Trail Mix: LGBTQ+ communities and the mayor's race
Welcome back to our weekly roundup of election news.
Event curator Lesbian Social, one of the strongest forces in Detroit's LGBTQ+ scene, is hosting a conversation with Council President Mary Sheffield on Tuesday about her mayoral campaign, alongside a group called LGBTQIA 4 Mary.
The panel will discuss "asset protection and affordable housing for the queer community," per an Instagram post.
In more queer politics news, Hotter Than July and LGBT Detroit are planning a mayoral candidate forum for July 25, per Facebook.
The discussion is part of a larger day-long gathering discussing LGBTQ+ issues during Hotter than July, the 30-year-old Black LGBTQ+ pride event taking place July 22-27.
🔮 What we're watching: Look out for future news on LGBTQ+ organizers getting involved with election education — these two events signal that Detroit's queer and transgender residents are a notable block of voters to court.
Always more endorsement news: A progressive collective — the Working Families Party, activist organization Detroit Action, Michigan Liberation and others — has endorsed District 6 City Council member Gabriela Santiago-Romero for re-election and former City Clerk candidate Denzel McCampbell for District 7, which lacks an incumbent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump administration orders US embassies to stop student visa interviews
The Trump administration has ordered US embassies worldwide to immediately stop scheduling visa interviews for foreign students as it prepares to implement comprehensive social media screening for all international applicants. A Tuesday state department cable obtained by the Guardian instructs consular sections to pause adding 'any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued' within days. The directive, first reported by Politico , could severely delay visa processing and hurt universities – many of which Donald Trump accuses of having far-left ideologies – that rely heavily on foreign students for revenue. 'The department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor visa applicants,' the cable reads. Officials plan to issue guidance on 'expanded social media vetting for all such applicants'. The freeze is a further escalation from current screening measures, which have primarily targeted students who participated in pro-Palestinian campus protests. Since March, consular officers have been required to conduct mandatory social media reviews looking for evidence of support for 'terrorist activity or a terrorist organization' which could be as broad as showing support for the Palestinian cause, according to a cable obtained by the Guardian at the time. That directive required officers to take screenshots of 'potentially derogatory' content for permanent records, even if posts were later deleted. The new expansion would apply social media vetting to all student visa applicants, not just those flagged for activism. Under the screening process, consular officers would examine applicants' posts, shares, and comments across platforms such as Instagram, X and TikTok for content they deem to be threatening to national security, which has since been tied in to the Trump administration's stance on combating antisemitism. Rubio told senators last week that his department has revoked visas numbering 'probably in the thousands at this point', up from more than 300 reported in March. 'I don't know the latest count, but we probably have more to do,' he said. There are more than one million foreign students in the US, contributing nearly $43.8bn to the economy and supporting more than 378,000 jobs in 2023 to 2024, according to NAFSA. The visa freeze threatens to compound existing challenges facing higher education institutions already experiencing declining international enrollment. When reached for comment, a state department spokesperson said that 'every visa adjudication is a national security decision', noting that visitors applying for visas were required to provide social media identifiers since 2019. 'The Trump administration is focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process,' the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump Appoints 22-Year-Old Ex-Gardener and Grocery Store Assistant to Lead U.S. Terror Prevention
The inexperienced 22-year-old reportedly tasked by Donald Trump with tackling U.S. extremism was working as a neighborhood gardener just five years ago and in a grocery store as recently as August 2023, the Daily Beast can reveal. Thomas Fugate, who graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio just 12 months ago, is currently heading up the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships at the DHS, as first reported by ProPublica Tuesday. The center, also known as CP3, plays a vital role supporting nationwide efforts to combat terrorism and hate-fueled violence. But according to the youngster's LinkedIn page, Fugate has almost no experience in this field—and in 2020 was working as a self-employed 'Landscape Business Owner.' There isn't much else on his resumé to suggest Fugate has the requisite skills to weed out terrorists. Prior to his work as a gardener—while studying for a degree in politics and law—Fugate worked at an H-E-B supermarket in Austin, Texas, as a 'Cross Functional Team Member.' According to his LinkedIn, he would 'perform various activities around every department of the store, fulfilling key duties contributing to store operations.' Since leaving college, Fugate has had a meteoric rise in the political world, having served as an 'advance team member' on President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, according to his LinkedIn page. An avowed Republican, he also interned at the Heritage Foundation, the think tank behind Project 2025, and for Texas Representatives Terry Wilson and Steve Allison. Fugate was reportedly hired as a 'special assistant' in an immigration office at the DHS in February, according to ProPublica. He then took over CP3 after its previous director quit. Fugate did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast's request for comment. 'Tom Fugate has performed well in his current role as a Confidential Assistant in our Immigration & Border Security suboffice,' a senior DHS official told The Daily Beast. 