The authoritarian machine exists, but institutions are gumming up its works.
Chicago and DC grand juries are refusing indictments. Federal judges are blocking illegal deployments and dismissing prosecutions with sharp rebukes. Civil rights groups keep winning in court.
Meanwhile, a flailing Trump threatened to execute six Democratic lawmakers for telling troops they can refuse illegal orders. Some now have 24/7 security, but they’re standing firm. So is the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Texas governor Greg Abbott designated them a foreign terrorist organization yesterday and they sued him today. They’ve beaten Abbott three times in past suits.
When judges block illegal orders, grand juries refuse bad prosecutions, and civil rights groups sue and win, that’s our system working as it should. As we head into Thanksgiving week, talk with your friends and family about ways that you can support each other resisting. That’s the way our society survives.
Notice you’re seeing less news on social media? We track the data – you’re right. Social media networks are suppressing news stories more every day. Want to stop missing what matters? Get every brief in your inbox, 7 nights a week. Data, images, searchable archive. Free and private at govbrief.today.
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Former GOP rep aide charged with fake personal attack blamed on anti-Trump assailants with cuts and "Trump whore" written on body.
Today’s GovBrief News
Coast Guard reclassifies swastikas and nooses as "potentially divisive" rather than hate incidents, despite acting Commandant Kevin Lunday denying this weakens protections.
Source: Newsweek
November 20, 2025
Trump calls for death penalty for six Democratic lawmakers with military backgrounds after they told service members that they can refuse illegal orders.
Source: The Hill
November 20, 2025
State Department instructs embassies to classify DEI policies, abortion subsidies, and hate speech laws as human rights violations in annual global report.
Source: BBC
November 20, 2025
Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg departs in January after White House deemed him too sympathetic to Ukraine, as administration pushes peace plan requiring Ukrainian territorial concessions.
Source: Politico
November 20, 2025
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, who served nearly 30 years for giving Israel classified documents in the 1980s.
Source: Axios
November 20, 2025
White House calls South African President Cyril Ramaphosa "running his mouth" for saying US reversed G20 boycott, though US is sending ambassador for ceremonial role.
Source: Mediaite
November 20, 2025
Border Patrol's secret license plate network monitors millions of American drivers, flagging suspicious travel patterns that trigger police stops in cities over 120 miles from borders.
Source: The Associated Press
November 20, 2025
Louisiana allows government officials to sue citizens who don't remove officials' personal information from internet within 72 hours, facing 90 days in jail.
Source: The Louisiana Illuminator
November 20, 2025
Trump demands ABC fire Jimmy Kimmel after late-night host jokes about Epstein files Trump signed to release, calling comedian a "bum" with "no talent."
Source: Deadline
November 20, 2025
Federal judge rules Trump's 2,000-soldier Washington deployment illegal, saying president lacks authority to dispatch National Guard for crime deterrence despite violence claims.
Source: UPI
November 20, 2025
Federal judge dismisses last Midway Blitz case after grand juries refuse indictments in at least three prosecutions, calling charges "unusual and possibly unprecedented.
Source: The Chicago Sun-Times
November 20, 2025
Justice Department reverses itself one day after admitting full grand jury never saw final Comey indictment, now claims charges were properly approved.
Source: The Associated Press
November 20, 2025
Border Patrol arrests over 250 people in North Carolina as 250 agents prepare for New Orleans immigration crackdown, both operations led by commander Gregory Bovino.
Source: WTVD Durham NC
November 20, 2025
CFPB to furlough workforce on December 31 and transfer cases to Justice Department after Trump cuts Federal Reserve funding, latest attempt to close consumer protection bureau.
Source: Government Executive
November 20, 2025
Trump awards $10,000 to nearly 800 air traffic controllers with perfect attendance during 40-day shutdown, excluding thousands who also worked without pay.
Source: NBC News
November 20, 2025
HHS appointees change CDC website to claim vaccine-autism link is unproven, overruling agency scientists after 40 studies of 5.6 million people found no link.
Source: CBS News
November 20, 2025
Trump and Vance excluded from Dick Cheney funeral where Biden, Harris, Pence, Gore, and Quayle attended, after Cheney called Trump "greatest threat to our republic."
Source: ABC News
November 20, 2025
White House defends Trump calling reporter "piggy" for asking about Epstein as "frankness," saying he gets frustrated when reporters "lie about him."
Source: USA Today
November 20, 2025
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott designates Muslim civil rights group CAIR as terrorist organization and orders criminal investigations, prompting federal lawsuit over First Amendment violations.
Source: CBS Austin
November 20, 2025