Trump's Affordability Plan: Call Elizabeth Warren

1.13.26

Happy Tuesday and welcome to today’s edition of Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. Today’s breakdown includes a Supreme Court case on transgender athletes, the latest cancer survival rates, the death of Scott Adams, and Trump’s “plan” for affordability.

Let’s break it down.

Supreme Court weighs nationwide bans on trans athletes in girls’ and women’s sports….The Supreme Court is hearing cases from West Virginia and Idaho that challenge state laws banning transgender girls and women from participating in school and college sports. The justices will decide whether those bans violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause or Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination—a ruling that could affect more than 25 states and reshape broader policy on transgender rights. The cases center on two students who both won lower-court orders allowing them to compete. Supporters of the bans argue the laws protect fairness in women’s sports based on biological differences, while challengers say the bans are discriminatory, medically unsupported in cases of early transition, and often target extremely small numbers of students. The outcome could either reinforce last year’s rollback of transgender rights or revive legal protections under civil rights law.

Common Sense Takeaway: When lawmakers write laws to exclude a handful of kids (yes, kids) who just want to run track or join a team, it’s not about fairness—it’s just exacerbating a culture war. The court now has a choice: treat trans kids as equal citizens under the law, or keep allowing exceptions for discrimination. I’m sure we know what they’ll do.

Cancer survival is improving….New data from the American Cancer Society shows that for the first time ever, 70% of people now survive at least five years after a cancer diagnosis, up from less than half in the 1970s. Advances in early screening, lower smoking rates, and better treatments have driven major gains—even for historically deadly cancers like lung, liver, and myeloma. But the report also warns that overall cancer diagnoses are still rising, especially for breast, prostate, pancreatic, and endometrial cancers, with more than 2 million Americans expected to be diagnosed this year and over 620,000 projected deaths. Deep racial disparities persist too: Black and Native communities face higher diagnosis and death rates, largely because of unequal access to care. And here’s the political reality check: the ACS says continued progress depends on stable research funding and access to health insurance—both of which are now under threat.

Common Sense Takeaway: This is what happens when science is funded, access is expanded, and policy follows evidence: people live. But those gains aren’t self-sustaining, they’re policy choices. If we cut research, strip insurance, and tolerate unequal access, survival becomes a privilege instead of a public good.

Photo by Artur Tumasjan on Unsplash

Trump courts progressives on affordability…..Facing voter anger over high prices and the looming midterms, Donald Trump is suddenly interested in policies long pushed by progressives: capping credit card interest rates, blocking large investors from buying up housing, and directing federal mortgage giants to intervene in the housing market. He even called Sen. Elizabeth Warren to discuss legislation—a move that shocked people across both parties. But the pivot clashes sharply with Trump’s own record of deregulating banks, cutting taxes for the wealthy, and letting health care subsidies expire. Democrats doubt his sincerity, Republicans fear he’s abandoning “free-market” principles, and still voters remain unimpressed—with only about a third approving of his economic handling. The result is a strange moment where Trump is borrowing the left’s ideas without the trust, the infrastructure, or the follow-through to make them work.

Common Sense Takeaway: You don’t get to deregulate Wall Street, cut taxes for the rich, let costs spiral—and then cosplay as a populist when voters get mad. If Trump actually wanted to help the economy, he could start with not threatening the Chair of the Fed. This isn’t a policy shift, it’s a transparent attempt to make himself look good before the midterms.

“Dilbert” creator Scott Adams dies…Scott Adams, the cartoonist behind Dilbert, died this week after a battle with prostate cancer. Adams spent his later years mixed in controversy after making racist and inflammatory comments that led hundreds of newspapers to drop his strip in 2023, including public remarks about Black Americans, women, and historical atrocities. Adams had recently told fans he was “past [his] expiration date,” thanking his ex-wife and friends for helping him through his final months. Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance among other conservatives praised him after his death.

Common Sense Takeaway: Scott Adams’ story is a reminder that talent doesn’t excuse cruelty. He built something genuinely clever, then spent years burning it down with grievance and bigotry. In this case—love the art not the artist.

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