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JUNE 8,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET: 

AND NOW THE COMEBACKS – FROM PAGE SIX:   Charlie Rose will attend Allen & Co.’s high-powered Sun Valley, Idaho, gathering of masters of the universe next month, along with Shari Redstone, CBS honcho Les Moonves, Mark Zuckerberg, Bob Iger and Brian Roberts, according to Vanity Fair.  The mag says that Rose — who was fired from CBS and PBS after a #MeToo scandal — “is likely to bring a cloud of radioactivity to the weeklong retreat, known for its off-the-record gab sessions, pristine hiking trails and, above all, the potential for furtive deal-making.”  Page Six previously reported that, according to Tina Brown, some producers were pitching a new talk show as a Rose comeback vehicle.  There is also talk of Bill O'Reilly making a comeback.  Successful comebacks are actually quite rare in TV and Hollywood, but they've happened.  Frank Sinatra's in the early fifties, was possibly the greatest comeback of all time.  Don't expect anything close among the current crop of "Me too" graduates.

GOOD MOVE – FROM GATEWAY PUNDIT:   President Donald Trump met with reporters this morning before departing to the much anticipated G7 meetings in Canada this weekend.  Before boarding Marine One President Trump told reporters he is likely to support ending the ban on marijuana.  President Trump also asked the NFL kneelers to recommend to him the names of people they believe have been unfairly prosecuted and imprisoned.  This may be the solution to the anti-US kneelers who continue to insult veterans, and patriots by kneeling during the National Anthem at ballgames.  Okay, the president has welcomed the kneelers' recommendations.  Will he get any?  I'm guessing he won't.  Then the ball, and the kneel, will be in the kneelers' court. 

GREAT TO SEE THIS – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:  A Bronx teen made the stunning journey from a homeless shelter to a full ride at MIT — and is crediting Success Academy for lighting his path.
Moctar Fall, of The Bronx, is one of 16 members of the charter school network’s first graduating high-school class — all of whom nabbed spots at four-year colleges ranging from Barnard and Tufts to Stony Brook and Emory.  “There were hardships in my life,” Fall, 17, told The Post. “There was stress that got in the way of getting my work done and staying positive. But that’s when the discipline helps to push you through.”  Fall’s mother, Ndimou Ndiaye, began to weep Thursday when she spotted Success Academy founder Eva Moskowitz in a hallway and embraced her.  “This school saved my family,” she told The Post. “This school is saving lots of families.”  They're African immigrants.  Good kid, good parents, good school.  You can't beat that combination. 

June 8, 2018       Permalink

I'M SHOCKED, SHOCKED – AT 11:22 P.M. ET:   You mean, Iran may have had some involvement in the 9-11 attacks?  We don't have a smoking gun, but a new story suggests that the gun is heavily loaded.  From the Washington Free Beacon: 

Iranian officials, in a first, have admitted to facilitating the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. by secretly aiding the free travel of al Qaeda operatives who eventually went on to fly commercial airliners into the Twin Towers in New York City, according to new remarks from a senior Iranian official.

Mohammad-Javad Larijani, an international affairs assistant in Iran's judiciary, disclosed in Farsi-language remarks broadcast on Iran's state-controlled television that Iranian intelligence officials secretly helped provide the al Qaeda attackers with passage and gave them refuge in the Islamic Republic, according to an English translation published by Al Arabiya.

"Our government agreed not to stamp the passports of some of them because they were on transit flights for two hours, and they were resuming their flights without having their passports stamped. However their movements were under the complete supervision of the Iranian intelligence," Larijani was quoted as saying.

The remarks represent the first time senior Iranian officials have publicly admitted to aiding al Qaeda and playing a direct role in facilitating the 9/11 attacks.

COMMENT:  It's hard to assess what impact this information will have.  I hope President Trump uses it to reinforce his belief, accurate, that Iran is truly a bad international actor, and has been for some time.

But our European "allies" will be unmoved.  There's money to be made in Iran, and that seems to be their main interest.  And I'm sure Christiane Amanpour will be there to bless each deal.

June 8, 2018       Permalink

BETTER TELL THE DEMOCRATS – AT 1:18 P.M. ET:   The radical Democratic Party has hooked its future to sanctuary city policies, which essentially allow illegal immigrants to move in without any fear of local authorities turning them over to federal law enforcement.  In effect, it's protected illegality.  But the public doesn't go along.  From Investors Business Daily: 

Nearly two-thirds of the public oppose "sanctuary cities." Less than a third say they back the policy, according to the latest IBD/TIPP Poll.

The IBD/TIPP poll asked about support for a policy in which "some cities in the U.S. do not report illegal immigrants who commit crimes to federal immigration authorities."

It found that 64% oppose the policy, with just 31% supporting it.

More interesting, while just 16% strongly support sanctuary cities, 45% strongly oppose the policy.

