Capture lane

Democratic Backsliding

The Democratic Backsliding capture lane traces 74 verified events documenting this mechanism of institutional capture.

74 events From Sep 18, 2025 To Apr 14, 2026 Open in filter view →
Top 10 actors in this lane 10 actors · 1142–2026
Top actors in Democratic Backsliding114511501155116011651170117511801185119011951200120512101215122012251230123512401245125012551260126512701275128012851290129513001305131013151320132513301335134013451350135513601365137013751380138513901395140014051410141514201425143014351440144514501455146014651470147514801485149014951500150515101515152015251530153515401545155015551560156515701575158015851590159516001605161016151620162516301635164016451650165516601665167016751680168516901695170017051710171517201725173017351740174517501755176017651770177517801785179017951800180518101815182018251830183518401845185018551860186518701875188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025WatergateReaganIran-Contra9/11Citizens UnitedTrump 1.0Trump 2.0Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)136 eventsDonald Trump1373 eventsDHS (Department of Homeland Security)64 eventsDepartment of Justice321 eventsKristi Noem92 eventsU.S. Supreme Court150 eventsAmerican Civil Liberties UnionPam Bondi161 eventsImmigration and Naturalization ServiceJ. Edgar Hoover
Capture lanecorruptiondemocraticexecutivefinancialintelligencejudiciallaborlegislativemediamilitaryotherregulatory Status confirmed alleged disputed
DateEventLanesStatus
2026-04-14VP Vance Rebukes Pope Leo XIV on Theology at Turning Point USA, USCCB Issues Corrective: Captured-Catholic-Tradition Operational Confrontation 10 src
JD Vance · Pope Leo XIV · Bishop James Massa · Tom Homan · +3
confirmed
2026-04-12Orbán Concedes Defeat After 16 Years, Ending Authoritarian Rule Despite Last-Minute Vance Campaign Visit 4 src
Viktor Orbán · Péter Magyar · JD Vance · Donald Trump · +2
confirmed
2026-04-12Trump Orders US Navy to Blockade Strait of Hormuz After 21-Hour Iran Peace Talks Collapse 4 src
Donald Trump · JD Vance · Jared Kushner · Steve Witkoff · +1
confirmed
2026-04-07US and Iran Agree to Two-Week Ceasefire After Trump Threatens to Destroy Iranian Civilization 3 src
Donald Trump · Iran · Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
confirmed
2026-04-07VP Vance Campaigns for Orbán in Budapest Days Before Hungary Election, Securing $1.2B in Hungarian Arms and Oil Purchases 4 src
JD Vance · Viktor Orbán · Péter Magyar · Donald Trump · +1
confirmed
2026-04-0323 States Sue Trump Over Mail Voting Executive Order as Democratic AGs File 100th Lawsuit Against Administration 3 src
Keith Ellison · Letitia James · Dan Rayfield · Democratic Attorneys General Association · +2
confirmed
2026-03-31Trump Issues Executive Order Directing USPS to Refuse Delivery of Mail Ballots to Non-Approved Voters 3 src
Donald Trump · U.S. Postal Service
confirmed
2026-03-23Federal Judge Reverses Takedown Order, Rules DOGE Deposition Videos Can Stay Online 3 src
federal court · Department of Government Efficiency · Nate Cavanaugh · Justin Fox
confirmed
2026-03-22Iran War Civilian Toll Mounts — 3,114+ Dead Including 1,354 Civilians, 210+ Children, 3.2M Displaced 4 src
Human Rights Activists News Agency · United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees · Refugees International
confirmed
2026-03-20DOJ Sues Harvard Alleging Antisemitism, Seeks to Recover Billions in Federal Subsidies 4 src
DOJ Civil Rights Division · Harvard University
confirmed
2026-03-19Comey Subpoenaed in DOJ 'Grand Conspiracy' Probe Targeting Obama-Era Intelligence Officials 3 src
James Comey · Jason A. Reding Quinones · Judge Aileen Cannon · John Brennan · +1
confirmed
2026-03-19Freedom House Reports U.S. at Lowest Score Ever, Net Decline of 12 Points Since 2005 3 src
Freedom House
confirmed
2026-03-18Democrats Walk Out of Bondi-Blanche Epstein Briefing After Comer Vulgar Remark 4 src
