Trump Tyranny Tracker: Day 375
January 29, 2026
📆 Trump Tyranny Tracker: January 29
Welcome to today’s Trump Tyranny Tracker, where I’m breaking down the key news from the day alongside ongoing developments as Trump and his regime move swiftly to consolidate power, undermine democracy, and dismantle civil rights and freedoms.
🔥 In Corruption News
Rolex and Gold Given to Trump Before Swiss Deal Queried by Senator
What Happened: Senator Ron Wyden is demanding answers after it emerged that Trump accepted a Rolex table clock and a one-kilogram gold bar from Swiss businessmen shortly before cutting U.S. tariffs on Switzerland by more than half. The gifts, valued at over $170,000, were labeled as donations to Trump’s presidential library and presented days before the tariff decision.
Why It Matters: Trump received luxury gifts and then reversed U.S. trade policy to benefit the donors. More naked corruption, as foreign money buys U.S. policy outcomes. Laundering the bribe through a presidential library doesn’t hide the crime and shows how openly Trump treats public office as a tool for personal enrichment.
Source: BloombergTrump sues IRS and Treasury for $10 billion over leaked tax info
What Happened: Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department, accusing the agencies of failing to prevent the leak of his tax records between 2018 and 2020. The suit follows the conviction of a former IRS contractor who shared tax data with journalists and coincides with the Treasury cutting contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton.
Why It Matters: Trump is using the lawsuit to punish oversight and silence scrutiny. Suing the federal government while in office turns the courts into a weapon—intimidating regulators, chilling whistleblowers, and shielding his finances from accountability.
Source: Associated Press🛡️ In Power Consolidation News
Trump Admin's Plans for $500 Million USIP Building May Violate Court Order, Say Former Workers
What Happened: Former leaders of the U.S. Institute of Peace accuse Trump officials of violating a court-issued stay by altering and leasing USIP’s $500 million Washington, D.C., building while litigation is ongoing. A letter to the DOJ alleges the State Department has signed a ten-year agreement to occupy the building—potentially to house Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace”—despite a prior ruling that the takeover of USIP was unlawful.
Why It Matters: Trump officials are accused of moving forward with control of an independent institution despite a court order blocking the takeover. Acting while litigation is ongoing weakens judicial authority and underscores executive overreach and disregard for the rule of law.
Source: WIREDJustice Dept. Playbook in Minnesota: Investigate Foes, Protect Allies
What Happened: The Justice Department blocked civil rights investigations into the murder of Renee Good and Alex Pretti while redirecting prosecutors and the FBI to investigate protesters, journalists, and Democratic officials in Minnesota. DOJ leadership scrapped use-of-force inquiries, pressured career prosecutors to drop cases, and opened probes targeting Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
Why It Matters: Federal law enforcement is being used to protect allies and pressure critics rather than apply the law evenly. When murder goes unaccountable, and prosecutions target dissent, the justice system shifts from enforcing law to enforcing loyalty—a hallmark of authoritarian rule.
Source: New York Times⚖️ In Weaponization of Institutions News
Spy Chief Tulsi Gabbard Is Hunting for 2020 Election Fraud
What Happened: DNI Tulsi Gabbard is overseeing a regime effort to “reexamine” the 2020 election Trump lost, directing intelligence resources toward claims of foreign interference that have already been debunked. She also participated in the FBI seizure of 2020 voting records in Georgia while remaining largely absent from core national security duties.
Why It Matters: Intelligence agencies are being used to chase conspiracy theories about an election that Trump lost. Turning national security tools into instruments of presidential grievance pushes the government toward politicized surveillance and abandons basic democratic reality.
Source: Wall Street JournalJAGs are becoming federal prosecutors in Minneapolis. Experts warn it’s new territory
What Happened: The Justice Department deployed dozens of active duty military lawyers as federal prosecutors in Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., and Memphis during Trump's ordered law enforcement surges. The JAG officers are handling civilian prosecutions without a military nexus while remaining under military command.
Why It Matters: The line between civilian justice and military authority is being dismantled. Placing prosecutors who answer to military command into civilian courts increases executive control over prosecutions and weakens safeguards meant to prevent political abuse.
Source: Defense OneICE Pretends It’s a Military Force. Its Tactics Would Get Real Soldiers Killed
What Happened: A WIRED analysis by an active-duty military officer warns that ICE is increasingly using combat-style gear and tactics despite being a civilian law enforcement agency. The officer links intimidation-heavy raids, poor discipline, and the misuse of military formations to civilian deaths during enforcement operations.
