Martial Law
Week of August 8-14, 2025
Welcome to TRACKING THE CRISIS, a weekly round-up from The Democracy Collaborative tracking the administrative, legislative, and other actions of the Trump Administration as well as the many forms of legal and movement response from across a broad range of social, political, and economic actors. TDC is providing this service for collective informational purposes, as a tool for understanding the times during a period of disorientingly rapid flux and change in the U.S. political economy. TDC should not be understood as endorsing or otherwise any of the specific content of the information round-up.
TRUMP TRACKER: Administration actions
Trump announces federal military takeover of Washington D.C. to ‘fight crime’ in what many fear is a ‘trial run’ for martial law. On Monday, August 11, Trump announced that he was placing Washington D.C.’s Metropolitan Police under direct federal control and would be deploying up to 800 National Guard troops in order to crack down on “out of control” street crime and “help reestablish law, order, and public safety” in the nation’s capital. The announcement came days after DOGE employee Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine was allegedly assaulted last week by ‘local youths’ and after Trump ranted on social media about seeing homeless people on the way to the golf course, prompting him to declare a ‘public safety emergency’ for the District of Columbia. Local officials were mostly blindsided by the announcement, leading to confusion over strategy and chain of command as DC Mayor Muriel Bowser called the move “unsettling and unprecedented,” especially given that, contrary to Trump’s claims, the metro D.C. area has actually experienced significant declines in violent crime since 2023; in January, the DOJ reported that violent crime in D.C. was at a 30-year-low. Trump’s takeover marks the first time a president has invoked a provision of the 1973 District of Columbia Home Rule Act that allows the executive, under “special conditions of an emergency nature,” to assume temporary federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department. By law, the president’s emergency power is limited to a term of 30 days; though on Thursday Trump announced that he planned to ask Congress for ‘long-term’ control of the MPD. Despite the statistical reality, Trump’s portrayal of D.C. as an urban hellscape ‘overtaken’ by “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor” echoes a history of racist narratives used by conservative politicians to criticize ‘soft policies’ in largely non-white, Democratic-led urban centers. The Lever reports on how corporate lobbyists and trade groups on K Street have also been drumming up the crime narrative to push for more tough-on-crime policies. D.C. prosecutor Jeanine Pirro vowed to change D.C.’s ‘absurd laws’ to better punish offenders, including lowering the age limit for adult prosecution to 14.
Legal observers are sounding many alarms, saying Trump’s deployment of military forces in U.S. cities – first in Los Angeles and now in D.C. – is an unprecedented and dangerous ‘slippery slope’ into authoritarianism as Trump escalates federal military and law enforcement presence on domestic soil and along the southern border. A former Trump official warned that the federalization of D.C. law enforcement represented a “major step towards martial law, something he’s always wanted.” The Washington Post reported this week on the Pentagon’s new plan to establish a “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force” where hundreds of troops could be deployed in ‘as little as an hour’ to U.S. cities facing protests or civil unrest. Trump warned other cities who were “hopefully watching” to clean up their act or face federal action, specifically calling out New York, Baltimore, Chicago and Oakland as potential future targets. As of this writing, over 100 arrests have been made and several homeless encampments have been torn down in the D.C. area over the first two nights of the federal operation.
