Trump on Day 101: Insecure, Unpopular, Dejected Patriots like you and me will need to help each other in our nation's darkest hours. Adam Parkhomenko May 1 Given his historic unpopularity and the damage of his near-universally panned tariffs, how did Donald Trump spend Day 100 and Day 101 of his presidency? Was he repairing damage, providing clarity to small business owners, reassuring the markets, calling major trade partners or any other action that could potentially help? No. What was he doing instead? Celebrating HIMSELF and hat he in his lack of self-awareness believes was a good start to his second time in office. It’s remarkable when Trump gets back out there in the campaign rally-like environment, all of his insecurities start to come out. Trump was in Macomb County, Michigan, Trump played some of his greatest insecurity hits. Trump Insecurity #1: Polls showing him very unpopular with Americans. His spin on things? The polls are fake, Trump said, from the fake people in the back of the room! If they were real, he’d be at 75 or 80 percent. Sure, Jan. Trump Insecurity #2: This is an oldie but goodie: his small crowd sizes! Trump went out of his way to declare that some think AOC and Sen. Bernie Sanders hold massive rallies but they’re wrong. His rallies are massive and theirs are small, Trump claims. Lol. Trump Insecurity #3: His inability to keep his campaign promises. Trump lied to American voters about if, and how soon, he could end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This was not a matter of exaggeration or a missed deadline; it was the least sincere promise every made by an American presidential candidate. It doesn’t bother Trump that Ukrainians are still dying; it bothers him that Americans remembered his empty promise and some actually believed him. Trump Insecurity #4: He needs to be loved and everything has to be about him. While speaking in Michigan, Trump spotted an attendee who might not commit treason for him. That attendee was Scott Jennings, a political lieutenant to Sen. Mitch McConnell. Trump called Jennings up to the podium and it was awkward… Does Trump get an “best alpha male impersonator” award to go with his “most unpopular president ever” trophies? Yesterday’s stories making Trump’s 100th day in office were primarily about polls, posturing, promises, and Pierre Poilievre. Other stories were about people harmed by Donald Trump. Let us never forget that at the other end of Trump’s vile rhetoric and heartless actions are people being harmed. These folks have always written America’s story but still rarely make headlines of their own. When stories are written about the harm Donald Trump is causing regular folks, let’s share those stories far and wide. The public servants. Thousands of fired federal workers had their livelihoods upended by Trump’s mass firings. Among those harmed are: Katherine F. This CDC worker was fired by Trump (via an email attachment) for so-called “poor performance,” which was a lie. She described the process as “cruel.” A DoD employee who served two tours in Iraq and has PTSD. He described “unspeakable frustration” among colleagues and said Musk’s “relentless mocking… supported by Trump” was “dehumanizing.” Sarah B. Fired by Trump, this CDC employee cannot afford her mortgage on one income. She sought the help of a psychiatrist. This group of public servants fired under Trump and profiled by NBC News and the group below whose stories were told by Good Morning America. Carla N. Fired by Trump, this Marine veteran in Wyoming had worked for the VA and provided local vets a lifeline amid crisis. Jennifer P. Self-described as a “MAGA junkie,” this West Virginian working for the Treasury Department was nonetheless fired by Trump. The small business owners. Chaos and uncertainty under Trump hurts employers of all sizes. Among those harmed are: Emily L. Trump’s tariffs devastated this small business CEO. Asked about Trump’s “short-term pain” comments she replied, “We can’t survive the short-term pain.” Ed and Becky M. Trump’s tariffs caused these West Virginia cattle farmers to confront surprise markups (e.g. on packaging). They want desperately to not pass the costs to consumers in their community, but it will be tough. Jessica B. Trump’s tariff uncertainty hurt this Florida small business owner’s company that her grandfather started 75 years ago. Pause or no pause she fears it’s all over. Beth B. This Minnesota small business CEO called Trump’s tariffs the “nail in the coffin” for her business. Her company cannot afford its latest overseas shipment, but her