Pam Bondi · Todd Blanche · Rep. James Comer · Rep. Robert Garcia · +1
confirmed
2026-03-18DNI Gabbard Admits Iran Was 'Not Rebuilding Enrichment' Before War — Omits Finding from Oral Testimony 6 src
Tulsi Gabbard · John Ratcliffe · Kash Patel · Sen. Mark Warner · +1
confirmed
2026-03-18V-Dem Downgrades U.S. from Liberal Democracy to Electoral Democracy in Historic Report 3 src
V-Dem Institute · University of Gothenburg
confirmed
2026-03-17ICE Charter Flights Deport Approximately 15 Ukrainians to Poland-Ukraine Border via Shannon, Ireland 4 src
Journey Aviation · U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement · Human Rights First
confirmed
2026-03-17Rep. Summer Lee Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against Attorney General Pam Bondi 3 src
Rep. Summer Lee · Pam Bondi · Rep. Rashida Tlaib
confirmed
2026-03-16Amnesty International Declares Minab Girls' School Strike a Potential War Crime — 168+ Killed Including 100+ Children 3 src
Amnesty International · U.S. Central Command · Pentagon
confirmed
2026-03-15House Democrats Launch Investigation Into DOJ Retaliatory Prosecution of NY AG Letitia James 3 src
Rep. Jamie Raskin · Rep. Ted Lieu · Rep. Jerrold Nadler · Rep. Dan Goldman · +3
confirmed
2026-03-15Illinois and New York State Bar Associations File Formal Opposition to DOJ Ethics Shield Rule 4 src
Illinois State Bar Association · New York State Bar Association · Pam Bondi
confirmed
2026-03-13Judge Orders Plaintiffs to Remove Viral DOGE Deposition Videos from YouTube 3 src
Judge Colleen McMahon · Nate Cavanaugh · Justin Fox · Department of Government Efficiency
confirmed
2026-03-03OpenAI Revises Pentagon Deal After Surveillance Loophole Backlash, Critics Remain Unconvinced 6 src
Sam Altman · OpenAI · U.S. Department of Defense · Katrina Mulligan
confirmed
2026-03-02Texas School Prayer Law SB 11 Deadline Passes; Most Districts Decline to Adopt Daily Prayer Periods 3 src
Texas Legislature · Greg Abbott · Texas school districts · ACLU of Texas · +1
confirmed
2026-02-27Trump Blacklists Anthropic, Designates AI Company a Supply Chain Risk to National Security 6 src
Donald Trump · Pete Hegseth · Dario Amodei · Anthropic · +1
confirmed
2026-02-27US Catholic Bishops Call Trump Birthright Citizenship Order "Affront to Catholic Teaching," File SCOTUS Brief 3 src
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops · Donald Trump · U.S. Supreme Court · Bishop Brendan Cahill
confirmed
2026-02-26Anthropic Formally Rejects Pentagon Ultimatum, Amodei Holds Red Lines on AI Safety 5 src
Dario Amodei · Anthropic · Pete Hegseth · U.S. Department of Defense
confirmed
2026-02-26Chief Judge Schiltz Threatens Criminal Contempt Against ICE After 96 Court Order Violations 4 src
Patrick Schiltz · Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) · Todd Lyons · Daniel Rosen · +1
confirmed
2026-02-26Hillary Clinton Gives Epstein Deposition as Boebert Leaks Classified Photo, Democrats Warn Trump Will Be Next 5 src
Hillary Clinton · James Comer · Robert Garcia · Lauren Boebert · +1
confirmed
2026-02-25Bipartisan House Oversight Investigation Launched into DOJ Withholding of Trump-Related Epstein Files 3 src
James Comer · Robert Garcia · Pam Bondi · Department of Justice · +1
confirmed
2026-02-25Bloomberg Op-Ed Documents White Christian Nationalism Driving US Foreign Policy 3 src
Donald Trump · Pete Hegseth · Bloomberg Opinion
confirmed
2026-02-25Hegseth Appeals Ruling Protecting Sen. Kelly Military Rank, Calls Video "Sedition" 4 src
Pete Hegseth · Mark Kelly · Richard Leon · U.S. Department of Defense
confirmed
2026-02-25Judge Murphy Rules Third-Country Deportation Policy Unlawful, Documents Torture Convention Violations 4 src
Brian Murphy · DHS (Department of Homeland Security) · Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
confirmed
2026-02-25Senate Fails Second DHS Funding Vote 50-45, Shutdown Continues as Congress Leaves for Recess 3 src