Every one of the 41 demographic groups broken out by the IBD/TIPP poll opposes this policy, except for Democrats (only 44% oppose) it, liberals (38% oppose) and those between 18 and 24 (48% of whom oppose this policy).

The strongest opposition comes from investors (71%), married women (70%), conservatives (79%), Gen-Xers (74%) and young boomers (72%).

Even Hispanics oppose this policy by a 57% to 39% margin.

COMMENT:  And yet, the Democratic Party shows no inclination toward changing its stance on sanctuary cities.  The party is today run by a radical, left of liberal, core.  It will not change its "principles" to suit public feeling.  These core Democrats consider themselves quite a bit better than we deplorables, and shout "racist" at anyone who disagrees with them.

The future of sanctuary cities is in the hands of the voters and the courts.  A mini-revolt in California against sanctuary cities has the potential to vote out public officials who support the practice.  The Supreme Court is likely to rule on specific aspects of sanctuary-city policies. 

June 8,  2018     Permalink

TRAGEDY – AT 11:51 A.M. ET:  Charles Krauthammer, the most effective conservative commentator of our time, is dying.  In letter to Fox news colleagues and viewers, he revealed his fate.  From Fox: 

Charles Krauthammer, the beloved and brilliant Fox News Channel personality who gave up a pioneering career in psychiatry to become a Pulitzer Prize-winning political analyst, on Friday revealed the heartbreaking news that he is in the final stages of a losing battle with cancer.

The 68-year-old’s incisive takes on politics of the day have been missing from Fox News Channel’s “Special Report” for nearly a year as he battled an abdominal tumor and subsequent complications, but colleagues and viewers alike had held out hope that he would return to the evening show he helped establish as must-viewing. But in an eloquent, yet unblinking letter to co-workers, friends and Fox News Channel viewers, Krauthammer disclosed that he has just weeks to live.

“I have been uncharacteristically silent these past ten months,” the letter began. “I had thought that silence would soon be coming to an end, but I’m afraid I must tell you now that fate has decided on a different course for me.”

Krauthammer, who graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1975 despite a first-year diving accident that left him a quadriplegic, explained that he had a malignant tumor removed from his abdomen last August. Although a series of setbacks left him in the hospital in the ensuing months, he believed until recently that he was on the road to recovery.

"However, recent tests have revealed that the cancer has returned,” Krauthammer wrote. “There was no sign of it as recently as a month ago, which means it is aggressive and spreading rapidly. My doctors tell me their best estimate is that I have only a few weeks left to live. This is the final verdict. My fight is over.”

COMMENT:  To say he will be missed is a major understatement.  He is the best, and he has always carried himself with style and elegance, and true intellect.  I never heard him raise his voice, or mount a vicious attack.  Krauthammer has shown us what a quality analyst can be.

There is a cynical old French saying that the graveyards of the world are filled with indispensable men.  That may be true, but Charles Krauthammer comes as close to being truly indispensable as any man I've seen.

June 8,  2018     Permalink

JUNE 7,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET: 

STATE OF OUR CULTURE – FROM FOX:   The posthumous pillorying of the dead – or the "revenge obituary" – is part of a growing trend that has family members digging up dirt on the deceased and getting the final word.The latest is a local newspaper obituary for Kathleen Dehmlow, who passed away last week at a nursing home in Springfield, Minn., and could barely have hit any harder.“She passed away on May 31, 2018, in Springfield and will now face judgment. She will not be missed by [her children] Gina and Jay, and they understand that this world is a better place without her.”  Not the most touching words of remembrance for the 80-year-old who once became pregnant by her brother-in-law and "abandoned her children," according to the now-viral obituary, which was picked up by everyone from London tabloids to a slew of buzzy social media sites.   From the somewhat humorous -- Michael “Flathead” Blanchard “enjoyed booze, guns, cars and younger women until the day he died” – to the more morose, the obituary column has become for some a place where furious family members can finally settle their scores with the departed.  Imagine what historians 500 years from now will think.  I don't doubt that some of the subjects deserve what they're getting, but they can't fight back, and that ain't fair.

LIFE ON MARS? – FROM USA TODAY:  The "building blocks" for life have been discovered in 3-billion-year-old organic matter on Mars, NASA scientists announced Thursday.  Researchers cannot yet say whether their discovery stems from life or a more mundane geological process.  However, “we’re in a really good position to move forward looking for signs of life,"  said Jennifer Eigenbrode, a NASA biogeochemist and lead author of a study published Thursday in the peer-reviewed journal Science.   The findings were also remarkable in that they showed that organic material can be preserved for billions of years on the harsh Martian surface.   The material was discovered by the Mars Curiosity rover, which has been collecting data on the Red Planet since August 2012. The organic molecules were found in Gale Crater — believed to once contain a shallow lake the size of Florida's Lake Okeechobee.  Maybe if the liberals lose the midterms they can go to Mars and link up with past, outdated civilizations.  Wait, they're already doing that here.   

