This Week in Democracy – Week 48: From Swastikas to Sexual Predators
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Wag the Dog
15 min read
The article directly references 'Wag the dog' as a concept for understanding Trump's actions around the Epstein files release. This 1997 film about fabricating a war to distract from a presidential scandal provides essential context for the political strategy being alleged.
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Trump fake electors plot
10 min read
The article mentions Wisconsin Trump aides facing trial for their role in presenting fake Republican electors. Understanding the broader fake electors scheme across multiple states provides crucial context for this ongoing legal case.
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Christian nationalism
12 min read
The article mentions a flag 'linked to Christian nationalism' at the Education Department raising church-state separation concerns. Understanding this movement's ideology and symbols provides important context for current political dynamics.
On the one hand, it’s hard not to look at the many harmful things Donald Trump and his cronies did this week in the context of Friday’s deadline for his administration to release the Epstein files. He escalated tensions with Venezuela; his angry primetime address reeked of not only lies but pure desperation; and the “renaming” of the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center was just embarrassing. Heard of the saying, ‘Wag the dog’?!
On the other hand, it was, after all, another pretty standard – and troubling – week for the US under Trump 2.0. Trump lied, made racist edicts, challenged laws, and attacked press freedom. Republicans ensured millions of Americans would go into the new year with astronomically higher health insurance premiums. And while the DOJ did release thousands of Epstein documents, as Zeteo’s political team noted, in not releasing all the files, Trump is continuing his Epstein cover-up.
From moving to ban gender-affirming care for minors to dramatically increasing efforts to strip citizenship of naturalized Americans to filing a ridiculous $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC, here’s what Trump and his allies did this week to harm democracy, hurt Americans and free societies worldwide, and undermine the Constitution:
Saturday, December 13
A gunman killed two people and injured nine others in a mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. On Truth Social, Trump falsely claimed that the alleged shooter was in custody, which he walked back in a subsequent post less than 20 minutes later.
The Washington Post reported that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is expected to eliminate up to 35,000 unfilled healthcare positions, including doctors and nurses. The eliminated positions come after the VA already lost nearly 30,000 employees this year.
Sunday, December 14
The Guardian reported that the White House’s task force on Gaza, which includes two former officials of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, is making detailed plans about humanitarian assistance and a postwar reconstruction of Gaza, with the contractor that won a $33 million bid to help run the notorious Florida immigration detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz reportedly having an “inside track” to secure a lucrative contract. (The company’s founder told The Guardian that they pulled out of a possible bid due to security concerns.)
In a court filing, Justice Department
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