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Zeteo’s weekly round-up, documenting the growth of authoritarianism in Trump’s second term.

The Trump administration is planning on building a fleet of government-owned planes specifically to perform 24-7, short-notice deportations as part of its all-out effort to make Trump’s delusions of one million deportations per year a reality.The Department of Homeland Security is currently looking for a private company to operate a fleet of at least nine large jets both at home and abroad, providing the DHS with pilots, nurses, and security, Bloomberg reports. In addition to last-minute deportations, the planes will also carry the upper echelon of the administration’s staff on diplomatic trips. Although the government has yet to disclose how much its 24-7 fleet would cost, it spent about $140 million on six Boeing deportation jets last year. And the Federal Aviation Administration has recently noted that multiple jets from Avelo—an aircraft company that has already worked closely with DHS—are now owned by DHS.The MAGA-verse generally celebrated the news. Owning its own fleet would make it easier for the government to carry out deportations, perhaps the key tenet of the administration’s agenda. Yet the administration is still no closer to reaching its unrealistic goal of one million deportations per year. DHS estimates that a contract would begin in summer of 2027 and continue through 2032.

A federal judge handed President Trump two new losses in his war against whatever he perceives as diversity, equity, and inclusion.U.S. District Judge William Orrick issued a preliminary injunction to freeze Trump’s effort to place anti-DEI conditions on federal grants in multiple cities in Oregon and California, ruling that the move overstepped Congress’s power of the purse.Grants at risk due to Trump’s move include those that deal with assistance for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, disaster relief efforts, terrorism preparedness, and “a range of initiatives designed to expand and strengthen services for crime victims, including funding specialized assistance for children, elders, and victims of technology-facilitated abuse.”“Plaintiffs maintain that ‘[n]othing in the Constitution or federal statutes authorizes Defendants to impose the Challenged Conditions, or anything of the kind, on funds administered through congressional grant programs,’” Orrick wrote. “I agree.”This is at least the third time in recent weeks that Trump has had an anti-DEI measure temporarily struck down by the courts.

Reid Rasner, an openly gay Republican running for Wyoming’s lone House of Representatives seat, is suing members of his own party for defamation stemming from homophobia.Semafor reports that Rasner is pursuing a case against former Wyoming State Senator Austin “Kit” Jennings, who allegedly pushed rumors that Rasner committed sexual misconduct. The rumors began after Rasner garnered national attention in 2025 for making a personal $47 billion bid to buy the social media site TikTok, and got worse from there.Rasner, who came out when he was 20, is also settling a case against an Iowa man who repeatedly called him a “pedophile” under his campaign’s Facebook posts. The man claims that his accusation was based on “multiple social media posts and news articles accusing Reid Rasner of serious sexual misconduct,” but didn’t specify any specific posts.Meanwhile, Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray, who is running against Rasner in the Republican primary, piled on and issued a poll telling respondents that Rasner “married his gay husband in New York.” That poll showed Rasner initially behind Gray by single digits, but losing support after voters were told about his sexuality.“I’ve never experienced anything like this in my entire life,” said Rasner, 42, to Semafor. “This just isn’t the Wyoming I knew or thought I knew. The state needs to come to terms with the hate and ignorance that’s fueled death threats and violence against me, all because of my sexuality.”“Everyone told me: Don’t file lawsuits,” Rasner said. “I should have filed them on Day One.”According to Rasner, certain candidate forums have chosen not to invite him after the rumors started, including one held by the Wyoming Family Alliance, which opposes same-sex marriage.Even with gay people in President Trump’s administration, such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the Republican Party still has a lot of homophobia. The “pedophile” and “groomer” slurs actually began as buzzwords for conservatives to attack the LGBTQ community. In a deep-red state like Wyoming, this reaction to Rasner’s campaign is sadly not that surprising.

A recent poll reveals around 7 in 10 Americans agree with the Supreme Court's decision to uphold birthright citizenship.

Organizers across the country are using every tool in their arsenal against Flock surveillance cameras.

The rule presents one more barrier for those seeking care in an industry associated with long-term health impacts.

All three people in the car with Salgado Araujo are now in immigration detention and facing deportation proceedings.