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Democracy is a Verb

@democracyisverb.bsky.social

671 followers 418 following 341 posts

Cynical about power. Obsessive about facts. Political commentary, national security & democracy - with receipts. Anti-ICE | BLM ✊🏾 & LGBTQ+ 🏳️‍🌈ally DEMOCRACY IS A VERB. ACT ACCORDINGLY. Follow me on TikTok: @democracyisverb

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I am Jane Doe. My name is Michelle. I don’t know his age. I was 18. I don’t know his name. He raped me. My best friend pulled him off of me while I was passed out. I’m now 53. I’m still living with the pain of this despite many years of therapy. #janedoe

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Pete Hegseth's Pentagon power trip is putting military leadership and national security under scrutiny. After removing experienced senior military officers, he's cutting 20% of U.S. general and admiral positions. #pentagon

Hegseth's Pentagon Power Trip: Loyalty Over Military Leadership?

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Trump administration rolls back Title IX regulations protecting LGBTQ+ students and changes how sexual assault investigations are required to me investigated. #cornell7

September 28, 2026

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

SCOTUS just allowed the expanded SAVE voter database to resume, 39 days before the midterms. Texas flagged 2,724 voters as potential noncitizens. Further review confirmed 578 were American citizens. What happens if your registration is flagged next? Check yours now. #electionintegrity

Supreme Court SAVE Ruling: Could Your Voter Registration Be at Risk?

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A federal judge ordered the White House to restore CNN, MS NOW and Politico’s press credentials. Hours later, reporters were turned away. Now the White House has until 12:30 p.m. ET to respond to the judge. What happens next? #PressFreedom #DemocracyIsAVerb

Trump White House Turns Away CNN, MS NOW & Politico Despite Court Order | Judge Demands Response

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

When did the White House actually start planning Trump TV? I went digging, and the documented timeline goes further back than just this weekend. I traced the contracts, the White House app, VOA and what we still don’t know. This one’s a deep dive. #trumptv

When did the White House actually start planning Trump TV?

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

An ICE officer shot a man in Austin while he was working a DoorDash delivery. His wife says she was then prevented from seeing him at the hospital before he was transferred into ICE custody. There are still a lot of unanswered questions. Here’s what we know so far. #ICE

ICE Shot 28-year-old Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin, Texas

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

J. Michael Luttig warning about potential House fight after the 2026 midterms. Historian Heather Cox Richardson connected that warning election issues already unfolding. I break down the scenario, what Luttig is asking Republicans to do now, and how this fits with election stories I’ve been covering

Could Mike Johnson Block a New House Majority? J. Michael Luttig Explains the Risk

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

A SECOND federal judge has now blocked the Trump administration’s new USPS mail-in ballot rules, and this one was appointed by Trump. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court still hasn’t ruled on the separate Massachusetts injunction. Here’s where this increasingly complicated fight stands. 👇

Second Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s USPS Mail-In Ballot Rules

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

There’s a new wrinkle in the fight over the USPS mail-in ballot rule. APWU - Postal Workers Union files Amicus Brief weighing in with SCOTUS, and their filing raises some pretty important questions about training, timing and a 60-day requirement in their collective bargaining agreement. #usps

USPS Mail-In Ballot Rules: Postal Workers Union Warns Supreme Court About 2026 Election Changes

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Elon Musk Targets Democrats on Transgender Issues in Key Senate Races www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...

Musk Targets Transgender Issues in Key Midterm Senate Races

A political group for the world’s richest man, who is ramping up a midterm spending blitz, began running attack ads against Democrats in Texas, Ohio and Iowa.

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

#electionsecurity Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Allow the SAVE Database Voter-Screening Tool www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...

Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Allow Voter-Screening Tool

Voting rights organizations had challenged a Trump administration overhaul of a government database, arguing it could be used to disenfranchise eligible voters.

