Good Morning, this is the Commonwealth Report. News for the public, not the powerful.
Sanders Pulls the Pin on Trump’s Bomb Factory for Israel
Bernie Sanders is done asking nicely. This week, the Vermont senator is forcing Senate votes to block nearly half a billion dollars in arms sales to the Netanyahu government. We’re talking about $151.8 million worth of 1,000-pound bombs used in Gaza and Lebanon, and $295 million worth of Caterpillar bulldozers used to demolish Palestinian homes. Secretary of State Rubio invoked emergency powers to skip congressional review and rush these weapons through without a vote. “U.S. taxpayers have spent tens of billions in support of the racist, extremist Netanyahu government,” Sanders said. “Enough is enough.” Senate rules let Sanders force a floor vote with a simple majority and no filibuster. Sixty percent of Americans now view Israel unfavorably. The Democratic caucus is moving. These votes are on the record, and they matter.
Will Even Italy’s Meloni Walk Away From Israel?
Here’s one for the history books. Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of Israel’s closest European allies, just suspended her country’s defense cooperation agreement with Israel. The deal, in place since 2003, covers the transfer of military equipment and technology research. Meloni acted after Israeli forces fired warning shots at a convoy of Italian UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. Italy’s foreign minister called Israel’s ambassador to Rome for the third time since 2024. Trump, furious at his political ally, publicly snapped at Meloni in an interview. Meanwhile, a European Citizens’ Initiative calling on the EU to suspend its association agreement with Israel just crossed one million signatures. Israel dismissed Meloni’s move as meaningless, claiming the pact never had any substantive content. Try telling that to the million Europeans who disagree.
Is Trump Getting Ready to Seize Your Bank Account?
Here’s a story that should alarm every American. The Trump administration is moving forward on an executive order that would require banks to collect citizenship documentation from every customer. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed it’s already in process. The stated goal is pushing undocumented immigrants out of the banking system. But banking experts warn this would strip millions of ordinary Americans of their accounts, including Trump’s own voters. Only half of Americans have passports. In West Virginia, just two out of ten people own one. The ten states with the lowest passport rates all voted for Trump every time. One in ten Americans can’t locate their birth certificate. No bank account means no direct deposit, no bill pay. This isn’t immigration enforcement. It’s economic warfare on working people.
Can Virginia’s New Law Finally Bury the Electoral College?
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed a landmark bill this week, making Virginia the nineteenth member of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Under the compact, member states pledge their electoral votes to whoever wins the national popular vote, not just their state winner. Virginia brings the compact to 222 of the 270 electoral votes needed to take effect, just 48 short. When it hits 270, it ends the Electoral College’s power to hand the presidency to someone who lost the popular vote, something that’s happened five times, including twice for Donald Trump. Sixty-three percent of Americans support the popular vote system, per Pew Research. Republicans are calling it unconstitutional. That’s no surprise. The Electoral College is the only thing keeping them in power.
Khanna Fights Back Against Big Oil’s War on Your Wallet
Gas prices are on fire and getting worse. Crude oil is trading above $100 a barrel because of Trump’s war against Iran, and Americans are watching pump prices climb by the day. California Congressman Ro Khanna is introducing legislation to ban U.S. gasoline exports whenever the national average price exceeds $3.12 a gallon, a threshold we’ve already blown past. Here’s the outrage. America is now the world’s largest exporter of motor gasoline. While families struggle at the pump, Big Oil is shipping our supply overseas for maximum profit. Khanna says we need a new energy policy not driven by oil company greed. His bill faces long odds in this Congress. But the point is clear. Working people are bleeding at the pump while oil executives pocket the profits.
Mayor Mamdani Finally Gets to Eat the Rich
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani just scored his biggest win yet, and it tastes delicious. Governor Kathy Hochul, who had been blocking Mamdani’s tax-the-rich agenda for months, flipped and backed a brand-new annual tax on luxury second homes in New York City worth $5 million or more. This is the first pied-à-terre tax of its kind in New York State history. These are the apartments owned by billionaires and global elites that sit empty most of the year while working New Yorkers can’t pay rent. Hochul’s office estimates the tax will generate at least $500 million a year. Mamdani called it a step toward making the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share. Sixty-two percent of New Yorkers support taxing the rich. Pull up a chair. The feast has begun.
And that’s the way it is. Today Wednesday, April 15, 2026. I’m Thom Hartmann.