Chuck Schumer · Kristi Noem · United States Senate
confirmed
2026-02-24Former ICE Attorney Testifies Agency Trains Cadets to Violate Constitution 2 src
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) · United States Congress
confirmed
2026-02-24France Bars U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner from Accessing Senior Government Officials 3 src
France · Charles Kushner · Donald Trump
confirmed
2026-02-24Hegseth Threatens Anthropic with Defense Production Act Over Military AI Access 5 src
Pete Hegseth · Dario Amodei · Anthropic · U.S. Department of Defense
confirmed
2026-02-24Judge Bryan Holds Federal Government in Contempt for ICE Transfer Violations 3 src
Jeffrey Bryan · Daniel Rosen · Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
confirmed
2026-02-24More Than a Dozen States Sue Over CDC Childhood Vaccine Recommendation Rollback 3 src
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
confirmed
2026-02-24NPR Investigation Reveals DOJ Secretly Withheld Epstein Files Containing Abuse Accusations Against Trump 5 src
Pam Bondi · Todd Blanche · Department of Justice · Robert Garcia · +2
confirmed
2026-02-24Trump Declares Christian Religious Revival in State of the Union, Frames Nation as God's Chosen Instrument 4 src
Donald Trump · Charlie Kirk · Melissa Deckman · Paul Raushenbush
confirmed
2026-02-24Trump Moves Education Department Programs to HHS and State Without Congressional Approval 3 src
U.S. Department of Education · HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) · Department of State · Donald Trump
confirmed
2026-02-23Judge Cannon Permanently Blocks Jack Smith Classified Documents Report 3 src
Aileen Cannon · Jack Smith · Department of Justice
confirmed
2026-02-23Operation Metro Surge Final Data: Only 578 Arrests Documented of 4,000 Claimed 5 src
Tom Homan · Kristi Noem · Tim Walz · Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) · +1
confirmed
2026-02-22DHS Shutdown Emergency Measures: 63,000 TSA Agents Working Without Pay 3 src
Kristi Noem · DHS (Department of Homeland Security) · TSA · Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) · +1
confirmed
2026-02-22DHS Shutdown Furloughs 50%+ of Cybersecurity Agency Workforce 3 src
CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) · DHS (Department of Homeland Security)
confirmed
2026-02-22Noem and Lewandowski Secretly Devise TSA PreCheck Suspension, White House Reverses Within Hours 4 src
Kristi Noem · Corey Lewandowski · DHS (Department of Homeland Security) · TSA
confirmed
2026-02-21Post-SCOTUS Tariff Pivot: Trump Invokes Section 122 Global Tariff and Launches Section 301 Investigations as Legal Workaround 7 src
Donald Trump · Scott Bessent · Jamieson Greer · U.S. Office of the U.S. Trade Representative · +2
confirmed
2026-02-21Trump Invokes Section 122 to Impose New Tariffs Within 24 Hours of Supreme Court Ruling 4 src
Donald Trump · Scott Bessent · Department of the Treasury
confirmed
2026-02-20CIA Director Ratcliffe Orders Retraction of 19 Intelligence Products 3 src
John Ratcliffe · Central Intelligence Agency
confirmed
2026-02-20FCC Chair Urges Broadcasters to Air 'Pro-America' Patriotic Content 3 src
Brendan Carr · Federal Communications Commission
confirmed
2026-02-20Federal Judge Blocks DOJ from Searching Washington Post Reporter's Seized Devices, Cites Cannot Trust Government 4 src
William B. Porter · Pam Bondi · Department of Justice · Hannah Natanson · +1
confirmed
2026-02-20Justice Department Fires Judge-Appointed Virginia U.S. Attorney 3 src
Department of Justice · James W. Hundley
confirmed
2026-02-20Supreme Court Strikes Down IEEPA Tariffs 6-3 in Historic Limitation on Executive Trade Authority 4 src
John Roberts · United States Supreme Court · Donald Trump
confirmed
2026-02-20Trump Demands Netflix Remove Susan Rice from Board During Merger Review 3 src
Donald Trump · Netflix · Susan Rice
confirmed
2026-02-20US Sanctions Three RSF Commanders for Darfur Atrocities, Critics Call Response Performative 3 src
