We checked. It’s complicated.
Show up anyway.
ANBRWY presents Season 3: Thread of Freedom. An unbiased political podcast focused on understanding the political systems that impact our lives. How they shape what we believe, how we show up (or don’t), and how those choices ripple back into our communities, our country, and, by extension, the world.
We are tracking the separation and the balance of power across all three branches, watching where things are holding… and where they’re not. Each episode will lower the noise so we have space to really see the facts, surface questions, and untangle the news together.
(Seriously..how many ‘Breaking News’ stories highlighting something happening that’s ‘unprecedented’ can a person handle each day?)
S3:E1 Weight of Your Vote
Every source here comes with a note on who built it and what they're built to do. Not to tell you what to trust — just so you can see the shape of the thing before you decide.
▸ View sources (6)
Checks & Balances
Sourced constitutional events by branch.
5Overreach / violation
Exceeds authority or defies a court order.
3Strained / contested
Legally disputed or litigation ongoing.
3Functioning as designed
A branch restrains another, and it holds.
157 entries tracked · Last updated August 17, 2026
☐ Executive branch
President Trump · DHS · DOJ · Pentagon
High strain
OVERREACH INDICATORS
● Trump fired FTC commissioners in direct defiance of controlling Supreme Court precedent
In March 2025, Trump fired FTC commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya without cause, citing only that their "continued service is inconsistent with this Administration's priorities," directly contradicting the FTC Act's for-cause removal protection and the 1935 Humphrey's Executor precedent. A district court found the firing unlawful, and a divided D.C. Circuit denied a stay, both citing the controlling precedent directly.
Source: Reason, Axios, Fox News
● Trump imposed sweeping worldwide tariffs via emergency powers never before used for tariffs
On April 2, 2025, Trump invoked IEEPA, a law never previously used to impose tariffs, to declare a "lack of reciprocity" emergency and impose a 10% tariff on nearly all trading partners, with country-specific rates up to 50%. Courts later found tariffs are a core Congressional power, not an emergency executive one.
Source: Congress.gov CRS, Time, Morgan Lewis
☐ Legislative branch
House · Senate · Republican majority
Active but strained
ABDICATION INDICATORS
● Senate holds real confirmation hearings despite recess-appointment pressure
In November 2024, Trump publicly demanded Senate Republican leadership commit to recess appointments, which would let him install Cabinet officials without any confirmation hearing or vote. Despite this, the Senate went ahead with live, individual confirmation hearings beginning January 14, 2025.
Source: CBS News, Fox News, FedSoc, Axios
☐ Judicial branch
SCOTUS · Federal district courts · Circuit courts
Active but strained
FUNCTIONING AS CHECK
● Court of International Trade struck down IEEPA tariffs as unlawful
On May 28, 2025, the Court of International Trade unanimously ruled Trump's worldwide and reciprocal tariffs exceeded IEEPA's authority and permanently enjoined them. The Federal Circuit affirmed the merits ruling in August, though tariffs stayed in effect pending appeal, which the Supreme Court ultimately agreed with in February 2026.
Source: Foley Hoag, Holland & Knight, Time
● 39 judges across the political spectrum blocked Trump actions in early term
In the first months of the second Trump term, federal judges appointed by five different presidents, spanning both parties, ruled against administration actions including funding freezes and executive orders on birthright citizenship, finding they exceeded executive authority or violated statute.
Source: AP, CBPP, Reuters
Track both Federal & State, Keep up with Headlines
What's worth asking
One question per branch, drawn from today's tracker.
Executive
Does using social media as a communication tool strengthen or weaken messaging?
Legislative
Though mostly open and trackable, would you say the things coming in front of committees, votes, debates being aired are being watched?
Judicial
Have you personally pulled and read any SCOTUS ruling?
Have a question for the table?
Suggest one for a future episode or tracker update.