More Than 7 Million Say "No Kings" 10.20.25 Ally Sammarco Oct 20 Happy Monday 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. Massive “No Kings” Protests Sweep the Nation….Over the weekend, more than 7 million people took to the streets in over 2,600 U.S. locations in the second-round of No Kings Protests, a nationwide movement opposing what participants view as Donald Trump’s authoritarian actions and aspirations. Major cities such as Washington D.C., New York, and Chicago saw creative, peaceful demonstrations—yet the administration dismissed the movement as “a failure” and full of old, white retired people. Common Sense takeaway: If 7 million people (including myself) took time off on their Saturdays to protest what they view as a wannabe authoritarian, then you should probably listen. Even Republicans have their insults all mixed up—on Friday, they accused Democrats of being illegal aliens and violent criminals then on Saturday, they tried to brand us all as “old, white, retired people.” Cope harder, guys. Supreme Court to Hear Major Gun Rights Case Amid Shutdown and Strategy Deficit….The Supreme Court of the United States agreed on October 20 to hear a case challenging the constitutionality of a federal law that bars gun ownership by certain drug users (including marijuana users)—a statute recently used to convict Hunter Biden. With Congress stuck in gridlock and the shutdown dragging, the court’s decision could shift the balance of civil rights and criminal law at a time when policymaking is stalled. Common Sense takeaway: Just because courts act doesn’t mean democracy works. Big rulings without public debate are not transparent—and frankly, it will be interesting to see how they rule on this, given the right-wing position of second amendment absolutism. 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 Meets Australian Prime Minister Albanese at the White House….President Trump hosted Australian Prime Minister Albanese today in Washington, marking the first formal summit between the two since Trump’s second term began. The agenda consists of trade and tariffs, the future of the AUKUS nuclear-submarine pact, critical-minerals supply chains to counter China, and reconciling Australia’s role with its trade ties to China. Australia is offering U.S. access to its rich critical-minerals reserves—meanwhile AUKUS is under Pentagon review, making Australia’s ask for certainty and tariff relief more urgent. Common Sense takeaway: Australia has had increasing worries about their ability to trust the U.S. government under Donald Trump’s leadership. This is the Prime Minister’s attempt to re-commit to their plans for AUKUS that were crafted under Joe Biden’s leadership in 2021. Santos’ Sentence Commuted…..Former Congressman George Santos, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, had his more-than-seven-year sentence commuted by Donald Trump after serving just 84 days. Trump’s statement claimed Santos was “horribly mistreated” in prison and praised his loyalty to the Republican Party. House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the commutation as an exercise of clemency rights, yet many critics—including Republicans from New York—are criticizing it. Common Sense takeaway: I mean, this is just a joke. Commutations and clemency are for people who are believed to have served their time and are no longer a threat to the community. 84 days is not even 3 months, and George Santos is just as deranged as ever. Another abuse of power by the President. That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. Check back tomorrow for more.