Socialite Life is a lively celebrity and pop culture website that offers a daily dose of divas, drag queens, hot male celebrities, models, and all the latest celebrity news. Given that our democracy is currently in turmoil, we feel compelled to keep everyone informed about the chaotic situation the Trump administration is creating in this country.
In Democracy Watch, we’ll share a roundup of the most alarming and mostly illegal activities that the Trump administration engages in a few times a week, along with some ridiculous things that Donald Trump and co-president Elon Musk are attempting to do.
We’ll also offer some useful resources to keep you informed about current events and guide you on how you can help prevent the United States from becoming the next Russia. While you’re at it, make sure to follow Socialite Life on BlueSky: @socialitelife.bsky.social.
Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs are here! President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced far-reaching new tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners — a 34% tax on imports from China and 20% on the European Union, among others — that threaten to dismantle much of the architecture of the global economy and trigger broader trade wars. Trump, in a Rose Garden announcement, said he was placing elevated tariff rates on dozens of nations that run meaningful trade surpluses with the United States, while imposing a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries in response to what he called an economic emergency. The president, who said the tariffs were designed to boost domestic manufacturing, used aggressive rhetoric to describe a global trade system that the United States helped to build after World War II, saying “our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered” by other nations. [AP]
Elon Musk is a loser! A liberal candidate for a pivotal seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court overcame $25 million in spending from Elon Musk and defeated her conservative opponent on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported, in a contest that became a kind of referendum on Mr. Musk and his slashing of the federal government. With turnout extraordinarily high for a spring election in an off year, Judge Susan Crawford handily beat Judge Brad Schimel, who ran on his loyalty to President Trump and was aided by Mr. Musk, the president’s billionaire policy aide. Mr. Musk not only poured money into the race but also campaigned personally in the state, even donning a cheesehead. But his starring role seemed to inflame Democratic anger against him even more than it helped Judge Schimel.
“Today, Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our fair elections and our Supreme Court,” she said in her victory speech on Tuesday night. “Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price. Our courts are not for sale.” [NYT – Gifted]
Sen. Cory Booker‘s (D-N.J.) epic speech this week broke records for length, and he didn’t waste any of that time straying from message. The former presidential candidate spoke about policy for more than 25 hours — in contrast to past such speeches that relied on stunts to keep the timer ticking. Check out some of the highlights from the speech. [Axios]
The Trump regime acknowledged late Monday that it had inadvertently deported a man to El Salvador last month despite a court’s determination that he had a legitimate fear of persecution in his home country. “This removal was an error,” a top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official. The Trump administration now says there’s nothing it can do to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to U.S. custody. [Politico]
Employees across the massive U.S. Health and Human Services Department began receiving notices of dismissal on Tuesday in an overhaul ultimately expected to lay off up to 10,000 people. The notices come just days after President Donald Trump moved to strip workers of their collective bargaining rights at HHS and other agencies throughout the government. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a plan last week to remake the department, which, through its agencies, is responsible for tracking health trends and disease outbreaks, conducting and funding medical research, and monitoring the safety of food and medicine, as well as for administering health insurance programs for nearly half of the country. Yeah, that doesn’t seem like the sort of thing that one would want to cut back on. [AP]
Do not ignore this, because Donald Trump will do everything he can to remain in power. Top Republicans on Capitol Hill poured cold water on President Donald Trump’s talk of a potential third term, downplaying the prospect that he would pursue it. Several lawmakers insisted that Trump wasn’t serious about it, even though he told NBC News on Sunday that he’s “not joking” about wanting another term, which is barred under the 22nd Amendment, and that “there are methods” to be able to run again. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Monday when he was asked whether he believes Trump, 78, can serve a third term: “Not without a change in the Constitution.” [NBC News]
While Donald Trump is eyeing a third term, JD Vance has other plans and may also be a bit delusional about his popularity. JD Vance is set to host a fundraiser on Monday night in New York City, his first for the Republican National Committee as vice president. The move shows how Vance is maintaining and building his fundraising network ahead of a possible 2028 White House bid. [Axios]
Elon Musk made a little stop at the CIA to discuss downsizing efforts. [The New York Times]
Top career officials at the Department of the Interior (DOI) were placed on administrative leave late last week after declining to immediately give affiliates of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) levels of access to a payroll system that would in theory allow them to, among other things, stop individual Supreme Court justices’ paychecks. [WIRED]
The Trump regime is now going after Harvard University. [The Guardian]
The DOGE staffer who resigned from his post over old racist tweets — and who broke data-sharing rules, an audit found — has been rehired to work with sensitive data at several federal agencies. The staffer is Marko Elez, a Department of Labor employee detailed to the DOGE entity within the White House, according to a Saturday court filing. It says the Labor Department is aware of four other agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where Elez is also detailed or employed. The court filing provides an accounting of the access that Elez and other DOGE employees have inside certain sensitive and secure databases. And it comes as federal judges in other cases have found that the Elon Musk-led effort has likely broken the law and has been largely unable to explain why it needs such sweeping data access. [NPR]
How You Can Help Save Democracy
Join an Indivisible group in your area. The organization strives for an inclusive democracy where everyone has a voice and challenges and replaces right-wing political agendas. Through grassroots organizing, lobbying, media campaigns, and advocacy strategies, activists pressure elected officials to support progressive values.
Check out the new Indivisible Guide: “INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO DEMOCRACY ON THE BRINK” — Strategies, Tactics, & Tips For How Everyday Americans Can Fight Back Together Wherever We Live
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