operation may go under if she has nothing to sell. The human targets of a xenophobic president. Trump is human garbage and his treatment of the people below demonstrates it. Among those harmed are: ”VML.” Two years old, this American citizen was deported to Honduras with “no meaningful process” as her father frantically tried to keep her in the U.S. ”Cristian.” A Venezuelan refugee, his right to due process was violated as he was deported while his asylum application was still pending. Kilmar G. A husband and father wrongly deported after living in the U.S. for 13 years with no criminal record yet sent to a Salvadoran megaprison. Trump’s team won’t help get him back despite a federal judge’s order to do so. Mohsen M. This recent college grad and permanent U.S. resident who was nearing his path to U.S. citizenship had his visa revoked by Trump’s state department because he organized protests to draw attention to civilian deaths in Gaza. Thousands of immigrants were arrested by ICE despite no criminal record, including more than 500 in Chicago arrested in a single day. Source: ProPublica Millions of Americans whose citizenship is unquestionable under the 14th Amendment still have their American-ness questioned by Trump, with his handpicked Supreme Court set to weigh in soon. The free(?) press. No president in modern history has been as antagonistic toward the media as Donald Trump. Among those harmed are the staff and readers/listeners of: The Associated Press. Trump banned the AP from the White House because it called the Gulf of Mexico by its real name. AP sued and Trump lost, but his team ignored the judge's order. Voice of America. Trump has put the VOA, a Congressionally mandated outlet, in limbo, as he attempts to override the legislative branch in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Radio Free Europe. Even with critical geopolitical interests at play, Trump is also trying to unilaterally end RFE funding, another Constitutional violation. The stolen children. As a father, this one hurts: Harmed are tens of thousands of missing Ukrainian children and their parents. Trump cut off funding for a Yale University project tracking roughly 20,000 children abducted on Putin’s order for “re-education” in Russia. The unserved, unhealed, and unfed. A tiny fraction of the federal budget, in our national security interests, is the difference between life and death for many across the world. Harmed are thousands upon thousands of people across the world who USAID will no longer feed, heal, or otherwise help because Trump made the agency a shell of its former self. Americans rally in support of USAID and against DOGE. Source: BBC The Alt Media with Adam Parkhomenko and Sam Youngman is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, become a free or paid subscriber. The list above could go on and on, but I promised something fun. So let’s change things up a bit with another list… The people we make sad trombone sounds for. Trump has harmed: Brad Schimel. Trump’s elevation of Elon Musk made a mockery of this man’s campaign for Wisconsin supreme court. Who knew a gimmick of $1 million checks for voters was a bad idea in a judicial race? (He lost. By a lot.) Pete Hegseth. He was mocked as unqualified for his Trump job but took a big pay cut and got no makeup studio. And where in Pete’s on-the-job training did it say not to share war plans with his wife and a reporter? So unfair. Elon Musk. This Apartheid nostalgic has less money and fewer friends than before he started working for Trump. The Nazi salute probably had something to do with it, too. Was it all worth the $290 million he spent to buy the White House? Kristi Noem. This unfortunate official lost both her dog and $3,000 in cash (a totally normal amount of hard currency to carry). In support of Trump, she even did photo ops in this hat: Source: NBC News One hundred and one days of combatting cruelty and chaos. It’s going to be a long four years, friends. Thank you for being in this fight for the duration. –Adam The Alt Media is reader-supported. We have no sponsors or advertisers… we have people like you. Please consider become a paid subscriber if you are able. Help us continue this work. Thank you. —Adam How Trump Saved Elon: The USAID Starlink Probe Cover Up Adam Parkhomenko · Feb 7 Donald Trump’s dramatic and vile dismantling of USAID came as USAID’s inspector general was conducting an investigation involving Musk’s company, Starlink. In three steps, Trump’s administration killed the investigation that was sure to embarrass Elon’s company. Read full story