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

We passed a housing law to build more houses. Canadian softwood lumber, the framing of most of them, pays roughly 45 percent in combined U.S. duties and tariffs. The plan to replace it? USDA's high-end estimate is a 5 to 10 percent bump in national forest harvest. #housingaffordability #tariffs

Canada Tariffs and Housing Costs: Lumber, Steel, and the Roadless Rule Explained

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

#ICE is preparing to acquire voter files from up to every state. The draft contract strips "party affiliation." Georgia has no party registration, and its file still has a column called "Last Party Voted." The contract never says which one counts. #electionintegrity

ICE Voter Data Contract: What the Draft Statement of Work Actually Says About Party Affiliation

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

My thoughts on Gloria Steinem and a book recommendation. Currently reading Liberation Summer by Micki McElya. Link in the comments. #gloriasteinem

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I'm attending Indivisible's event, “General Election Kickoff Call” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/indivisible/...

General Election Kickoff Call · Indivisible

Join Indivisibles and activists across the country to learn about Indivisible National’s General Election program! We’ll kick things off with Indivisible’s Ezra Levin as we celebrate all that we acco...

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I reviewed my news diet on the Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart. PBS NewsHour, NYT, WaPo, the Atlantic, Wired, Reuters, AP. Every one labeled Skews Left or Middle. Every one inside the green box. Here's how to read the chart that gets passed around as a "gotcha"!

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Yayoi Kusama, Pop Artist Who Expanded and Endured, Dies at 97 www.nytimes.com/2026/08/26/a...

Yayoi Kusama, Japanese Pop Artist Known for Polka-Dot Paintings, Dies at 97

The Japanese artist’s polka-dot covered paintings, phallic sculptures and public performances caused a stir in New York City and Europe in the 1960s.

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

On August 5th, Trump's political operation briefed Senate Republicans on what was testing best on health care. Their data had running against insurance companies as beating the Democratic message by 46 points. Days earlier Jon Ossoff ran a seven-figure ad on the same framing. #healthcare

Republicans Tested Their Healthcare Message. So Did Democrats. Both Landed on Blaming Insurers.

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

FHA delinquencies are at 11.79%. Conventional loans are at 2.72%. The people with the least cushion are the ones feeling this, which is a different story than a national housing collapse #housing #realestate

The Housing Market Isn't Crashing. Here's What the Data Actually Shows

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Why Do We Keep Imagining a New Civil War?

Opinion | Why Do We Keep Imagining a New Civil War? (Gift Article)

Art doesn’t predict the future, but it can be an early warning system.

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

USDA's proposal to gut the Roadless Rule contains this sentence: "greater public access can increase human-caused ignition potential in some locations." They know. They're arguing the tradeoff is worth it across 45 million acres. #wildfire

USDA Says Roads Prevent Wildfires. Their Own Filing Admits Roads Bring Ignitions.

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Researchers say the largest base of pro-Israel political support in America isn't #AIPAC and isn't Jewish Americans. It's evangelical Christians. Their biggest group says it has 10 million members and just met outside Washington, and for many the support runs on an end-times theology.

The Biggest Pro-Israel Force in America Isn't Jewish. Here's the Record.

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Compliant Technologies' own product guide says the G.L.O.V.E. shall not be used for verbal defiance, punishment, torture, or horseplay, and to avoid the elderly, small children, and pregnant women. DHS just posted a no-bid notice to buy thousands of them for #ICE.

ICE Shock Gloves Explained: The Contract, the Manual, and the Records Problem

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

#DHS built dossiers on people whose only documented act was showing up to an anti-ICE meeting at a church. Names, photos, addresses, employers, plates. The FBI had a name for this once. According to a new article in the @nytimes.com which will be linked in the thread.

DHS Investigated Unions and a Climate Group Over Minnesota ICE Protests

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

In June, the Heritage Foundation that led Project 2025 said the plan out loud: "sunset Head Start and deregulate the program until officials end it." Now HHS is rolling back teacher-pay requirements and ~1,400 operating standards. Congress, meanwhile, funded the program at ~$12.4B. #headstart

Project 2025 "Eliminate Head Start." Now Heritage Foundation Says "Deregulate It Until You End It."

