Bi-weekly News & Opinion - August 20, 2026

Incarcerated for Life in Trump's War on the Left – C&SN Quoted in Rolling Stone

C&SN’s Katherine Tomaszewski is quoted in an article by the Rolling Stone where she describes how the Trump Administration has expanded the traditional definitions of “material support" and the dangers of doing so. The article tells the story of Autumn Hill, one of the protesters who received a 50-year sentence for participating in a protest at an ICE detention facility in Prairieland, Texas — a key case of the Trump Administration’s crackdown on dissent under the guise of counterterrorism. Read the full article here. (Aug. 12)

Democracy for the Arab World Now, Inc., et al. v. Trump, et al. 

On Jun. 15, 2026, Democracy for the Arab World Now, Inc. (DAWN) and Taxpayer Alliance Against Genocide (TAAG) filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against the Trump Administration. They are challenging the legality of Executive Order (EO) 14203, which declared a “national emergency” based in the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.” Read the full legal analysis at C&SN. (Aug. 7)

The Forever War and the First Amendment

The Knight First Amendment Institute and Columbia's Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism will convene journalists, scholars, lawyers, and activists to explore the ongoing impact of the “Forever War” on democratic rights, including the freedoms of speech and the press. Scholars, lawyers, journalists, and activists will explore questions like: How have the suppressions and distortions of the Forever War worked their way into our systems and psyches?

• The event will be held on Wednesday, Sep. 9 and Thursday, Sep. 10, 2026, in hybrid format at Columbia University. Read more and register to attend here.

Consider registering as a C&SN Member (no financial commitment required) to receive our weekly Opportunity Spotlight Newsletter. There we share exclusive opportunities for civil society input, webinars, events, and working groups on key issue areas such as sanctions, material support, financial access, lawfare, civil society rights and resiliency, human rights in counter-terrorism and more. 

Navigating De-Risking: A Practical Response Guide for Nonprofits

Nonprofits, especially those working in conflict zones, may experience financial institution “de-risking” in one of the following forms: delayed or rejected payments, repeated requests for information, restrictions on particular banking services, difficulty opening an account, or the closure of an existing account. This guide is a resource for nonprofits outlining possible responses to de-risking and tools for navigating financial access challenges. Download the guide. (Aug. 5)

Explore a full list of resources designed to support the nonprofit sector as they prepare and respond to lawsuits, disinformation, and other forms of attack on civil society at C&SN’s Civil Society Rights & Resiliency hub.

Politics Drove Antisemitism Probes Against Ivy League Schools, DOJ Whistleblower Says

The Trump Administration’s task force charged with investigating antisemitism on Ivy League campuses pressured universities into punitive settlements despite turning up little to no evidence of systemic abuse. Jeremy Roebuck and Danielle Douglas-Gabriel report for The Washington Post. (Aug. 18)

CBP Workers Allegedly Used Government Databases to Spy on Exes, Crushes, and Colleagues

Documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act reveal decades of instances where Customs and Border Protection employees abused surveillance technologies for their personal ambitions. Yulia Almazova reports for WIRED. (Aug. 13)

When Terrorist Designations Become Political Weapons

“What happens when the terrorist label becomes not simply a counterterrorism instrument, but a political one?” Mahmut Cengiz explores the manipulation of counterterrorism authorities for political purposes in HSToday. (Aug. 13)

U.S. Investigated Left-Leaning Groups During Minnesota Immigration Crackdown

Shortly after Alex Pretti was fatally shot by ICE agents in Minnesota, the Department of Homeland Security opened an investigation into labor unions, a climate change group, and socialist collectives that they believed had supported the “violent opportunists and agitators” on the street. Alan Feuer and Ernesto Londoño report for The New York Times. (Aug. 13)

Appeals Court Sidesteps Key Question Over Trump’s Use of Alien Enemies Act

The court dismissed a case regarding use of the Alien Enemies Act — which the Trump Administration is using to deport people —  in a messy conclusion to a long-running legal battle that had seemed destined to end up before the Supreme Court. Alan Feuer reports for The New York Times. (Aug. 13)

Reckoning with 20 Years of UN Counterterrorism

For the first time in the history of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the General Assembly failed to adopt its most recent revision by consensus.  The breakdown of consensus raises a larger question: What can be done to realign the UN’s most expansive area of policy coordination with the principles the institution was created to uphold? Read more by Franziska Praxi-Tabuchi and Matt Schwartz write for IPI Global Observatory. (Aug. 17)

UN Calls on Mozambique to Protect Human Rights While Countering Terrorism

Following a visit to Mozambique, UN Special Rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, Ben Saul, raised concern over the anti-terrorism legal framework, including overly broad definitions of terrorism, disproportionate penalties, and excessive administrative and security powers that could undermine fundamental rights. Salma Ben Mariem writes for JURIST. (Aug. 16)