Why It Matters: Military tactics are being used in civilian policing. Treating cities and communities as war zones removes constitutional restraints and normalizes war tactics in immigration enforcement.
Source: WIREDJudge in Minnesota Says ICE Has Violated Nearly 100 Court Orders
What Happened: A federal judge ruled that ICE violated nearly 100 court orders in immigration cases in Minnesota in a single month, citing 96 ignored orders across 74 cases. Judge Patrick J. Schiltz warned that ICE is “not a law unto itself.”
Why It Matters: ICE is openly defying the judiciary on behalf of Trump. When enforcement agencies decide which court orders to follow, the law is replaced by power, and constitutional checks collapse.
Source: New York Times📢 In Media Suppression and Authoritarian Tactics News
Trump posts discredited conspiracy theories following seizure of 2020 ballots in Georgia
What Happened: After the FBI seized original 2020 Fulton County voting records in Georgia, Trump flooded social media with long-debunked conspiracy theories claiming foreign governments, intelligence agencies, and even Italian military satellites “rigged” the 2020 election. He framed the seizure as proof of his lies and warned that “prosecutions are coming,” despite repeated audits and court rulings affirming the election’s legitimacy.
Why It Matters: Trump is using federal law enforcement to revive election lies and pursue political retribution. Promoting conspiracies and seizing ballots serve as a test run for interfering with future elections, including the midterms.
Source: ABC NewsFlorida senators clear Palm Beach airport Trump rename for takeoff
What Happened: Florida lawmakers advanced legislation to rename Palm Beach International Airport as “Donald J. Trump International Airport,” overriding local authority and transferring naming power to the state. The proposal would require FAA approval and raises concerns about costs, security risks, trademark issues, and increased protests tied to honoring a sitting president.
Why It Matters: Trump continues using state power to brand public infrastructure with his own name. Forcing this change over local opposition mirrors dictator cult-of-personality tactics and erases the line between public governance and personal glorification.
Source: Politico🛑 In Human and Civil Rights Abuses News
Eight people have died in dealings with ICE so far in 2026. These are their stories
What Happened: At least eight people have died in 2026 after encounters with ICE, including fatal shootings by federal agents and deaths in ICE custody. The deaths include Alex Pretti and Renee Good, as well as detainees who died following medical neglect, alleged suicides, or violent restraint inside detention facilities across multiple states.
Why It Matters: At least eight people have died in ICE encounters so far in 2026, following a record 32 deaths in ICE custody in 2025. As shootings, medical neglect, and custodial deaths become routine and accountability remains rare, immigration enforcement is operating with lethal force and no oversight.
Source: The GuardianA Texas man detained by ICE was his disabled son’s sole caregiver. His son will be laid to rest without him
What Happened: ICE denied temporary release to Maher Tarabishi, a Texas man detained during a routine check-in, preventing him from caring for or saying goodbye to his severely disabled son, Wael, who died on January 23. Despite ICE policy allowing escorted release for funerals or critically ill family members, Tarabishi remains detained as his son is buried without him.
Why It Matters: Detention is being used to deliberately harm families. Blocking a sole caregiver from seeing a dying child shows immigration enforcement operating through cruelty rather than any legitimate public purpose.
Source: CNNDetainees pepper-sprayed on 2 occasions at Florida ‘Deportation Depot’ immigration detention center
What Happened: Florida officials confirmed detainees were pepper sprayed on at least two occasions at the state-run “Deportation Depot” immigration detention center since it opened last fall, including an incident on Christmas Eve. The facility is part of Florida’s expanding network of state-built detention centers, which have already drawn multiple federal lawsuits over conditions and legality.
Why It Matters: Pepper spray is being used to control detainees inside immigration facilities. As states expand detention centers at Trump’s urging, detention is functioning as punishment enforced through force, with little accountability for abuse.
Source: Associated PressTrump signals interest in easing tensions, but Minneapolis sees little change on the streets
What Happened: Despite Trump publicly claiming he wanted to ease tensions in Minneapolis after a second murder by federal immigration agents, ICE operations and clashes with protesters continued unabated. Federal officers threatened journalists with arrest, used pepper spray, smashed car windows, and carried out arrests even as judges warned ICE had violated dozens of court orders.