Scott Bessent · Department of the Treasury · Rapid Support Forces
confirmed
2026-02-19FCC Chair Confirms Investigation of ABC Over Equal-Time Violations on The View 3 src
Brendan Carr · Federal Communications Commission · ABC
confirmed
2026-02-19HUD Proposes Barring Families with Undocumented Members from Subsidized Housing 3 src
HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) · Donald Trump
confirmed
2026-02-19Venezuela Amnesty Law Passes: Government Claims 3,200 Released, Foro Penal Verifies Only 540 5 src
Delcy Rodriguez · Jorge Rodriguez · Foro Penal
confirmed
2026-02-18400 Christian Leaders Issue Ash Wednesday Letter Condemning Trump Administration as "Cruel and Oppressive," Calling White Christian Nationalism a Heresy 3 src
Cardinal Blase Cupich · Interfaith clergy coalition · Trump Administration · Pete Hegseth
confirmed
2026-02-18Hegseth Invites Christian Nationalist Pastor to Lead Pentagon Worship 3 src
Pete Hegseth · Doug Wilson · U.S. Department of Defense
confirmed
2026-02-18Native Americans Detained by ICE During Minneapolis Operations Without Records 3 src
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) · Oglala Sioux Tribe
confirmed
2026-02-17DOJ Faces Legal Complaint After FBI Raided Washington Post Reporter's Home Without Disclosing Press Protections 4 src
Pam Bondi · Department of Justice · Federal Bureau of Investigation · Hannah Natanson · +2
confirmed
2026-02-17DOJ Obtained Voter Files Covering 37 Million Voters via Secret Agreements 3 src
Department of Justice · Donald Trump
confirmed
2026-02-17Hegseth Orders Firing of Army Public Affairs Chief in Continuing Milley-Era Purge 2 src
Pete Hegseth · Dan Driscoll · Dave Butler · Mark Milley · +1
confirmed
2026-02-17ICE 287(g) Agreements with Local Police Explode to 1,400+ 3 src
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) · Donald Trump
confirmed
2026-02-17Maryland Governor Signs Emergency Ban on State-Local ICE Partnerships 3 src
Wes Moore · Maryland General Assembly
confirmed
2026-02-13ACLU Files Amended Tincher v. Noem Complaint with 80+ Declarations of ICE First Amendment Retaliation 2 src
American Civil Liberties Union · NewsGuild-CWA · Status Coup News · Kristi Noem · +1
confirmed
2026-02-11Pattern of Grand Jury Resistance to DOJ Political Prosecutions Emerges Across Multiple Districts 5 src
Jeanine Pirro · Department of Justice · Pam Bondi · Mark Kelly · +5
confirmed
2026-02-09Multifaith Coalition Sues Trump's Religious Liberty Commission for Excluding Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Non-Christians 3 src
Interfaith Alliance · Muslims for Progressive Values · Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund · Hindus for Human Rights · +8
confirmed
2026-02-05Hegseth Declares America a "Christian Nation" at National Prayer Breakfast; Says Soldiers Gain Salvation by Dying for It 3 src
Pete Hegseth · Donald Trump · U.S. Department of Defense · National Prayer Breakfast
confirmed
2026-02-05Trump Education Department Issues Guidance Allowing Teachers to Pray Visibly With Students During School Day 3 src
Linda McMahon · U.S. Department of Education · Trump Administration
confirmed
2026-02-04Speaker Johnson Leads Family Research Council's National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance; Characterizes LGBTQ Rights and Environmentalism as "Sins" 3 src
Mike Johnson · Steve Scalise · Tony Perkins · Family Research Council · +1
confirmed
2025-12-18DOJ's Secret "Confidential MOUs" for Voter Purges Exposed by States and Journalists 4 src
Department of Justice · Colorado Secretary of State · Wisconsin · Texas · +4
confirmed
2025-09-18Analysis Reveals Proposed FY2026 Budget Would Cut CDC by 53%, Eliminate 61+ Programs 5 src
Trust for America's Health (TFAH) · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · Department of Health and Human Services · Robert F. Kennedy Jr. · +1
confirmed