I have long believed that the many shady deals that Donald Trump, his fixer Michael Cohen and their associates made with Russians, Ukrainians and others in the years before he became president are of less importance to Special Counsel Robert Mueller and other investigators than the individuals involved in those deals. That has been borne out in another stunning week of … [Read more...] about (UPDATE VI) Trump Bag Man Netted Millions From Russian Oligarch & Big Corporations
An Ex-POW Speaks Out on Gina Haspel’s CIA Nomination (UPDATES)
UPDATE: Please scroll down for CODA and an Update Original Post Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain who himself faced years of torture while a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam during that War (an experience that Trump has ridiculed), today came out in opposition to Gina Haspel’s nomination to be CIA director. McCain, who has been home in Arizona battling … [Read more...] about An Ex-POW Speaks Out on Gina Haspel’s CIA Nomination (UPDATES)
A Review of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies
When I told my wife, Jennifer that we were seeing the North American touring production of Love Never Dies at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, she asked me if it was a “new James Bond musical.” I said something such as “No, although I would totally see a James Bond musical, Love Never Dies is actually a sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera and that’s pretty … [Read more...] about A Review of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies
The Perils of an Un Name
Remember Abbott and Costello’s hilariously funny baseball skit, “Who’s on First?” There have been several renderings of it, but basically the lengthy exchange revolves around Abbott trying to explain to Costello, who is on a mythical baseball team, the names of the players on the team and how ball-players are given funny names. Part of the exchange: Abbott: Strange as … [Read more...] about The Perils of an Un Name
Manning the Perp Watch
My Dachshund and I were cruising up West End Avenue yesterday when we spotted a crowd on the next block. People were clogging the sidewalk, and trucks equipped with satellite gear were lining the streets. I wondered what a media circus was doing in the neighborhood. We advanced toward the mob, propelled by my curiosity and the dog’s inbred urge to chase down badgers. I … [Read more...] about Manning the Perp Watch
Lean On Pete (2018)
When you see a well-made film, a story that has meaning, you don't forget about it quickly after leaving the theater. You think about it for days, contemplating the decisions that were made to create it. Lean On Pete is one such film. Lean On Pete is the story of Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) and is set in Portland, Oregon. Charley's mother is no longer around and he … [Read more...] about Lean On Pete (2018)
Rudy G and Bubble Boy Trump: Call It Implausible Deniability
Michael Winship Think of two bubbles. One is the alternative universe presented by Fox News in which darkness reigns and every single word or action taken against the right wing and its president is perceived as an attack or smear that’s inherently part of a titanic conspiracy aimed at wrecking your life. I have visited that weird Fox bubble on occasion, walked the … [Read more...] about Rudy G and Bubble Boy Trump: Call It Implausible Deniability
Surveillance and Privacy
The right to privacy is not explicitly protected in the Bill of Rights. However, it is implicitly protected in Amendments I, IV and V. Consequently most Americans take their privacy for granted and assume that it is adequately protected. Perhaps they should not, for at least one ominous reason- surveillance technology. Surveillance technology is now everywhere. We are … [Read more...] about Surveillance and Privacy
Trump pulls out of Iran Nuclear Deal
Embed from Getty Images The U.S. is pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, Presidential Donald Trump has announced. To those who hated the deal and Trump's supporters, this marks the erasure of a major mistake. To those who supported it -- and that includes European countries -- it conjures up five words: let the serious consequence begin. President Donald Trump has … [Read more...] about Trump pulls out of Iran Nuclear Deal
Obama in San Diego: Values, Facts Made for Success as President, Aid Democracy
by Ken Stone Greeted with a standing ovation by a potential audience of 11,000, Barack Obama told a San Diego convention Monday about how he trusted 22- and 23-year-olds with big responsibilities in his 2007 campaign for president. He recalled how a Chinese-American volunteer from Los Angeles, dispatched to rural Iowa, was called an ethinc slur after he arrived but … [Read more...] about Obama in San Diego: Values, Facts Made for Success as President, Aid Democracy