When Does the Golden Age Start?

4.30.25

Ally Sammarco May 1

Happy Wednesday, readers, and welcome back to Common Sense. We are your source for news and analysis on the circus that is American politics and entertainment. Today’s top story is not about Trump and it’s not even about the U.S., specifically. We were surprised, too. If you are one who prays, pray for peace.

Age-old rivals India and Pakistan, nuclear-powered countries with massive populations, seem on the brink of war… CBS News reports, “A week after 26 people were killed in a terrorist attack in Kashmir, concern was mounting over a possible military clash between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan. Pakistan's government claimed late Tuesday night that it had ‘credible intelligence’ that India was planning to take military action within hours in retaliation for the April 22 terrorist attack, which Indian officials blame on Pakistani-backed militants. ‘Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends carrying out military action against Pakistan in the next 24-36 hours on the pretext of concocted and baseless allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident,’ Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said at a midnight news conference. The remarks came hours after Indian media reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given the country's armed forces ‘complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing of our response to the terror attack.’” The India-Pakistan conflict, like many across Asia and Africa, is rooted in colonialism.

Bad news piles on in Trump’s horrible week with Trump economy bringing U.S. worst quarter in three years… Politico writes, “President Donald Trump promised that his second term would mark the beginning of a new golden age. The early economic returns look more like pewter. The Commerce Department on Wednesday estimated that the U.S. economy shrank during the first three months of 2025, its worst performance in three years. The 0.3 percent contraction is a sharp decline from the 2.4 percent expansion that was notched in the final full quarter of President Joe Biden’s presidency, and it’s a far cry from the boom times Trump allies and top CEOs had anticipated after the president was reelected. What’s more, the pro-growth elements of his agenda, such as the extension of the 2017 tax cuts, haven’t materialized, providing little cover for the negative effects of the president’s trade war.” Probably NOT the best time for a trade war (well, ever, but especially…) when the American economy is shrinking.

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.

Ukraine and U.S. sign mineral agreement previously thought dead… While our initial reaction was “Ukraine did WHAT?!” We trust that Ukrainian President Vollodymyr Zelensky knows what he’s doing. It’s sad when Americans trust foreign governments more than their own but that is exactly how we feel based on the Trump Administration’s actions and coziness with the Kremlin. And after a critical meeting between Zelensky and Trump at the Vatican, we now have a minerals agreement. It’s a good thing for the Ukrainians to be in the economic fold of the U.S. Let’s hope the U.S. protects its investment and provides at least security by extension to the people with whom we are partnering. NBC News reports, “The White House announced Wednesday night that it had signed an economic partnership with Ukraine that includes an agreement on the ownership and extraction of natural resources from the war-torn nation.” Ukrainian economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on X that “‘it is the Ukrainian state that determines what and where to extract’ and that ‘subsoil remains under Ukrainian ownership.’ Ukraine and the United States will jointly manage and maintain co-ownership of the investment fund, with neither side holding a dominant vote, Svyrydenko said. It will be financed by new Ukrainian oil, gas and critical mineral licenses, with 50% of all revenue from the licenses going toward the fund.” Never a dull moment.

Palestinian Columbia U student released from immigration custody… Wonderful news, though he never should have been there in the first place. The judge compared his treatment to the McCarthy hearings. It’s about time someone said it. Free speech is free speech, even if the U.S. government disagrees with that speech. CBS News reports, “Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian Columbia student who had been detained by immigration authorities when he went to his U.S. citizenship interview, has been released after a federal judge's order in Vermont on Wednesday. Mahdawi, who has a green card, was taken into custody on April 16. His immigration case remains open, and there will be another hearing on Thursday…” Outside the courthouse Mahdawi said, “‘my freedom is interlinked with the freedom of many other students." The Trump Administration was later barred by a judge “from removing (Mahdawi) from the state or country. The Justice Department said Wednesday that it would appeal the court order that led to Mahdawi's release from federal immigration custody.”

Today’s Furry Friend

Shamy the Camel demanded horses become his friends, and eventually they gave in!

Today’s Buzz

Thunderbolts* Marvel Studios is coming to a theatre near you this Friday… The Hollywood Reporter writes, “Lightning has struck many times for Marvel Studios at the box office before Kevin Feige‘s superhero studio went through some turbulent times in recent years. Now comes another chance. Later this week, Thunderbolts* kicks off the summer box office in a pivotal moment for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jake Schreier, the film brings together a band of dysfunctional outsiders — and lesser-known comic book characters — who discover their potential to be heroes when working together. Tracking suggests the movie will open in the $70 million to $73 million range domestically, and $160 million to $175 million globally, against a $180 million production budget before marketing. Prior to the pandemic, that would have been considered not so great for an MCU title kicking off summer. But times have changed, with tracking becoming more unreliable. Also, the Disney-owned Marvel is stressing these aren’t well-known characters.” The movie premiers across the U.S. on Friday.

Evening in and evening out, you allow us to help make sense of the chaos. Thank you for being a reader! Check back in tomorrow evening for the next edition of Common Sense.