Trump Administration launches ‘aggressive review’ of Smithsonian museum content to ensure alignment with Trump’s ‘patriotic’ vision of U.S. history. Ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations next year, the White House notified Smithsonian Institution secretary Lonnie Bunch this week that the Trump Administration plans to undertake a ‘far-reaching review’ of exhibitions, materials and operations, starting at eight of the Smithsonian’s museums, “to assess tone, historical framing and alignment with American ideals.” Trump’s March executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” directed White House officials to remove “improper ideology” from Smithsonian museums, education and research centers. White House officials say their aim is to “ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions,” and outlined a detailed plan for the museums to correct any overly “woke” representations. The letter immediately drew criticism from historians, professional curators and free speech advocates, who see the initiative as a ‘major overstep’ that would “rewrite history and strip truth from exhibits.” Rep. Ayanna Pressley condemned the initiative, saying “Trump has no right to censor our history, ignore the systemic oppression of marginalized people, and attack our intellectual freedom.” Historian William Sturkey writes that the “federal government is being mobilized to promote a white nationalist version of American history” under Trump 2.0. Workers and volunteers inside the Smithsonian describe a tense ‘culture of fear’ reminiscent of 1930s Germany at their workplace; anonymous workers told Huffpost that “everyone is so scared” and feel like they are in an “impossible position” as they are tasked with “censoring historical content they believe could upset the president” in order to keep their jobs. Last month, the Smithsonian removed an entry on Trump from an exhibit on impeachments as part of a ‘content review’ prompted by Trump’s attempt to fire National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet; after public outcry, the entry has been restored with adjustments to language removing details of Trump’s felony charges.
Trump nominates Project 2025 architect and January 6 rioter E.J. Antoni to BLS Commissioner post as experts warn of eroding trustworthiness of federal data. After last week’s controversial firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Erika McEntarfer over an unfavorable jobs report, Trump announced on Monday, August 11 that he would be nominating Heritage Foundation economist and Steve Bannon pick E.J. Antoni as the new head of the statistics agency. At the Heritage Foundation, Antoni was a major ‘architect’ of Project 2025 who has called Social Security a ‘Ponzi scheme’ and advocated for its ‘sunset’; he also recently tweeted that DOGE should ‘take a chainsaw’ to the BLS. ProPublica also spotted Antoni among the crowd of January 6 rioters in video footage from Parler; and others on the internet have pointed out his use of the Nazi ship Bismarck in his Zoom background as an indicator of his extreme partisanship. (The Trump Administration has since claimed that Antoni was just a passing ‘bystander’ during the riot.) Trump’s nomination, which faces an uphill battle for confirmation in the Senate, was criticized by economists across the political spectrum as Antoni’s conservative colleagues panned his ‘lack of understanding basic economics’, pointing out the ‘elementary errors’ and partisan bias in his work that make him ‘utterly unqualified’ to lead the agency responsible for vitally important economic data that directly affects income and benefit levels for millions of U.S. workers. In response to what he called “flawed” jobs data, Antoni suggested suspending the monthly jobs report until the reports could be overhauled from ‘top to bottom’, causing so much consternation that White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt had to assuage concerns at a Tuesday press conference, and Antoni himself backed off of the suggestion after being counseled by fellow Heritage Foundation economists. Whether Antoni is confirmed or not, economists are already decrying the erosion of trust in the federal government’s statistical standards precipitated by Trump’s frequent use of data misinformation, cuts to research funding and purging of government datasets deemed unfavorable to the Administration. A former Department of Labor official who left his job over pressures for political loyalty to the Trump Administration fears that the ‘damage’ to economic data may ‘already be done.’
U.S. economy begins to stutter as early inflation indicators ‘come in hot’ and groceries, energy, and service costs pinch consumers. New Producer Price Index (PPI) numbers released by the BLS on Thursday showed that inflation on wholesale goods and services in July jumped by 0.9%, its biggest monthly increase in three years and a possible harbinger of the coming pain of inflation across the wider economy as businesses begin to pass on the cost of Trump’s tariffs to consumers. Of particular concern is “veggie-flation,” as prices for fresh vegetables spiked by a whopping 39% – the biggest increase during a summer month ever recorded by the BLS – while coffee and milk jumped by nearly 10%, driving inflationary pressures for groceries as over half of Americans report the cost of food as a “major” source of stress in a recent AP poll. The restaurant industry is facing significant slowdowns as prices for ingredients rise and consumers change their shopping and eating habits, buying only essentials, clipping coupons and eating mostly at home as they navigate ‘significant economic uncertainty’. While the Consumer Price Index remained more or less steady for July, offset by lower gas prices and existing pre-tariff inventory, economists believe it will only be a matter of time before higher retail prices hit consumer pockets. Electricity prices surged across the country in July, rising 5.5%, much higher than the CPI average, with some states reporting surges of up to 36% in energy costs; much of it driven by the proliferation of energy-hungry AI data centers, especially in Eastern states. The Economist reports that the U.S. housing market is flagging, along with a cooling off of real private consumption and investment, where growth rates dropped from a steady 2% over the past few years to only 1.2% in the second quarter of 2025. The inflation numbers complicate the Fed’s plans to lower interest rates, bolstering the arguments of those who support Jerome Powell’s ‘wait and see’ stance even as Trump continues to attack Powell, this week threatening a ‘major lawsuit’ against Powell over renovations to the Fed building.
