Lone Candle
Champion of Truth
Over the 20th century, the U.S. developed norms that separated the justice system from the whims of the president. Trump is breaking that down and weakening the United States as a strong democracy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUw20SsfosQ
It sounds like Trump is helping Iran’s theocracy round up its dissidents.
“In the lead up to and after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, a large number of Iranians fled to the U.S. In the decades since, the U.S. had been sensitive in allowing those fleeing from Iran over religious, sexual or political persecution to seek residency.
In the 2024 fiscal year, for instance, the U.S. deported only 20 Iranians, according to statistics from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Iran has criticized Washington for hosting dissidents and others in the past. U.S. federal prosecutors have accused Iran of hiring hitmen to target dissidents as well in America.
It’s unclear exactly what has changed now in American policy. However, since returning to the White House, Trump has cracked down on those living in the U.S. illegally.
Noushabadi said that American authorities unilaterally made the decision without consultations with Iran.
But The New York Times said Tuesday, citing anonymous Iranian officials, that the deportations were “the culmination of months of discussions between the two countries.””
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/30/iran-deported-us-immigration-00586374
“A federal judge has paused the Trump administration’s plan to lay off more than 500 employees of the U.S. Agency for Global Media — most from Voice of America — while warning that senior officials there had repeatedly failed to comply with his orders to preserve the international broadcaster’s key operations.”
The Trump administration is defying the courts.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/29/judge-pauses-cuts-to-us-agency-for-global-media-00586081
Shows of force by militarized police in cities to intimidate citizens?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL0CtzN7UbA
Trump is treating the U.S. military like his personal loyalty force and is firing and promoting accordingly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxQNFyR9ctA
“The president suggested “dangerous” American cities should be used as Pentagon “training grounds” during a dark and winding 72-minute speech.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/30/trump-military-cities-training-ground-00587977
Trump has a list of what indicates domestic terror. It includes anti-Christianity and other things that Americans are allowed to believe and voice. This is way overboard and is how you use “terrorism” to strip away people’s rights and arrest political opponents.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxOokFcTOe8
Trump is forcing federal agencies and workers to attack Democrats.
Trump is threatening to cancel funding in Democratic states to attack Democratic leaders in response to the government shutdown.
This politicization of federal responsibilities is not good. Bad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5ycvFottSE
The Six Rules Every Dictator Lives By | Stephen Kotkin (Dartmouth Lecture)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcXEtJ0XoPk
Trump is using U.S. sanction power to punish those who prosecute people Trump likes politically. This isn’t an act of justice, but an act of defending those who try to coup democracies. He did something similar when he pardoned the January 6th attackers who tried to end U.S. democracy.
“The U.S. announced new sanctions on the wife of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Monday, the latest move in the Trump administration’s effort to object to the prosecution of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
The Trump administration has repeatedly targeted de Moraes for overseeing the prosecution of Bolsonaro, who was convicted of organizing a coup to remain in office following his electoral loss to now-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022. A panel of Supreme Court justices, including de Moraes, voted earlier this month to sentence the far-right populist leader, an ally of Trump’s, to a 27-year prison sentence.
…
The Brazilian government called the move “a new attempt of undue interference in Brazilian internal affairs,” accusing the U.S. government of pursuing “the politicization and distortion” of the Magnitsky Act.
“This new attack on Brazilian sovereignty will not achieve its goal of benefiting those who led the failed coup attempt, some of whom have already been convicted by the Supreme Federal Court. Brazil will not bow to this latest aggression,” Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/22/bolsonaro-prosecution-us-sanctions-00575122