Vladimir, Stop!

4.24.25

Happy Thursday, readers, and welcome back to Common Sense, your source for news and analysis on the circus that is American politics and entertainment. It’s almost Friday! So close.

Your government no longer cares about working with other nations on climate change… What a way to honor Pope Francis… who made protecting the climate a key part of his advocacy. Such a shame. Politico reports, “The State Department is eliminating the Office of Global Change, which oversees international climate change negotiations for the United States. Staff were told about the move verbally Thursday afternoon, according to three people who were granted anonymity to speak about the decision to avoid reprisal. The news thrust the office into chaos and raised questions among staff about when the office would be permanently shuttered. ‘This will hamstring international climate cooperation at the worst possible time,’ said one official, referring to the upcoming global climate talks called COP30. It’s ‘just strategically fucking dumb when it comes to China,’ that person added, saying the move would leave a leadership vacuum that China could fill.”

Trump begs Putin to “stop” on Truth Social… Today in a Truth Social post, Trump pleaded with Vladimir Putin to “STOP” after a Russian missile strike killed 12 in Kyiv. Mind you, this is the guy who swore he could “end the war in 24 hours.” Was this the grand plan? Embarrassing. It’s not shocking that Putin would defy any “peace negotiations” after Trump froze military aid for Ukraine, verbally berated Zelenskyy in the oval office, and suggested that Russia take “whatever the hell they want.” He weakened Ukraine when they needed support — and now he’s pretending to be the peacemaker. That’s not how it works.

Trump really really really wants to ban transgender troops, files emergency request of SCOTUS… This is pure prejudice to score political points at risk to our national security. ABC News reports, “The Trump administration has made a new emergency request of the U.S. Supreme Court seeking an immediate stay of a nationwide injunction blocking the ban on openly transgender military service members. Solicitor General John Sauer said the injunction, issued by a district court in Washington, usurps the authority of the president in determining who can serve in the nation's armed forces and runs counter to the high court's own decision in the first Trump administration to allow the ban to move forward.”

Why would ICE need a warrant to arrest Mahmoud Khalil? Due process… what’s that?? Wow, Trump Administration… you’re really bad at violating the civil rights of people living in America if you can’t even have a warrant ready to arrest someone for protesting civilian deaths in Gaza… I mean, how many constitutional rights can you violate at one time? ABC News reports, “Government lawyers say officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) did not have a warrant for Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil's arrest when they took him into custody last month, according to a filing submitted in the case. Khalil's lawyers say the admission contradicts what officers told Khalil and his lawyers at the time of his arrest and in a subsequent arrest report. In the filing, lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security said Khalil, a green card holder and permanent legal resident, was served with a warrant once he was brought into an ICE office in New York after his arrest.”

“The Democratic Party in Florida is dead,” says state’s top senate Dem, upon leaving party… Umm, yikes. We knew Florida Dems were in trouble the last several election cycles. 2012 was the last big statewide win by our count… with an older population and a Cuban population that has trended away from Democrats for some time… it’s a very hard state to win. But leaders could at least have the courage to serve out the terms they were elected to, with the party label that voters elected them. Politico reports. State Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo said Thursday he is leaving the Democratic Party and that Senate Democrats will be asked to elect a new leader, yet another low moment for Florida’s downtrodden minority party. Pizzo, considered a possible candidate for governor in 2026, said unaffiliated voters helped elect him to office. He added that the state party needed new leadership, but Democratic leaders didn’t want him to be it. The party that his late father volunteered for in the 1960s, he said, ‘is not the party today.’”

Today’s Furry Friend

Meet Lola… a swan rejected by her mother (unfortunately it happens a lot in nature) but raised by human rescuers…

Today’s Buzz

Timothée Chalamet pays surprise visit to high school alma mater… EW reports, “Timothée Chalamet is reconnecting with his New York City roots. The Oscar nominee paid a surprise visit on Wednesday to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, which he graduated from in 2013. The school's Instagram page shared several photos from the event and thanked the actor for making an appearance. ‘When you have a guest speaker for your Career Management class... and Timothee Chalamet walks in the room... you know it’s going to be a great day,’ read the caption. ‘Thank you @tchalamet for visiting LaG today and providing important advice for our aspiring actors. Thank you to Harry Shifman, Sandy Faison and Kim Bruno, Timothee’s former teachers and principal for joining us!’”

Thanks once again for reading as we help make sense of the chaos. Check back in tomorrow for the next edition of Common Sense.