Labor shortages and declines in tourism prompted by Trump’s mass deportation program are wreaking havoc on the economy, hitting hard in tourism-dependent cities like Las Vegas, where union workers face impending layoffs. A new report shows that U.S. companies announced plans to eliminate a record 800,000 jobs in July, more than double the number announced in the same month last year; top reasons cited by companies were the “DOGE Impact” of the loss of federal funding, as well as uncertainty over market and economic conditions. The Washington Post reports that working mothers are leaving the workforce in large numbers, undoing gains made in the labor market since the pandemic; analysts say sweeping layoffs and the undoing of pandemic-era flexible work arrangements have contributed to the phenomenon. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a report showing that small businesses, many of which supported Trump politically, will be bearing the brunt of tariff policies to the tune of approximately $856,000 per year in increased costs. Meanwhile, stock markets dipped briefly on the news of the inflation and jobs reports, but remained buoyed by a record pace of corporate stock buybacks, leading some analysts to question the underlying health of the economy even as corporate balance sheets appear strong. The Washington Post editorial board also cited the growing ‘disconnect’ between Wall Street and Main Street, noting that “while the investor class is thriving at the top, the bottom keeps getting squeezed.” In a recent vlog, Robert Reich reminds his viewers of the effects of widening inequality on an economy that is 70% reliant on consumer spending, arguing that closing the wealth gap is essential to saving the economy.
‘State capitalism with American characteristics’? Trump’s aggressive interventions in corporate affairs break from historical norms and confound neoliberal ‘common sense’. Trump shocked business and government observers this week by reaching an unprecedented deal with AI chipmakers Nvidia and AMD, allowing the two companies to export the previously restricted chips to the Chinese market in return for a 15% cut of sales revenue. While the deal may yet face challenges on constitutional and national security grounds, Trump and Treasury Secretary Bessent touted the deal as a potential template that could be extended to other companies. Last week, Apple agreed to invest $100 billion in U.S. domestic manufacturing in exchange for tariff exemptions in a similar ‘pay-to-play’ type arrangement. Trump has also used the presidential bully pulpit to criticize corporate management; last week, he called for the resignation of Intel CEO Lip Bu-Tan over his ties to Chinese companies, resulting in talks this week that include the possibility of the United States government taking a stake in the beleaguered company. This week, Trump pressured Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon to fire the firm’s chief economist for releasing a forecast report critiquing the impact of tariffs, sending chills through the banking industry. NPR reports that as Trump has turned up the heat on corporate managers over the past few weeks, corporate America’s reticence to confront him in public has ceded to Trump an “unprecedented amount of control over the shape – and future – of U.S. business.” The shifting relationship between corporations and the state (mediated by Trump’s personality-driven style of governance) defies the “traditional Republican gospel of free-market capitalism,” leaving economists scratching their heads on how to describe or reconcile with this “new normal”; whatever it is, notes the Cato Institute’s Ryan Bourne, “in a U.S. context… it’s unprecedented in modern history,” especially given Trump’s desire to control corporate action at the individual firm level. Greg Ip of the Wall Street Journal, noting certain similarities to China’s hybrid-socialist command economy, dubbed the new model “state capitalism with American characteristics,” noting that while it would be wrong to characterize the Trump regime as ‘socialist’ in any way, it appeared to be a unique form of “state capitalism, a hybrid between socialism and capitalism in which the state guides the decisions of nominally private enterprises.” Other business observers note how Trump is applying his own business leadership style to governance, saying “he’s just acting like a businessman,” running the country as a kind of ‘CEO-in-Chief’ or ‘micromanager-in-chief’. Still others see it as plain “crony capitalism,” where business leaders are “bending a proverbial knee by abandoning their social and environmental agendas in manners that could appeal to Trump”; a former CBO economist observed that "where tariffs exist, exceptions are likely, and where there are exceptions, lobbyists seeking them gather." White House spokesman Kush Desai, while declining to weigh in on what type of capitalism it should be called, simply said that the Trump Administration’s “hands-on leadership is paving the way for a golden age of America.” Whatever they choose to call it, economists appear to largely agree that Trump’s aggressive and unpredictable approach carries considerable political and economic risk, but has probably set at least some precedents that may be hard for others to dismantle. As one economist put it, “I don’t think we can put this back in the box.”
