This week the far-right Supreme Court handed Democrats a rare victory, rejecting Donald Trump’s bid to restrict mail-in voting.
asserted
Court → hand → voting
But (because there is always a but when it comes to Trump and his cronies), the ruling was “cryptic,” as some experts have put it, and the public should expect more “turbulence” around the issue into 2028.
asserted
public → be → 2028
Trump, of course, wasn’t happy and lashed out at his own picks on the Court.
asserted
Trump → lash → Court
In fact, The Donald did a lot of lashing out this week at the judicial branch.
asserted
Donald → do → branch
He threatened to tear down the Kennedy Center if he’s not allowed to put his name on it.
asserted
he → threaten → it
What a democracy we live in when the president of the United States continuously throws tantrums when he doesn’t get his way because of … the law…yet seemingly ignores the issues Americans truly care about – i.e., high gas prices due to his failing war.
asserted
Americans → live → war
Trump and his cronies found other ways to harm democracy, undermine the Constitution, and hurt free societies.
asserted
Trump → find → societies
From Laura Loomer’s latest vile comments to the Trump admin’s latest move to make climate change worse, to the president banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, here’s ‘This Week in Democracy – Week 87’:
asserted
president → make → Democracy
Saturday, Sept. 12 – Laura Loomer Posts More Vile Tweets
Conspiracy theorist, Islamophobe, and Trump ally Laura Loomer attacked CNN host Abby Phillip on Twitter, saying she “may just be the biggest lying c*** on TV,” and floating the idea of suing her, after Phillip rightly pointed out that Trump brought Loomer to the 9/11 memorial back in 2024.
uncertain
Trump → post → 2024
In another tweet, Loomer berated the family member of a 9/11 victim.
asserted
Loomer → berate → victim
Sunday, Sept. 13 – Trump Eliminates Greenhouse Gas Emission Limits on Power Plants
The New York Times reported that the Trump administration would eliminate a rule that limited greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin announced the move on Monday, along with a new proposed rule that would make it harder for future administrations to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
Monday, Sept. 14 – Russian Oligarch Helped Pay for Trump Jr.’s Wedding Expenses
ProPublica reported that Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to help pay for Donald Trump Jr.’s recent wedding, including renting a private island in the Bahamas and the fireworks show.
asserted
Kremlev → eliminate → Bahamas
It’s unclear why Kremlev, who ProPublica says is a member of Vladimir Putin’s circle, helped pay for the wedding, considering Trump Jr.’s reported net worth of roughly $300 million, but the move raised concerns among national security experts who question the motive for the financial assistance.
uncertain
who → ’ → assistance
Tuesday, Sept. 15 – ICE Lost Track of Miscarriage Data
asserted
ICE → lose → Data
The Guardian published a harrowing exposé on ICE’s record detentions of pregnant women, reporting that the agency lost count of the number of women who suffered miscarriages while in its custody.
asserted
who → publish → custody
ICE records showed there were 18 miscarriages during the first nine months of Trump’s second term, but the agency didn’t have any data past Oct. 3, 2025.
asserted
agency → show → Oct.
Women who spoke to The Guardian say they didn’t receive follow-up care after they miscarried or were hospitalized for pregnancy complications.
asserted
they → speak → complications
Wednesday, Sept. 16 – ICE Deports Political Rival of Ecuadorian President
The New York Times reported that ICE hastily deported José Serrano last month – a critic of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa – the same day immigration judges appointed by the Trump administration reversed a ruling that found he was likely to face torture if he was removed and returned to his home country.
asserted
he → deport → country
Serrano was arrested by ICE agents in Miami last year, just days after Noboa met with then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Ecuador.
asserted
Noboa → arrest → Ecuador
Meanwhile, Mother Jones reported that the Trump administration deported a dozen Somali men to the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay last month after telling them they were being returned to Somalia.
asserted
they → report → Somalia
Several of the men had applied for asylum and secured work authorizations, and at least one had filed a habeas corpus petition.
asserted
one → apply → petition
Thursday, Sept. 17 – Virginia AG Warns DHS It May Have Broken Several State Laws
Virginia’s attorney general sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security warning that DHS may have broken multiple state laws during a wide-ranging investigation into so-called voter fraud, and demanded the probe end immediately.
uncertain
probe → warn → fraud
The letter comes days after a whistleblower revealed that some DHS agents used personally identifiable information, such as birth dates and partial Social Security numbers, to pose as voters on state websites to access their voting records.
asserted
agents → come → records
Friday, Sept. 18 – Trump Bans CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House
Trump said on Truth Social that “effective immediately” he is banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House over their negative media coverage of him, a clear violation of the First Amendment.
asserted
he → ban → Amendment
He warned he could soon ban other news organizations as well.
uncertain
he → warn → organizations
Did you miss previous weeks of ‘This Week in Democracy’?
asserted
you → miss → Democracy
The Aporia
