On September 25, Donald Trump issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum, NSPM-7, directing federal law enforcement and other agencies to investigate and disrupt any and all left-of-center nonprofit organizations that oppose his agenda.

NSPM-7 identifies a terrifyingly vague list of First Amendment-protected political beliefs as indications of “domestic terrorism,” including “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity,” “extremism on migration, race, and gender,” and opposition to “traditional American views on family, religion, and morality.”

We’re digging deep to uncover how this draconian directive is being implemented — and at the same time, as a nonprofit news organization focused on investigating powerful individuals and institutions, we must assume that The Intercept will be on the list of Trump’s potential targets.

Unfortunately, however, reader donations have dropped off this month at the worst possible time. In fact, October is shaping up to be our worst month for reader donations in more than a year.

We’re urgently asking our readers to donate whatever you can right now to support the hard-hitting investigative reporting of The Intercept — and to also help reinforce our internal security measures and legal defense team so we’re ready for whatever Trump throws at us.

NSPM-7 specifically instructs the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces — a network of some 200 counterterrorism units with a notorious track record of violating civil liberties — to launch investigations, and also directs the Treasury Department and IRS to pursue criminal probes.

Federal law makes it a felony for the president to use the IRS for politically motivated purposes, and NSPM-7 is rife with potential for other civil rights violations. But under the Supreme Court’s sweeping 2024 decision on presidential immunity, Trump clearly believes he will never be held accountable no matter how many laws he breaks.

And he’s probably not wrong.

The Intercept is one of the only investigative reporting outfits with the expertise and independence to expose the abuses being perpetrated under NSPM-7. That’s also exactly why we can’t ignore the possibility that we could be under surveillance right now and get a knock on the door at any moment.

As Trump escalates his attacks on free speech, fewer and fewer outlets are willing to challenge his administration head-on. But The Intercept won’t back down — and that’s exactly why we need your support now.

Will you rush a $5 donation to help support the hard-hitting investigative reporting of The Intercept?

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