Independent Agencies No Longer

12.8.25

Happy Monday and welcome back to today’s edition of Common Sense with Ally Sammarco—your daily briefing on politics. Let’s break it down.

Farmers get $12B band-aid after tariff blowback….President Trump is set to roll out a $12 billion aid package for American farmers—most of it ($11B) in one-time payments to crop producers—after his own tariffs and the China trade war hammered the agricultural sector. Soybean farmers have been hit hardest, with China blocking U.S. purchases for most of the fall before agreeing to a limited buy in a recent framework deal. The move follows outrage over Trump’s $20B bailout of Argentina, which sold soybeans to China while American farmers were shut out. This is Trump’s third major bailout for farmers since 2018—a familiar pattern of breaking things with tariffs and using taxpayers to clean up the mess.

Common Sense takeaway: Instituting tariffs on American farmers and companies was a bad decision to begin with—we all knew that. Americans have had to pay the increased prices and now were also footing the bill to fix his PR problems. He should have to stroke a personal check to pay for his bad decisions, instead of taking taxpayers for another ride in the tune of $12 BILLION.

Paramount crashes Netflix’s party with surprise WBD bid….Just days after Netflix announced an $83 billion deal to snap up most of Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount jumped in with its own offer—$30 per share, a massive 139% premium. Paramount’s bid includes HBO Max, Warner Bros. Studios, and cable networks like CNN, unlike Netflix’s cheaper $27.75-per-share offer that left the cable channels out. Paramount CEO David Ellison blasted the Netflix deal as “inferior” and is taking the offer straight to shareholders. The market responded immediately: Paramount stock jumped, Netflix dipped, and the fight for Hollywood’s crown just got a lot messier.

Common Sense takeaway: It’s of my personal opinion that the streaming service bubble is going to burst soon. As prices go up steadily ($18/month for ad-free Netflix now), Americans are cutting back on subscriptions. Most Americans want to watch their TV in one place (which I believe is just called “cable.”) Trump needs to keep his sticky little hands out of this deal and let the market happen naturally.

Trump removes MLK Day and Juneteenth from national parks—adds his own birthday….Next year, national parks won’t honor Martin Luther King Jr. or Juneteenth with fee-free access. Instead, President Trump’s birthday gets the spotlight, alongside Constitution Day, Teddy Roosevelt’s birthday, and the National Park Service anniversary. Non-U.S. visitors will pay more under the administration’s new “America-first pricing,” while Americans enjoy discounted or free access. The Interior Department called them “patriotic fee-free days,” framing the move as a gift to U.S. taxpayers. Democrats see it as another step in reshaping how the country’s history—especially its uncomfortable truths about racism—is represented on federal lands.

Common Sense takeaway: The narcissist is going to narcissist. Erasing American history for his own glory is certainly a Trump thing to do and shows just how little this administration actually cares about Americans. I find it despicable and tasteless, but I know that ultimately, whoever is the next Democratic president will undo this abomination.

SCOTUS weighs Trump’s power grab over independent agencies….The Supreme Court heard a blockbuster case that could shatter a century of political independence for federal agencies. Trump is trying to fire FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter—appointed to a fixed seven-year term—simply because her views don’t align with his “priorities.” Lower courts ruled the firing illegal, citing long-standing laws protecting agencies like the FTC, SEC, FEC, and NTSB from partisan purge. But several conservative justices have already signaled they want to give presidents broad authority to remove commissioners at will. If Trump wins, presidents could effectively control agencies that regulate everything from elections to financial markets, injecting political swings into areas designed for stability. The ruling will also decide the fate of other Trump-fired officials, with decisions expected by June 2026.

Common Sense takeaway: This is terrifying and another step towards authoritarianism under this administration and corrupt Supreme Court. I have no faith that the 6-3 conservative majority will do the right thing, and the LAST thing we need is more control over independent commissions by this unstable genius. Everyone should be drawing attention to this.

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