 

Mayday! And May Day We are inching ever closer to the end Robert Reich May 1 Friends, May Day has two meanings, both of which are directly applicable to today. It commemorates the solidarity of the labor movement (139 years ago today, workers gathered in the streets of Chicago to demand an eight-hour day). “Mayday!” is also a distress signal used by pilots to indicate imminent danger or a life-threatening emergency (derived from the French phrase “m’aider,” meaning “help me”). That about sums it up: Our solidarity is necessary to overcome the imminent dangers we now face — all from Donald J. Trump. I doubt we can wait until the midterm elections to contain him. Unless we stop the damage he’s doing to both our democracy and our economy before then, much of it will be irreversible. It’s not even clear what sort of election we’ll be able to have 18 months from now. Demonstrations are planned today in more than 900 cities against both the Trump regime and the oligarchy that supports and benefits from it. The official banner under which people will march today is, appropriately, “For the Workers, Not the Billionaires.” Under Trump, Americans are relearning the lesson we learned about the oligarchy during the Gilded Age of the late 1890s, when robber barons ran the government and the economy for their own benefit: Oligarchy is incompatible with the common good. The Republican Party and Elon Musk’s efforts to cut veterans’ benefits, Medicaid, Social Security, food safety, food stamps, and much else that Americans depend on — all to create room in the budget for another big tax cut mostly benefiting the wealthy — is the latest and clearest example of oligarchic muscle-flexing in the Trump regime. This is forcing the Democratic Party to move toward economic populism. Despite recent discussion in The New York Times among former leaders of the Democratic Leadership Council attributing Bill Clinton’s electoral victories to his neoliberal stances, the energy in today’s Party lies in 83-year-old Bernie Sanders and 35-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — who are explicitly taking on the oligarchy. Meanwhile, Trump’s polls are plummeting. Almost all now show him underwater, with approval ratings hovering around 42 percent and disapprovals at over 55 percent. Trump’s trade war is choking off supply chains and threatening to push up prices and create shortages of critical components and products. It’s already causing the economy to contract — by 0.3 percent in the first quarter, according to a Commerce Department report out yesterday. That’s a huge reversal from the strong 2.4 percent expansion in the final full quarter of Biden’s presidency. Wall Street has chalked up the worst performance at the start of a new presidential term in almost half a century. At the same time, Trump is edging ever closer to defying the Supreme Court. In a unanimous ruling on April 10, the court ordered Trump to “facilitate” the release of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia — a Maryland man the regime wrongly deported to El Salvador last month. In a Tuesday interview on ABC, Trump acknowledged that he “could” secure Abrego Garcia’s release — contradicting Attorney General Bondi’s assertion that the U.S. doesn’t have the power to do so — but said he won’t. “If he were the gentleman that you say he is, I would do that, but he is not.” Hopefully, today’s May Day demonstrations will lead to larger ones (I’m still counting on a “national civic uprising” that even conservatives like columnist David Brooks support). But what’s the goal of such displays of solidarity? How do they fight the imminent dangers? Mark my words: If the economy continues to deteriorate, if the regime cuts services that the public depends on in order to give the oligarchy a huge tax cut, and if Trump ever more openly defies the Supreme Court — the solidarity will pay off in such a huge outpouring of national anger that Congress impeaches and convicts the orange menace before the midterm elections. Mayday! And Happy May Day.

Major Wins in April for Team Healey/Driscoll

 

Massachusetts is in great hands — and it shows. Under the leadership of Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, our state continues to raise the bar. We’re proud to share a snapshot of what the Healey-Driscoll Administration has accomplished this month. Take a look at the latest highlights  — April was full of wins!  On April 2, Governor Maura Healey filed a supplemental budget for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) to address time-sensitive spending needs for state services such as food access, public safety, housing and child care, create opportunities for Massachusetts businesses, and boost local economies through the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence. On April 2, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced the formal appointment of two new commissions established under the HERO Act—the Veterans Alternative Therapy Working Group (VAT) and the Veterans Quality of Life Commission (VQL)—to explore innovative treatments and develop solutions that enhance the well-being of veterans across Massachusetts.  On April 3, the Healey-Driscoll Administration testified in support of Governor Maura Healey’s Fiscal Year 2024 Fair Share Surplus Supplemental Budget, which proposes historic investments in education and transportation. The $1.3 billion proposal would support the MBTA, regional transit, pre-k access, early literacy, special education and career technical programs across the state. On April 8, the Healey-Driscoll Administration released new data highlighting the success of the expanded Registered Apprenticeship Tax Credit, which Governor Healey expanded eligibility for as part of the administration’s historic 2023 tax cuts.  On April 8, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced that 67 projects across Massachusetts are eligible to receive approximately $1.24 billion in low-interest-rate loans to fund construction to improve water quality, upgrade or replace aging drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and cut treatment plant energy use and costs. On April 9, the Healey-Driscoll Administration and MassHousing announced the first financing commitment under the Momentum Fund, a first-in-the-nation state revolving fund to support mixed-income housing production. This initial public equity financing will advance the development of the Residences at East Milton in Milton, creating a total of 92 new mixed-income rental homes, including 23 new affordable rental homes.  On April 10, Governor Maura Healey testified in support of her proposed Chapter 90 bill, which would significantly increase roads and bridges funding for municipalities across the state.  On April 10, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced that the Massachusetts Community Climate Bank (MCCB), in partnership with Rewiring America, Abode Energy Management and a coalition of state government and energy efficiency program partners, is launching the first-ever Massachusetts Energy Savings Finder. This new digital tool will make it easier for Massachusetts homeowners and renters to get incentives and tax credits to lower energy bills, boost energy efficiency, and upgrade to new home appliances.

