Trump’s 9/11 Story Keeps Changing….With the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaching, President Donald Trump is once again talking about what he says he witnessed in the aftermath of the attacks—but his stories have changed over the years. At an event Tuesday, Trump claimed that two firefighters lifted him off the ground near Ground Zero “right after” the attacks and carried him away because they feared a building would collapse. He later clarified on Truth Social that he was not at the World Trade Center on the day of the collapse, but “shortly thereafter.” Trump has also previously claimed he watched the second plane hit the South Tower, saw people jump from the Twin Towers from his apartment, and helped clear rubble at Ground Zero. Some of these accounts have not been independently verified, while his claim that thousands of people in New Jersey celebrated the attacks has been debunked.

Common Sense Takeaway: 911, we have a liar. If there’s anything we know about Trump, he’s going to lie and he’s going to make something about himself. We know he was nowhere near Ground Zero during and shortly after the attacks because he was in his office calling news channels talking about how his building is now the tallest in Manhattan. He’s a rotten person though and through, but this lie may be one of the worst.

Mifepristone Access Heads Back to Court….Access to the abortion medication mifepristone could once again be headed for the Supreme Court. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing arguments in a Louisiana-led challenge to the FDA’s decision to allow certified pharmacies and mail-order pharmacies to dispense the drug without an in-person requirement. Louisiana argues the FDA acted improperly when it changed the rules, while opponents of the challenge say restricting mail and telehealth access would create major barriers for patients, particularly those who live far from abortion providers. The Supreme Court has previously kept access to mifepristone in place while the litigation continues. The stakes are significant: medication abortion now accounts for more than 60% of abortions in the U.S., and the outcome of this case could affect access to mifepristone nationwide.

Common Sense Takeaway: The only purpose of this challenge by Louisiana is to make it harder for women to receive access to abortion drugs. Having to see a physician to make an extremely hard, personal, and often times embarrassing decision is a huge barrier between receiving care or not. Additionally, mifepristone only works until about 9-10 weeks gestation, meaning all abortions using this drug happen in the first trimester. This is a sick, sick effort by sick people.

AI Researcher Walks Away Over Safety Concerns….A 27-year-old AI researcher who worked at both OpenAI and Anthropic is leaving the industry, warning that the race to build increasingly powerful AI systems is moving too quickly. Jacob Coxon, who spent three years training AI models, said both companies are “playing with our lives” as they race toward systems capable of recursive self-improvement—where AI could potentially design and train more advanced versions of itself with limited human involvement. Coxon said he believes companies cannot safely develop AI that surpasses human intelligence without government intervention or a coordinated slowdown. His concerns were echoed by Anthropic safety executive Evan Hubinger, who said the company believes there is a risk AI could eventually kill all humans and estimated that risk at more than 10% over the next decade. The warnings come as AI companies continue competing to develop increasingly advanced systems, while the U.S. has no comprehensive federal law regulating AI models. More than 1,000 tech workers and leaders have called for a coordinated slowdown, and lawmakers have proposed legislation that would pause advanced AI development until a federal regulator is established.

Common Sense takeaway: If there’s one thing made clear here: we need action and we need it now. AI is developing too rapidly for government (which is not necessarily known for being fast and technologically savvy) to keep up with. We need to temporarily halt all development, until we can install guardrails around it, but that’s not enough. We need U.S. leadership to come to an agreement with other countries, like China, to do the same. This a scary warning, and we would be extremely foolish to not take it seriously.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. If you enjoyed this newsletter, don’t forget to like and share. It means the world.

— Ally

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Markey Defeats Moulton in Massachusetts Senate Primary….Democratic Sen. Ed Markey defeated Rep. Seth Moulton in Massachusetts’ Democratic Senate primary, securing a decisive victory for the party’s progressive wing. Markey was leading with roughly two-thirds of the vote with 69% reporting. The 80-year-old senator campaigned on his progressive record, including his authorship of the Green New Deal and support for Medicare for All, while Moulton, 47, ran on a message of generational change. Despite Moulton and his allies spending nearly twice as much on advertising, Markey prevailed with backing from progressive leaders including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Moulton conceded Tuesday night and pledged his support to Markey in November, saying Democrats must remain united to defeat Donald Trump and protect democracy.

