Socialite Life is a vigorous superstar and popular culture web site that provides a every day dose of divas, drag queens, scorching male celebrities, fashions, and all the most recent superstar information. Provided that our democracy is presently in turmoil, we really feel compelled to maintain everybody knowledgeable concerning the chaotic scenario the Trump administration is creating on this nation.

In Democracy Watch, we’ll share a roundup of probably the most alarming and largely unlawful actions that the Trump administration engages in a number of occasions every week, together with some ridiculous issues that Donald Trump and co-president Elon Musk try to do.

We’ll additionally provide some helpful sources to maintain you knowledgeable about present occasions and information you on how one can assist forestall the US from turning into the subsequent Russia.

U.S. immigration brokers arrested a Palestinian graduate scholar who has performed a outstanding function in pro-Palestinian protests at New York’s Columbia College as a part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s promised crackdown on some anti-Israel activists. Mahmoud Khalil, a scholar on the college’s College of Worldwide and Public Affairs, was arrested by U.S. Division of Homeland Safety brokers at his college residence on Saturday night, the Scholar Employees of Columbia labor union mentioned in an announcement. His spouse is a U.S. citizen, eight months pregnant, in line with information stories, and he holds a U.S. everlasting residency inexperienced card, the union mentioned. His arrest was condemned by civil rights teams as an assault on protected political speech. [Reuters]

Secretary of state Marco Rubio has introduced that USAid will cancel nearly all of its applications, whereas the remainder can be folded into the state division. After a 6 week assessment we’re formally canceling 83% of the applications at USAID. The 5200 contracts that at the moment are canceled spent tens of billions of {dollars} in ways in which didn’t serve, (and in some instances even harmed), the core nationwide pursuits of the US. In session with Congress, we intend for the remaining 18% of applications we’re preserving (roughly 1000) to now be administered extra successfully beneath the State Division.

President Trump mentioned Monday he’ll “lead the cost” to oust Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) for his refusal to help Republicans’ authorities funding invoice. A doctrinaire libertarian, Massie has been a persistent thorn within the aspect for each Trump and Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) by defecting on key votes and imperiling main GOP laws. [Axios]

Nationwide Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard mentioned Monday she has stripped safety clearances from dozens of former nationwide safety officers, the Manhattan district lawyer who secured a felony conviction in opposition to Donald Trump and a lawyer who represented a authorities whistleblower who triggered the primary impeachment case in opposition to Trump. I’m certain that’s only a coincidence. [NBC News]

Elon Musk‘s staff inside the Trump regime has sought sweeping entry to databases that retailer private data on hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands of Individuals. The Basic Companies Administration, which manages federal actual property, is figuring out property to divest, and the company has abruptly fired greater than 1,000 employees and is concentrating on an total 63% discount in headcount at its Public Constructing Service division. The information collected and maintained by the federal government isn’t simply your identify, residence tackle, and Social Safety quantity. Some federal companies retailer data that many individuals don’t share even with their closest family and friends: Medical diagnoses and therapy. Notes from remedy periods. Whether or not an individual has filed for chapter. Detailed revenue data. And now, Musk’s Division of Authorities Effectivity, or DOGE, has accessed closely safeguarded databases that retailer such private data, elevating deep alarm amongst federal employees and privateness advocates. [NPR]

Elon Musk mentioned Monday DOGE‘s workers are “just about” in each authorities division and he’s seeking to roughly double the quantity on the cost-cutting staff he’s the face of. The Trump administration’s DOGE-driven mass firings of federal employees have confronted a number of authorized challenges and resistance from some Republican lawmakers who’re going through the impacts the division’s cuts may have on their constituents and states. [Axios]

Former Justice Division pardon lawyer Elizabeth G. Oyer says she was fired in the future after she refused to suggest that actor Mel Gibson have his gun rights restored, in line with the New York Instances. “That is harmful. This isn’t political — this can be a security difficulty,” Oyer instructed the New York Instances. Oyer mentioned that about two weeks in the past, she despatched a memo recommending that 9 candidates who had beforehand dedicated crimes have their gun rights restored after cautious consideration. After sending her approval, she obtained the memo again with a request to “add Mel Gibson to this memo,” per the Instances. The message included a letter from Gibson’s lawyer to senior Justice Division officers asking for Gibson’s gun rights to be restored. Oyer claims that she was cautious of restoring Gibson’s entry to weapons. He had not been topic to background checks like the opposite candidates. [Variety]

The Agriculture Division has axed two applications that gave faculties and meals banks cash to purchase meals from native farms and ranchers, halting greater than $1 billion in federal spending. Roughly $660 million that faculties and little one care services had been relying on to buy meals from close by farms by the Native Meals for Faculties Cooperative Settlement Program in 2025 has been canceled, in line with the College Vitamin Affiliation. State officers had been notified Friday of USDA’s choice to finish the LFS program for this 12 months. Greater than 40 states had signed agreements to take part in earlier years, in line with SNA and several other state companies. The Native Meals Buy Help Cooperative Settlement Program, which helps meals banks and different feeding organizations, has additionally been reduce. USDA notified states that it was unfreezing funds for current LFPA agreements however didn’t plan to hold out a second spherical of funding for fiscal 12 months 2025. [Politico]

President Donald Trump has claimed that the blooming commerce warfare the White Home launched this 12 months will spur firms to forgo overseas items and return manufacturing to American shores. However knowledge means that the U.S. financial system just isn’t prepared for a wholesale shift to manufacturing and that it could take years to ramp up manufacturing capabilities. Knowledge exhibits a fraction of individuals in the US are employed by farms and factories in contrast with a long time previous, in line with knowledge from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with most now in service jobs like software program, finance and well being care. And specialists say specializing in home items manufacturing might price customers whereas undermining America’s rising benefit within the information financial system. [NBC News]

Now for a bit of optimistic information. Katie Porter, the previous Democratic congresswoman who rose to prominence by wielding a whiteboard whereas she grilled company executives on Capitol Hill, introduced on Tuesday that she would enter the 2026 contest for California governor. Ms. Porter, 51, is the highest-profile Democrat to affix the race. However an enormous unknown stays: whether or not former Vice President Kamala Harris will soar in. Gov. Gavin Newsom can’t run for re-election as a result of state regulation limits governors to 2 phrases. [New York Times – Gifted]

How You Can Assist Save Democracy

Be part of an Indivisible group in your space. The group strives for an inclusive democracy the place everybody has a voice and challenges and replaces right-wing political agendas. By way of grassroots organizing, lobbying, media campaigns, and advocacy methods, activists strain elected officers to help progressive values.

Take a look at the brand new Indivisible Information: “INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO DEMOCRACY ON THE BRINK” — Methods, Techniques, & Suggestions For How On a regular basis Individuals Can Battle Again Collectively Wherever We Dwell