The West Virginia primary shows Trump’s election was no aberration
WASHINGTON -- Sooner or later, Donald Trump will be gone. Trumpism, however, is here to stay. Look at West Virginia, which holds its Republican Senate primary Tuesday. Candidate Don Blankenship, a disgraced coal baron who spent a year in jail after a mine explosion killed 29 workers, was reportedly trailing two respectable GOP rivals just over a week ago. Then … [Read more...] about The West Virginia primary shows Trump’s election was no aberration
Cartoon: Hush Money for Rudy
Presidents often reverse US foreign policy — how Trump handles setbacks is what matters most now
Charles Hermann, Texas A&M University The United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, according to a May 8 announcement by President Donald Trump. The decision reverses a hardwon agreement that President Barack Obama negotiated with European allies, Russia, Iran and other nations in 2015. This is hardly Trump’s first foreign policy turnaround. The … [Read more...] about Presidents often reverse US foreign policy — how Trump handles setbacks is what matters most now
Lawyers Without Boundaries
Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer of the New Yorker quietly assembled unassailable facts, charging New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman with sexual violence based on corroborated statements of four victims. The New Yorker published the story Monday evening. Before the clock struck midnight, Schneiderman resigned his post after Governor Andrew Cuomo demanded him to … [Read more...] about Lawyers Without Boundaries
A Tribute to Joan Elander
I wrote this to honor Joan Elander on the 25th anniversary of her death May 6, 1993. She was tragically hit by car while on her regular morning jog. Even more tragically, the driver of the car was a 17 year old girl who was being allowed to drive to school for the first time. Two families devastated in one careless moment. The impact Joan had on my life is far greater than any … [Read more...] about A Tribute to Joan Elander
Bad Samaritan (2018)
Bad Samaritan stars Robert Sheehan as Sean Falco, a young Irish immigrant who is trying to find stability and earn extra cash, which he does by resorting to theft and home intrusion while covering as a valet. He has a mother and brother, as well as a stepfather he doesn't always get along with. His best friend, Carlito, is also his accomplice. And he has a girlfriend he's madly … [Read more...] about Bad Samaritan (2018)
Military Weekend: The Venerable C-130 Hercules (UPDATE)
UPDATE: While, as pointed out below, the C-130 Hercules has an excellent safety record, there has been “a series of recent aviation mishaps and fatalities, including [the] WC-130 Hercules crash May 2” and the Air Force's manned aviation mishap rate has increased since the beginning of fiscal year 2018. To “allow…commanders to assess and discuss the safety of our … [Read more...] about Military Weekend: The Venerable C-130 Hercules (UPDATE)
A Blank in West Virginia (Cartoon, Column and Video)
I am no fan of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. But I don’t need to lie or connect him to something horrible he has a very loose connection with to criticize the guy. I can just use his record and the positions he advocates. If nothing else, I can just point out his total appeasement to Donald Trump. At the very least, you don’t have to take a racist position to go after … [Read more...] about A Blank in West Virginia (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Assault allegations leads to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman Resigning
As New York's Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman was one of the biggest defenders of the MeToo movement and one of President Donald Trump's biggest critics and legal problems. Now, after a magazine article in which several women accused him of assault, he has resigned. The New York Times: Eric T. Schneiderman, the New York attorney general who rose to prominence as an … [Read more...] about Assault allegations leads to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman Resigning
Why Trump Will Pull Out of the Iran Deal
Donald Trump is going to announce his "decision" tomorrow, emperor with impressive clothes that he is: Trump to announce decision on Iran deal Tuesday David Nakamura / Washington Post President Trump intends to announce his decision on the future of the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday, days ahead of a self-imposed deadline and amid signals that he will withdraw the United … [Read more...] about Why Trump Will Pull Out of the Iran Deal