Why It Matters: Trump’s lies of de-escalation are contradicted by continued harassment of protesters, intimidation of journalists, and routine defiance of court orders. Federal power in Minneapolis continues to be exercised through violence and impunity.
Source: Associated PressFor Minneapolis’s Native Americans, a New Fight Echoes a Bitter History
What Happened: Native American residents in Minneapolis, including members of the Mdewakanton Dakota tribe, have been stopped, detained, and violently confronted by federal immigration agents. The arrest of artist Sophie Watso on historically significant Dakota land has become a flashpoint, with Indigenous communities describing the operation as a federal occupation.
Why It Matters: This is historical trauma repeating in real time, as Indigenous people are subjected to militarized policing on their own land. When federal power treats Native sovereignty and citizenship as expendable, it exposes how authoritarian crackdowns revive the same patterns of dispossession, violence, and erasure that defined earlier state repression.
Source: New York TimesThe Journey of a Group of Cuban Deportees Stuck at Guantánamo
What Happened: Dozens of Cuban men designated for deportation were flown to the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay and stranded for weeks because Cuba restricts direct flights from the base. Some detainees had work permits or pending asylum claims and were housed in former military and terrorism detention facilities as ICE scrambled to manage diplomatic and logistical failures.
Why It Matters: Deportation is being carried out through chaos and coercion rather than any workable process. Using Guantánamo to warehouse migrants shows enforcement driven by punishment and spectacle, with due process and basic dignity treated as expendable.
Source: New York Times📉 Government Services Disruption and Collapse Watch
Kennedy resets US autism panel with new line-up of 21 members
What Happened: RFK Jr. dismissed the federal autism advisory panel and replaced it with 21 new members, including vaccine skeptics and figures tied to discredited autism conspiracies. The panel will help steer roughly $2 billion a year in federal autism research despite objections from scientists and former advisers.
Why It Matters: Autism research is being placed under the influence of conspiracy rather than science. Replacing scientific experts with conspiracy theorists will distort research priorities, undermine medical credibility, and harm people with autism and their families.
Source: Reuters‘Shameful’: Trump’s EPA Accused of Prioritizing Big Business Over Public Health
What Happened: In Trump’s second year back in office, the EPA has pushed through at least 66 rollbacks weakening air and water pollution rules, stripping climate change from its mandate, and moving to undo the 2009 endangerment finding that enables federal climate regulation. The agency has also stopped counting public health benefits in pollution rules while continuing to account for industry compliance costs.
Why It Matters: The EPA is being stripped of its core mission. Ignoring health impacts while protecting corporate interests locks in dirtier air and water, higher death rates, and long-term climate damage.
Source: The GuardianUnions Sue FEMA Over Work Force Cuts They Say Threaten Readiness
What Happened: Unions and local governments sued FEMA to block large-scale workforce cuts, arguing they violate federal law requiring disaster response readiness. The lawsuit seeks to stop the firing of hundreds of contract workers and plans that could cut FEMA’s workforce by up to half, as disaster aid backlogs exceed $17 billion.
Why It Matters: FEMA’s capacity is being cut as disasters grow more frequent and severe. Purging staff while backlogs mount leaves states and communities exposed and undermines the federal government’s ability to respond to emergencies.
Source: New York Times🌐 Imperial and Geopolitical Watch
NATO Is Having a Military Exercise. The U.S., Its Largest Member, Won’t Be There.
What Happened: NATO launched its largest military exercise of the year, Steadfast Dart, involving about 10,000 troops from 11 countries. No U.S. troops or equipment are participating, reflecting growing uncertainty among allies about U.S. commitment under Trump.
Why It Matters: European allies are planning around the possibility that the U.S. may not show up in a crisis. The absence of American forces weakens collective deterrence and accelerates doubts about NATO’s reliability against threats like Russia.
Source: New York TimesCanada separatists accused of ‘treason’ after secret talks with US state department
What Happened: Separatist activists from Alberta secretly met with Trump officials, including State Department staff, to seek U.S. support for breaking up Canada. Canadian leaders reacted with alarm, with British Columbia’s premier calling the outreach “treason.”
Why It Matters: U.S. officials engaging with separatists in a close ally risks destabilizing Canada and encouraging foreign interference in a democratic process. It underscores a willingness to exploit internal divisions abroad for political leverage—exactly the tactic Russia uses.
