White House Blackmail 10.2.25 Ally Sammarco Oct 2 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. Trump Freezes $26B Funding to Democratic-Led States Amid Shutdown…In a new escalation of the shutdown standoff, the White House has frozen $26 billion in federal funds destined for states led by Democrats. This includes $18 billion in transit funding for New York (as mentioned in yesterday’s newsletter) and $8 billion in green-energy initiatives across 16 states. JD Vance also warned that if the shutdown persists, further layoffs would follow. Common Sense takeaway: This is blackmail in broad daylight. “If you don’t do this, we will do this” is the White House playbook, except it’s civilians getting hurt, not politicians. Maybe they should try leading, instead of threatening? Economy Takes a Hit: $15B in Weekly Losses Forecasted…..A White House memo warns the shutdown could cost the U.S. $15 billion in GDP each week, with a potential ripple effect of 43,000 new jobless claims in just one month. Federal workers’ lost wages and pullbacks in consumer spending will drive much of the downturn. Common Sense takeaway: Shutting down the government means shutting off paychecks and consumer spending. Hooray! When does the Golden Age of America start again? 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. Two Funding Bills Blocked Again, Shutdown Deepens…..The Senate failed again to advance two short-term funding bills: a GOP-drafted measure to keep the government open until November 21, which failed 55–45 with three Democrats crossing party lines and Rand Paul as the lone Republican “no”; and a Democratic version, which would have extended funding until the end of October and preserved ACA subsidies, but was rejected 47–53 with all Republicans opposed. Common Sense takeaway: Republicans don’t want to govern, they want chaos. Instead of protecting health care subsidies for millions of Americans, they’d rather hold the economy hostage. Poll Shows Major Concern…..A recent Marist Poll revealed 79% of Americans believe the U.S. has gone too far in restricting free speech, with strong majorities even among Republicans agreeing. Additionally, 30% of Americans now believe that political violence may be necessary to get the country “back on track.” Common Sense takeaway: Nearly 8 in 10 Americans thinking free speech is under attack and almost a third say political violence might be “necessary” is a huge red flag. Republicans have spent years normalizing the idea that disagreeing with them is “censorship” and that Democrats are “the enemy within.” That’s it for today. Thanks for reading Common Sense with Ally Sammarco. Check back tomorrow for more.

 

Friday Message from Meidas Co-Founder

MeidasTouch Network and Ben Meiselas Feb 28

By Ben Meiselas

Hey Meidas Mighty, it’s Ben Meiselas. It’s Friday. It’s been quite the week.

We have seen record growth at the MeidasTouch Network as the leader in all independent news.

We owe it all to the Meidas Mighty and all of our subscribers to this Substack.

If you aren’t a subscriber, we would love for you to subscribe now.

The growth of the MeidasTouch Network is happening at the same time Trump’s base is fracturing and headed for a full implosion.

Two major developments happened yesterday to fuel the exodus away from Trump.

First, MAGA is leaving Trump because he is destroying the economy and causing job losses.

Jobless claims spiked this week, consumer sentiment tanked, and the only word Trump seems to say is “tariff”—which makes things worse since Trump doesn’t even know that a tariff is a tax on American importers that is passed on to American consumers in the form of higher prices on the product subject to a tariff.

It is inherently inflationary, and it also causes nations targeted with tariffs to impose retaliatory tariffs, which hurt American exporters.

Trump is saying he will impose across-the-board tariffs against Canada and Mexico on March 4, when the illusory “deal” he previously made with those nations is set to expire.

Trump has tanked the stock market over the past month.

Americans with 401(k)s or money in the markets saw massive losses over the last few weeks after huge gains under Biden.

Trump has also destroyed the crypto market, with the value of Bitcoin crashing.

The Trump tariffs will cause massive losses next week as well.

Trump has been an unmitigated disaster on the economy, and his usual “spin” and “gimmicks” like “Trump gold cards for Russian oligarchs” and “Trump Gaza” are not working on his base as he had planned. We warned people about the Trump “weapons of mass distraction,” and people listened.

That brings me to the second major issue that is causing Trump to lose his base.

Trump’s old close friend, Jeffrey Epstein, is now making headlines.

That’s right—the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein is back to haunt Donald Trump for their depraved and sickening past together.

Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi—who was the Florida AG when Epstein’s sex trafficking was covered up in Florida—promised to release the Epstein files yesterday.

Surprise, surprise—that turned out to be a lie.

Instead, Trump invited a group of about 10 right-wing MAGA online propagandists to the White House, and the White House gave them a single small binder of entirely redacted Epstein phone logs, where you couldn’t even see whose name was on the logs.

