SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT: 

THE TIN EAR GETS TINNIER – FROM DAILY MAIL:   Barack Obama plans to ring in his 60th birthday hosting a party at his Martha's Vineyard mansion with a star-studded guest list who've all been COVID tested.   It has been reported that big names such as Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney have already scored an invite to join the former president on his $11.75 million 30-acre oceanside getaway on the exclusive Massachusetts island as he hits the big birthday on August 4.  All guests have been asked to provide a negative COVID-19 test ahead of the bash, it has been claimed, as virus cases in the US begin to spike once again.    One source simply told The Hill, 'It's going to be big.'   Obama turns 60 on August 4 and has a reputation for large and legendary birthday bashes to maintain.   Ten years ago, when he turned 50, then-President Obama hosted a number of celebrity guests at the White House, including Oprah Winfrey, musicians Jay-Z and Stevie Wonder, actor Tom Hanks, comedian Chris Rock, and basketball legends Charles Barkley and Grant Hill, along with a mix of politicians and Chicago and law-school friends.   It was reported that the former president was set to charge up to $35,800 per couple for tickets for a separate 50th birthday party in his home city of Chicago, which doubled as a fundraising event for his re-election campaign.   No man has cashed in on the presidency more than Barack, but nobody dares ask him about it.

ANOTHER BAD PICK – FROM FOX:   President Biden's nominee to lead the U.S. attorney's office in Massachusetts is a soft-on-crime progressive who has declined to prosecute low-level offenses such as shoplifting, trespassing and drug possession.  Rachael Rollins, the district attorney for Suffolk County, was nominated by Biden on Monday and is likely to be confirmed by the Senate this fall, unless a Democratic senator votes against her.  After taking office in January 2019, Rollins released a policy memo identifying more than a dozen charges she said should be declined for prosecution entirely or recommended for diversion, such as mental health or substance abuse treatment.  Such low-level offenses included trespassing, shoplifting, larceny, disorderly conduct, receiving stolen property, driving with a suspended license, wanton or malicious destruction of property, threats, underage drinking, drug possession, possession with intent to distribute and resisting arrest.  Republicans are likely to protest Rollins's nomination amid rising crime rates in big cities across the country and the national debate about the impact of the "defund the police" movement.  "Biden's nominee to be a federal prosecutor effectively legalized shoplifting and possession with intent to distribute drugs," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., tweeted Tuesday. "Think crime is bad now? Just wait."  We won't have to wait long.  Liberals never learn, and liberal areas keep compensating them.  No pride, no pride.  

July 27, 2021