MOVEMENT TRACKER
Washington D.C. residents show up in the streets to protest Trump’s federal takeover and provide aid to targeted groups. Almost as soon as Trump announced the federal military takeover of Washington D.C. law enforcement, residents mobilized quickly to protest ICE agents and National Guard troops wherever they were found. The Free DC Project held a rally and press conference on Monday afternoon, just hours after the announcement, bringing together activists from a host of local organizations including Metropolitan Washington Council AFL-CIO, Colectivo de Familias Migrantes, National Homelessness Law Center, Black Swan Academy, Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, and the DC Rapid Response Choir, among others, to make it loud and clear that DC belongs to its residents. The Project also released a protest game plan and organizing/resource hub, encouraging residents to get visible and loud at 8pm on every night of the occupation, and to join a ‘campaign orientation’ to connect with other organizers. DC clergy also spoke out in opposition to the federal occupation. The Washington Post interviewed residents of multiple neighborhoods who were dismayed at the military presence in the city. A large confrontation ensued Wednesday night when ICE and National Guard troops set up a checkpoint in the city’s popular 14th Street corridor. Around 100 protestors showed up to yell at the troops, telling them to “get off our streets” and “go home fascists” as others attempted to divert traffic away from the checkpoint. As one DC resident described federal agents ‘pulling people out of cars’ for looking suspicious, at least one Black woman was detained as protestors booed and yelled at officers to read the Constitution. While DC police insisted the checkpoint was ‘routine,’ one woman who had lived in the neighborhood for 17 years said “we have never seen this… even when crime was really bad, this did not even happen then.”
ICE & DC National Guard troops were out in force Tuesday for a second night as residents called “bul***t” and heckled the agents while taking video. The Washington Post also covers D.C.’s longstanding movement for statehood and explains how having statehood would have presented more legal barriers to Trump’s takeover plan. As Lambda Legal decried the federal crackdown on homeless communities, noting how sweeps disproportionately affect LGBTQIA+ people of color, Remora House DC mobilized direct support for affected houseless residents, organizing an online reporting system for rapid response and collecting donations for needed supplies. Washington Legal Clinic posted a plea for DC residents to open their homes, churches, or pay for hotel rooms to shelter houseless neighbors and protect them from sweeps. DC Migrant Mutual Aid has also posted know-your-rights information as well as rapid response hotlines for impacted community members.More countries announce plans to recognize a Palestinian state as UN, advocates call for immediate international action to break the Israeli blockade and help starving Gazans. This week, Australia and New Zealand joined the growing list of OECD countries that have agreed to recognize Palestinian statehood, leaving the United States increasingly isolated among Western countries as international outcry grows over the Gaza starvation crisis and Netanyahu’s planned invasion and takeover of Gaza City. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese warned that recognizing Palestinian statehood was not enough to stop the genocide, and called on the international community this week to send their “navies with aid” to break the Israeli blockade. Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s permanent observer to the UN, formally requested international peacekeeping forces this week to save the Palestinian people from certain death under the blockade; a call taken up by French president Emmanuel Macron, who called for an international coalition to act under a UN mandate to stabilize and secure the Gaza Strip. After the killing of six Al-Jazeera journalists at the hands of the IDF on Sunday, Reporters Without Borders called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, invoking UN Resolution 2222 on the protection of journalists in times of armed conflict; on Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an “impartial and independent investigation” into the killings. At Harvard, over 120 scholars signed an open letter denouncing the abrupt cancellation of a special issue of the Harvard Educational Review dedicated to Palestine, accusing the publisher of ‘censorship.’ As Madonna urged Pope Leo XIV to visit Gaza “before it’s too late,” over a hundred healthcare professionals who had worked in Gaza signed an open letter calling for global attention on their colleagues still inside Gaza who are being ‘starved’ and ‘shot’ by the Israeli military while trying to carry out their work. A group of UN experts called for the immediate dismantling of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, calling it "an utterly disturbing example" of how aid efforts can be hijacked for military purposes in violation of international law. Inside Israel, families of the Israeli hostages called for a nationwide general strike to protest Netanyahu’s latest plans for military escalation and takeover of Gaza City.
