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Common Sense Coalition

@cscoalition.substack.com
52 followers 18 following 70 posts

A bipartisan and non-partisan group of experts, former government officials, former military officers, academics, and scholars. Our goal: To hold the Trump administration accountable for the damage done to our country. commonsensecoalition.net

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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 24/09/2026
cscoalition.substack.com/p/why-donald...
cscoalition.substack.com
Why Donald Trump’s media war is backfiring
Trump’s attempt to suppress negative coverage is only amping up the criticism.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 22/09/2026
cscoalition.substack.com/p/an-emergin...
cscoalition.substack.com
An emerging geography of discontent
House and Senate races in reliably red Iowa are now suddenly competitive, thanks to the Trump administration’s damaging policies for the state’s farmers.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 17/09/2026
@irashapiro.bsky.social joins James Carville and Al Hunt on the Politics War Room: www.politicon.com/podcast-epis...
politicon.com
AI Apocalypse with Manny Rutinel and Ira Shapiro
James and Al reflect on Trump’s erratic behavior amid his poorly executed midterm convention before welcoming congressional candidate Manny Rutinel.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 03/09/2026
We’re giving away 100 FREE Kindle copies of “Betrayed: America Didn’t Vote for This.” Enter our Goodreads giveaway today! www.goodreads.com/book/show/25...
goodreads.com
Betrayed: America Didn't Vote for This
A sweeping indictment of President Donald Trump’s catas…
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 03/09/2026
We’re giving away 100 FREE Kindle copies of “Betrayed: America Didn’t Vote for This.” Enter our Goodreads giveaway today! www.goodreads.com/book/show/25...
goodreads.com
Betrayed: America Didn't Vote for This
A sweeping indictment of President Donald Trump’s catas…
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 18/08/2026
We couldn't have said it better. Kudos to Steve Rattner on this succinct summary of Trump's economic failures. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Trump’s Economic Record Doesn’t Come Close to His Campaign Promises
The president likes to boast about the “greatest economy we’ve ever had.” His record falls far short.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 17/08/2026
This is a terrifying must-read: open.substack.com/pub/ivodaald...
open.substack.com
This is How NATO Dies
A new Pentagon questionnaire sent to America's 31 NATO allies puts fealty above common interests, divides the allies among themselves, weakens collective defense, and ultimately could destroy NATO.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 25/07/2026
American consumers will be paying a steep, long-term price for the Trump administration's senseless war in the Gulf. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
washingtonpost.com
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 21/07/2026
The White House’s Flawed Attack on the Smithsonian open.substack.com/pub/cscoalit...
open.substack.com
The White House’s Flawed Attack on the Smithsonian
The Trump administration seeks to replace accuracy with airbrushing, writes Michael Mitchell
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 21/07/2026
Citizens deserve equal justice, not this. "President Trump quietly denied nearly 6,000 clemency applications this month from people who mostly lacked political connections ... while he awarded pardons and commutations to allies who had skipped the line." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Rejected Nearly 6,000 Clemency Applications Amid Hope of Pardon Wave
Expectations were raised for a raft of pardons in connection with the country’s 250th birthday but the president granted fewer than 20 on July 3.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 16/07/2026
"Cycles of failure in U.S. policy are not new. What is different now is the willful repudiation and rewriting of history, and the celebration of cruelty and ignorance as a matter of policy." open.substack.com/pub/cscoalit...
open.substack.com
On Being American: 250 Years On, Our New Self-Evident Truths
The fight for American renewal begins today, writes Kevin Nealer
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 04/07/2026
Coalition founder Ira Shapiro: "We need to meet the unprecedented authoritarian challenge by building a broad, bipartisan and non-partisan coalition to reject this presidency emphatically." open.substack.com/pub/cscoalit...
open.substack.com
How to Face the Fourth: With Resolve, Not Resignation
A note from Common Sense Coalition Founder Ira Shapiro
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 03/07/2026
LISTEN: Ira Shapiro speaks with political strategist Joe Trippi on That Trippi Show: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id15...
podcasts.apple.com
"America didn't vote for this" with Ira Shapiro
Podcast Episode · That Trippi Show · July 3 · 33m
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 03/07/2026
Coalition member and Brookings Institution scholar Josh Gotbaum speaks with Joan Esposito: omny.fm/shows/joan-e...
