Fascism Is Here And Taylor Owns Her Masters 5.30.25 Ally Sammarco May 31 Happy Friday, friends, and welcome back to Common Sense, your source for news and analysis on the circus that is American politics and entertainment. In FOURTH known instance, Trump violates court order to deport immigrants… Politico reports, “The Trump administration has admitted that it improperly deported another immigrant in violation of a court order — the fourth known case in which the administration deported someone erroneously or in breach of specific legal requirements. Jordin Melgar-Salmeron, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, had been in immigration detention since 2022 while deportation proceedings against him were pending. But on May 7, shortly after a federal appeals court ordered the government to keep him in the United States, immigration authorities deported him back to his native country.” HIV is no big deal, Trump admin apparently believes… CBS News reports, “The Trump administration has moved to end funding for a broad swath of HIV vaccine research, saying current approaches are enough to counter the virus, multiple scientists and federal health officials say. Notifications that the funding would not be extended were relayed Friday to researchers, who were told by National Institutes of Health officials that the Department of Health and Human Services had elected ‘to go with currently available approaches to eliminate HIV’ instead. The cuts will shutter two major HIV vaccine research efforts that were first funded by the NIH in 2012 at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute and the Scripps Research Institute, multiple scientists said. A spokesperson for Moderna said the vaccine manufacturer's clinical trials through the NIH's HIV Vaccine Trials Network have also been put on pause.” 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. Trump announces U.S.-Japan steel partnership, makes more empty tariff threats to scare markets or something… ABC News reports, “President Donald Trump on Friday touted a ‘blockbuster agreement’ between U.S. Steel and Japanese company Nippon Steel that he said would keep the iconic U.S. steelmaker in Pittsburgh -- though he previously opposed such a merger and offered few details on the intricacies of the deal.” Trump, meanwhile, “said he will double the tariff imposed on imports of steel from 25% to 50%.” Will “TACO” Trump chicken out again? Trump revokes student visas over alleged antisemitism while appointing official with ties to antisemetic extremists… NPR reports, “President Trump has nominated 30-year-old conservative lawyer Paul Ingrassia, to lead the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, a government ethics office, despite Ingrassia's ties to multiple antisemitic extremists. If confirmed by the Senate, Ingrassia would oversee the agency that enforces the Hatch Act, which limits government employees from engaging in certain partisan political activities, and provides protections to whistleblowers. (The agency is separate and distinct from special counsels appointed by the Department of Justice, such as Robert Mueller or Jack Smith, who investigate sensitive cases.) As NPR reported earlier this month, Jewish civil rights leaders have raised concerns about Ingrassia's ties to extremists, particularly in light of the administration's stated commitment to fighting antisemitism.” Today’s Furry Friend Meet Etta, who barely survived as a puppy but grew up to be an energetic and loving Great Dane. Today’s Buzz All Taylor Swift records are now property of Taylor Swift… Here’s one to celebrate. The Hollywood Reporter writes, “Taylor Swift‘s years-long saga to win back the rights to her first six albums will go down as one of the most significant storylines in the history of the modern music business… the conflict grew her own superstardom to stratospheric heights as the Taylor’s Version re-releases became massive hits in their own right. Swift isn’t the first artist to re-record her music, though the practice will forever be synonymous with her as she took on the ambitious task of recreating her old albums all over again, while also managing to record and release four new albums (Folklore, Evermore, Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department) and net the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. As Swift announced Friday, she’s officially bought back ownership of the records, bringing this chapter to a close. ” Thanks for reading this week. Have a restful weekend, and check back Monday evening for the next edition of Common Sense.