Happy Friday from the nation currently running secret maritime operations, rewriting immigration rules in obscure PDFs, threatening television licenses over news coverage, dismantling financial transparency, and somehow finding time to redesign aircraft carriers because Donald Trump still has feelings about steam. Meanwhile, ICE detention deaths are raising horrifying questions, 23,000 federal criminal investigations were abandoned while DOJ shifted resources toward immigration, and seventy years of public television history nearly disappeared into the cloud. Apparently America put both democracy and the backup drive in the hands of someone who forgot the password. Welcome to the Shit Show, I will be your host.
Key Takeaways
ICE Is Accused of Releasing Critically Ill Detainees Before They Die
Advocates allege contractors at Delaney Hall have used discretionary releases for gravely ill detainees, meaning deaths occurring afterward may not appear in ICE custody statistics. Federal oversight of detention facilities has also become more restricted, because apparently the solution to horrifying conditions is making them harder to see.
The CIA Is Reportedly Behind Mysterious Attacks Near the Galápagos
The Washington Post reports that strikes against Ecuadorian fishing boats were part of a covert CIA action program, with surveillance aircraft tracked toward the vessels before drone attacks. The CIA declined to comment, which remains government speak for absolutely nothing reassuring.
Trump’s Justice Department Dropped More Than 23,000 Criminal Investigations
ProPublica found DOJ abandoned more than 23,000 criminal matters during Trump’s first six months back in office while shifting resources toward immigration enforcement, including investigations involving terrorism, drugs, white collar crime, and fraud. Nothing says law and order like putting crime on hold because somebody overstayed a visa.
Trump’s Administration Could Cut SSI for Disabled Adults Living With Family
A proposed rule could reduce or eliminate Supplemental Security Income for as many as 400,000 disabled and low income recipients by treating family provided housing as financial support. Apparently living with your parents because you cannot afford independence is now suspiciously luxurious.
A New Medicaid Rule Targets Gender Affirming Care for Trans Youth
The finalized federal rule restricts Medicaid reimbursement for certain gender affirming care but does not create a nationwide ban, and states with protections can continue permitting treatment through other funding structures. Nearly 35,000 public comments were submitted during the rulemaking process, overwhelmingly opposing the proposal according to advocacy analysis.
Trump Wants Steam Catapults Back on American Aircraft Carriers
Trump has ordered the Pentagon toward steam powered aircraft launch systems despite the Gerald R. Ford class electromagnetic system completing more than 11,000 launches and recoveries during its latest deployment. Nine years after complaining that digital technology sounded complicated, the commander in chief has apparently converted “I don’t understand it” into naval procurement policy.
Trump Used a Misleading Inflation Chart to Claim a Record
FactCheck.org found Trump’s claim of having the lowest inflation in decades relied on a comparison that effectively assumes zero inflation for the next two and a half years. Measured at the same point in previous presidencies, his inflation rate ranks fourth highest among the last ten presidential terms, which is less catchy on a rally sign.
ABC Stations Face License Challenges Over Alleged Political Bias
Conservative groups are urging the FCC to reject license renewals for eight ABC owned stations based partly on allegations of biased news coverage, while ABC argues the scrutiny amounts to unconstitutional retaliation. Apparently the First Amendment now comes with a performance review.
Seventy Years of PBS History Nearly Became a Cloud Storage Horror Story
Nine PBS lost access to roughly 50 terabytes containing seventy years of archival material after its cloud storage vendor apparently collapsed, forcing litigation to prevent the files from disappearing. This is your friendly reminder that “the cloud” is actually somebody else’s computer, and sometimes somebody else stops paying rent.
January 6 Defendants Are Seeking More Taxpayer Money
Scott MacFarlane reports that January 6 defendant Sandra Weyer filed a federal lawsuit seeking compensation for alleged injuries arising from her prosecution, potentially testing another route for defendants seeking taxpayer funded payouts. Apparently storming the Capitol now comes with a customer service desk.
Treasury Is Deleting Beneficial Ownership Data From Millions of American Companies
FinCEN has permanently exempted American companies and individuals from Corporate Transparency Act beneficial ownership reporting and says previously submitted information about United States persons will be deleted. Treasury calls it reducing burdens on small businesses, while transparency advocates are likely to have several extremely reasonable questions about who owns what now.