The binder was called “Epstein Files,” and it said, “Most Transparent President in History.”

The right-wing degenerates then paraded outside the White House with their binders and started celebrating like they had won a sports game or something.

Not only was this ghoulish celebratory stunt a slap in the face to the children who were victims of Epstein, but it was also quite possibly the dumbest cover-up in history.

The redacted call logs that were given to the influencers had already been made public several years ago in connection with the trial of Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell and in other cases.

The influencers were given a fully redacted list, whereas the same list had been made public years ago without the same redactions—showing Trump’s name and phone number all over it.

This is not the “Epstein Files.” This was a farce.

The DOJ has terabytes of files from the Epstein investigations, including witness statements, police reports, photographs, video, grand jury testimony, text messages, emails, and more. That’s what needs to be released—not an old phone log we already had.

We know, for example, that a “JANE DOE” testified about an interaction between Trump and Epstein at Mar-a-Lago when she was 14 years old. Undoubtedly, there will be reports and transcripts from that encounter. Release that, Donald.

Similarly, Epstein’s victim Virginia Giuffre got a job at Mar-a-Lago after being homeless and was recruited there by Ghislaine Maxwell. Release those reports, Donald.

Since Trump and Epstein were close friends, and Trump once said Epstein was “a great guy who likes women on the younger side,” there will likely be other references to Trump in the actual files.

A lot of MAGA supporters who were not invited to the White House to participate in the Epstein stunt felt bamboozled and defrauded by the Epstein file hoax perpetrated by the Trump administration.

This also coincided with Andrew Tate—who was arrested in Romania on sex trafficking charges—being released from his conditions of arrest and flying into the U.S. yesterday, after it was reported that Trump administration officials pressured Romanian officials for Tate’s release at the Munich Conference a few weeks back.

There is obviously a lot more taking place that is causing Trump to lose support from his own followers, but these two items have been major factors over the past 24 hours.

While all of this is taking place, the MeidasTouch Network has been fearlessly reporting on it and leading the coverage.

We are averaging around 300 million views on YouTube a month now and continue to beat Fox and all corporate news in digital views.

Trump’s plan to intimidate the media only worked on corporate media, but it did not work on us. Trump underestimated that independent media could get more views and a bigger audience than the corporate media hacks who took the walk of shame to kiss Trump’s ring.

I am so damn proud to be making history with all the Meidas Mighty—to expose the Trump coup and meet the moment with ruthless force against Trump and his gang of crooks.

I wake up every day energized and ready to fight this Trump cartel with you.

I feel we have made major breakthroughs, and I feel the cracks in the Trump administration are widening. The fraudulent Trump gold card scheme is ready to crumble early.

I don’t for a second want to take our foot off the gas.

Thanks, Meidas Mighty, for all you do.

You are the real heroes here.

You formed this community that built a media network now more popular than Fox or Rogan.

We aren’t a publicly traded company.

We built this with no investors.

We are people-powered.

Your subscriptions to this Substack have been a major driving force in our growth—to beat and defeat the MAGA billionaires.

So what’s next?

We get more aggressive.

We get more ruthless.

We grow bigger.

We stay fearless.

We stay true to our values.

Next month, I want our ratings to be double Joe Rogan’s—then triple.

Let’s not even make this close.

And let’s spread values like democracy, empathy, and equality.

Let’s win the information war with the truth, and let’s make sure our pursuit of justice is relentless and victorious.

Let’s win.

Thanks for all you do, Meidas Mighty.

We would love for you to subscribe to this Substack now or gift subscriptions to others if you are already a subscriber.

We have to keep growing and reaching more people.

There is no stopping us now—with you by our side.

Thanks again.

Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Keeping T progress on track

BY LISA KASHINSKY CHUGGING ALONG — Gov. Maura Healey’s top MBTA officials are warning it could take a year for riders to see major service improvements. But first the T has to come up with an adequate safety plan for its workers — by today . First of all, progress is happening at the T. Since Phillip Eng took over as general manager on April 10, the overall number of subway slow zones is down. The T also struck a deal with the carmen’s union to start bus drivers as full-time employees as part of its push to accelerate hiring. Yet in that same time, the MBTA drew two lawsuits from riders injured at its stations. One man died last month after falling under a moving Green Line train . Another was struck and killed by a Commuter Rail train the day Eng started. A Blue Line track worker was hospitalized days later, the latest in a series of safety issues that prompted federal transit officials in mid-April to request a worker-protection plan from the T. Officials submitted that on May 5. Now Eng — and therefore Healey’s — commitment to more transparency at the T is coming into question after top brass chose not to publicly disclose a letter from the Federal Transit Administration asking them to resubmit the worker-safety plan, which was deemed “insufficient” for taking too long to implement changes. If the redraft due today doesn’t pass muster, T workers could be “prohibited” from accessing track areas. Eng explained the “back-and-forth” as part of the “normal process” with the FTA during a weekend appearance on WCVB’s “On the Record," and said he expects a "positive response" to the retooled report. And in the bigger picture, it’s unreasonable to think Healey’s team could turn around a transit system long in decline overnight. But they might not have a year, either — at least when it comes to managing public opinion. While the transit troubles that transpired under former Gov. Charlie Baker’s watch never seemed to dent his popularity, his high approval ratings were also buoyed by other factors including a strong economy, veteran pollster David Paleologos told Playbook. Healey is facing a different set of circumstances. “By the end of this year, I think you’ll have closer scrutiny in terms of whether there are signs that things are moving in the right direction,” Paleologos said. “If people see buses and trains on time, if they see professionalism, if they don’t see crime on buses and subways, I think [Healey] stands to benefit from that.” Former state transportation secretary Jim Aloisi suggested that T leaders set some metrics by which to measure their success, from reducing slow zones to increasing service frequency. Clear goals "would be a serious improvement in terms of setting rider expectations, media expectations and also keeping people’s feet to the fire," Aloisi told Playbook. FWIW, the Red Line rider said he's already seen some slow-zone reductions on his commute. The MBTA logo outside Wellington Station in Medford. | AP GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Speaking of pending reports, keep an eye out for May’s tax-revenue readout and how it might affect the Senate tax-relief plan that could come as soon as this week. TODAY — Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll participate in an Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company anniversary celebration at 1:30 p.m. on the Boston Common and huddle with legislative leaders at 2:30 p.m. in the governor’s office; a media availability follows. Sen. Ed Markey holds a youth mental health summit with U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy at 11:30 a.m. at BU. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu makes a life sciences jobs announcement at 11 a.m. and attends a ribbon-cutting ceremony for MassBIO at noon, both at the BCEC. AG Andrea Campbell testifies in support of legislation on electric ratepayer protections at 1 p.m. at the State House. Tips? Scoops? Revenue previews? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com .     DATELINE BEACON HILL — “As lawmakers weigh solutions for child care emergency, some wonder: Why not help political candidates, too?” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “Amid promises to tackle the worsening shortage of available and affordable child care, state leaders are again being pressed to allow Massachusetts political candidates to use campaign funds to help cover ballooning child care costs while they run for office. The change, supporters argue, could help remove a hurdle for working parents, including women, to run for office, including for seats in a Legislature that’s disproportionately male. Nearly 30 states allow candidates to use campaign funds for child care, as does the federal election system.” — “Healey said error was ‘avoidable’ after state wrongly used $2.5 billion in federal money to pay jobless claims,” by Matt Stout and Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: “Governor Maura Healey said Friday she is hoping Massachusetts can avoid having to reimburse the national government for $2.5 billion in federal money the state wrongly used to fund jobless benefits under her predecessor, a mistake she called ‘avoidable.’ … The goal of talks with federal labor officials is to ‘resolve it without any impact to the Commonwealth or to employers,’ Healey said.” — “Cops accused of child rape, road rage suspended by state law enforcement regulators,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Law enforcement regulators suspended the policing licenses of a former deputy chief in Hopkinton accused of raping a teenage girl and a Hingham officer accused of pulling a gun and yelling racial slurs at a person in an apparent road rage incident, according to records released Friday.” — “'We must take each one of these seriously': Police, schools, face uptick in threats,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “On Beacon Hill, lawmakers have filed numerous bills in recent years to toughen the state’s penalties for swatting, but they have failed to gain traction. State Sen. Barry Finegold, who co-chairs the Legislature’s Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, is among those who want to see the penalties for swatting beefed up. He said the crime should be a felony.” FROM THE HUB — “North End restaurant owners drop lawsuit against Boston mayor,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Four North End restaurant owners dropped their lawsuit against Mayor Michelle Wu, retracting claims that she showed anti-Italian discrimination when singling out their neighborhood for last year’s $7,500 outdoor dining fee. … [Their attorney] added that his client did not provide specifics on why he chose not to pursue the case, but said it was likely because ‘he was the only one fighting.’”   