The list of words the Trump administration is afraid of grows, and inside the Alaska pipeline fight
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
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The Trump Administration • Politics • Climate • Culture
The Trump Administration
Headline: Gabbard Ends Intelligence Report on Future Threats to U.S. — The New York Times
What?
DNI Tulsi Gabbard shut down the office that produces the intelligence community’s public “Global Trends” report, ending a decades-long series, the Times reported; secondary coverage notes past editions flagged risks like pandemics and climate change.
So What?
Eliminating a nonpartisan foresight product narrows public insight into long-range risks and fuels concerns about politicized intelligence and climate blind spots.
Now What?
Watch for: ODNI restructuring moves; congressional oversight; reactions from former NIC officials. Reference: NIC history of “Global Trends.”
Headline: Trump, Project 2025 and the ‘Dismantling’ of the ‘Administrative State’ — FactCheck.org
What?
FactCheck outlines how Trump’s second-term agenda mirrors Heritage’s Project 2025 playbook to curb federal agencies, fire civil servants, and centralize executive power.
So What?
For advocacy groups, the analysis maps where policy fights are headed — from DEI rollbacks to agency restructuring — and where legal defenses may be needed.
Now What?
Track: new orders, budget riders, and personnel moves tied to Project 2025 recommendations; expect litigation around removals and independent agency authority.
What?
Public Citizen says DOE’s EERE added “climate change,” “green,” and “decarbonization” to a growing “words to avoid” list for staff communications; E&E News also reported the additions.
So What?
Term-avoidance guidance risks chilling science-based work and confusing grantees; DOE has pushed back on claims of a ban, signaling internal contention.
Now What?
Watch for: official DOE comms guidance; IG or congressional inquiries; impacts on FOAs and lab messaging.
What?
Amid Portland officials’ opposition and pending legal action, the White House moved to deploy 200 Guard troops, drawing rebukes from Oregon leaders.
So What?
The deployment escalates a broader campaign framing “antifa” as a terrorism threat and highlights federal–state tensions over public safety and protest.
Now What?
Watch for: court rulings on federal authority; DHS/DoD scope memos; local safety advisories.
Headline: DOJ Memo Citing NSPM-7 Prioritizes Charges Tied to Violence Targeting ICE — DOJ PDF
What?
A DOJ memo titled “Ending Political Violence Against ICE” references NSPM-7 and vows to prosecute those who fund or coordinate violent acts against federal officers and facilities.
So What?
Linking charging priorities to a presidential directive signals intensified use of national-security tools — with spillover for protests and civil society.
Now What?
Watch for: FARA/financial probes under NSPM-7; JTTF taskings; early indictments.}
Politics
Headline: The Situation: The Nonsense and the Menace — Lawfare
What?
Lawfare parses new presidential orders on political violence and terrorism, flagging legal overreach and practical risks.
So What?
Expect court challenges over domestic-terror framing and First Amendment exposure for advocacy networks.
Now What?
Track: agency guidance to JTTFs; early enforcement patterns under the orders.
Headline: The President’s List of Subversive Organizations — Cato at Liberty Blog
What?
Notoriously leftist pearl-cluthers at the Cato Institute warn that the Trump administration is informally building an enemies list under the banner of countering domestic terrorism and political violence.
So What?
Libertarian criticism underscores bipartisan civil-liberties concerns around designation-style tactics without clear statutory basis.
Now What?
Watch for: FOIA litigation; Hill oversight; comparisons to historic “subversive” lists.
Headline: Trump Is Lying About Antifa to Justify His Authoritarian Crackdown — The Nation
What?
The Nation argues the White House is weaponizing a dubious “antifa” threat narrative to target domestic opponents, amid an EO labeling antifa a “domestic terrorist organization.” 21 21}
So What?
The debate sets up clashes over protest rights and policing, with limited legal basis for domestic-terror designations.
Now What?
Monitor: legal challenges to the EO; platform moderation of related threats; municipal responses.
Climate
Headline: Low-Cost Clean Energy Now Trumps Politics, Says Architect of Paris Accord — WSJ
What?
Christiana Figueres says market forces now favor clean energy over fossil fuels as costs have plunged, diminishing the need for political alignment.
So What?
Useful frame for climate-economy messaging: affordability and competitiveness, not just morality, are driving adoption.
Now What?
Watch for: COP positioning; corporate capex shifts; China/EU market signals noted in coverage.
Headline: Supreme Court must rein in unconstitutional climate lawsuits — Washington Examiner (Op-Ed)
What?
An opinion piece urges the Supreme Court to curb climate liability suits, arguing policy belongs to the federal government, not local courts.
So What?
Signals talking points likely to surface in amicus briefs and media as fossil-fuel defendants fight city and state cases.
Now What?
Watch for: petitions and possible grants at SCOTUS; coordinated op-eds shaping the narrative.
Headline: Reflections from 2025 NY Climate Week — Columbia SIPA CGEP
What?
CGEP recaps Climate Week themes, including climate-trade links and Brazil’s COP30 priorities presented by Amb. André Corrêa do Lago.
So What?
Signals growing focus on climate-trade policy, minerals, and AI-energy intersections — key arenas for coalition work.
Now What?
Track: CGEP’s dialogue on climate and trade; COP30 agenda development.
Headline: Inside the Fight Against Trump’s Alaska LNG Pipeline — Rolling Stone
What?
Rolling Stone reports the administration’s Alaska LNG push as centerpiece of an energy-dominance agenda amid investor skepticism and environmental opposition.
So What?
The project is a high-stakes test for export-led fossil expansion versus market and climate headwinds — fertile terrain for campaign narratives.
Now What?
Watch for: financing commitments from Asia; DOE/CFIUS steps; litigation updates and permitting milestones.
Culture
Headline: Inside the Battle for The Smithsonian — Vanity Fair
What?
Vanity Fair details White House pressure to reshape Smithsonian exhibits around “patriotic” narratives, alarming staff and artists.
So What?
Cultural-memory fights are expanding beyond schools to national institutions, with censorship concerns and governance questions for the Board of Regents.
Now What?
Watch for: internal policy changes, exhibit reviews, and potential congressional or legal pushback.