omny.fm
Joan Esposito Live Local & Progressive, July 02 2026 - Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive
On today's show: – Jill Wine-Banks, legal analyst, former general counsel of the U.S. Army, author of “The Watergate Girl,” co-host of #SistersInLaw and host of Just The Facts with Jill Wine-Banks…
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 03/07/2026
kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...
kffhealthnews.org
New Disease Threats Follow Trump Administration’s Health Program Cuts - KFF Health News
From screwworm to flesh-eating bacteria, mounting public health risks are emerging in the wake of deep cuts to federal health agencies and programs.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 01/07/2026
LISTEN: Ira Shapiro on The Attitude with Arnie Arnesen: www.podomatic.com/podcasts/sta...
podomatic.com
Arnie Arnesen Attitude July 1 2026
Part 1:We talk with Kelcie Mosely-Morris, who covers reproductive rights for Stateline.We discuss how the administration has defunded the main efforts to prevent teen pregnancies through HHS. Efforts…
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 01/07/2026
Yet another no-bid contract. This time for $500 million to build the ballroom. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 29/06/2026
This was a predictable outcome: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/b...
nytimes.com
China Emerges as a Relative Winner From Strait of Hormuz Crisis
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 25/06/2026
In a new AP-NORC poll, just 18% of Americans describe America as "great, prosperous, or powerful," while a combined 39% say it's "declining," "struggling," "corrupt," or "embarrassing." apnews.com/projects/pol...
apnews.com
How Americans describe the U.S. ahead of 250th anniversary, according to new AP-NORC poll | AP News
A new survey asked 2,596 American adults to describe the United States using one word. Many used words like “freedom” – but others say the nation is “struggling” or referred to “corruption" to…
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 25/06/2026
"Prices were up 4.1 percent from a year earlier, the fastest annual inflation in more than three years." www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/b...
nytimes.com
Inflation Accelerated in May as Iran War Pushed Up Prices
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 24/06/2026
Trump's promises of a manufacturing "boom" seem to be falling short. www.ft.com/content/fbee...
ft.com
US manufacturing jobs fall at fastest rate since pandemic
Survey finds company executives struggling with rising costs and shifting policy
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 22/06/2026
Donald Trump vowed "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER" in launching his war with Iran. That promise has proved too true - for America. Intelligence expert and coalition founding member Kevin Nealer writes about Trump's new deal with Iran: open.substack.com/pub/cscoalit...
open.substack.com
Fulfilling Trump's Promise to "Make Iran Great Again"
Trump's war on Iran has accomplished nothing - other than to weaken America, writes Kevin Nealer
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 19/06/2026
"The renovations were initially estimated to cost $1.8 million. It appears the cost of the project is now up to $14.7 million." www.cnn.com/2026/06/18/p...
cnn.com
Blue material peeling off bottom of Reflecting Pool, days after costly renovation | CNN Politics
Some blue material at the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is peeling off, days after the pool was painted blue and refilled as part of a multi-million dollar renovation ordered by Presi...
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 19/06/2026
A clarion call for all citizens: Protect the integrity of the vote. substack.com/@oldgoats/no...
substack.com
Jonathan Alter (@oldgoats)
An all-too-plausible scenario for what Dick Gephardt, David Skaggs and Tim Wirth call a “rolling coup.”
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 16/06/2026
LISTEN: Founder @irashapiro.bsky.social speaks with Patty Vasquez @heartlandsignal.bsky.social about "Betrayed: America Didn't Vote for This" omny.fm/shows/drivin...
omny.fm
WCPT 820 Interview: Ira Shapiro - Driving It Home with Patti Vasquez
Patti Vasquez is joined by Ira Shapiro, co-author of "Betrayed: America Didn't Vote for This." Ira Shapiro is a lawyer, a long-time senior Senate staffer, and a former U.S. trade official. He is the ...