California lawsuit challenging Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles goes to trial, as legal challenges aim to shut down Alligator Alcatraz. This week, the landmark Newsom vs. Trump case alleging that Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act underwent a three-day bench trial in San Francisco’s Northern District Court. Lawfare Media has provided a play-by-play of testimony and arguments presented in the trial. The trial tests the limits of Trump’s constitutional authority to deploy the military on U.S. soil at a crucial time when the National Guard has been deployed again to Washington D.C. If the State of California is successful in this case, the state will seek a temporary injunction prohibiting the Trump Administration from “ordering or allowing” any military activities that violate the Posse Comitatus Act. In Los Angeles, Union del Barrio volunteer Andrea Trebach, who was violently arrested last Friday while documenting ICE activity, was released without charges on Saturday following intense community pressure. Los Angeles public schools began the new academic year this week with an aggressive plan to protect students and their families from ICE, including the establishment of ‘safe zones’ in Latino neighborhoods, altered bus routes to ensure safe passage of students and parents, and teams of community volunteer ‘scouts’ to alert campuses of nearby enforcement activity so schools can be locked down quickly and parents are informed. Mayor Karen Bass spoke of the “profound moment in U.S. history” where city officials, educators, and community leaders are uniting to protect children from the federal government. CNN reports on the creative ways people are using networked apps like Waze and Ring cameras to spot ICE activity and alert others. Talking Points Memo profiles the Miccosukee Tribe’s fight against Alligator Alcatraz, which Tribal members consider an “abomination to the whole concept of sovereignty,” as CNN explores the two separate lawsuits that could permanently shut down the controversial facility.
Current Polls.
On the 90th anniversary of the founding of Social Security, a survey of over 1,100 voters by Data for Progress found that nearly two-thirds consider the fate of Social Security as one of their biggest concerns. 63% oppose the proposed layoffs of about 12% of the SSA workforce; and nearly 70% of ‘persuadable voters’ opposed cuts to Social Security. Social Security Works’ Protect Our Checks campaign is mobilizing concerned voters to take action to ensure Congress protects Social Security from the proposed cuts.
A recent Marist poll on the state of the economy highlights a ‘challenging financial outlook’ for many Americans. 45% of residents across the United States believe their cost of living is unaffordable, and one in three Americans report that their personal finances have gotten worse over the past year, and 42% of adults earning under $50,000 say their monthly expenses exceed their income.
An Economist-YouGov survey released this week found that Trump’s approval rating among Republican voters has markedly declined, by approximately 9 points since January; most cite economic anxiety as a factor in their waning confidence in the president. Among independents, the decline plunges 17 points, down to 29 percent, a record low for Trump among this group of voters.
A new Pew survey found that younger Republicans are turning against Trump in droves. Trump’s support among Republican voters 18-34 was 92% when he entered office; today, that number stands at just 69%, a 23-point drop; approval dropped 11 points in just the last two months. Reasons for the decline include the Administration’s handling of the Epstein files, as well as uncertainty about the economy.
