<![CDATA[Autocracy Watch]]>https://aw.markreports.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZKQf!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8180bf02-ad40-4006-a70f-9a012af88de5_1024x1024.pngAutocracy Watchhttps://aw.markreports.comSubstackTue, 05 May 2026 11:03:18 GMT<![CDATA[Why I Stopped Writing]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/why-i-stopped-writinghttps://aw.markreports.com/p/why-i-stopped-writingThu, 28 Aug 2025 16:14:28 GMTTL;DR: This is what I’ve been working on instead

As with many crises that have unfolded over time, the one we’re facing in the United States can be broken out into three general phases (I talked about this a little bit in “Early Resistance is Difficult; Later Resistance is Deadly”).

  1. Early warning signs, which are often ignored

  2. The bad thing starts happenin…

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]]><![CDATA[They aren't changing the Constitution. They're just hiding it.]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/they-arent-changing-the-constitutionhttps://aw.markreports.com/p/they-arent-changing-the-constitutionWed, 06 Aug 2025 17:11:24 GMT
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-1/section-9/clause-1/ as of August 6, 2025, at 12:00 pm eastern.

This may change at any time, but currently, Congress’s official website for the U.S. Constitution (constitution.congress.gov) has some very concerning omissions. While the remainder of the site is intact, 649 very important words (and their c…

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]]><![CDATA[Autocracy Watch Exclusive: "Alligator Alcatraz" As Seen From Space]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/autocracy-watch-exclusive-alligatorhttps://aw.markreports.com/p/autocracy-watch-exclusive-alligatorMon, 14 Jul 2025 21:05:37 GMT

We’re going through a period of time that certainly echoes other (quite dark) periods in history. However, unlike in Nazi Germany, we have high-resolution satellites watching us and taking photos. Even something as small as a microwave or a Shaq-a-roni pizza box will show up as a pixel on today’s commercial-grade imagery. So would an alligator.

As a resu…

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]]><![CDATA[The "Shitstorm of Uncertainty" in the United States]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/the-shitstorm-of-uncertainty-in-thehttps://aw.markreports.com/p/the-shitstorm-of-uncertainty-in-theMon, 07 Jul 2025 16:02:38 GMTIt wasn’t too long ago that the typical “prepper” was seen as a fanatic, readying for an imaginary doomsday scenario such as a supervolcano or chemical warfare. Today, interest in the topic of preparedness within the United States is at a sustained all-time high, and has absolutely entered mainstream discourse.

Why? The perfect storm is brewing in our co…

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]]><![CDATA[Resistance 101: Rest]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/resistance-101-resthttps://aw.markreports.com/p/resistance-101-restTue, 01 Jul 2025 21:56:30 GMTAuthor’s note: I hope you enjoy this brief departure from my usual article structure. This is a continuation of the “Resistance 101” series, and a quick pause for rest and reflection.

orange tabby cat sleeping on white pet bed
Photo by Aleksandar Cvetanovic on Unsplash

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]]><![CDATA[Project Esther & Chilling New Warning from DHS]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/project-esther-new-dhs-warning-ishttps://aw.markreports.com/p/project-esther-new-dhs-warning-isMon, 23 Jun 2025 18:20:24 GMTAuthor’s Note: If this article seems alarmist, let me mention: many legal experts believe Americans are living in an authoritarian regime today. As in, now. Talks of democratic backsliding are no longer hypothetical. Amid an unprecedented deployment of ICE agents across the country, we are now seeing a new target for detentions and deportations: anyone …

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]]><![CDATA[Resistance 101: Do Not Comply]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/resistance-101-do-not-complyhttps://aw.markreports.com/p/resistance-101-do-not-complyThu, 12 Jun 2025 18:12:36 GMT

“One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” - Dr. M.L. King, Jr.

From his Birmingham jail cell, MLK affirmed the duty of civil disobedience against unjust authority. This principle (that unjust rules must be met with noncompliance) echoes through resistance mo…

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]]><![CDATA[The Infrastructure of Inhumanity]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/the-infrastructure-of-inhumanityhttps://aw.markreports.com/p/the-infrastructure-of-inhumanityMon, 26 May 2025 17:32:26 GMTAuthor’s note: This report does sound unhinged, even to me. Many major publications and media networks have glossed over this issue due to a variety of factors, yet it is all publicly available information from government websites. The actual bill makes it clear as day. I encourage you to follow along and see for yourself.

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]]><![CDATA[Resistance 101: The Importance of Kindness]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/resistance-101-the-importance-ofhttps://aw.markreports.com/p/resistance-101-the-importance-ofSat, 24 May 2025 22:21:46 GMTIn times of democratic backsliding and authoritarian rule, kindness may seem trivial or even naïve. Yet history shows that small acts of compassion and solidarity can be profoundly subversive. Authoritarians thrive on fear, division, and cruelty; kindness resists by building trust, courage, and community.

Photo © Neil Owen and licensed for reuse under th…

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]]><![CDATA[The Flock is Always Watching]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/the-flock-is-always-watchinghttps://aw.markreports.com/p/the-flock-is-always-watchingTue, 13 May 2025 20:54:32 GMTAuthor's Note: I live in a quiet county with a handful of traffic lights and about 15,000 residents. When I read that someone in my area had been erroneously charged with a felony based on Flock camera data, I thought to myself: “Surely it's only a matter of time before they use this on immigrants.” Turns out, it's been happening for years.