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 15/06/2026
The throughline of Trump's second presidency is contempt for the rule of law. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/u...
nytimes.com
Frustrated by Courts, Trump Weighed Suspending a Constitutional Right
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Anne S Kim @anne-s-kim.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Today, on Trump’s 80th birthday, is the perfect present for the Trump -skeptical voter in your life. Co-edited by me and @irashapiro.bsky.social, authored by the experts of @cscoalition.substack.com www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0H2...
amazon.com
Betrayed: America Didn't Vote for This
is a journalist and lawyer. She is the author of (The New Press, 2024) and (The New Press, 2020), winner of the 2020 Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 13/06/2026
Coalition member and CIA veteran David Kanin joined the Spytalk podcast to talk about the dangers of Bill Pulte’s ill-fated nomination as DNI and about David’s experiences as a founding member of the legendary “red cell.” Listen here: open.spotify.com/show/0vFu51t...
open.spotify.com
SpyTalk
Podcast · SpyTalk, Jeff Stein · SpyTalk lives at the intersection of intelligence operations, foreign policy, homeland security, and military strategy. Hosted by veteran national security journalists…
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 12/06/2026
 Senate historian and Common Sense Coalition Founder Ira Shapiro: "The Senate has been shameful in its failure to step up to this authoritarian blitz."
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 12/06/2026
Per a Michigan State University survey of CDC researchers: www.cidrap.umn.edu/anti-science...
cidrap.umn.edu
95% of CDC workers say Americans will die because of federal cuts to the agency
Virtually all staffers (99%) say reductions in staff and lack of leadership have left the agency unprepared to respond to a pandemic or other public health emergency.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 12/06/2026
ICYMI: Watch Founder Ira Shapiro on "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" on MSNOW this week www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXXO...
youtube.com
Senate Historian: Senate has been ‘shameful’ in failing to challenge Trump’s ‘authoritarian blitz’
Longtime United States Senate Staffer and co-editor of the book “Betrayed: America Didn't Vote for This” Ira Shapiro joins MS NOW’s Lawrence O’Donnell to discuss his “damage assessment” of the second…
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 11/06/2026
cscoalition.substack.com/p/we-can-and...
cscoalition.substack.com
"We can and must continuously reinvigorate democracy."
Democracy doesn't defend itself, writes Nicholas Allard.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 11/06/2026
Listen: @irashapiro.bsky.social on Background Briefing @kpfa.org kpfa.org/episode/back...
kpfa.org
Background Briefing - June 10, 2026 | KPFA
On today’s briefing: Trump’s Plan to Destroy US Intelligence and Steal the Next Election We begin with Trump’s determination to destroy American Intelligence by placing an ignorant thug in charge of t...
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 09/06/2026
Founder @irashapiro.bsky.social speaks with @lawrenceodonnell.bsky.social @lastwordmsnow.bsky.social about "Betrayed: America Didn't Vote for This" Book available here: www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2RXHLG2 www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXXO...
youtube.com
Senate Historian: Senate has been ‘shameful’ in failing to challenge Trump’s ‘authoritarian blitz’
YouTube video by MS NOW
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 06/06/2026
"Betrayed: America Didn’t Vote For This isn’t a polemic. It’s a powerful recitation of facts that portray a presidency of unparalleled destructiveness." open.substack.com/pub/kentmhar...
open.substack.com
Trump's 500 Days: America Didn't Vote For This
The desecration of the White House is not just another Trump travesty. It's a symbol of his destruction of America's power and principles. A new book details the damage done.
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NPR @npr.org · 05/06/2026
A new twice-yearly HIV prevention injection could transform South Africa's fight against the epidemic — but U.S. aid cuts and limited doses threaten to slow its impact. n.pr/4e0BU37
n.pr
South Africa rolls out game-changing HIV shot amid funding shortfalls
A new twice-yearly HIV prevention injection could transform South Africa's fight against the epidemic — but U.S. aid cuts and limited doses threaten to slow its impact.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 05/06/2026
"There is more doubt among his base than what is generally acknowledged. ... One-third of the voters who approve of the president’s job performance also say they disapprove of his handling of various issues, including the economy, Iran, ... or immigration." www.nytimes.com/2026/06/05/u...
nytimes.com
These Trump Voters Are Starting to Sound Like Skeptics
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 04/06/2026
Executive director @anne-s-kim.bsky.social speaks with @joshcowenmi.bsky.social about "Betrayed: America Didn't Vote for This." Book available here: www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2RXHLG2 substack.com/@joshcowen/n...