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

CISA told Congress in July it couldn't provide its normal election-security help before November. Then it held a call offering states what they already had, 84 days out. #midterms

CISA Election Security 2026: What CISA's Midterm Call to States Actually Revealed

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Corporate profits are at a high level, with some companies paying little to no taxes, while middle-class workers are shouldering the tax burden and subsidizing the benefits of low-wage workers at profitable companies.

No One Who Works Full Time Should Be on Medicaid

There are a lot of jobs in the US economy that pay miserably low wages. And there are a lot that offer a reasonable hourly rate but still result in miserably low earnings because of unstable, fluctuat...

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

DHS reported 363 removals involving pregnant, postpartum, or nursing people from ICE custody in about 13 months, and wouldn't give Congress a fuller account of where the rest went. One of them, Heidy Sánchez, was deported to Cuba while her US-citizen baby was still nursing.

Pregnant and Postpartum Women in ICE Detention: Where the Mothers and Babies Go

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

On Aug 6 Trump signed two #birthrightcitizenship orders. What actually changes? One expands a 2020 visa rule into DHS enforcement. The other cites the June ruling that reaffirmed birthright citizenship, & directs agencies not to recognize some US-born kids as citizens when parents aren't citizens.

Birthright Citizenship After Trump v. Barbara: What the August 6 Executive Orders Actually Do

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

The Trump admin's proposed #HeadStart rule would delete 1,400+ regulations and hand staff ratios and background-check procedures to the states. Its own analysis: the "$2.2B" is total impacts, not savings (formal figure ~$940M), and much of it depends on programs doing less. Comments due Oct 6.

Trump's Head Start Rule, Explained: What the 1,400 Proposed Regulatory Cuts Would Do

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

I pulled every abortion bill from the last two Congresses. In 2023-2024, nearly all of the 79 restriction bills died in committee and none became law. This Congress they're falling short of 60, 52-47. That's why the plan moved to the budget and the DOJ. #abortionrights

Todd Blanche, the Comstock Act, and the Plan to Restrict Abortion Without Congress

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

A federal law makes it a crime to put troops or armed federal agents at a polling place. It's been on the books since 1865, with an exception no court has ever defined and no president has ever used. Three officials were asked where the line is. None would say. #midterms2026

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Vanity Fair just ran a commentary, A Midterm Hijack Plan, with James Robenalt mapping the moves critics warn could form a federal attempt to interfere with the midterms. If you've been here with me, you already know most of them. We've been connecting these dots for months. #midterms

No Tanks, No Martial Law: How a Midterm Takeover Actually Works

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

You cannot keep calling #housing affordability the priority while making the materials to build housing more expensive. Congress voted to lower building costs. Nine days later, the administration raised them. My breakdown:

Congress Voted to Lower Building Costs. 9 Days Later, Trump Raised Them.

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

The viral "Trump announced a third term" clip from the Correspondents' Dinner is missing its context. The 22nd Amendment settles it, and his own words about his ballroom say plenty. Watch the whole thing before you share. #trump2028

Is Trump Running for a Third Term in 2028? What the Correspondents' Dinner Clip Leaves Out

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

The Washington Post says the knives are out for JD Vance, and his team is calling the backlash "not organic," basically fake. But this isn't just anonymous accounts. Here's Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones, on air, saying Vance being "moderate" on Israel is "not the Republican position."

FOX HOST TO VANCE: "NOT THE REPUBLICAN POSITION"

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

US State Department published a 100-page report that moves from real Cuban spies to protesters, nonprofits, and Hasan Piker & files them in the same story about "Cuban influence." It admits the DSA arrived at its politics on its own, then counts that as a win for #Cuba. 1st Amendment doesn't matter?

What the State Department's Cuba Report Actually Says, and Why It's a First Amendment Problem

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

#Scalise is calling democratic socialists the "Bolshevik Revolution of 2026." The real #Bolsheviks seized power by force, lost the 1917 Constituent Assembly election, then dissolved it. The people he's calling Bolsheviks won their primaries. The history runs the opposite direction.