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]]><![CDATA[No Trial, No Voice]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/no-trial-no-voicehttps://aw.markreports.com/p/no-trial-no-voiceSat, 10 May 2025 15:06:03 GMTIn a year already rife with democratic backsliding, the unthinkable is beginning to sound like official policy: the suspension of habeas corpus.

If you think this is far-fetched, it's time to read up on what's been happening recently.

Behind closed doors and increasingly in public, Trump administration officials have floated the idea of bypassing judicial…

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]]><![CDATA[Elmo Was Murdered Today]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/elmo-was-murdered-todayhttps://aw.markreports.com/p/elmo-was-murdered-todayFri, 02 May 2025 12:58:36 GMTTL;DR: Today’s executive order to defund NPR and PBS isn’t about “bias"—it’s about eliminating two of the last widely trusted sources of nonpartisan information.

Which do you think is less biased: a news source funded by corporate advertising and owned by billionaires, or one funded by the American people and owned by the American people?

This is how auth…

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]]><![CDATA[Paving the Road to Martial Law]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/paving-the-road-to-martial-lawhttps://aw.markreports.com/p/paving-the-road-to-martial-lawWed, 30 Apr 2025 13:53:58 GMTTL;DR: This executive order isn't just about fighting crime — it's about laying legal and structural groundwork for martial law. History shows that when regimes militarize police, dismantle local resistance, and criminalize dissent, democracy doesn't disappear overnight — it erodes step-by-step.

The Tahrir area of Cairo during martial law, February 4, 20…

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]]><![CDATA[Mugshots on the White House Lawn: A Warning From History]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/mugshots-on-the-white-house-lawnhttps://aw.markreports.com/p/mugshots-on-the-white-house-lawnMon, 28 Apr 2025 14:57:13 GMT
Propaganda on the White House lawn depicts hundreds of people arrested for various crimes. The Fifth Amendment guarantees everyone in the United States (legally or illegally) the right to a fair trial. We have chosen to blur the faces of those portrayed to avoid amplifying a hateful and dangerous message. / White House photo via X

A Shocking Display at 1…

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]]><![CDATA[When Judges Are Arrested: The Story of Günther Joël]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/when-judges-are-arrested-the-storyhttps://aw.markreports.com/p/when-judges-are-arrested-the-storySat, 26 Apr 2025 14:04:47 GMTFor those following along, the collapse of American democracy is currently in Stage 4: Undermining Institutions and Capturing the Referees. For a glimpse into the near future, check out “The Road to Ruin: How Democracies Unravel into Authoritarian Regimes.”

When the arbiters of justice become targets of the state, a dangerous line has been crossed. In a …

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]]><![CDATA[Authoritarian America 2029: What Happens If the Slide Continues]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/authoritarian-america-2029-what-happenshttps://aw.markreports.com/p/authoritarian-america-2029-what-happensTue, 22 Apr 2025 21:21:09 GMT
President Trump has openly laid out plans to vastly expand his power – and many of those authoritarian steps have already begun.​ I figured you’re tired of seeing his face by now. (via Rawpixel)

The United States is showing the telltale signs of a democracy in decline. A recent survey of over 500 political scientists rated American democracy at just 55 o…

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]]><![CDATA[A Spectral Analysis of CECOT Imagery]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/a-spectral-analysis-of-cecot-imageryhttps://aw.markreports.com/p/a-spectral-analysis-of-cecot-imageryWed, 16 Apr 2025 17:23:15 GMT
CECOT as seen March 20, 2024. Red = 930nm, Green = 2350nm, Blue = 1454nm

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]]><![CDATA[Keeping an Eye on CECOT: New Imagery from April 14, 2025]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/keeping-an-eye-on-cecot-new-imageryhttps://aw.markreports.com/p/keeping-an-eye-on-cecot-new-imageryTue, 15 Apr 2025 21:02:24 GMT
CECOT as seen on April 14, 2025

Related: I recently completed an initial spectral analysis of the March 20, 2024 imaging.

Update 1: We've identified Maxar 15cm (Very High Res) imagery from Feb. 22, 2024, but it does NOT include the CECOT facility… if anyone can point us in the right direction to get this higher-res imagery, please comment below!

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]]><![CDATA[‘Deporting’ U.S. Citizens: Authoritarian, Unconstitutional, and Illegal]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/deporting-us-citizens-authoritarianhttps://aw.markreports.com/p/deporting-us-citizens-authoritarianTue, 15 Apr 2025 19:25:29 GMT

“Homegrowns are next, the homegrowns. You gotta build about five more places,” President Donald Trump quipped to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele during a recent Oval Office meeting​.

In that chilling moment, caught on a livestream from Bukele’s office, Trump urged the Salvadoran leader to expand his notorious new prison – the Centro de Confinamiento…

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]]><![CDATA[Resistance is Not Always Futile]]>https://aw.markreports.com/p/resistance-is-not-always-futilehttps://aw.markreports.com/p/resistance-is-not-always-futileMon, 14 Apr 2025 13:10:08 GMTDemocratic backsliding – the erosion of checks and balances, civil liberties, and fair elections by incumbents – can often be halted or even reversed when citizens mobilize early in defense of democratic norms. In several notable cases around the world, popular resistance movements have successfully pushed back against autocratic actions before authorit…

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