substack.com
Finding Common Ground After Trump's Political Betrayal
Watch/Read now | A conversation with journalist, lawyer, and author Anne Kim, co-editor of the new book Betrayed: America Didn't Vote For This.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 04/06/2026
Founding coalition member Nick Allard: "The survival of democracy has always required the effort of many good people to sustain, defend and repeatedly refound the ground rules for living together in a free society." www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/ju...
jaxdailyrecord.com
Continually refounding democracy as times change | Jax Daily Record
Our 250-year-old American way of government should never be taken for granted.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 03/06/2026
www.statnews.com/2026/06/03/n...
statnews.com
NIH cuts weakened network primed to respond to outbreaks like Ebola
While NIH-funded centers weren’t on the front lines of virus responses like the CDC or USAID, some researchers involved in the network said the cuts have damaged relationships with experts in other…
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Reposted by Common Sense Coalition
Jill Lawrence @jilldlawrence.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
“We can’t forget, we won’t forget, and this catalogue of betrayals lays groundwork for the reckoning to come." My latest, on a new book by @irashapiro.bsky.social, @anne-s-kim.bsky.social and a cast of dozens, on Trump 2nd term abominations so far. @thebulwark.com www.thebulwark.com/p/inventory-...
thebulwark.com
An Inventory of Trump’s Second-Term Wreckage
‘Betrayed,’ a new summary of the appalling damage so far, is a midterms turnout tool—and hopefully a roadmap for repair.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 03/06/2026
"Across 12 nations studied, birthright citizenship was correlated with higher economic mobility for the children of immigrants." www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/b...
nytimes.com
What Ireland and Germany Can Teach Us About Birthright Citizenship
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 02/06/2026
Founding coalition member Nick Allard, dean of the Jacksonville University College of Law, is one of 88 current and former law school deans who endorsed @keepourrepublic.bsky.social's principles for independence in the legal profession this week. Kudos! keepourrepublic.org/what-we-do/i...
keepourrepublic.org
Legal Principles - Keep Our Republic
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 01/06/2026
"A fifth of Trump voters say the war is not worth the cost, and a third are unsure..." www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/u...
nytimes.com
They Voted for Trump. Here’s How They Feel About High Gas Prices.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 01/06/2026
Our founder, @irashapiro.bsky.social speaks with @joanesposito.bsky.social about "Betrayed: America Didn't Vote for This" Book available here: www.amazon.com/Betrayed-Ame... LISTEN here: omny.fm/shows/joan-e...
omny.fm
WCPT 820 Interview: Author Ira Shapiro - Joan Esposito: Live, Local & Progressive
Joan Esposito is joined by Ira Shapiro, co-author of "Betrayed: America Didn't Vote for This." Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (hear...
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 31/05/2026
1 in 5 government lawyers have left - a generational loss for the nation. "Their departures show how rapidly the president has eroded the image of the federal government as the gold standard for lawyers seeking public service roles." www.nytimes.com/2026/05/31/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Sees Striking Exodus of Legal Talent
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 30/05/2026
A stunning new Brookings report finds that the nationwide surge in immigration enforcement has so far *cost* the U.S. 688,000 jobs. Each "excess arrest," researchers found, led to the loss of 13 jobs due to business disruptions and chilling effects. www.brookings.edu/articles/ice...
brookings.edu
Shock, awe, and economic fallout | Brookings
Escobari, Seyal, and Beach find the 2025 ICE enforcement surge cost 668,000 jobs across U.S. cities, including jobs held by American-born workers.
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 30/05/2026
If you're among these young Americans who feels "betrayed" by Trump, don't sit out this fall. VOTE. www.yahoo.com/news/article...
yahoo.com
Young Trump Voters Fume He ‘Betrayed’ Them by Launching His War
Young voters who backed Donald Trump in the 2024 election have expressed their outrage at the president for launching a war with Iran. Joshua Byers, a 26-year-old in the key swing state of North…
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 30/05/2026
Some early momentum for our new book, "Betrayed: America Didn't Vote for This." Please help spread the word! www.amazon.com/Betrayed-Ame...
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Common Sense Coalition @cscoalition.substack.com · 29/05/2026
Your tax dollars at work. www.notus.org/trump-white-...
notus.org
The Trump Administration Is Spending $5 Million to Coat Horse Statues in Gold
The Interior Department quickly gave nearly $100 million in contracts in a rush to beautify D.C.
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