Trump Press Crackdown, ICE Shooting, Federal Website Tracking and Donor Giveaways Raise New Democracy Alarms
Today’s major news reveals a government testing the boundaries of presidential power, press freedom, immigration enforcement, digital privacy and corporate influence. From subpoenas delivered to journalists and another fatal shooting involving ICE to hidden website tracking and regulatory favors for political donors, the stories of July 13, 2026, show how quickly democratic safeguards can weaken when power operates without meaningful transparency or accountability.
Key Developments
- America Faces a Choice Between Oligarchy and Democratic Renewal: The Hartmann Report warns that plans for permanent fencing around Lafayette Square represent more than a security decision. Thom Hartmann connects the proposal to the political evolution of Russia and argues that the United States must choose between billionaire controlled government, authoritarian decline and a renewed commitment to democratic participation.
- Trump Condemns Purchased Citizenship While Selling Expedited Residency: Find Out with Heather Ashley examines the contradiction between Donald Trump declaring that American citizenship is not for sale and his administration operating a Gold Card program that requires a processing fee and a one million dollar contribution for expedited permanent residency. The program does not sell citizenship directly, but permanent residency can create a pathway to naturalization.
- Another Person Is Killed in a Shooting Involving ICE: Migrant Insider reports that a person was killed Monday morning during a shooting involving an ICE officer in Biddeford, Maine, only days after another fatal ICE involved shooting in Houston. The identity of the person killed and the complete circumstances remained unconfirmed as state authorities began investigating.
- Federal Authorities Target Reporters Who Exposed Air Force One Security Concerns: Defiance reports that the White House and FBI launched a leak investigation after The New York Times published concerns about the defensive capabilities of the Qatari gifted presidential aircraft. Four Times journalists were subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury, intensifying concerns about government retaliation against reporters and confidential sources.
- Subpoenas Delivered to Journalists’ Homes Raise Press Freedom Alarms: Adam Kinzinger condemns federal agents appearing at the homes of New York Times journalists to deliver subpoenas connected to their Air Force One reporting. Kinzinger argues that the escalation demonstrates why independent media must remain financially and institutionally capable of resisting political intimidation.
- False Political Narratives Can Survive Even After the Facts Collapse: Agents of Influence analyzes how the false 2024 claim that Haitian immigrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, became a powerful political narrative despite repeated corrections from local officials. The article explains how politicians, influencers, algorithms and ordinary participants can transform a rumor into an identity driven story whose political value survives after its factual foundation disappears.
- The Trump Administration Is Accused of Steering Cases Toward a Favorable Judge: One First examines how the Trump administration responded to repeated court losses involving investigations of gender affirming medical care by directing related litigation toward federal Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth. Legal scholar Steve Vladeck argues that the use of related case procedures has effectively concentrated nationwide disputes before one ideologically favorable judge.
- Poultry Companies That Backed Trump Could Benefit From Regulatory Rollbacks: Popular Information reveals that the administration plans to repeal protections requiring greater transparency, guaranteed payment standards and safeguards against retaliation for contract poultry farmers. The processors supporting the repeal include companies and executives that have donated millions of dollars to Trump’s inauguration and Republican political committees.
- Commercial Tracking Software Was Installed on Federal Websites: The Preamble reports that four federal websites operated by the National Design Studio contained PostHog tracking code capable of recording detailed visitor activity. The software was reportedly enabled on two sites and removed after questions were sent to the White House, although there is currently no public evidence that the collected information was used to identify or investigate individual visitors.
- Newly Published Emails Raise Questions About Paolo Zampolli’s Role as a Political Connector: Bekah Day and Anthony Andrews publish emails they say were recovered from Amanda Ungaro’s archived account and show Paolo Zampolli arranging introductions among foreign officials, Donald Trump’s circle, attorneys and other influential figures. One reported email chain included aviation records associated with Jeffrey Epstein litigation, although the authors acknowledge that the reason for the attachment remains unknown and that inclusion in the correspondence does not establish criminal wrongdoing.
- Legal Volunteers Are Needed to Challenge Immigration Detention: Standards Not Force is recruiting attorneys, paralegals and a federal filing coordinator to prepare habeas corpus petitions challenging detention in ICE facilities. The campaign is specifically seeking volunteers with federal court, PACER or electronic filing experience who can help pursue release through petitions filed under federal law.
- Congress Returns for a High Stakes Week of Confirmations and Budget Battles: Hopium Chronicles urges Americans to contact Congress as lawmakers consider the nominations of Todd Blanche for attorney general and Jay Clayton for director of national intelligence. The newsletter also calls for resistance to expanded war spending, cuts to domestic programs and legislation that could restrict voting access before the November 2026 midterm elections.
Featured Resisters and Resources
- Radio Defense is an online retail and information platform focused on products and resources related to protection from radiation exposure. The site offers a range of consumer goods marketed for shielding or reducing exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF), wireless radiation, and other environmental sources. Its messaging emphasizes personal safety and preparedness, positioning its products as tools for individuals concerned about long term exposure to modern communication technologies.