Governor Maura Healey, Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew Gorzkowicz and Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver testify before the Joint Committee on Transportation in support of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s Chapter 90 bill. On April 11, in honor of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced its first-ever Victim Services Conference, themed Empowering Survivors Through Compassion, Collaboration, and Commitment. This innovative event will be held on June 10, 2025, at the Four Points Sheraton in Norwood.   On April 14, the Healey-Driscoll administration launched the Massachusetts Tariff Response and Business Operations Support Initiative (TRBO) to align state resources to aid Massachusetts businesses in response to President Donald Trump’s recent tariff policies and the ongoing uncertainty they cause for consumers and businesses across the country.     On April 15, Governor Maura Healey visited UMass Chan Medical School, one of the best medical schools in the nation and the only public academic health sciences campus in Massachusetts, to highlight the negative impacts of President Trump’s cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.   On April 15, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced a comprehensive redesign of the Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP), Massachusetts’ flagship business development tool that offers state tax credits in exchange for a business’s commitment to invest in the state and create or retain jobs.   On April 16, the Healey-Driscoll administration awarded over $4.95 million in grants for information and technology projects to 72 Massachusetts municipalities, including 13 first-time recipients, through the Community Compact program.    On April 17, Governor Maura Healey announced that the state had committed $12 million in new resources toward the construction of FieldHouse+ in Dorchester, a generational project conceived by the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester and the Martin Richard Foundation that will provide state-of-the-art athletic, recreational and education opportunities for thousands of young people in Boston and surrounding communities.    On April 17, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced that $9.7 million has been awarded through the Community College Nursing Grant to expand workforce training in critical health care professions across Massachusetts. This funding will support noncredit Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant training programs at each of the state’s 15 public community colleges, serving approximately 1,125 students in the state.    On April 19, Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Shot Heard ‘Round the World with solemn and moving ceremonies in Concord and Lexington. In her remarks, Governor Healey reaffirmed our state’s commitment to standing up for what is right, “In Massachusetts, we have always lit the Beacon, we have always answered the alarm, we have always stood our ground and we always will.” Gov. Healey, Lt. Gov. Driscoll, and Whip Clark help Lexington Select Board Chair Doug Lucente lay a commemorative wreath on the Lexington Battle Green.

This month, the Healey-Driscoll Administration launched the Data Advisory Commission on Early Education and Care. Established in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget signed by Governor Maura Healey, the Commission is charged with making recommendations to improve the use of state, provider and program-level data related to the cost, quality and utilization of early education and care services. On April 22, Governor Healey announced $18 million in Housing Development Inceptive Program (HDIP) awards to create 288 total new units in six Gateway Cities across the state as part of her ongoing work to tackle the housing shortage and bring down costs.     On April 22,  Governor Healey and First Lady Joanna Lydgate visited Torbert MacDonald State Park in Medford to celebrate Earth Day and raise awareness for the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) upcoming day of stewardship at DCR parks statewide.   Healey-Driscoll Administration announces $18 million for Housing Development Incentive Program tax credits while visiting Fitchburg.

A huge thanks for our amazing Governor and Lieutenant Governor for all their work!  Onward, together -  MassDems

Paid for by the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee   Massachusetts Democratic Party 11 Beacon St Suite 410 Boston, MA 02108 United States