Common Sense Takeaway: This race makes one thing clear: it’s not age that’s the problem. It’s complacency—and radical centrism—that’s the problem. The American people, at least in reliably blue states and cities, want change. They want candidates who embrace new ideas, not fight to keep things the way they are—or even support Republican initiatives at time. Democrats can fight this, but they will do it at their own peril.

Democrats Are Already Planning for 2027…With Democrats eyeing a possible House majority next year, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is laying out an affordability agenda centered on healthcare and reversing key Trump policies. Jeffries says Democrats would prioritize restoring Medicaid cuts, extending Affordable Care Act tax credits, reclaiming congressional authority over tariffs and ending what he called Trump’s “reckless and costly” war in the Middle East. Healthcare is emerging as the clearest point of agreement, with Democrats across the ideological spectrum arguing that restoring Medicaid and ACA subsidies should be an immediate priority. But progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez want to go much further, targeting corporate power in healthcare and pursuing broader reforms. Other Democrats are pushing an even larger affordability package that could include paid family leave, universal pre-K, childcare subsidies and student loan relief.

Common Sense Takeaway: This is where we should be focused if we want to win, while Republicans have nothing to show other than a needless war and higher prices. There’s an unspoken rule in politics: focus on the issues that unite your party, not the ones that divide them. Healthcare is one of those issues.

JD Vance Says He Wouldn’t Be “Shocked” If We’re Living in the End Times…Vice President JD Vance is apparently contemplating the possibility that we’re living through the apocalypse. In a wide-ranging interview with Christian podcaster Bryce Crawford, Vance said he wouldn’t be “shocked” if we were living in the “end times” and the Antichrist were already walking among us. Vance also connected his concerns about artificial intelligence to what he described as a “spiritual dark energy,” calling some uses of AI “kind of satanic.” He specifically criticized using AI for marriage counseling, arguing that it removes genuine human interaction. And because apparently we weren’t done: Vance was also asked to rate his chances of getting into heaven. His answer? A seven or an eight out of 10. Vance also pointed to Donald Trump surviving the 2024 assassination attempt as something he views through a spiritual lens, saying he believes coincidences like that don’t happen without “the hand of providence.”

Common Sense Takeaway: 1. I actually don’t want my Vice President leading us into the “end times.” 2. The Antichrist is living among us. His name is Donald Trump. 3. Why would God spare Donald Trump and not a firefighter in the crowd? Or millions of children around the world? Just…be quiet, JD.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. If you enjoyed this newsletter, don’t forget to like and share. :)

— Ally

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USPS Mail Voting System Faces Whistleblower Warning….A federal whistleblower is warning that a new U.S. Postal Service system designed to verify voters before mailing them ballots is rushed, untested and potentially capable of causing major disruptions in the 2026 midterms. The system was developed in less than three months, despite the whistleblower saying a project of this complexity would typically take nine to 12 months. One major concern: if even a single ballot in a bulk shipment fails verification, the entire batch could reportedly be rejected and sent back to the state—potentially preventing thousands of ballots from reaching voters. The system stems from President Donald Trump’s March executive order seeking to limit which voters receive mail ballots, an order currently blocked by a federal judge amid ongoing litigation.

Common Sense Takeaway: Who could have predicted? Everything Trump touches turns to s-h-i-t. This is his big plan to rig the 2026 elections. In late August, there was a 14-day temporary restraining order prohibiting the Postal Service from moving forward with implementation and the same court will hear arguments for a new preliminary injunction on September 3. This is not over, but we can’t ignore it. We need to push back on this as hard as we can.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll Resigns….Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is expected to leave the Trump administration in the coming days after the White House accepted his resignation. Driscoll, who has served since February 2025 and is a close ally of Vice President JD Vance, had reportedly been considering an exit for months. His departure comes amid reported friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over Army transformation and readiness, making him the latest senior Pentagon official to leave the administration. The White House praised Driscoll’s tenure, while sources say disagreements over Hegseth’s leadership and the removal of senior military officials contributed to the split.

