More Firings and Unemployment! 9.25.25 Ally Sammarco Sep 25 Happy Thursday and welcome back to today’s edition of Common Sense with Ally Sammarco—your daily briefing on U.S. politics. Let’s break it down. White House Orders Agencies to Prep for Mass Firings Amid Shutdown Threat….The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has directed federal agencies to draw up plans for permanent cuts and layoffs if a government shutdown occurs, rather than the typical furloughs seen in past shutdowns. This decision raises the stakes intensely in the funding fight and rightfully draws accusations from Democrats that Trump is using federal workers as political leverage. Common Sense takeaway: Turning a shutdown into a game by threatening mass firings is just another despicable move by Donald Trump. And when the workers can’t fight back, it’s even more of an unfair fight. But, it’s clear they don’t care about federal workers and never have. FBI Moves to Indict Comey—Or Does It?….Prosecutors are reportedly preparing to file charges against former FBI Director James Comey in Virginia, possibly for lying to Congress. But at the same time, a memo from within the Justice Department reportedly advises not to file the charges, citing weak evidence and statute of limitations concerns. Common Sense takeaway: Attempting to prosecute James Comey—who is irrelevant in the current political landscape—is certainly a choice. A partisan, dumb choice. Also, we’re pretty sure Kash Patel also lied to Congress multiple times during his hearings over the past few weeks, so. 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. Turkey Presses for F-35 Access in Trump Meeting….Turkish President Erdoğan is meeting with Trump at the White House this morning, pushing hard to lift U.S. sanctions and regain access to F-35 jet procurement. Their alignment is established by mutual interest in reinforcing strategic ties—although deep disagreements over Israel, Syria, and Turkey’s previous Russia dealings remain. Common Sense takeaway: We already know international diplomacy under this administration operates less on principle and more on leverage. When the deals hinge on pardons, sanctions, and arms, alliances are not exactly strong or legitimate. Labor Market Shows Fragile Strength….Weekly unemployment claims dropped by 14,000 to 218,000, a positive sign—but economists are warning that there isn’t much there to reinforce these numbers. Hiring has slowed dramatically in recent months amid uncertain policy, trade, and tariff wars. The lackluster demand for workers has eroded the labor market’s resilience. Even Starbucks is set to lay off at least 900 employees. Common Sense takeaway: A few numbers going down don’t prove the economy is healthy. They only prove it isn’t completely on fire…yet. What happens over the next few months will be a lot more telling. That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. Check back tomorrow for more.