The Distraction Index

This week, the Trump administration advanced two major structural changes with lasting constitutional implications: a sweeping order eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across federal institutions, and significant staffing reductions through the Department of Government Efficiency affecting critical agencies including the Secret Service and IRS. These actions represent substantive shifts in federal operations and policy architecture. Meanwhile, the information environment fragmented across multiple competing narratives—from visa terminations and migrant deportations to public disputes between Elon Musk and the administration over tariffs and DOGE transparency, alongside coordinated nationwide protests and peace negotiations over Ukraine. The pattern suggests deliberate or incidental deployment of secondary controversies that, while significant in isolation, collectively obscure the scale and permanence of the institutional changes occurring in List A events.