What Happened To ‘America The Brave?’ 4.18.25 Ally Sammarco Apr 19 Happy Friday, readers! Welcome back to Common Sense, your source for news and analysis on the circus that is American politics and entertainment. Rubio says U.S. will “move on” from trying to do anything about Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine… This feels like a big win for Russia, we’re not going to lie about it. NPR reports, “U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that President Trump will walk away from peace talks with Russia and Ukraine in a matter of days if no progress is made. Speaking after a day of negotiations in Paris, Rubio said the administration won't let talks ‘drag on for weeks or months’ and will pivot to other priorities if efforts stall.” In blow to Musk and win for Treasury Sec Bessent, Trump yanks IRS pick… This wasn’t in our top 25 of Trump picks we wanted to see gone, but we’ll take it… Joining Matt Gaetz in the yanked Trump nominees category is IRS pick Gary Shapley. CNN reports, “Gary Shapley, whom President Donald Trump named acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service earlier this week with the support of Elon Musk, will no longer serve in the role, sources told CNN — a win for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s office, which had opposed his appointment. Michael Faulkender, the deputy secretary of the Treasury, will be taking on the position, the sources said. Shapley had the backing of Musk and congressional Republicans, while Bessent’s office had reservations, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Bessent was out of the country when Trump appointed Shapley. Shapley’s ouster from the top leadership role, which was first reported by The New York Times, ends a whiplash week at the IRS, which is a bureau of the Treasury Department. Trump signed the paperwork appointing Shapley on Tuesday, triggering panic among some career civil servants.” Common Sense with Ally Sammarco is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Maryland Sen. who met with innocent man who Trump won’t help release from El Salvador prison shares details about meeting… NBC News reports, “Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., revealed new details about his meeting this week with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, including that he had been traumatized by his imprisonment in El Salvador. Van Hollen met with Abrego Garcia — a Maryland man who the Trump administration says was mistakenly deported last month — on Thursday after his previous efforts to meet with him were denied by Salvadoran officials. The Maryland senator held a news conference at Washington Dulles International Airport on Friday upon his return from El Salvador, where he told reporters that he met with Abrego Garcia for more than 30 minutes and informed him of the national attention on his case, which the senator said Abrego Garcia was unaware of. ‘His conversation with me was the first communication he’d had with anybody outside of prison since he was abducted,’ Van Hollen said. ‘He said he felt very sad about being in a prison because he had not committed any crimes.’” Understatement of the century. This poor man. This poor father. What has happened to America the brave? Progressive stalwart Barbara Lee leads in Oakland’s mayoral race… “Former Rep. Barbara Lee on Friday took a healthy lead in the close race to be Oakland’s next mayor, but stopped short of declaring victory. While former council member Loren Taylor jumped out ahead on election night, late-arriving ballots broke decisively for Lee, who called the updated results ‘encouraging.’ Taylor had not conceded the race as of Friday evening, and his campaign couldn’t be immediately reached for comment after the vote update. Tuesday’s special election against former council member Taylor, a moderate, was the culmination of a fraught year in Oakland politics, triggered by the November recall of former mayor Sheng Thao. Thao, who had been elected just two years earlier, was undone by an FBI investigation, but also struggled to address a business exodus, an enormous budget shortfall and crime concerns that led voters to recall their district attorney on the same day.” Lee gained notoriety after September 11, 2001, when she was the only member of Congress to vote against giving then-President Bush the authority for the use of force in Afghanistan. The move inspired backlash as well as support – in the form of “I Stand With Barbara Lee” buttons. Today’s Furry Friend Human David rescued and fostered pups with his wife for 25 years. Living alone and unable to have a dog of his own, he’s made friends–human and canine alike. Two lessons: 1) It’s never too late to step out of your comfort zone, and 2) Humans appreciate people playing with their furry friends, especially the high energy ones. Just be sure to follow house rules! Today’s Buzz Harvey Weinstein granted temporary relocation to prison ward at hospital for medical observation during #MeToo retrial… The Associated Press reports, “Harvey Weinstein has been moved to a New York City hospital after a judge approved the ailing ex-studio boss’s request to stay there rather than in jail when he’s not in court for his #MeToo retrial. Judge Paul Goetz late Thursday ordered that Weinstein be immediately relocated from the city’s notorious Rikers Island jail complex to the prison ward at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan so he can receive necessary medical treatment. Weinstein’s lawyers lobbied for the move as jury selection got underway this week. They argued in court papers that being locked up in a sometimes freezing jail cell was exacerbating the Oscar-winning producer’s health issues, which include chronic myeloid leukemia, diabetes and walking difficulties that require a wheelchair to get in and out of court… Weinstein is being tried again on rape and sexual assault charges after New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, last year overturned his 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence and ordered a new trial, finding that improper rulings and prejudicial testimony tainted the original one.” Thanks for reading and for allowing us to help make sense of the chaos. Have a restful weekend and check back in Monday for the next edition of Common Sense.