The War on Nonprofits

Jun 17, 2026

Rebecca, Liz, and Alison speak with Rachel Levinson-Waldman from the Brennan Center for Justice about the Trump administration and current Congress weaponizing the government to attack nonprofits and punish speech and viewpoints they don’t like. They explore how executive orders and anti-terrorism statutes are being abused to investigate, defund, and intimidate civil society, and how this strategy is essential to the broader project to transform America from a democracy to an autocracy.

 

Show Notes

• Rachel Levinson-Waldman's Bio

• Brennan Center for Justice 

Trump Administration Documents

• Presidential Memo - “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence"

• Bondi Memo - “Implementing National Security Presidential Memorandum-7: Countering Domestic Terrorism”

• "2026 Counterterrorism Strategy”

• 2027 FBI Budget Request to Congress

• Executive Order Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization

• Department of Justice - “The Biden Administration's Weaponization of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act”

• Executive Order - “Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans"

 

Articles and Reactions

• NPR - "'We're not afraid': George Soros' foundation on being Trump's next target" (Open Society Foundation)

• Lawfare - “The Politically Motivated Indictment of Southern Poverty Law Center” 

• Civil Society Rights & Resiliency Resources - Charity & Security Network 

• "What NIJ Research Tells Us About Domestic Terrorism"

• Cato at Liberty Blog - "Politically Motivated Violence Is Rare in the United States” (right-wing extremists account for 11% of politically motivated killings, while left-wing extremists account for 2%)

• Brennan Center for Justice - “Trump’s Orders Targeting Anti-Fascism Aim to Criminalize Opposition” 

• ACLU - "How NSPM-7 Seeks to Use "Domestic Terrorism" to Target Nonprofits and Activists”

• Just Security - "How Designating Antifa as a Foreign Terrorist Organization Could Threaten Civil Liberties"

• Lawfare - "The Bondi Memo’s Quiet Rewriting of Domestic Terrorism Rules”

• Lawfare - "You Can’t Designate ‘Antifa.’ Banks and Platforms Will Act Like You Did Anyway”

 

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Our website, we-dissent.org, has more information as well as episode transcripts.