1. Recession
For decades, experts have defined a recession as two straight quarters of negative economic growth, meaning a decline in gross domestic product.
This definition has become especially relevant with the latest GDP numbers for the second quarter of this year due to be released on Thursday, following the
release of official figures in April showing the economy shrank 1.6% in the first quarter.
2. Disinformation
One of the more controversial terms the Biden administration has seemed to contort for political purposes is "disinformation," using the term to target views with which the administration disagrees — especially concerning COVID-19 and the 2020 election.
In April, the Department of Homeland Security
announced the formation of the Disinformation Governance Board to monitor and combat speech it deems "disinformation."
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas defended the initiative as important in tackling the "threat" of disinformation, especially when it targets migrants or comes from the Russian government.
However, critics
lambasted the board as an Orwellian "Ministry of Truth" established to silence people with certain political views. Such criticism led DHS to "
pause" the DGB amid widespread outcry.
Whistleblower
documents released last month by Republican Sens. Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Chuck Grassley (Iowa) appeared to confirm such concerns. One internal memo showed DHS officials writing that disinformation threatens homeland security, especially "conspiracy theories about the validity and security of elections" and "disinformation related to the origins and effects of COVID-19 vaccines or the efficacy of masks."
3. Domestic terrorist
The administration appeared to redefine what a domestic terrorist is last year, when the National School Boards Association sent a
letter to Biden asking his administration to investigate threats against public school officials. In the letter, the NSBA specifically referred to parents who protested the teaching of critical race theory in the classroom, suggesting such actions should be classified as "domestic terrorism."
The NSBA requested that the Justice and Homeland Security departments probe and prosecute these "crimes" under "the Patriot Act in regards to domestic terrorism."
Less than a week later, Attorney General Merrick Garland sent out a
memo warning that the Justice Department is "committed to using its authority and resources to discourage" the "threats" described by the NSBA, "identify them when they occur, and prosecute them when appropriate."
4. Insurrectionist
5. Voter suppression
6. Illegal alien