When Does the Golden Age Start?

4.30.25

Happy Wednesday, readers, and welcome back to Common Sense. We are your source for news and analysis on the circus that is American politics and entertainment. Today’s top story is not about Trump and it’s not even about the U.S., specifically. We were surprised, too. If you are one who prays, pray for peace.

Age-old rivals India and Pakistan, nuclear-powered countries with massive populations, seem on the brink of war… CBS News reports, “A week after 26 people were killed in a terrorist attack in Kashmir, concern was mounting over a possible military clash between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan. Pakistan's government claimed late Tuesday night that it had ‘credible intelligence’ that India was planning to take military action within hours in retaliation for the April 22 terrorist attack, which Indian officials blame on Pakistani-backed militants. ‘Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends carrying out military action against Pakistan in the next 24-36 hours on the pretext of concocted and baseless allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident,’ Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said at a midnight news conference. The remarks came hours after Indian media reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given the country's armed forces ‘complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing of our response to the terror attack.’” The India-Pakistan conflict, like many across Asia and Africa, is rooted in colonialism.

Bad news piles on in Trump’s horrible week with Trump economy bringing U.S. worst quarter in three years… Politico writes, “President Donald Trump promised that his second term would mark the beginning of a new golden age. The early economic returns look more like pewter. The Commerce Department on Wednesday estimated that the U.S. economy shrank during the first three months of 2025, its worst performance in three years. The 0.3 percent contraction is a sharp decline from the 2.4 percent expansion that was notched in the final full quarter of President Joe Biden’s presidency, and it’s a far cry from the boom times Trump allies and top CEOs had anticipated after the president was reelected. What’s more, the pro-growth elements of his agenda, such as the extension of the 2017 tax cuts, haven’t materialized, providing little cover for the negative effects of the president’s trade war.” Probably NOT the best time for a trade war (well, ever, but especially…) when the American economy is shrinking.

Ukraine and U.S. sign mineral agreement previously thought dead… While our initial reaction was “Ukraine did WHAT?!” We trust that Ukrainian President Vollodymyr Zelensky knows what he’s doing. It’s sad when Americans trust foreign governments more than their own but that is exactly how we feel based on the Trump Administration’s actions and coziness with the Kremlin. And after a critical meeting between Zelensky and Trump at the Vatican, we now have a minerals agreement. It’s a good thing for the Ukrainians to be in the economic fold of the U.S. Let’s hope the U.S. protects its investment and provides at least security by extension to the people with whom we are partnering. NBC News reports, “The White House announced Wednesday night that it had signed an economic partnership with Ukraine that includes an agreement on the ownership and extraction of natural resources from the war-torn nation.” Ukrainian economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on X that “‘it is the Ukrainian state that determines what and where to extract’ and that ‘subsoil remains under Ukrainian ownership.’ Ukraine and the United States will jointly manage and maintain co-ownership of the investment fund, with neither side holding a dominant vote, Svyrydenko said. It will be financed by new Ukrainian oil, gas and critical mineral licenses, with 50% of all revenue from the licenses going toward the fund.” Never a dull moment.

Palestinian Columbia U student released from immigration custody… Wonderful news, though he never should have been there in the first place. The judge compared his treatment to the McCarthy hearings. It’s about time someone said it. Free speech is free speech, even if the U.S. government disagrees with that speech. CBS News reports, “Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian Columbia student who had been detained by immigration authorities when he went to his U.S. citizenship interview, has been released after a federal judge's order in Vermont on Wednesday. Mahdawi, who has a green card, was taken into custody on April 16. His immigration case remains open, and there will be another hearing on Thursday…” Outside the courthouse Mahdawi said, “‘my freedom is interlinked with the freedom of many other students." The Trump Administration was later barred by a judge “from removing (Mahdawi) from the state or country. The Justice Department said Wednesday that it would appeal the court order that led to Mahdawi's release from federal immigration custody.”

Today’s Furry Friend

Shamy the Camel demanded horses become his friends, and eventually they gave in!

Today’s Buzz

Thunderbolts* Marvel Studios is coming to a theatre near you this Friday… The Hollywood Reporter writes, “Lightning has struck many times for Marvel Studios at the box office before Kevin Feige‘s superhero studio went through some turbulent times in recent years. Now comes another chance. Later this week, Thunderbolts* kicks off the summer box office in a pivotal moment for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jake Schreier, the film brings together a band of dysfunctional outsiders — and lesser-known comic book characters — who discover their potential to be heroes when working together. Tracking suggests the movie will open in the $70 million to $73 million range domestically, and $160 million to $175 million globally, against a $180 million production budget before marketing. Prior to the pandemic, that would have been considered not so great for an MCU title kicking off summer. But times have changed, with tracking becoming more unreliable. Also, the Disney-owned Marvel is stressing these aren’t well-known characters.” The movie premiers across the U.S. on Friday.

Evening in and evening out, you allow us to help make sense of the chaos. Thank you for being a reader! Check back in tomorrow evening for the next edition of Common Sense.