“We Are All Afraid”

4.17.25

Happy Thursday and welcome back to Common Sense, your source for news and analysis on the circus that is American politics and entertainment.

SCOTUS to hear arguments on Trump’s birthright citizenship order next month… CNN reports, “The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear oral arguments over President Donald Trump’s request to enforce a plan to end birthright citizenship against all but a handful of individuals, though it deferred a request from the administration that would have allowed it to implement its plan immediately. The high court will hear arguments in the case on May 15. Though Trump was raising what the administration described as a “modest” request to limit lower court orders against his plans, the court’s decision to hear arguments in the case was nevertheless remarkable and historic. A win for Trump would allow him to enforce a policy that a lower court described as “blatantly unconstitutional” throughout most of the nation.”

Appeals court slams Trump for “asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process”... ABC News reports, “In a scathing order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit on Thursday denied the Trump administration's effort to appeal an order from a federal judge requiring it to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The panel of judges said on Thursday that the government is ‘asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process. It is difficult in some cases to get to the very heart of the matter, but in this case, it is not hard at all,’ Judge James Wilkinson, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan, said in the order. ‘The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order. Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done,’ he added. Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration alleges is a member of the criminal gang MS-13, is being held in an El Salvador mega-prison after he was mistakenly deported there on March 15 despite being issued a 2019 court order barring his deportation to his home country due to the fear of persecution.”

GOP Sen Lisa Murkowski laments retaliation faced when criticizing Trump… Politico reports, “Sen. Lisa Murkowski said a fear of retaliation under President Donald Trump’s administration is rising to levels she’s not seen before, acknowledging this week that it is so pervasive that even the outspoken senator is ‘oftentimes very anxious’ to speak up out of fear of recrimination. The Alaska senator, who has been among Trump’s most prominent critics in the Republican Party, made the startling admission at a conference of nonprofit and tribal leaders in Anchorage on Monday. Addressing a question about how to respond to people who are afraid in the current political climate, Murkowski responded: ‘We are all afraid.’ …Murkowski has repeatedly criticized Trump’s policies amid overwhelming buy-in from her fellow party members. The Alaska senator openly rebuked the president for ‘walking away from our allies’ as he increasingly aligned himself with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and publicly berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. She has also voiced strong opposition against the Department of Government Efficiency’s mass firing wave and slash-and-burn efforts to cut down government agencies.”

CDC biomedical engineer says program to help Texas schools to fight measles was scrapped amid layoffs… CBS News reports, “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has scrapped a plan to offer help curbing measles in Texas schools after some staff working on the agency's response to this year's record outbreak of the virus were warned they could face layoffs, an agency employee said. CDC officials had initially weighed expanding a service they had been offering to hospitals in Texas — onsite assessments to root out how errors in ventilation and air filtration could be enabling spread of the virus – to other kinds of facilities like schools as well. ‘Being on the ground allows us to actually look at the filters that are in place, look at the HVAC systems, how they're set up, how they're being used, how they're being monitored. And after seeing what we did, I'm glad we did,; Dylan Neu, who had led the CDC's ventilation assessments in Texas, told CBS News. Neu is a biomedical engineer for the CDC's National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, which was largely eliminated by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s first wave of layoffs earlier this month.”

Today’s Furry Friend

Baxter could barely stand up. Now he goes for runs along the beach…

Today’s Buzz

Megan Thee Stallion delivers “star-studded set” at Coachella and wows fans despite tech issues… Entertainment Weekly reports, “Megan Thee Stallion was on some real hot girl s--- with her Coachella 2025 set, but what was shaping up to be a highlight of the weekend ended on a low note when her sound was cut mid-song. The 'Savage' rapper put on a headliner-worthy show on the main stage at the Indio, Calif., music festival on Sunday night, despite not actually being one of the headliners. Churning through hit after hit song with high energy and clean choreography, Megan also brought out three surprise guests: Queen Latifah, Ciara, and Victoria Monét. But her performance was also plagued with technical issues, and ended with her sound getting cut entirely halfway through 'Mamushi.' Megan was clearly frustrated with the constant glitches during her set. Earlier, she yelled into the mic, 'Somebody better come out here and fix my motherf---ing microphone!' And at the end of the set when the sound went out completely, she said, 'Don’t do the hotties like that.' She tossed her hair and continued to dance through the song's choreography and rap into the silent microphone as the crowd chanted, 'Megan! Megan! Megan!' Ultimately, she and her dancers left the stage when the sound didn't come back.”

Thanks for reading. Check back in tomorrow evening for the next edition of Common Sense.