Source: The GuardianTrump’s Options for Iran Strike Grow Even With Goals Unclear
What Happened: The deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has expanded Trump’s military options against Iran, despite the regime offering no clear objective. Trump has floated shifting justifications for possible action while also discussing negotiations.
Why It Matters: Trump is expanding military options without a clear plan, congressional authorization, or defined objectives. Floating regime change without strategy or oversight increases the risk of an endless war driven by impulse rather than law or policy.
Source: Bloomberg🌍 Far-Right & Russian Influence Watch
Critics aghast as White House displays framed photo of Trump with Putin
What Happened: A framed photograph of Trump standing with Putin at their Alaska summit is now displayed in the White House’s Palm Room. The image drew criticism from U.S. lawmakers and foreign officials, including leaders across Europe.
Why It Matters: Trump is openly celebrating a war criminal responsible for genocide in Ukraine. Hanging the photo in the White House signals alignment with an authoritarian aggressor and a complete abandonment of international law in favor of personal loyalty and admiration.
Source: The Guardian💵 In Trump Economic Downturn News
Amazon cuts about 16,000 corporate jobs in the latest round of layoffs
What Happened: Amazon announced roughly 16,000 corporate layoffs, its second major round of cuts in three months, citing restructuring and expanded use of generative AI despite strong profits.
Why It Matters: As Trump’s economic instability, tariff chaos, and deregulation deepen uncertainty, mass layoffs by dominant firms signal how power is shifting decisively away from labor and toward concentrated corporate control.
Source: Associated PressTrump threatens tariffs on countries selling oil to Cuba, declaring national emergency
What Happened: Trump declared a national security emergency over Cuba and threatened tariffs on any country that sells oil to the island. The order gives him broad discretion to impose trade penalties and frames Cuba as an extraordinary security threat.
Why It Matters: By invoking national emergency powers amid pending Supreme Court scrutiny, Trump is further normalizing unilateral executive control over trade, diplomacy, and sanctions.
Source: ABC News👊🏼 In Resistance News
2/17: Next National Day of Action
Check out 50501 for local and nationwide events…
Source: 50501US appeals court says Noem’s decision to end protections for Venezuelans in US was illegal
What Happened: A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that Kristi Noem acted illegally when she ended Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants, holding that she exceeded her statutory authority under immigration law.
Source: Associated PressBruce Springsteen releases anti-ICE song dedicated to Minneapolis
What Happened: Bruce Springsteen released a new song, Streets of Minneapolis, condemning ICE violence and what he called “state terror” in the city following the murder of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents. The song explicitly denounces “King Trump’s private army from the DHS,” memorializing the victims and portraying Minneapolis as a city under occupation.
Source: The GuardianDemocrats Demand Unmasked Agents, New Limits to Fund D.H.S.
What Happened: Senate Democrats demanded new conditions on DHS funding, including banning federal immigration agents from wearing masks, requiring visible identification and body cameras, ending warrantless searches and roving patrols, and mandating independent investigations into use-of-force incidents.
Source: New York TimesMinneapolis ICE watchers face violence, teargas and arrests. They keep showing up
What Happened: Community members monitoring ICE operations in Minneapolis report being assaulted, tear gassed, arrested, and detained without charges while documenting immigration raids, including incidents where agents smashed car windows and sprayed chemical irritants into vehicles. Observers, including U.S. citizens, say they were targeted for filming federal agents and held for hours despite not interfering—and continue returning to document enforcement activity.
Source: The Guardian📊 By the Numbers
2/17 — Next nationwide National Day of Action
$170,000+ — Value of gifts Trump accepted before cutting Swiss tariffs
96 — Court orders ICE ignored in Minnesota in a single month
74 — Immigration cases affected by ICE’s defiance of judges
$10 billion — Amount Trump is suing the IRS and Treasury for while in office
66 — Environmental protections rolled back by Trump’s EPA
16,000 — Amazon corporate jobs cut amid AI expansion and record profits
10,000 — NATO troops participating in Steadfast Dart without U.S. forces
32 — Deaths in ICE custody in 2025
$17 billion — FEMA disaster aid backlog as staffing cuts advance
🔎 What to Watch Next
Trump is laying the groundwork to go after Social Security and Medicare — How soon before seniors and disabled Americans feel the full impact?
ICE is violating American citizen rights — How far will the regime be allowed to go in bypassing due process and constitutional protections?
