Happy Monday 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.
PA Supreme Court Elections Are Here….Pennsylvania voters head to the polls Tuesday for a surprisingly high-stakes election that could upend the state’s Supreme Court. Three Democratic justices—David Wecht, Christine Donohue, and Kevin Dougherty—face retention votes that are usually routine but have become intensely political this year. If all three are ousted, the court’s 5–2 Democratic majority could collapse into a 2–2 deadlock for years, crippling its ability to set legal precedent. Former President Obama and Gov. Josh Shapiro have urged voters to keep the justices, while Donald Trump has called on Pennsylvanians to “vote NO, NO, NO” to remove them. Wecht warned that a deadlocked court would be “disastrous” for a state already central to national politics—and accused conservatives of weaponizing resentment over the court’s 2018 decision striking down GOP-drawn congressional maps.
Common Sense takeaway: All of the attention is on Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City, but Pennsylvania is a huge hotspot for elections right now. Not only is this Supreme Court election so important, but the Philadelphia District Attorney’s race is happening Tuesday as well. We can’t forget about these down ballot races that are so critical and arguably even more consequential.
Graham Platner Tries to Turn Scandal Into a Second Act….Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is trying to turn controversy into a comeback. After weeks of damaging revelations—including past offensive posts, a Nazi-linked tattoo he’s since covered, and senior staff departures—the 41-year-old Maine progressive rallied a crowd of more than 700 in Portland on Sunday. Platner, an oyster farmer and veteran backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, leaned into his redemption arc, telling supporters, “A lot of Americans want to have hope that you can change.” Despite the backlash, Platner’s anti-establishment message seems to be resonating with voters who are tired of traditional politicians. He’s positioning himself as the bold alternative to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and Republican Sen. Susan Collins—arguing that both represent the political status quo. “People don’t want the same playbook,” he said, dismissing calls for him to drop out.
Common Sense takeaway: I’m sure Susan Collins is delighted that Platner’s campaign is in shambles and she didn’t even have to lift a finger. I believe people are rightly skeptical of Platner since recent revelations, however I don’t support smear campaigns run by the Democratic establishment to ruin candidates that they don’t like. I believe people can change—I know because I have—and I believe that Graham Platner is one of those people and should not be counted out.
Trump Parties While Americans Suffer….The government shutdown is now in its sixth week, and 40 million Americans are about to lose their food assistance benefits. Federal workers are going without pay, families are turning to food banks, and the economy is buckling under rising prices, layoffs, and stalled growth. Trump, meanwhile, is hosting Gatsby-themed parties at Mar-a-Lago and tearing down parts of the White House to build a $300 million ballroom—funded by private donors, of course. His focus isn’t on reopening the government or protecting Americans from hunger. It’s on vanity projects and photo ops. Even some Republicans are privately warning that he’s losing control of the economy, with polls showing Trump’s once-solid advantage on economic trust has evaporated. Yet instead of addressing the crisis, he’s blaming Democrats and pretending everything’s “unbelievable.”
Common Sense takeaway: The optics are just unbelievably terrible. He’s complaining about his ballroom, the White House bathrooms, and throwing a '“let them eat cake” party at his private golf club, while so many Americans are being left out to dry (literally with no food!) during this shutdown. Republicans will continue to make excuse after excuse for him, but this behavior is not only out-of-touch, it’s just deranged.
Trump Plots U.S. Military Operations Inside Mexico….The Trump administration is quietly preparing to send U.S. troops and intelligence officers into Mexico to carry out strikes against drug cartels—a move that would shatter decades of U.S. policy and risk a full-blown diplomatic crisis. According to U.S. officials, the plan would authorize special forces under CIA command to conduct drone strikes and ground operations on Mexican soil, potentially without Mexico’s consent. President Trump has already designated several cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, giving his administration sweeping authority to conduct covert missions under Title 50 intelligence rules. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has condemned the idea, warning that Mexico “collaborates, but does not subordinate itself.” But Trump, who recently called Mexico “run by the cartels,” seems undeterred—framing the move as part of his war on drugs despite offering no evidence for many of his previous strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific. If approved, this would mark one of the boldest and most legally questionable expansions of U.S. military power in the region in modern history.
Common Sense takeaway: Why on earth would we send U.S. troops into Mexico to clean up their problems? It would be like Mexico sending troops into the U.S. to help with crime—can you imagine the response? This decision is also completely antithetical to keeping Americans out of foreign wars and putting “America first” like Republicans want.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. Check back tomorrow for more.
Finally, am questioning if Trump IS Deranged!!
My understanding is that Marie Antoinette never actually said, "Let them eat cake". The saying does resonate, but is another way of maligning a woman who had little control over affairs of state. The rampant starvation that took place in 18th-century France began with Louis XIV when he was helping with the War of Independence against England.