'Due to his success, he has been temporarily given additional leadership responsibilities in the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships office (CP3). This is a credit to his work ethic and success on the job.' Fugate set up a political Instagram account last year, where his profile contains the motto, 'Men used to do great things. I believe they still can.' He has posted a number of photos from the campaign trail and his time in Washington, D.C. He also posted a video that showed him with a host of lesser lights in the Republican party, including the disgraced former congressman Madison Cawthorn, Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell, and MAGA personality Riley Gaines. He is also pictured with Texas Governor Greg Abbott and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. An older account in the name of Trey Fugate on X suggests that he was a fan of LEGO and Star Wars. He used the social media account to call on Texas politicians 'to protect the international affairs budget!' and 'Help the global poor, save lives.' That was just two years before he launched his new MAGA personality with the thomas4texas Instagram account, saying: 'Legend has it that Thomas Fugate didn't start the fire 🔥, but that is always been burning since the world's been turning 🤔. Welcome all to my new account for public service, community involvement, and politics 🇺🇸. Recently things have got to the point where I felt like my main account has become too focused on politics, so I wanted to switch things up!' The plethora of selfies and portraits plastered across his social media accounts suggest that the wryly arched eyebrow Fugate chose for his LinkedIn profile—a photograph taken in front of the seal of the Department of Homeland Security—was very much a knowing choice from a young man who seems to think he is destined for the top.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Fake Trump post claims Musk 'totally' did a Nazi salute
Claim: An image authentically shows U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, "That totally was a Nazi salute that Elon did by the way. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it." Rating: A rumor that circulated online in June 2025 claimed U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that tech billionaire and former White House adviser Elon Musk "totally" did a Nazi salute. The alleged post read, "That totally was a Nazi salute that Elon did by the way. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it." The text displayed in the image referenced a moment from Trump's second Inauguration Day in January in which Musk raised his arm in a gesture that many compared to the stiff-armed salute historically associated with Nazism. Musk later blamed (archived) the "legacy media" for supposedly misinterpreting his actions. Snopes readers emailed about this matter, with one person asking, "True or false? In the current feud between Trump and Elon Musk, the president has publicly commented on Musk's previously reported Nazi salute." Another reader also wrote: "There is a photo on Facebook that appears to be a Trump 'Truth' that says: Elon did in fact do a Nazi salute on stage and everyone knows it." On social media, an X user posted (archived) the image of the alleged Trump post. That user's post, which received more than 1.5 million views, displayed a text caption suggesting the image was nothing more than a joke, reading, "Hahahaha this one is actually funny." Numerous users shared the purported Trump post image or quote on Bluesky (archived), Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), Threads (archived) and X (archived). (Matthew Rife/X) As the X user's post hinted, someone with the goal of creating a meme fabricated the image of the Trump Truth Social post that said Musk performed a Nazi salute. No such post appeared on Trump's Truth Social feed. There was also no sign of the post on Trump's Truths, a website that archives Trump's Truth Social posts. The fake post screenshot circulated at the same time as a rift widened between Trump and Musk in early June, days following Musk's departure from his role as White House adviser. The rift began with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO's disagreement over provisions included in a Republican-backed bill, referenced by Trump as the "big, beautiful bill," which features tax breaks and spending cuts. Musk called the bill a "disgusting abomination." At one point during the back-and-forth between Trump and Musk, which mostly occurred on social media, Trump floated (archived) an idea on his Truth Social account of terminating federal subsidies and contracts associated with Musk's companies. Musk then fired back on X, alleging Trump appeared in unreleased government files associated with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Musk added (archived), "That is the real reason they have not been made public." He did not provide evidence to support his claim. In an emailed statement to Snopes, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to Musk's allegation about Epstein not by directly addressing Snopes' question but instead sending a general statement about the pair's feud. "This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted," Leavitt said. "The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again." For further reading, Snopes reported in early June that Musk shared another user's post who called for Trump's impeachment, and also posted that Trump "would have lost the election" without his support. Cooper, Jonathan J., and Chris Megerian. "Musk Calls Trump's Big Tax Break Bill a 'disgusting Abomination,' Testing His Influence over the GOP." The Associated Press, 3 June 2025, Liles, Jordan. "Did Musk Give 'Nazi Salute' at Trump's 2025 Inauguration Rally? Here's What We Know." Snopes, 21 Jan. 2025, ---. "Yes, Musk Alleged Trump Appears in the Epstein Files." Snopes, 5 June 2025, Megerian, Chris. "Trump Gives Elon Musk an Oval Office Sendoff, Crediting Him with 'Colossal Change.'" The Associated Press, 30 May 2025, Walsh, Joe. "Trump Threatens to Cut off Elon Musk's Federal Subsidies. That Could Cost Tesla and SpaceX Billions." CBS News, 5 June 2025,