Common Sense Takeaway: *Pretends to be shocked* Pete Hegseth is being humbled quite a bit lately by top military officials who are rebuking his strategy on this Iran war. They’ve made it clear that this war cannot go on for any longer and we are losing resources to fight elsewhere. I would also quit if my boss was more focused on renaming the department than the lives of the people working there. But what else did we expect with a Fox News host as the Secretary of Defense?

JD Vance Calls Michigan Senate Candidate “Evil”…Vice President JD Vance escalated the rhetoric in Michigan’s competitive Senate race Monday, calling Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed “evil” during a MAGA Inc. rally. Vance criticized El-Sayed over past comments following an attack on a Michigan synagogue and his association with streamer Hasan Piker, who has previously made controversial remarks about 9/11. El-Sayed has since apologized for his comments about the synagogue attack and called Piker’s 9/11 remark “dumb.” El-Sayed fired back at Vance and Donald Trump, arguing that “evil” is taking health care away from working people, raising costs and dividing Americans for political gain. The race against Republican Mike Rogers could help determine control of the Senate.

Common Sense Takeaway: You know what’s evil? Being the second-hand man to the most evil person in the country. Or calling unmarried women “childless cat ladies.” Or defending a needless war, while stripping people of their rights, their money, and their jobs back home. Or helping your boss rig elections. That’s evil. Abdul El-Sayed is not evil. And you know what? He actually says sorry when he makes a mistake, unlike you, JD.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. If you enjoyed this newsletter, don’t forget to like and share. :)

— Ally

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Trump Threatens Further Strikes as U.S.-Iran Conflict Escalates…Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are heating up again after both sides exchanged fire for the first time in weeks. U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz after reportedly detecting preparations to deploy sea mines. Iran responded by launching missiles at U.S. bases in Jordan and drones toward a U.S. air base in the UAE. Trump then warned that the U.S. would “hit them hard,” raising fears of another major escalation. The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical flashpoint: before the war, roughly 20% of the world’s oil passed through the waterway, and the ongoing blockade has already sent energy prices soaring. Trump also appeared to threaten an attack on Kharg Island, a key hub for Iran’s oil exports.

Common Sense Takeaway: What are we doing here??? This is absurd and scary! More Americans are going to die because of his recklessness. There is no outcome of this war that will make any of this worth it. In fact, we are still in a worse position than when we started. At this rate, the war will only end when the next president, hopefully a Democrat, decides to end it.

Kalshi Bans George Santos Over Alleged Illegal Trades…Kalshi has permanently banned former Rep. George Santos from its prediction market platform after he failed to cooperate with an investigation into trades he made surrounding his attendance at the 2026 State of the Union. Kalshi says Santos made nearly $18,000 in profits from the trades and has also penalized him $71,356. The ban comes after Santos agreed in July to pay $35,000 to settle a separate federal investigation, while the Commodity Futures Trading Commission imposed a three-year trading ban.

Common Sense Takeaway: Once a fraudster, always a fraudster. I still can’t believe this man served in Congress. That’s how bad things have gotten. Regardless, George should be nowhere near a gambling market or really anything requiring someone to act honestly. He should actually still be in jail serving his 87-month sentence, but Trump pardoned his sorry ass after 3 months—because of course he did.