Choosing Courage over Despair: Civil Society Is Notching Up Wins Despite Hostile Conditions

Authoritarian leaders and oligarchs want civil society to believe nothing can stand in their way. But across the world, resistance is notching up wins for peace, justice, equality, and environmental sustainability. Read more by Mandeep S. Tiwana at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. (Aug. 5)

DOJ Signals It Will Move Forward with Significant Revisions to FARA Regulations

The Department of Justice stated that it will revise the regulations for implementing the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and that it would adopt “many, but not all” of the proposals in the January 2025 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Read the analysis by Covington & Burling LLP. (Aug. 14)

A SoCal City Is Seeking Guardrails Against Foreign Influence. Here’s Why It Matters.

After Acadia’s Mayor, Eileen Wang, was an unregistered agent of the People's Republic of China, a new era of leadership has embarked on an effort to create safeguards governing official interactions with foreign governments — but the line between diplomacy and interference is not always easy to see. Anissa Rivera and Ryan Carter report for the Daily Bulletin. (Aug. 8)

Wall Street’s Nonprofits Use Selective, Opaque Logic to Defund Charities

After the Department of Justice indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center on far-fetched fraud charges, three donor-advised fund sponsors dropped the nonprofit from their services without explaining their logic. Ellis Simani reports for ProPublica. (Aug. 14)

Trump Wants to Lock Immigrants Out of their Bank Accounts. Here’s What to Know.

In May, President Trump directed federal regulators to review banking and lending policies involving immigrants, a move which potentially imperils immigrants’ access to financial services. Yarley Martinez-Lopez writes for National Immigration Law Center. (Aug. 13)

Cartel Terrorism Designations Are Quietly Rewriting Corporate Risk in Latin America 

Since the Trump Administration began designating drug cartels and gangs across Latin America as terrorist organizations, most companies operating in the region have not yet fully absorbed what it means for them. The Volkov Law Group warns that the designations open an entirely new statutory pathway for corporate liability, one that does not require a company to know it was dealing with a cartel at all. Read the analysis at JDSupra. (Aug. 6)

Attacks on Aid Workers Hit Record High in 2025, UN Says

Roughly 907 aid workers were killed, injured or kidnapped in 2025 versus 833 ​the year before, according to the Aid Worker Security Database. Read more at Reuters. (Aug. 19)

900 Obstacles and Counting: West Bank Families Trapped as Aid Access Shrinks

In the West Bank, the UN warns that aid work “is being delayed and limited by a network of over 900 physical obstacles – including checkpoints, gates, roadblocks and other restrictions.” Read more at UN News. (Aug. 14)

Crisis in Sight: Humanitarian Access Overview

ACAPS’s 2026 study of aid conditions in crisis-affected countries finds that in 44 of the 66 countries assessed, people face high to extreme constraints to receiving aid — often driven by government policies and administration decisions. (July 2026)

Planned Parenthood Fraud Appeal Dismissed by Full Fifth Circuit

An individual who conducted an “undercover investigation” brought fraud charges against Planned Parenthood alleging misuse of Medicaid funding under the False Claims Act. After a lower court dismissed the claims, the Fifth Circuit returned the case to a federal district court. Daniel Seiden reports for Bloomberg Law. (Aug. 12) 

Rights Groups Sue Trump Administration Over Targeting ICC

Four human rights groups filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court challenging the Trump Administration’s sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors and judges, a UN human rights expert, and three Palestinian human rights groups. Read the press release at the Center for Constitutional Rights. (Aug. 11)

• On Aug. 18, Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed further sanctions on its president and a trial lawyer that he says have been attempting to “investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction.” 

OFAC's Largest-Ever CJNG Sanctions Raise The Stakes For Mexico Supply Chains

The U.S. Treasury Department has launched its most extensive sanctions campaign against Mexico's Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, targeting over 50 individuals and entities — including associated businesses. This expands legal exposure for companies operating in Mexico's agricultural and commercial sectors, particularly those with supply chains in high-risk states. Read more analysis by attorneys at Holland & Knight at Mondaq. (Aug. 13)

Iran Is Defying U.S. Pressure by Becoming a ‘Survival Economy’

Despite the Trump Administration’s comprehensive sanctions and a blockade, Iran is keeping their battered economy functioning just enough to resist a drawn-out campaign. Read more from Georgi Kantchev, Henna Moussavi and Summer Said at the Wall Street Journal. (Aug. 11)

Cuba: UN Experts Condemn New US Sanctions as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

"Food must never be used as an instrument of political pressure. Measures that knowingly deprive a population of the means to survive strike at the most basic guarantees of the rights to life and diminish the core of human dignity," the experts said. Read more at the UN. (Aug. 6)

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