Weekly civic intelligence report · v2.2
After initial implementation, the Trump administration reversed its decision to cut legal aid for migrant children, reinstating the program following policy reversal.
This is a policy reversal that reinstates status quo ante, creating minimal constitutional damage (A=0.47). Rule_of_law gets 1 (temporary disruption to legal aid access), civil_rights gets 2 (brief impact on vulnerable population's due process access). Severity multipliers at 0.8 reflect high reversibility - the harm was undone. Mechanism modifier 0.3 for policy_change that was reversed. Scope 0.7 for federal/narrow. The B-score is high (36.85) due to strong narrative_pivot (5) - creates 'Trump listens/corrects course' story, mismatch (4) between initial cut and reversal, and media_friendliness (4) for feel-good reversal story. Intentionality at 9 reflects classic self-correction theater pattern. Delta of -36.38 clearly indicates List B: manufactured controversy with minimal lasting damage.
Monitor for pattern: Does administration repeatedly announce controversial policies then reverse them to generate positive 'listening to concerns' coverage? Track whether initial cuts actually took effect or reversal was pre-planned. Verify if legal aid services experienced any actual disruption or if this was announcement-level only.