Democratic Risk Assessment
We track democratic threats and calculate risk scores from news sources, government actions, and policy changes. Every day, we analyze articles and events to assess their impact on democracy, civil rights, and democratic institutions.
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Current Risk (Now)
Current Risk measures how fast democratic risk is changing right now (velocity/acceleration). It combines: (1) Rate of change comparing 7-day vs 30-day averages, (2) Activity intensity from recent event volume and severity. This makes it highly responsive to current political heat and tension, showing whether risk is accelerating or decelerating.
2.4 /5
Elevated Minor democratic tensions emerging. Some institutional or rights concerns developing.
Action: Begin monitoring situation more closely. Stay informed about political developments.
Cumulative Damage (History)
Cumulative Damage measures where democracy stands overall (position/state) since Jan 20, 2025. It uses category-weighted aggregation with 360‑day exponential decay, showing long‑term erosion across Legal/Institutional, Civic/Cultural, Personal Rights, and Operational categories. This provides a stable baseline that reflects accumulated damage, not daily fluctuations.
2.7 /5
Moderate Damage Significant democratic concerns. Multiple indicators showing institutional weakening or rights erosion.
Action: Develop contingency plans. Assess personal and family vulnerability. Consider options.
Recent High-Impact Events by Category
Shows the most significant events from the past 21 days for each democratic health category. Events are ranked by their category-specific impact score (higher scores indicate more severe threats). Click any event for full details.
Legal/Institutional
Measures constitutional changes, judicial independence, rule of law, and institutional integrity. Higher scores indicate erosion of legal frameworks and democratic institutions.
Stable 0.0 / 5.0
Recent Events:
4.8
Category impact score: Indicates how much this event affects this specific category of democratic health (0-5 scale, where higher numbers indicate more concerning developments).
Senate fails to advance DHS funding, teeing up partial shutdown
Feb 13 • Cbsnews
4.8
Category impact score: Indicates how much this event affects this specific category of democratic health (0-5 scale, where higher numbers indicate more concerning developments).
White House fires court-appointed US attorney on day he is sworn in
Feb 13 • Fox News
4.5
Category impact score: Indicates how much this event affects this specific category of democratic health (0-5 scale, where higher numbers indicate more concerning developments).
DOJ’s targeting of Trump critics ramps up with attempt to indict lawmakers
Feb 13 • Washington Post
Civic/Cultural
Tracks civil society health, media freedom, academic freedom, and cultural expression. Higher scores suggest suppression of civic engagement and cultural diversity.
Stable 0.0 / 5.0
Recent Events:
4.5
Category impact score: Indicates how much this event affects this specific category of democratic health (0-5 scale, where higher numbers indicate more concerning developments).
Senate fails to advance DHS funding, teeing up partial shutdown
Feb 13 • Cbsnews
4.3
Category impact score: Indicates how much this event affects this specific category of democratic health (0-5 scale, where higher numbers indicate more concerning developments).
DOJ’s targeting of Trump critics ramps up with attempt to indict lawmakers
Feb 13 • Washington Post
4.2
Category impact score: Indicates how much this event affects this specific category of democratic health (0-5 scale, where higher numbers indicate more concerning developments).
Gender studies courses are shutting down across the US. The Epstein files reveal why
Feb 13 • The Guardian
Personal Rights
Monitors individual freedoms, privacy rights, due process, and protection from arbitrary state action. Higher scores indicate threats to personal liberties.
Stable 0.0 / 5.0
Recent Events:
5.0
Category impact score: Indicates how much this event affects this specific category of democratic health (0-5 scale, where higher numbers indicate more concerning developments).
5 Takeaways After Trump’s Immigration Crackdown in Minnesota
Feb 13 • New York Times
4.8
Category impact score: Indicates how much this event affects this specific category of democratic health (0-5 scale, where higher numbers indicate more concerning developments).
DOJ’s targeting of Trump critics ramps up with attempt to indict lawmakers
Feb 13 • Washington Post
4.5
Category impact score: Indicates how much this event affects this specific category of democratic health (0-5 scale, where higher numbers indicate more concerning developments).
US paid $32m to five countries to accept about 300 deportees, report shows
Feb 13 • The Guardian
Operational
Assesses government transparency, accountability mechanisms, electoral integrity, and administrative efficiency. Higher scores suggest democratic process degradation.
Stable 0.0 / 5.0
Recent Events:
4.9
Category impact score: Indicates how much this event affects this specific category of democratic health (0-5 scale, where higher numbers indicate more concerning developments).
Senate fails to advance DHS funding, teeing up partial shutdown
Feb 13 • Cbsnews
4.5
Category impact score: Indicates how much this event affects this specific category of democratic health (0-5 scale, where higher numbers indicate more concerning developments).
4.3
Category impact score: Indicates how much this event affects this specific category of democratic health (0-5 scale, where higher numbers indicate more concerning developments).
DHS shutdown looms as battle continues on Capitol Hill over demands to rein in ICE
Feb 13 • The Guardian
Risk Timeline
Shows days with the most concerning articles (2.0+ risk, 60%+ confidence) and highest average risk scores since January 20, 2025. Hover over the '?' icon on any date to see summaries of that day's events.
Top 10 Evidence Volume Days
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Top 10 Risk Level Days
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Evidence Timeline
Displays articles that exceed our quality threshold: moderate to high democratic risk (2.5+ out of 5) and reliable sourcing (60%+ confidence). Lower-risk articles are still used in calculations but not shown here.
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Data sources: 28 metrics • Last updated: 02-13-2026
This dashboard tracks democratic risk indicators using transparent, source-linked metrics.