Elon's Over It 5.20.25 Ally Sammarco May 21 Happy Tuesday and welcome back to Common Sense, your source for news and analysis on the circus that is American politics and entertainment. Trump seeks expensive Golden Dome (missile defense) to go with his golden toilet… NPR reports, “President Trump on Tuesday unveiled an ambitious plan to shield America from missile attack by building what he describes as a ‘Golden Dome.’ ‘Once fully constructed the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space,’ Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Trump's budget and timeline for the project are ambitious. He told reporters he hoped to have it done ‘before the end of my term.’ The system would cost around $175 billion, the president said, with $25 billion to start construction in next year's budget.” 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. After bribing WI voters with $1M checks and fundraising for Nazi-lite AfD in Germany, Elon says he’s kinda done with it… Politico reports, “Elon Musk said he plans to cut back on political spending, saying he has ‘done enough,’ a move that coincides with the billionaire entrepreneur taking a step back from President Donald Trump’s Washington. Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday, the Tesla CEO said he would ‘do a lot less’ political spending ‘in the future,’ adding: ‘I think I’ve done enough.’ Musk brushed aside a question about whether his move was a response to pushback he has received for his prominent role in reshaping the federal government, marked by his leadership of the agency-slashing Department of Government Efficiency… Musk, who poured over $290 million of his own money into the 2024 election to support Trump and Republicans, had established himself as a major political force, both domestically and abroad.” Elon, we think you’ve done enough, too… in politics, in business, and more… What’s in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill”? A whole lot of ugly… ABC News offers a top-line list of what’s in Trump’s bill, including: “More than an estimated 8 million recipients could lose Medicaid coverage, according to a CBO analysis requested by House Democrats. Republicans say they're targeting able-bodied adults and undocumented immigrants, but other beneficiaries could also be impacted… Cuts SNAP food assistance by roughly $230 billion over 10 years, narrowing participation in the program servicing roughly one-in-eight Americans each month… Extends the 2017 Trump tax cuts… Fulfils Trump's campaign promises of no taxes on tips and no taxes on overtime work… Provides $50 billion wall to renew construction of Trump's border wall… Commits roughly $150 billion in defense spending for shipbuilding and 'Golden Dome' missile defense system” GLYPHOSATE = ROUNDUP RFK Jr. to issue report on pesticides’ contribution to childhood diseases but assures Senators he won’t take any action on it… CBS News reports, “Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sought Tuesday to reassure farmers and one Republican senator about his upcoming report on how pesticides are driving up rates of childhood chronic diseases, acknowledging that chemicals like glyphosate that he has long criticized are widely used for growing crops in the U.S. ‘I have said repeatedly throughout this process, that we cannot take any step that will put a single farmer in this country out of business,’ Kennedy said at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee. ‘There's a million farmers who rely on glyphosate. 100% of corn in this country relies on glyphosate. We are not going to do anything to jeopardize that business model.” Today’s Furry Friend Meet Sapphie – a Husky who is often first in the room to comfort his crying human brother, using his mom’s voice! Today’s Buzz A crossover between Taylor Swift and The Handmaid’s Tale?? Yes, please… The Alt Media’s Adam Parkhomenko reports, “An intense sequence in the penultimate episode of the acclaimed Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale enamored fans and sent the entertainment industry abuzz. The sequence made instant rounds across the digital sphere – not on account of its brilliant cinematography but because it incorporates a legendary pop star’s no-fucks-given hit song. Spot-on use of this particular song marks one of the most triumphant moments of the series’ six-season run. Singer-songwriter icon Taylor Swift’s ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ was initially released in 2017 in the rollout of the artist’s Reputations album. Today, the song stole the show for more than two minutes, overlaying Mayday resistors’ badass walk on a dark road. It was not your ordinary, subtle background score.” Thank you again for being a reader! Check back in tomorrow evening for the next edition of Common Sense. 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.