- This publicly accessible spreadsheet compiles contact information for members of the United States Senate, including office phone numbers, staff contact addresses, and publicly available email or web contact portals. Instead of searching individual government websites one at a time, users can quickly locate how to contact any senator from a single organized directory.
What We Are Watching Today
- 2:00 PM EDT
House Session - 3:00 PM EDT
Veterans’ Affairs Panel Examines Execution of Disability Claims - 3:00 PM EDT
Senate Session - House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization | 3:00 PM Local Time | Meeting Details
- House Committee on Rules | 4:00 PM Local Time | Meeting Details
- President Trump Participates in Freedom 250 Grand Prix Showcase
Today’s Call to Action
1. Read Today’s Resistance Survival Guides
2. Sign these Petitions and Send These Pre Written Letters
- Please add your name my petition: It’s long past time to elect the president by national popular vote. If Democrats win control of enough states after the 2026 to make this possible–and they are closer than you might think=–they need to follow through.
- Sign and send a quick, clear message to your U.S. senators: Reject Todd Blanche for Attorney General.
- Sign and send a petition your members of Congress: Reject all cuts to Social Security. Protect and expand our earned benefits by removing the income cap on Social Security taxes.
- Please sign and send a petition to your member of the House of Representatives urging them to support, and pass, the House resolution to protect voting rights and multiracial democracy.
- Please sign and send a message to your members of Congress urging them to reject any farm bill that fails to reverse the cuts to food stamps that have happened during the Trump administration.
- Please sign my petition if you agree: When Democrats take power in Congress, one of their first orders of business should be investigating and exposing Trump administration weaponization of the government against Donald Trump’s perceived political enemies. I will submit your signature to Democratic leaders after the midterms.
- Please sign up to volunteer as a poll worker where you live with Power the Polls. Help protect democracy in your neighborhood!
- Sign now: Hold House Republicans accountable
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
- What’s the Plan with Leah and Ezra takes place Thursday, July 16, 2026, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Join Indivisible founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin for a discussion of the week’s biggest political developments and practical strategies for taking action.
- Immigrant Justice Summer Call: Connecting With Immigrant Justice Organizations takes place Thursday, July 23, 2026, from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. Eastern. This national training will teach participants how to identify immigrant led organizations, map local defense networks and build safer community responses to ICE enforcement.
- Hands Off Our Vote takes place Thursday, July 30, 2026, from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Participants will learn how Indivisible plans to protect voting access, help eligible voters cast ballots and ensure every lawful ballot is counted during the 2026 elections.
6. Contact Your Lawmakers Directly
- Call Script One: Reject Todd Blanche for Attorney General
- Hello, my name is [NAME], and I am a constituent from [CITY AND ZIP CODE]. I am calling to urge Senator [NAME] to oppose Todd Blanche’s confirmation as United States attorney general. Blanche’s confirmation hearings are scheduled for July 15 and July 16. His previous service as Donald Trump’s personal criminal defense lawyer, his conduct as acting attorney general and the Justice Department’s failure to answer congressional oversight requests raise serious questions about whether he can represent the American people rather than the president personally. Please vote no on Todd Blanche’s confirmation and publicly demand an attorney general who will protect the rule of law, respect congressional oversight and maintain the Justice Department’s independence. Please tell me what position the senator will take.
- Call Script Two: Demand Independent Investigations Into ICE Shootings
- Hello, my name is [NAME], and I am a constituent from [CITY AND ZIP CODE]. I am calling because two fatal shootings involving ICE have occurred in less than one week, including incidents in Houston, Texas, and Biddeford, Maine. I am asking Senator or Representative [NAME] to demand independent investigations, preservation of all video and communications, public release of available body camera footage and congressional hearings into ICE use of force. Congress should not approve additional immigration enforcement funding without enforceable transparency rules, independent review of fatal incidents and meaningful consequences when federal agents violate policy or the law. Please tell me what action the lawmaker will take.
- Call Script Three: Protect Journalists From Government Intimidation
- Hello, my name is [NAME], and I am a constituent from [CITY AND ZIP CODE]. I am calling to demand immediate congressional action following federal subpoenas issued to New York Times journalists who reported on security concerns involving the new Air Force One aircraft. Investigating reporters and attempting to expose confidential sources can intimidate journalists, discourage whistleblowers and prevent the public from learning about government misconduct or national security failures. Please demand hearings into the subpoenas, support stronger federal protections for journalists and confidential sources and oppose any Justice Department or intelligence nominee who refuses to respect press freedom. Please provide a written response explaining the lawmaker’s position.
Let’s Roll!
Taken together, these stories show that the struggle over American democracy is no longer confined to elections. It is unfolding through grand jury subpoenas, immigration raids, federal court assignments, government websites, regulatory documents, diplomatic networks and congressional confirmation hearings. Independent reporting remains essential because the most consequential exercises of power are often hidden inside technical procedures, obscure filings and decisions made far from public view.
