The Drift Watch

The Drift Timeline

Documented evidence of democratic erosion — as it happens.

April 16, 2025 High Impact

State Department Shutters Foreign Disinformation Watchdog

On April 16, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally announced the closure of the State Department’s Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI) office — previously known...

Media & Truth Escalating
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April 17, 2025 High Impact

Trump Administration Executes Mass Layoffs at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

On April 17, 2025, the Trump administration carried out a massive workforce reduction at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), terminating over 1,400 employees — nearly 90% of the agency. T...

Law Enforcement & Justice Escalating
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April 13, 2025 High Impact

Federal and State Push to Criminalize Protest Activity

In the first three months of 2025, at least 41 anti-protest bills were introduced across 22 U.S. states, with 32 of those introduced after President Trump’s inauguration. These bills primarily target...

Law Enforcement & Justice First Breach
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April 11, 2025 Moderate Impact

Trump Administration Targets Accreditation Agencies to Reshape Higher Education

The Trump administration is moving to overhaul how colleges and universities are accredited in the United States. Accreditation — a peer-reviewed process that determines which institutions qualify for...

Media & Truth First Breach
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April 11, 2025 Moderate Impact

Trump Administration Pressures Law Firms to Support Its Agenda in Exchange for Legal Exemptions

The Trump administration struck private deals with five major law firms. In these agreements, the law firms promised to provide free legal help on lawsuits that support the administration’s goals — li...

Federal Workforce Escalating
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April 10, 2025 High Impact

Court Greenlights Mandatory Federal Registration of Undocumented Immigrants

A federal district court ruled that the Trump administration may begin enforcing a previously dormant provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act, requiring all undocumented immigrants aged 14 an...

Law Enforcement & Justice Escalating
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April 9, 2025 High Impact

House Passes Bill to Limit Nationwide Injunctions by Federal Judges

On April 9, 2025, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill restricting federal district judges from issuing nationwide injunctions — court orders that apply across the entire c...

Judiciary
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April 7, 2025 High Impact

Supreme Court Allows Use of 1798 Law for Deportations with Limitations

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5–4 in favor of the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan nationals allegedly connected to gangs. The Court upheld the executive...

Law Enforcement & Justice
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April 2, 2025 High Impact

“Liberation Day” Tariffs and the Expansion of Economic Nationalism

On April 2, 2025, the Trump administration declared a sweeping new economic policy initiative dubbed “Liberation Day.” Under this plan, the U.S. government announced broad new tariffs on imports from...

Foreign Policy
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