Expanded use of emergency powers for tariffs and sanctions — How far will Trump push unilateral economic control?
Further militarization and occupation — Where will active duty personnel be deployed next?
Foreign governments testing U.S. instability — Which allies or adversaries move to exploit the vacuum?
Retaliation against judges and courts — When does open defiance of the judiciary become formalized policy?
Weaponization of federal contracting and funding — Which agencies, universities, or states are targeted next?
Information control and data seizures — What public records, health data, or election materials disappear next?
💡 Key Takeaways
Trump’s Economic Warfare — His erratic tariff policies are pushing the U.S. into a recession or worse and destabilizing the economy, as prices rise and the job market weakens.
Law Enforcement Weaponized — Federal agencies shield political allies, target critics, and increasingly treat court orders and legal constraints as optional.
Institutions Hollowed — From FEMA to the EPA to DOJ, staffing, expertise, and enforcement capacity are being stripped away just as overlapping crises intensify.
Militarized Governance — Immigration enforcement is operating as a domestic security force, using raids, armed patrols, and coercion instead of civil administration.
Judicial Authority Undermined — When enforcement agencies ignore judges and delay compliance, constitutional limits lose their ability to restrain power.
Erratic Foreign Policy — Alliances are weakened, adversaries emboldened, and U.S. power reshaped around Trump’s personal interests rather than U.S. national interests.
🚨 Call to Action
Document Everything: Document purges, corruption, and power grabs. Share credible information with journalists, watchdogs, and legal experts. Silence enables authoritarianism—see something, say something.
Defend Press Freedom: Support independent journalism by subscribing to and sharing reporting that challenges Trump’s power grab.
Contact Lawmakers: Demand accountability for Trump and Musk’s unchecked power and Trump’s war on oversight.
Protest: Join local and national demonstrations against Trump’s authoritarian overreach, purges, and attacks on civil rights.
Attend Town Halls: Confront lawmakers and demand answers about government purges, deregulation, and threats to constitutional rights.
Stay Vigilant: Watch for court rulings, executive overreach, and attempts to rewrite the Constitution. Document everything.
Mobilize for Action: Organize or join legal efforts and resistance movements to protect democracy and human and civil rights.
Support Whistleblowers: Encourage legal defense funds for government workers facing retaliation for exposing corruption.
Thanks for reading the Trump Tyranny Tracker. Stay tuned for more updates.
IS TRUMP MOST CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ISSUE COMING TO LIGHT IN THE EPSTEIN FILES?
Epstein Allegedly Reached Out to the Russians to Share Information About Trump
The following is a reprint of a Substack comment that I issued in November, 2025 based upon U.K. and Russian English language reporting of Epstein files released in November. Now that an enormous quantity of additional Epstein revelations have come to light, searching these files for evidence of Trump’s possible sexual perversions may not be as important as following up on the nature and extent of information that Epstein sought to share with the Russians about Trump in or after 2018 and whether the disclosure of whatever information he eventually did share with them, if any, may have influenced Trump’s decisions and actions as President:
1. In November, 2025, 2 Russian newspapers and the Independent of the U.K. reported that in 2018, while Trump was President, Epstein wrote to former Norwegian prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland asking him to “suggest to Putin that Lavrov ( Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov) can get insight by talking to me,” and claiming that the late Russian UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin had already consulted him (Epstein) to better “understand Trump.”
2. The Epstein files further revealed the fact that a Russian female operative was blackmailing wealthy American businessmen, though no evidence has been uncovered that Trump has been implicated in this.
3. The Epstein files revealed that Epstein furnished advice on how Russia should handle Western sanctions, interest rates, and new currency ideas,
Separately, banking records and Senate summaries show that Epstein moved over a billion dollars in suspicious transactions, including wires involving Russian banks and Russian/Belarusian women tied to his trafficking network.
It would appear that Russia may have had compelling incriminating evidence that implicated Epstein in an assortment of crimes in the U.S. and Russia, which raises the prospect of whether Epstein was offering to share his knowledge about Trump, who was President at the time, with the Russians as a form of “cooperation” to extricate himself from his difficulties with Russia.
Perhaps Mr. Trump may be more concerned about these types of issues coming to light in the most recent Epstein disclosures than the sexually sordid revelations that are being disclosed about a wide assortment of people, all of which may account for his most recent harangues and volatile conduct here and abroad that have served to distract the American public from these revelations.