“Fake News” Fights Back

9.21.26

Happy Monday! Welcome back to Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. Let’s break down the latest news.

White House Press Ban Sparks Lawsuit—and a TV News Boycott….The Trump administration is facing a lawsuit from CNN, Politico and MS NOW after revoking their White House press access, with Trump accusing the outlets of spreading “FAKE NEWS.” The three organizations argue the move violates their First Amendment rights and say the government should not be allowed to decide which outlets can report from the White House based on their coverage. The fight escalated Monday when CNN was barred from providing the day’s White House TV pool coverage. Rather than replace CNN, the other networks in the pool—NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox News—declined to step in, meaning there was no pooled television coverage of Trump’s activities. The lawsuit is now before a federal judge, who is being asked to temporarily restore the outlets’ press credentials.

Common Sense Takeaway: Finally the media is fighting back! For so long, we’ve watched reporters stand by and let this president degrade members of the press, particularly women, or just the press as a whole. While we have yet to see anyone stand up to him to his face, this group of networks (including Fox News!) is actually banding together to defend CNN, leaving him without the attention he so deeply desires. More of this please.

ICE Agent Shoots Man in Austin…An ICE officer shot and wounded a 28-year-old Venezuelan man in Austin, Texas, on Sunday during an immigration enforcement operation. The man, identified by his attorneys as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, was reportedly making a DoorDash delivery when the encounter occurred. He was shot in the torso and initially hospitalized in serious but stable condition. Federal officials say Perez was in the U.S. illegally and had a final order of removal. His attorney disputes that account, saying he entered the country lawfully and previously held a valid work permit. Local officials have emphasized that the available information is preliminary and are calling for a broader investigation into what happened. The shooting drew protesters to the scene and renewed scrutiny of ICE’s increasingly aggressive enforcement operations. Austin officials say they want local authorities involved in investigating the incident, while the exact circumstances leading to the shooting remain under investigation.

Common Sense Takeaway: WHY are we still shooting people in the streets? Especially someone who is unarmed and delivering DoorDash? Is there not any other way to train these incels? Are they not capable of de-escalating and arresting someone? I’m so sick of seeing this unlawful behavior by these disgusting depraved individuals. Abolish ICE.

Philadelphia Reports Second Possible Measles Exposure…Philadelphia health officials are warning of a second possible measles exposure after an infected person passed through Philadelphia International Airport on Sept. 13–14. The individual did not leave the airport, but health officials say people may have been exposed in Terminals B and F and connecting areas of Terminals C, D and E. The case is not connected to the recent exposure at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The warning comes as measles cases continue to climb. Pennsylvania has recorded 767 cases so far this year, including 150 hospitalizations and four measles-associated deaths. Nationwide, more than 3,000 cases have been reported across 45 states and Washington, D.C. The CDC recommends two doses of the MMR vaccine, which it says is 97% effective against measles. But vaccination rates have fallen: 92.4% of U.S. kindergartners received the MMR vaccine during the 2025–26 school year, compared with 95.2% before the pandemic.

Common Sense Takeaway: Selfish is the only word I can used to describe the people that refuse to get vaccinated and protect vulnerable communities. There are infants that travel and pass through airports who are unable to get the MMR vaccine yet. I blame RFK Jr. for the revival of these once forgotten illnesses, and yet I also blame the people who make the selfish choice to remain unvaccinated and go about their lives unbothered by the consequences for others.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. See you tomorrow.

— Ally