DON’T MISS POLITICO’S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT : The Covid-19 pandemic helped spur innovation in health care, from the wide adoption of telemedicine, health apps and online pharmacies to mRNA vaccines. But what will the next health care innovations look like? Join POLITICO on Wednesday June 7 for our Health Care Summit to explore how tech and innovation are transforming care and the challenges ahead for access and delivery in the United States. REGISTER NOW .     WHAT'S ON CAMPBELL'S DOCKET — WATCH: Andrea Campbell on WBZ's "Keller @ Large" discussing the search for a director for the police accountability unit she’s looking to stand up in the attorney general’s office, and what changes need to be made to online gambling . ROLLINS REPORT — “Rachael Rollins’s resignation comes as progressive prosecutors face national backlash,” by Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: “Now, weeks after Rollins’s resignation in the wake of two explosive federal watchdog reports, legal experts say her departure may not have any direct impact on the movement she championed, even as it comes at a pivotal time: A number of progressive prosecutors across the country have been removed, impeached, resigned, and, in at least one case, indicted on criminal charges.” PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — “New records show the close calls on MBTA tracks that prompted federal safety demands,” by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: “In April, a lineman was injured by a 2,000-pound weight on the Blue Line. The next day, a Green Line operator ignored a signal and didn’t stop for contractors working between Boylston and Arlington stations. In an earlier incident, workers gathered without permission on Orange Line tracks being used by a nearby test train, putting themselves in potential danger.” — “Could private investment help fix the T?” by Bob Seay, GBH News: “It appears Phil Eng, the T’s new general manager thinks so. … And the new Chair of the MBTA Board Tom Glynn suggested efforts are being made to involve the private sector in helping the T cope with the financial challenges it faces.”       PARTY POLITICS — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: MassDems raised a record $380,000 at the party’s annual Roosevelt Dinner last Thursday in Boston, a spokesperson said. It's a financial boost for the party, which had drained its coffers to less than $100,000 in cash on hand between its state and federal campaign accounts after last year's election, as it heads into another special legislative election and then 2024. FROM THE DELEGATION — "Congressional staff of Mass. lawmakers skews whiter than average, data analysis shows," by Tal Kopan and Jorja Siemons, Boston Globe: "At a time of increasing scrutiny of diversity in hiring, nearly half of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, including a majority of its House lawmakers, has a whiter staff than the chamber’s average Democratic office, with some not meeting the diversity level of the state as a whole, a Globe data analysis has found. ... Representatives Bill Keating and Jake Auchincloss have the least diverse staffs overall, including all-white senior leadership." FROM THE 413 — “Northampton council OK’s $132.3M budget, with police dominating discussion,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “A majority of the City Council on Thursday backed a $132.3 million budget for fiscal 2024, but not before significant debate about whether the Police Department should get more money to create so-called student police positions to counter both turnover of full-time officers and the growing use of overtime. … [T]he 60-member department that had its budget cut by 10% three years ago.” — “State report names 13 sites for potential new Springfield courthouse,” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “Amid years of concerns over environmental workplace conditions at the Roderick Ireland Courthouse, the agency in charge of financing all of the state’s construction projects released a report seemingly trending towards demolishing it.”   GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE .     THE LOCAL ANGLE — “‘Are you guys going to shoot me?’ Police encounters with mentally ill people increasingly turn deadly,” by Dugan Arnett and Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: “A Globe analysis of police confrontations since 2016 shows that the majority of those shot by police in Massachusetts — 51 out of 88 — were people in the throes of a mental health crisis or who had been diagnosed with mental illness. That rate has risen significantly in the years since a 2016 Spotlight Team report, ‘The desperate and the dead, ’ on police shootings of people with mental illness.” — “Compass Medical board president says closure was a ‘necessity’ after operations ‘collapsed’,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald. — “Abington man opens class action against now-closed Compass Medical,” by Caitlyn Kelleher, Patriot Ledger. — ICYMI: POLITICO’s Lauren Egan and Eli Stokols on how Boston-based Tatte Bakery & Cafe has become the new “it” spot for White House staffers and reporters in D.C. HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — Anna Meiler and Tiffany Chan have been named weekend morning anchors on WBZ . — Mass. Playbook guest host Sophie Gardner is taking over POLITICO's Women Rule newsletter . — Dave Swanson is now chief of staff to the president of MGH. He previously was Sen. Cindy Friedman's chief of staff. — Liz Berman , Friedman's legislative and budget director, is now the senator's chief of staff. — Adam Webster is now advising Revere City Councilor Steven Morabito's campaign for mayor. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Auditor Diana DiZoglio, state Rep. Kevin Honan and Aaron Moser.     Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .   Follow us on Twitter Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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