CALIFORNIA CHURNIN' – FROM FOX:   California Democrats have been denied their supermajority in the state Senate, in a key vote that means Senate Democrats won't hold the two-thirds majority needed to pass tax and fee increases.  Democrats temporarily lost their supermajority in February when a lawmaker accused of sexual misconduct resigned.  They likely would have gotten it back in a special election in August. But then they lost another seat on Tuesday, when voters in an Orange County district recalled Democratic Sen. Josh Newman from office over his vote to raise gas taxes last year.  Former Republican Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang won the seat.  There's a great deal of tumult in California politics, more than had been anticipated.  The state has for years been seen as solidly blue, despite the pseudo-Republican governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger.   Now there are rumblings, especially involving the unpopularity of sanctuary cities, that have the potential to challenge conventional assumptions.

June 7, 2018       Permalink

BUT THEN THERE'S THIS – AT 11:28 P.M. ET:  And it won't bring a smile.  The Dems seem to be bouncing back in the Congressional generic poll.  The results noted here are being seen in other polls as well, including Rasmussen.  From Fox: 

With five months until Election Day, Democrats hold the enthusiasm advantage -- and that puts them ahead of Republicans in the congressional vote as well.

A Fox News poll released Thursday finds 48 percent of voters favor the Democratic candidate in their congressional district and 39 percent the Republican. That 9-point lead is up from a 5-point edge the Democrats held in March (46-41 percent).

“It is important to treat the generic ballot test as more of a barometer than a forecast, and this poll hints at some reemerging headwinds for Republicans,” says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts the poll with Republican Daron Shaw.

“Political science tells us the Democrats will need a substantial edge in the national vote, maybe 10 points, to make up for gerrymandering and vote concentrations so they can take the House,” says Shaw.

More Democrats (72 percent) are extremely or very interested in the upcoming elections than Republicans (63 percent).

COMMENT:  It's hard to know why the Dems have bounced back somewhat from their recent lead, which was down to the low one digits.  They haven't actually done anything.  Maybe that's the key.  You don't do anything, you can't mess up.

But the new polls prove that Republicans must fight the hardest fight of their lives to hold Congress.

June 7,  2018     Permalink

AND LOOK AT THIS! – AT 11:48 A.M. ET:  More good economic news.  From Reuters: 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, pointing to a further tightening in labor market conditions.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits decreased 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 222,000 for the week ended June 2, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Claims data for the prior week was revised to show 2,000 more applications received than previously reported.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 225,000 in the latest week. The Labor Department said claims for Maine were estimated last week and that claims-taking procedures in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands had still not returned to normal after last year's devastating hurricanes.

The four-week moving average of initial claims, viewed as a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, rose 2,750 to 225,500 last week.

The labor market is considered to be close to or at full employment. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 223,000 jobs in May and the unemployment rate dropped to an 18-year low of 3.8 percent.

COMMENT:  It is the Trump economy, more or less.  My own belief is that a president has little direct control of the economy, but can influence its psychology, and psychology is critical in economic decisions.  When people feel good about the economy, they are more likely to spend or invest.

Theoretically, the Trump economy should mightily help the Republicans in November.  But theory doesn't always evolve into practice.  The press, with its Trump hatred, will play a role.  So, as always, will turnout.  Our side is showing some real enthusiasm.  I hope the local operators, though, have cars ready to take voters to the polls, one by one.  That wins elections.

June 7, 2018        Permalink

GOOD! – AT 11:26 A.M. ET:  Leftist financier and all-around bad guy George Soros has been trying to influence district attorney races around the country, in order to produce prosecutors who are soft on crime and tough on police. This year he's been focusing on California.  So far he's not making it.  From Fox: 

New York billionaire George Soros’s multimillion-dollar effort to reshape California's criminal justice system by propping up progressive district-attorney candidates backfired Tuesday, with most of his candidates suffering major defeats.

Soros, together with other wealthy liberal donors and groups, spent millions on would-be prosecutors who favor lower incarceration rates, crackdowns on police misconduct and changes in a bail system that they argue discriminates against the poor.

But most of the money went to waste as their candidates lost to more traditional law-and-order prosecutors who didn’t share progressive views or have hostile attitudes toward police.

In Sacramento County, District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert defeated Noah Phillips by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, getting 65 percent of the vote. Phillips led an insurgent campaign, attacking Schubert for failing to prosecute a police officer who shot a civilian.

He reportedly received around $400,000 from Soros and admitted Soros's team scripted and paid for a TV ad during the campaign, the Los Angeles Times reported. His fundraising efforts received help from Cari Tuna, wife of Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, who contributed more than $650,000 to a political action committee led by Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King.

"This is a good day for the people," Schubert told to a crowd of about 100 supporters after she won the election, the Sacramento Bee reported. "You can't buy an election in the county of Sacramento. Here's to four more years."

COMMENT:  Soros is a prime example of the fact that the very wealthy are not always wise.  His "progressivism" is utterly depressing.

June 7,  2018     Permalink