Welcome to Wednesday, where the president wants more control over mail ballots, private intelligence companies are building dossiers on Americans who criticize AI data centers, nearly a billion dollars has reportedly been assembled for White House construction, and ICE is detaining relatives of people serving in the United States military. Meanwhile, a federal judge just reminded the administration that elections have laws, Flock cameras continue turning suburban intersections into a bargain basement panopticon, and Russian state media has developed an uncomfortable enthusiasm for our FBI director. Pour something strong into the coffee. The republic has apparently enabled experimental mode.
Key Takeaways
Trump Wants Prosecutors to Revive a Case They Said They Could Not Prove
Trump is pressuring his Justice Department to reconsider charges against former Olympian David Hearn after prosecutors concluded they could not prove he vandalized the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Apparently reasonable doubt is now just the irritating period between presidential tantrums.
Private Intelligence Firms Are Selling Dossiers on AI Critics
Private intelligence companies are reportedly compiling dossiers on activists opposing AI data centers and marketing reports that describe ordinary environmental, economic, and community opposition using counterterrorism language. Congratulations to everyone worried about their electric bill because apparently you have been promoted to national security threat.
Trump’s White House Makeover Could Approach $1 Billion
Documents reviewed in reporting cited by Defiance indicate the administration assembled funding for at least $927 million in White House construction, including hundreds of millions transferred from other government accounts. Nothing says fiscal responsibility like raiding the Secret Service couch cushions because the ballroom needs another chandelier.
Newly Obtained FBI Records Reveal an Investigation Into Curaleaf
FBI records obtained through FOIA show that federal investigators examined Curaleaf in connection with money laundering and public corruption investigations involving two grand juries, both of which ended without charges. The records also raise questions about financing connected to sanctioned Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, which is exactly why old FBI files occasionally develop very sharp teeth.
Iranian Backed Militias May Face New Pressure Inside Iraq
The Critical Threats Project reports indicators that Iraq’s federal government may be considering a significant crackdown on Iranian backed militias as regional tensions continue shifting. Nobody should confuse indicators with certainty, but Tehran’s regional network is clearly having a considerably less relaxing summer than planned.
Flock’s Nationwide Surveillance Network Is Facing a Backlash
Flock Safety has built a searchable network of more than 120,000 license plate cameras used by thousands of agencies, while roughly eighty communities have reportedly canceled or rejected the technology amid privacy concerns. America accidentally built a national vehicle tracking system one sleepy city council meeting at a time, which feels extremely on brand.
Trump Is Entertaining Ideas for Expanding Presidential Control Over Elections
Thom Hartmann highlights Trump’s response after right wing commentator Wayne Allyn Root suggested declaring a national security emergency to impose voter identification requirements and restrict mail ballots without Congress. Trump did not announce such a plan, but responded that “stranger things have happened,” which is not particularly soothing when the subject is federal control of elections.
Wisconsin and Minnesota Voters Delivered Some Interesting Primary Results
Wisconsin Democrats selected David Crowley for governor while Minnesota Republicans rejected Trump backed Mike Lindell, and Peggy Flanagan advanced in Minnesota’s Senate contest. Apparently endorsements are not magical spells after all.
Hackers Are Testing Small Town Water Systems
Federal agencies warn that cyberattacks can disrupt water treatment controls while small utilities often lack the staff and money necessary to defend themselves, even though recent incidents discussed in the reporting did not contaminate drinking water. America’s cybersecurity plan cannot continue being “hope the town’s IT guy isn’t on vacation.”
America’s Manufacturing Story Is More Complicated Than Trump Says
Home of the Brave argues that American manufacturing output and productivity remain extraordinarily strong even as employment has changed, while tariffs can increase costs for manufacturers dependent on global supply chains. Turns out factories require imported parts, not campaign speeches yelling “China” into a microphone.
New FBI Documents Revive Questions About the Trump Russia Counterintelligence Investigation
Newly declassified records describe a 2017 FBI counterintelligence investigation intended to determine whether Trump was knowingly or unknowingly involved in activity benefiting Russia, but the investigation did not establish that Trump was a Russian agent. The unresolved questions are serious enough without upgrading suspicion into proof the documents do not provide.
Darline Graham Was Forced Into a South Carolina Senate Runoff
Trump endorsed Senator Darline Graham finished first in South Carolina’s Republican special Senate primary but failed to reach 50 percent, forcing an August 25 runoff against Representative Ralph Norman. Apparently inheriting a Senate seat and receiving Trump’s blessing still does not come with complimentary majority support.
A Federal Judge Blocked Trump’s Mail Voting Restrictions
Judge Indira Talwani issued a nationwide order preventing the Postal Service from implementing portions of Trump’s executive order aimed at changing mail ballot rules before the midterms, finding that protecting enfranchisement outweighed the executive’s attempt to intrude on election administration. The Constitution has once again asked the president to please stop touching things.
Russian State Media Has Developed a Fascination With Kash Patel
Weaponized reports that Russian state media published more than a dozen stories in three weeks about FBI Director Kash Patel, his planned Moscow visit, and increased FBI cooperation with Russian security services. Being celebrated by Kremlin propaganda is not proof of wrongdoing, but it is generally not the Yelp review an FBI director should be framing.
Congress Wants Answers About ICE Detaining Military Families
More than sixty Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers after reports that at least fifty spouses and parents of active duty service members were detained and six deported. Apparently “support our troops” now comes with an asterisk reading “family members sold separately.”
Closing Thoughts
Today’s stories keep returning to the same ugly little question: who gets watched, who gets protected, and who gets to operate without anyone looking too closely?
Private intelligence firms can build dossiers on activists. Police departments can assemble nationwide records of where cars travel. Hackers can probe small town water systems. Immigration agents can detain military families. A president can test the boundaries of election administration while nearly a billion dollars reportedly moves toward reshaping the house he temporarily occupies.
But there is another part of today’s news.
Judges are still issuing orders. Journalists are obtaining documents. FOIA requests are exposing old investigations. Communities are canceling surveillance contracts. Voters are showing up and occasionally telling heavily promoted candidates to go fuck themselves.
That is the part worth remembering.
Authoritarian power depends on making resistance feel pointless before resistance actually becomes pointless.
So read the records. Watch the courts. Protect the vote. Attend the boring city council meeting where somebody wants to install thirty innocent little cameras. And never underestimate the democratic power of becoming the most irritating person in the room with a public records request.
Claws out. Receipts ready.
Featured Resisters and Resources
- Show the card. Stay silent. Know your rights.: These pocket-sized “Red Cards” help immigrants assert their legal rights during ICE interactions. Available in multiple languages, they’re a powerful tool for resisting unlawful detention and deportation—because silence can be protection.
- We Ain’t Buying It is a badass boycott tracker exposing which brands are funding fascism, backing bigotry, or just being shady AF. Because spending your money is political—and these companies aren’t getting a dime.
What We Are Watching Today
Today’s Call to Action
1. Read Today’s Resistance Survival Guides
2. Sign these Petitions and Send These Pre Written Letters
- Don’t Let Trump Bulldoze Big Bend National Park
- Protect our elections. Sign the petition.
- Tell Congress: Stop ICE’s mass DNA database
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
- Ground Truth Virtual Phone Bank Wednesday, August 12, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. ET. Training and support are provided for new callers.
- 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.
- This Thursday, August 13th at 8pm ET, we are launching the full Labor Day plan: Solidarity Schools to skill up and build the movement we need for what is coming.
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