What the Bolshevik Revolution Actually Was, and Why Steve Scalise's Comparison Is Backwards

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

$1.74 million. No-bid. To a Trump donor who lives a mile from Mar-a-Lago. The algae came back anyway. And a separate $14.65M paint job on the Lincoln Reflecting Pool is already peeling. One line item in a longer list. Receipts inside.

Trump's Vanity Projects, With the Receipts: The Ballroom, the Jet, the $16M Pool

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

ICE spent over $1B on 11 detention warehouses that never held anyone. They poured $45B into detention while FIRING nearly 100 immigration judges, cutting the courts by about a quarter. They funded cages, but cut the courts. All while private prison companies like GEO Group posts record profits.

ICE Detention Spending Explained: Warehouses, the Offload, and the Court Backlog

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

#DHS Secretary held a press conference re: protecting elections. Trump gutted CISA's election-security team, defunded the free threat alerts guarding voter rolls, and just emptied the Election Assistance Commission to zero. You don't protect elections by dismantling the people who protect them.

Fact-Checking Markwayne Mullin's Election Briefing: Noncitizen Voters, DHS Authority, & CISA Cuts

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

The NYT reports the FBI was told, in writing, to stop investigating confrontations with immigration agents. That's the one investigation that gathers evidence when an agent shoots someone. Move it to Homeland Security Investigations, part of #ICE, & it's ICE investigating ICE. DOJ and DHS deny it.

FBI Told to Stop Investigating ICE Shootings, NYT Reports. DOJ and DHS Deny It.

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

A viral clip says Republicans have "already started" refusing to swear in Democrats. That part isn't true. But I chased the thread, and there's a real, narrow way disputed Senate seats could stall control. Here's how it actually works, and why it's a reason to vote, not panic. #midterms

Can Republicans Refuse to Swear In Democrats? What the Senate Rules Actually Say (2026)

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

South Carolina just got the first woman senator in its history, and no voter chose her. Days after Lindsey Graham died, the governor appointed his little sister to finish his term. It's already drawing nepotism accusations. Here's how the seat was filled and what happens next. #lindseygraham

South Carolina's First Woman Senator Was Appointed, Not Elected | Graham's Sister Explained

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

An ICE agent fatally shot a man in Maine this morning. He is one of at least eight people fatally shot by ICE or Border Patrol since 2025. Four were U.S. citizens. No officer has been charged in any of the deaths. I named every person and linked every source. #ICE

ICE Shooting in Maine: At Least 8 People Fatally Shot by Immigration Agents Since 2025

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

The most frustrating thing about social media is how creators are rewarded for spreading misinformation because they just read a headline and don’t do actual research into what they’re sharing. The #housingbill isn’t good. Yet folks are acting like it’s amazing. BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T READ IT.

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

If you're waiting for the housing bill that just became law to make buying a home cheaper, it won't, and almost nobody is saying that. The two groups that lobbied hardest to pass it were the realtors' and homebuilders' associations. NAR was the #1 lobbying spender in the country in 2024. #housing

21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Explained: What's Actually In It for Homebuyers - NOT MUCH

YouTube video by Chelle

Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Trump cleared out the Election Assistance Commission. The two Democrats were fired, the remaining Republican resigned, and the commission now has zero members. A court already blocked Trump’s attempt to change that form through the agency. To me, this is the fifth move in the same pattern.

Trump Removes the Election Assistance Commission: What It Means Before the 2026 Midterms

YouTube video by Chelle

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Democracy is a Verb @democracyisverb.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

There is no rule anywhere to remove or replace an incapacitated member of Congress. Not in the Constitution, federal law, or in the Senate's own rules. The pay doesn't stop for missed votes either: $174,000 a year. The president got the 25th Amendment in 1967. Congress never wrote one for itself.

Congress Has No 25th Amendment: The Senate Incapacity Gap, Explained

YouTube video by Chelle

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