Cuomo's Career is Over

6.25.25

Happy Tuesday! Welcome back to Common Sense—your no-BS guide to politics, chaos, and whatever else caught fire today.

Trump’s ceasefire didn’t last…Trump walked himself onto the world stage Monday night and declared, “the war is done”—apparently mistaking a 48-hour pause in airstrikes for a peace deal. In reality, Iran launched missiles at Beersheba, killing around five civilians—prompting immediate Israeli defense alerts. Israel responded within hours, targeting Iranian radar and nuclear installations in Tehran. Both sides accused each other of violating the truce. At the NATO summit, Zelensky met with Trump behind closed doors, likely pushing for more air defense systems since Ukraine’s power grid keeps getting pounded. When discussing ending the war, Trump said "it's more difficult than people wouldn't have any idea…Vladimir Putin has been more difficult. Frankly, I had some problems with Zelenskyy. You may have read about him, and it's been more difficult than other wars."

Common Sense takeaway: If this is peace, what does war look like?

Zohran wins NYC mayoral primary…Zohran Mamdani, a 33‑year‑old Democratic socialist and Queens assemblyman, crushed Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary—winning ~43.5% to Cuomo’s ~36.4% in first‑round votes. Cuomo, the former governor, spent a ton on ads and name recognition. Mamdani, on the other hand, knocked on 1.5 million doors, mobilized a multiracial, multi‑generational coalition, and emphasized economic instability—rent freezes, 200,000 affordable units, and free buses and childcare. MAGA pundits are screaming labels like “Muslim communist,” because of course they are.

Common Sense takeaway: A socialist just crushed an establishment guy—and that’s a signal. NYC voters are done with centrist attitudes and platitudes. They want affordability, not self-serving career politicians. If Mamdani wins in November, this could be the blueprint for national progressive insurgencies.

Markets somewhat rebound…Wall Street did its usual thing: panic and then reverse course. Stocks rebounded on news of a “ceasefire,” even though nobody knows how long it’ll last. Oil dipped below $70/barrel, crypto bros are still riding high with Bitcoin holding above $107K, and the Fed is talking about a possible rate cut in September if inflation keeps cooling and nothing else explodes. Tesla’s car sales in Europe fell off a cliff — down 37.1% this year. Turns out Europeans aren’t rushing to buy tech from the guy who spends his weekends cosplaying as a free speech martyr on Twitter.

Common Sense takeaway: The economy’s not booming, it’s just relieved we didn’t nuke anyone today!

Photo by Yashowardhan Singh on Unsplash

Heatwaves take over the world…It’s not even July and temperatures are already breaking records across the country. Montreal, Boston, and parts of Europe are all sweltering through heatwaves that scientists say are “unprecedented” but not unpredictable, given how fast our climate is warming. Of course, Republicans are pretending it’s not a big deal. “It’s just summer,” they say as ER visits spike, power grids strain, and wildfires ignite across dry terrain. No plans, no policies—just lies per usual.

Common Sense takeaway: It’s not global warming. It’s just the Earth slowly evicting us.

Photo by Scott Goodwill on Unsplash

Today’s Buzz

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial is entering closing arguments this week. He faces a slew of charges that range from disturbing to jaw-dropping. Diddy marks yet another celebrity fall from grace in a year that’s been stacked with them. Still wild that we’re living in a world where Diddy’s legal team and Trump’s criminal defense attorneys have both worked overtime in the court room.

That’s all for today. Thanks for reading. Check back tomorrow for the next edition of Common Sense.