies are pushing the U.S. into a recession or worse and destabilizing the economy, as prices rise and the job market weakens.
Power Consolidation — Oversight is hollowed out, courts are weakened through delay and defiance, and norms that once constrained executive authority are being dismantled.
Intelligence Politicized — National security and intelligence agencies are increasingly aligned with partisan objectives rather than neutral enforcement.
Surveillance Expansion — Authorities justified under immigration and security are extending toward journalists, lawmakers, and the broader public.
Economic Coercion — Tariffs, exemptions, subsidies, and trade threats are used to reward allies, punish rivals, and destabilize markets.
Protections Dismantled — Climate and public health safeguards are rolled back to favor Trump’s donors and allies.
Elections Pressured — Voter data demands, fraud narratives, and federal overreach are aimed at reshaping state election authority.
Systemic Rebuild — Governance is being reorganized around loyalty, coercion, weakened accountability, and sustained impunity.
π¨ Call to Action
Document Everything: Document purges, corruption, and power grabs. Share credible information with journalists, watchdogs, and legal experts. Silence enables authoritarianism—see something, say something.
Defend Press Freedom: Support independent journalism by subscribing to and sharing reporting that challenges Trump’s power grab.
Contact Lawmakers: Demand accountability for Trump and Musk’s unchecked power and Trump’s war on oversight.
Protest: Join local and national demonstrations against Trump’s authoritarian overreach, purges, and attacks on civil rights.
Attend Town Halls: Confront lawmakers and demand answers about government purges, deregulation, and threats to constitutional rights.
Stay Vigilant: Watch for court rulings, executive overreach, and attempts to rewrite the Constitution. Document everything.
Mobilize for Action: Organize or join legal efforts and resistance movements to protect democracy and human and civil rights.
Support Whistleblowers: Encourage legal defense funds for government workers facing retaliation for exposing corruption.
Thanks for reading the Trump Tyranny Tracker. Stay tuned for more updates.
π½πππΌππππ: Trump’s biggest environmental rollback yet
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