A new poll from Morning Consult found that Trump’s approval rating among U.S. Medicaid recipients has dropped precipitously, from 52% when he entered office to only 36% today. Disapproval ratings among this group have climbed to 55% from 34% over the same time period. The declines far outpace those of the wider population, suggesting that Republicans are already feeling the political repercussions for enacting steep cuts to Medicaid in the budget bill.
Upcoming Protests and Events.
Saturday, August 16: A coalition of organizations is calling for emergency mobilizations to “Fight the Trump Takeover” by resisting gerrymandering efforts in Texas and other states. More information on local events can be found on their website at FightTheTrumpTakeover.com.
Saturday, August 16: Social Security Works is calling for a nationwide mobilization in defense of Social Security called “Protect Our Checks”. More information on local events, an organizer’s toolkit, and other resources can be found at ProtectOurChecks.com.
Saturday, August 16: Federal workers, scientists, healthcare providers, and advocates will be rallying in Atlanta to defend science and public research programs currently on the Trump Administration’s chopping block. More information can be found at the Sound Science Saves Lives webpage.
Tuesday, August 19: The Brennan Center for Justice will be holding a virtual event to discuss the Past, Present, and Future of the Voting Rights Act and what is left of the landmark 1965 legislation amid attacks from the Trump Administration. More information and an RSVP link can be found on their website.
Saturday, August 23: 50501 Chicago will be holding a demonstration (separate from the August 2nd action) calling for ‘No Camps, No War, No 1984’. More information can be found on the protest flyer or on 50501 Chicago’s Bluesky account.
Monday, September 1: The AFL-CIO, 50501 Movement and May Day Strong Coalition are calling for a nationwide ‘Workers Over Billionaires’ mobilization on Labor Day to stop the ‘Billionaire Takeover’ of government and society. More information on local actions can be found at MayDayStrong.org or https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/map/; in Chicago, General Strike Illinois will be holding a Labor Day Fest with teach-ins, sign making, food and more on August 30th to prepare for the demonstrations.
Lawsuit Updates.
In a critically important development for today’s redistricting battles, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday, August 14 upheld a lower court ruling to strike down Louisiana’s state legislative maps for violating the Voting Rights Act. The court found that the gerrymandered maps ‘packed’ and ‘cracked’ Black communities in ways that diluted their voting power to elect their preferred candidates under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
A federal judge in Maryland struck down two nationwide directives issued by the Trump Administration that threatened to withhold federal funding from school systems unless they removed ‘DEI’ programs and curricula, and signed pledges to comply with the Administration’s new interpretation of civil rights law. Trump-appointed district judge Stephanie Gallagher declared the orders unlawful, unconstitutional and void, and permanently blocked their enforcement. Democracy Forward celebrated the ruling, saying the decision “proves the admin's attempt to weaponize federal funding & require compliance w/ their flawed interpretation of civil rights is unlawful.”
A federal judge in New York ruled that ICE must reduce overcrowding and improve conditions at its Manhattan holding facility at 26 Federal Plaza. The initial complaint included instances where migrant detainees were held in cramped conditions for weeks, sleeping on floors without bedding or access to showers. The judge also ordered ICE to provide detainees with communication access to legal counsel and ensure proper hygienic and medical care is provided.
The Nation profiles New York Attorney General Letitia James, who, with other state Attorneys General, have brought legal challenges to over 30 Trump Administration orders and actions that have temporarily halted some of his worst orders in the past seven months. She is currently the target of Trump Administration retribution, having had her federal security clearance revoked as the Justice Department ordered a grand jury probe this week into mortgage documents she co-signed for a family member. Considered a ‘North Star’ of progressive action under the second Trump Administration, James says of Democratic leadership: “They need to be on the ground. They need to do things that are different. Republicans are just outperforming us each and every time. We have to stop believing or following the rules. Break the rules. Stop coloring inside the lines.”
