Good Day, this is the Commonwealth Report.
News for the public, not the powerful.
Trump’s Own Judge Slaps Down His White House Press Ban
A judge Trump himself put on the bench just ordered the White House to let CNN, MS NOW, and Politico back in. Timothy Kelly, a 2017 Trump appointee, issued a 14 day restraining order and found the outlets will likely prove they were denied due process. He saw no evidence pulling their passes protects national security. Trump announced the ban Friday on Truth Social, promising “other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.” The networks answered by boycotting pool coverage, and even the Fox News reporter who heads the Correspondents’ Association said the Constitution doesn’t care whether a president likes his coverage. A president who picks his own questioners isn’t running a democracy. He’s running a court.
Will Trump’s Diesel Ban Sink the Economy His War Already Broke?
Trump is reportedly preparing a 90 day ban on diesel exports to blunt a price spike his war with Iran created. Diesel runs the semis, trains, and tractors, and it’s soared since Trump launched that war in February and Iran choked the Strait of Hormuz. AAA says the national average hit $6.52 a gallon yesterday, up 77% from last year and up 91 cents in a single month. Trump still claims prices are going “way down, way, way down,” yet consumer prices rose 0.4% in August. Oil Change International called it a short-sighted answer to a crisis his own reckless war built. Working people didn’t start this war. They’re just paying for it.
Can Congress Stop Big Tech From Building an AI That Kills?
Bernie Sanders and Greg Casar introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act. It would permanently outlaw any AI that beats humans across most domains or could disempower humanity, and pause advanced AI development until a federal agency writes safety rules. Violators face up to 20 years in prison and companies face the corporate death penalty, the same treatment as illegally building nukes. Casar noted experts warn superintelligence in the wrong hands could kill countless people, and Trump wants to encourage it. Sanders said when you’re racing toward a cliff, “you don’t just ease up on the gas pedal. You hit the brakes.” Tech oligarchs are pouring millions into the midterms so nobody ever tells them no.
Seattle Bans Grocery Stores From Charging You More for Being You
Seattle just became the first city in America to outlaw surveillance pricing. The council voted 7 to 2 Tuesday for an ordinance championed by progressive Mayor Katie Wilson, with no corporate amendments. Big grocers with 20 or more locations can no longer use your race, gender, employment status, location, browsing history, or chatbot conversations to decide what you pay for milk. Prices must be posted and equal for everyone, and coupons and senior discounts stay. Seattle’s grocery workers union helped drive it. Consumer Reports put it simply. “The price you see shouldn’t be different based on who you are.” If one city can stop you from being profiled at the checkout, Congress has no excuse.
Is Trump About to Hand Taiwan to Xi Jinping?
Xi Jinping is at the White House today, and McConnell, back after a 92 day absence, is leading a Republican revolt over what Trump might give away. McConnell, Cornyn, Murkowski, and Tillis wrote Rubio and Hegseth demanding to know why $1.3 billion in Taiwan military aid sits frozen, along with a $14 billion arms package Trump called “a very good negotiating chip.” A Telegraph investigation found Xi expanding nuclear weapons production at seven secret sites, as he lectures the world about destroying stockpiles. China’s arsenal has more than doubled under Xi to 620 warheads, headed for 1,500 by 2035. A red carpet for the dictator, a bargaining chip for the democracy. Who’s negotiating for America?
Netanyahu Drags His Mamdani Feud Onto the UN Stage
Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN this afternoon and has promised to go after New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who calls him a war criminal. Then he flies home to an election he may lose October 27. A UN podium turned into a campaign stop.
And that’s the way it is, Today Thursday, September 24, 2026. I’m Thom Hartmann.
