The "Art of the Deal" or the Art of the Fold? 🤡

Trump's big bold strategy to choke out Iran just hit a brick wall, and his newly announced framework is a masterclass in backing down. Trump talked a massive game about forcing an "unconditional surrender," demanding zero nuclear enrichment, and threatening to blast Iran "back to the Stone Ages." But after a few drone strikes, a naval blockade standoff, and a spiked global gas crisis, he settled for a deal that looks like a copy-paste of the 2015 nuclear pact.

In this episode, we expose how the administration literally negotiated against its own red lines and ended up caving to Tehran's demands just to stop the bleeding.

Inside this episode: 🛑 How Trump’s absolute maximalist red lines completely vanished 💰 Why the U.S. is giving up $25B in frozen assets just to stop the fighting 🇨🇳 The hilarious workaround of shipping nuclear stockpiles to China 🕊️ Why his own party is calling this a "disastrous mistake" and a massive retreat

If you love watching politicians break their own absolute promises and try to spin it as a historic victory, hit that subscribe button.

Drop your thoughts in the comments: Did Trump just get thoroughly out-negotiated by Iran?

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Trump Has Gone Full Mob Boss and Acts Like a Don

Trump isn’t just bending the rules anymore — he’s desteroying them for his own benefit, and daring anyone to stop him. On this episode of Common Good, Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse dig into what happens when the most powerful office in the world gets treated like a family business and a protection racket rolled into one.

We’re talking about a president who has turned the federal budget into a personal slush fund, steered contracts and influence toward his family and allies, and governed with the kind of impunity that used to be reserved for the untouchable. This isn’t politics as usual. This is something different — and it deserves to be named clearly.

From the deals that benefit Trump Tower to the policy moves that pad the pockets of people closest to him, the pattern is impossible to ignore. The mob boss doesn’t need to break the law if he gets to write it. And right now, he’s writing a lot of it.

Doug and Robb don’t pull punches on this one. If you’ve been feeling the weight of what’s happening and wondering whether anyone is willing to say it out loud — this episode is for you. We believe government should serve people, not enrich the powerful. We believe the common good is worth fighting for. And we believe the first step is telling the truth about what we’re actually dealing with.

Listen. Share. And pass it along to someone who needs to hear it.

From Iran to Voting, to Ballrooms and Cosplay Religious Dedications, to Dismantling Essential American Promises, this administration's cruelty and buffoonery are devastating America at home and around the world.

We The People, are the response.

We talk about it all today on the Common Good Podcast.