Old Man Rambles On Stage To Nation

12.18.25

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

House GOP Passes Health Bill, Lets ACA Subsidies Expire…House Republicans narrowly passed a health care package, 216–211, that does not extend the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, setting up millions of Americans for higher premiums as Congress heads into recess. Four GOP moderates—after briefly rebelling with Democrats to force a vote—ultimately backed the bill, with Rep. Thomas Massie the lone Republican no vote. Speaker Mike Johnson denied losing control of the chamber after moderates joined a discharge petition led by Hakeem Jeffries to push a three-year ACA extension. That vote, however, can’t happen until at least January 2026. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it’s expected to fail—leaving Americans stuck in the crossfire of GOP infighting and stalled action on health care affordability.

Common Sense takeaway: More political theater from Mike Johnson and Republicans. We all know this bill is not viable and won’t pass in the Senate. It’s a disservice to millions of Americans to leave this issue in limbo until after the new year, while congress leaves early for their Christmas vacations. It’s also just plain insulting.

Trump Promises Boom in Nationwide Address as Polls Show Trouble.....In a nationally televised address, Donald Trump promised an economic boom, announced a $1,776 payment to U.S. service members, and blamed Joe Biden and Democrats for rising costs. The speech comes as Reuters/Ipsos polls show just 33% approval on the economy, with unemployment and affordability weighing on voters. Trump claimed $18 trillion in new investment and gas prices at $2.50—below the AAA average—while previewing sweeping plans for an energy build-out and a new Federal Reserve chair. Chuck Schumer pushed back, noting Trump’s day-one promise to cut costs hasn’t materialized as prices continue to rise.

Common Sense takeaway: This speech, quite frankly, could have been an email. It was extremely partisan and far from a typical prime-time address. Donald blamed everybody but himself for a failing economy, while at the same time declaring the economy to be booming and giving it an “A++++” the other day. Make it make sense. Media sources covered it almost from polar-opposite ends, per usual. Left-leaning sources covered it like this:

While right-leaning sources covered it like this:

If you didn’t have time to watch the speech like most Americans, it’s important to know where you’re consuming coverage of it. That’s why I use Ground News—a platform that congregates stories from all around the world so you can see the full picture. Every day, Ground News pulls in about 60,000 stories from over 50,000 outlets worldwide and lets you instantly compare how left, center, and right sources are covering the same event.

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Epstein Files Pressure Mounts…..House Oversight Democrats released a new batch of roughly 70 photos from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein just one day before the Justice Department’s deadline to disclose its Epstein files. The images—provided to Congress without context—include redacted passports, screenshots of texts discussing recruiting young women, and photos showing Epstein with prominent figures like Bill Gates and Noam Chomsky (with no evidence of wrongdoing implied). Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said the materials raise urgent questions about what the Department of Justice is still withholding, calling for the immediate release of all Epstein files. The committee is also examining the government’s handling of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, as a new law requires the DOJ to make its records public by Friday.

Common Sense takeaway: It’s Epstein eve everybody. These pictures are just another precursor of what’s to come. Tomorrow will be the true of what the DOJ is still hiding from the American public, but be prepared for the Trump administration to pull every trick out of the book to downplay and distract from the truth.

Life Sentence in Ana Walshe Murder…..A Massachusetts jury sentenced Brian Walshe to life in prison without parole after convicting him of first-degree murder in the killing and dismemberment of his wife, Ana Walshe, who disappeared on Jan. 1, 2023. Her body has never been found. The judge called Walshe’s actions “barbaric and incomprehensible,” citing the trauma inflicted on the couple’s three young children and the thousands of investigative hours wasted by his lies. Prosecutors presented evidence including internet searches about disposing of a body, surveillance footage of him buying tools, and DNA-linked items recovered from dumpsters. Walshe had pleaded guilty to lying to police and improperly disposing of remains but denied killing his wife. Ana Walshe’s family described an “unbearable emptiness,” while the court imposed consecutive sentences on related charges in addition to the mandatory life term.

Common Sense takeaway: This guy’s story from start to finish was a bold-faced lie. His Google history included terms like “How long before a body starts to smell,” “Dismemberment and the best ways to dispose of a body,” and “Can you be charged with murder without a body.” If the writing wasn’t on the wall, I don’t know what was. Enjoy life in prison, murderer.

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