Civic freedoms are declining globally, with the United States and Italy both downgraded to an "obstructed" civic space rating by the civil society watchdog Civicus.The U.S. has seen a "rapid authoritarian shift" following President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, with concerns about weakened rule of law and growing constraints on independent civil society cited for the downgrade.The report highlighted the "militarized response" to protests and escalating restrictions on college campuses, including targeting pro-Palestinian activism and the Administration's use of AI to screen social media for "pro-Hamas" activity.