Measles Controversy Grows After Amish Family Speaks Out….A new report from The Atlantic tells the story of an Amish couple, “John and Anna,” in Lancaster County who lost their newborn son Aug. 14 after the mother and several of their other children contracted measles. The mother was unvaccinated and severely ill with a high fever and dehydration in the days before giving birth. The family believes measles played a role in their son’s death—but the Lancaster County coroner says the newborn died from a lacerated spleen and that measles was ruled out as a contributing factor by a forensic pathologist. “John is vaccinated, the story says, and Anna is not, nor are their children. The couple said that there is no real anti-vaccination sentiment between them, and Anna wasn't sure why her mother didn't vaccinate her. Their children were unvaccinated because they simply didn't think of it,” the Atlantic said.

Common Sense Takeaway: This is just sad and needless. The Amish community needs outreach from the government that is pro-vax. The father reported that a man named “Kennedy” had called him and left a voicemail, but he didn’t respond. He didn’t know who RFK Jr. was. I’m not sure how that’s possible in this day and age, but it is—and we need to find a way to reach these people.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. Check back tomorrow for more.

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Meta agrees to $18 billion settlement over teen social media use…Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to an approximately $18 billion settlement with California and 28 other states over allegations that its platforms were desig…

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Maxwell’s Conviction Challenge Rejected….A federal judge has rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s latest attempt to overturn her conviction and 20-year prison sentence for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. Judge Paul Engelmayer called her cla…

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Jeffries and Kushner Meet Privately Ahead of Midterms….House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and outside adviser, recently met privately to discuss potential areas of common ground, according to people familia…

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First Haiti Deportation Flight Since TPS Ended….The Trump administration has sent its first deportation flight to Haiti since the government ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitians. An ICE flight carrying 161 passengers…

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Supreme Court Issues Blow To Trump…The Supreme Court has officially closed the door on Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the $5 million jury award in E. Jean Carroll’s 2023 civil case. The justices declined to reconsider their earlier rejection of Trump’s ap…

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Chuck Edwards Ends Reelection Bid After Ethics Findings….Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) announced he is ending his reelection campaign just days after the House Ethics Committee said it found "substantial evidence" that he violated House rules related to s…

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Blanche Clears Confirmation Hurdle….Todd Blanche's nomination to become attorney general is back on track after he formally scrapped the Trump administration's controversial "Anti-Weaponization Fund" and narrowed the scope of a Justice Department agreement…

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Max Miller Faces New Abuse Allegations…Rep. Max Miller is facing scrutiny after police reports resurfaced stating that his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, accused him of multiple incidents of domestic violence during their marriage, including allegations that he th…

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Trump Threatens to Pull Todd Blanche’s Nomination….President Trump said Thursday that he may temporarily withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general after Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis refused to advance his confirmation. Trump praised Bl…

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Beshear Calls on McConnell to Prove He’s Fit to Serve….Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is calling on Sen. Mitch McConnell to either publicly demonstrate that he’s still capable of serving in the Senate or resign. McConnell, 84, has been hospitalized since June…

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Trump Spews Attacks and “Trump 2028” Joke at Correspondents’ Dinner….President Trump headlined the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, which was postponed after a shooting disrupted the original event in April. While he opened by co…

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Sophie Cunningham Makes Comments About Transgender Athletes….Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham is making headlines after speaking out on transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports. In a recent interview, Cunningham said she believes women’s …

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DOJ Investigates Rep. Cory Mills….The Justice Department has opened an investigation into Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), with multiple reports indicating the probe is focused, at least in part, on his finances. The investigation comes as Mills is already und…

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ICE Body Camera Rollout Faces New Scrutiny….After two fatal ICE shootings this month involving officers who were not wearing body cameras, Border Czar Tom Homan said the Trump administration wants body cameras deployed “as soon as possible.” DHS says came…

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Epstein Survivors Criticize Todd Blanche After DOJ Meeting…Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with several survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse after pressure from lawmakers considering his confirmation as attorney general. Following the meeting, sur…

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Trump Unveils Election Documents, Pushes SAVE Act….In a primetime address, President Trump announced the declassification of intelligence documents that he claims expose vulnerabilities in U.S. election systems, Chinese efforts to gather voter data, and ot…

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