Happy Friday and welcome back to today’s edition of Common Sense with Ally Sammarco—your daily briefing on U.S. politics. Let’s break it down.
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Two-Second Ad….President Trump abruptly announced the end of all trade negotiations with Canada—because of a two-second clip in a Canadian ad. The ad, produced by a Canadian business council, referenced Ronald Reagan’s historic free-trade vision and featured a brief image of Reagan speaking beside an American flag. That alone, Trump said, was “deeply disrespectful” and “foreign interference in U.S. political messaging.” The decision effectively freezes talks aimed at resolving Trump’s steep tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, and auto imports. Canadian officials expressed “shock and disappointment,” saying they had no plans to pull the ad and called Trump’s reaction “absurdly disproportionate.”
Common Sense takeaway: If being compared to the Republican paragon makes you feel disrespected, Donald, maybe you are doing something wrong. This loser has the thinnest skin in the world—he spends more time picking fights with allies than solving problems in America.
Poll Says Majority of Americans Believe Trump Is Targeting His Enemies….A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds that 55% of Americans believe Donald Trump is using federal law enforcement to target his political opponents—a perception that extends beyond party lines. Notably, 29% of Republicans and 55% of independents agree with the claim, signaling growing unease even among Trump’s base. The poll also found that 72% of respondents believe the country is “too divided,” and more than half say political violence now feels like a realistic possibility in the next election cycle.
Common Sense takeaway: This is clearly not the approval poll he was hoping for. It’s encouraging that independents, for the most part, are able to see the corruption that is happening currently in this administration. It should not be partisan to say that the President shouldn’t conspire with the DOJ to systematically complete a revenge tour on his political enemies.
Hegseth’s Pentagon Locks Press Out….Under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon has imposed sweeping new restrictions on journalists covering the U.S. military. Reporters are now required to sign a pledge agreeing not to solicit or publish information that hasn’t been pre‐approved by the Pentagon—even if it’s unclassified. The policy also bars reporters from entering large swaths of the Pentagon complex—including the offices of the Joint Chiefs and the service branches—unless they are escorted by a government official. In response, virtually all major news outlets turned in their Pentagon press credentials rather than comply. Only one outlet, OANN, accepted the terms.
Common Sense takeaway: This is state-sanctioned media. The NYT, Washington Post, CBS, NBC, ABC, Reuters, and even Fox are no longer credentialed at the Pentagon. You know who is credentialed? LindellTV, Tim Pool, TPUSA, Jack Posobiec and more. What a joke.
Gavin Newsom Launches “MAGA Knee Pads” Targeting Trump Enablers….At the California Economic Summit in Stockton on Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a satirical new product line—“MAGA Knee Pads”—aimed at CEOs, media firms, law firms and universities he accuses of “bending the knee” to Donald Trump. He promoted the pads, sold on his parody “Patriot” e-site, with an X post:
“COMING SOON - NEW KNEE PADS FOR ALL CEO’S, UNIVERSITIES, AND GOP BENDING THE KNEE TO DONALD TRUMP. YOUR KNEES LOOK VERY SORE FROM ALL YOUR GROVELING.”
During his speech, Newsom framed the merchandise as a critique of institutional complicity: “To see people in positions of power do absolutely nothing when they must know better … is the most disgraceful of all aspects of this moment.” He specifically called out the University of Virginia for settling with the DOJ over DEI policies.
Common Sense takeaway: As juvenile as it seems, these are the kind of tactics that get people’s attention. It’s despicable how many universities and companies have rolled over to Donald Trump’s demands and it’s about time someone called them out in an embarrassing way. Keep going, Gavin.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. Check back tomorrow for more.
I need Newsom to sell butt pads and elbow pads next.
It's Friday and like clockwork, what follows 4 days of trxmp absurdity but, "You were all disrespectful to me last 4 days."