The Distraction Index

Weekly civic intelligence report · v2.2

DashboardUndercoveredSmokescreenTimelineTopicsSearchMethodCorrections
Jan 11 – Jan 17, 2026
Week 55🔒 FROZEN
WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERED

Two major constitutional concerns demand attention this week. Courts are actively litigating the legality of Trump's National Guard deployments across multiple jurisdictions, with significant questions about executive authority and federalism at stake, while the State Department's pause on immigrant visas for 75 countries represents a sweeping restriction on immigration processing that raises due process and statutory compliance questions. These developments occur amid a dense information environment dominated by 15 competing narratives—ranging from threats to invoke the Insurrection Act and military deployment in Minnesota, to Pentagon directives on military publication editorial standards, to international tensions over Greenland and Arctic positioning—that collectively fragment public attention from the constitutional questions at the center of governance.

27
Events
2
List A
15
List B
10
Noise
9.4
Avg A
22.4
Avg B
200
Sources
0
Primary Docs
LOOK AT THIS
Legal Battle Over Trump National Guard Deployments · State Department Pauses Immigrant Visas for 75 Countries
THEY WANT YOU TO LOOK AT
Trump Admin Defeats Midterm Rigging Scheme Challenge · Seth Moulton Introduces Bill to Defund ICE and Reinvest in Healthcare
Real Damage
Constitutional Threats · 2 events
#1
Legal Battle Over Trump National Guard Deployments
2026-01-16-29 MIXED
A
53.4
B
24.6
#2
State Department Pauses Immigrant Visas for 75 Countries
2026-01-16-9 MIXED
A
32.8
B
23.3
Distractions
Manufactured Outrage · 15 events
#1
Trump Admin Defeats Midterm Rigging Scheme Challenge
2026-01-16+43 DISTRACTION
A
0.0
B
43.0
#2
Seth Moulton Introduces Bill to Defund ICE and Reinvest in Healthcare
2026-01-16+42 DISTRACTION
A
0.5
B
42.6
#3
Trump Receives Nobel Peace Prize from Venezuelan Opposition Leader Machado
2026-01-16+38 DISTRACTION
A
0.0
B
37.7
#4
NATO Allies Intensify Arctic Presence in Greenland Amid Trump Territorial Ambitions
2026-01-16+32 DISTRACTION
A
1.5
B
33.1
#5
Pentagon Orders Stars and Stripes to Eliminate 'Woke Distractions'
2026-01-16+23 MIXED
A
7.6
B
30.8
#6
Trump Threatens Use of Insurrection Act and Military in Minnesota
2026-01-16+16 MIXED
A
13.5
B
29.6
#7
Homeland Security Audits Healthcare Provider Employment Records for Undocumented Workers
2026-01-16+23 MIXED
A
6.5
B
29.4
#8
Oglala Sioux President Walks Back Claims of DHS Pressure and Member Arrests
2026-01-16+28 MIXED
A
0.0
B
28.4
#9
Trump Announces Formation of Board of Peace
2026-01-16+24 MIXED
A
3.5
B
27.2
#10
Trump Administration Halts All Offshore Wind Projects
2026-01-16+4 MIXED
A
23.4
B
27.2
#11
Senators Concerned About USPS Changes Potentially Disenfranchising Mail-In Voters
2026-01-16+3 MIXED
A
23.4
B
26.4
#12
ICE Operations and Migrant Arrests in Minneapolis
2026-01-16+9 MIXED
A
17.4
B
26.4
#13
Trump Administration Proposes Forcing Grid Operators to Bend to His Will on Affordability
2026-01-16+2 MIXED
A
24.0
B
25.8
#14
Portland Mayor Anticipates ICE Agents in City Within Two Weeks
2026-01-16+17 MIXED
A
7.9
B
24.6
#15
University of Arkansas Refuses to Hire Pro-Transgender Law School Dean
2026-01-16+14 MIXED
A
4.5
B
18.5
Noise Floor
Low Impact · 10 events
#1
Trump Administration Backs Year-Round E15 Fuel, Seeks Congressional Action
2026-01-16
1
#2
Senate Passes $174 Billion Funding Package for Multiple Agencies
2026-01-16
1
#3
Top ICE Official Resigns to Seek Congressional Seat in Ohio
2026-01-16
1
#4
HRC Reveals Plan to Fight Trump Anti-LGBTQ Policies
2026-01-16
1
#5
Greenlanders Say They Are Not for Sale But Partnership with US Is Possible
2026-01-16
1
#6
CDC Wastewater Disease Surveillance Program Faces Potential Funding Cuts
2026-01-16
1
#7
Whiplash in Addiction and Mental Health Treatment Funding
2026-01-16
1
#8
Judge Sanctions 'Breathtaking' Plot Against Gaza Protesters
2026-01-16
1
#9
Trump Unveils Framework for New Cost-Cutting Healthcare Plan
2026-01-16
1
#10
DOJ Effort to Obtain California Voter Data Dismissed by Federal Judge
2026-01-16
0