A Russian Exile’s Arrest Revealed a Spy Story Nobody Fully Understands Yet
A Guardian investigation into Russian exile Igor Rogov uncovered years of alleged FSB cooperation, an explosive package, suspected sabotage networks, and lingering uncertainty about whether the bomb materials were connected to Russia or Ukraine. International espionage remains one of the few professions where discovering the spy does not necessarily tell you who the hell he was spying for.
Closing Thoughts
Today’s stories are really about visibility.
ICE detention becomes easier to defend when deaths become harder to count. Secret military operations become easier when nobody admits conducting them. Corporate ownership becomes harder to investigate when the government deletes the database. Criminal investigations quietly vanish while immigration cases multiply. Even public history can disappear when seventy years of archives exist inside infrastructure nobody thought they could lose access to.
So save things.
Download the documents. Archive the court filings. Back up the evidence. Read the obscure federal notices. Watch the agencies that suddenly decide transparency is an administrative burden.
Power has learned that information does not always need to be censored.
Sometimes you can just make it disappear.
Claws out. Backups ready.
Featured Resisters and Resources
- Image and Video Verification Tools from a Recent OSINT Training is a practical resource compiled by journalist and educator Mike Reilley for Journalist’s Toolbox. The article introduces tools and techniques that can help users investigate photographs, videos, online claims, locations, and digital media.
- Deportation Tracker is a public monitoring project that compiles and visualizes U.S. immigration enforcement and deportation activity. The platform collects publicly available data, reporting, and community-submitted information to document deportations, removals, and enforcement patterns in a way that is understandable to the public.
What We Are Watching Today
- 9:24 AM EDT
U.S. Senate Candidate Sen. Susan Collins Kicks Off Statewide Bus Tour - 9:49 AM EDT
U.N. Security Council President Delivers Remarks on 5th Anniversary of Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan Live - 11:00 AM EDT
Florida Gov. DeSantis Holds News Conference - 11:00 AM EDT
U.S. Senate Candidate Roy Cooper Holds Campaign Event on Affordability - 2:30 PM EDT
NASA to Host Florida Event Celebrating American Aviation and Space Exploration - 3:00 PM EDT
President Trump Remarks at Police Training Center in New York - 6:15 PM EDT
Governor Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Speaks at Holmes County Fair
Today’s Call to Action
1. Read Today’s Resistance Survival Guides
2. Sign these Petitions and Send These Pre Written Letters
- Subpoena the Epstein Tapes: Preserve the Wolff and Bannon Recordings Now
- Stop Trump and RFK Jr. from dismantling Head Start
- Sign the petition to the Acting Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Heather M. Hill: Launch an immediate independent investigation into political interference at the IRS, including reported White House efforts to influence tax audits.
3. Verify your voter registration status and help at least one other person check theirs
4. Save contact information for local legal aid and voting support organizations
5. Attend an Event
- Fridays at 4 Letter Writing and More Friday, August 14, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. ET. Write voter letters, contact lawmakers, and amplify democracy campaigns online.
6. Contact Your Lawmakers Directly
- “Hi, I’m a constituent calling to demand the full release of the Epstein files, with survivor privacy protected. Congress must subpoena missing records, investigate deleted evidence, and stop protecting powerful people.”
- “Hi, I’m a constituent calling to oppose federal surveillance of pregnancy and abortion information. Please protect private medical records and block funding for any system designed to monitor pregnant people.”
- “Hi, I’m a constituent asking you to protect congressionally approved funding from political interference. Public money must be released as Congress directed, with full transparency and consequences for officials who unlawfully withhold it.”
- Join The Epstein Justice Comment Bomb: We have a new tactic guaranteed to grab the attention of our representatives. You’ve been calling a rep each week. Now we’re adding something easier, but far more visible.
Everyone drops a comment on the same rep’s Instagram post at the same time. When we all show up together, it’s impossible to ignore. Next Up: Rep. Ayanna Pressley
We believe she’s open to doing the right thing but we need your help getting her attention.
1. Go to https://bombcongress.com/ (goes directly to her post)
2. Drop the Comment: “Please stand with @epstein_justice”
7. Boycott Fascist Businesses
