WASHINGTON -- I took a few days off over the Memorial Day weekend for my wedding and tried not to worry about the grim headlines, most of them generated by one man: -- President Trump, shoving a European prime minister. -- Trump, picking fights with Germany and France and destabilizing the seven-decade-old NATO alliance. --Trump, tweeting late-night gibberish -- … [Read more...] about Do House Republicans expect people to go hungry?
It Was 50 Years Ago . . .
If you are of a certain age, you remember where you were when JFK was assassinated and Neil Armstrong made his moonwalk. To which it should be added, the first time you heard Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The 50th anniversary of the U.S. release of the seminal Beatles album -- considered by many rock music pundits to be the greatest rock album evah -- was June 1, … [Read more...] about It Was 50 Years Ago . . .
Trump unleashes the ‘neo-moderates’
WASHINGTON -- Most of the conservative Republicans opposed to President Trump are writers and policy specialists. Few are politicians -- or, perhaps more precisely, few of the conservative politicians who see Trump as a danger to the nation are prepared to say so in public. So does this mean that the writerly anti-Trump right is ineffectual? Not at all. But we may be … [Read more...] about Trump unleashes the ‘neo-moderates’
CNN fires Kathy Griffin after beheading photo: why CNN is right
CNN has ended its decades long relationship with comedian Kathy Griffin as co-host on its New Year's Eve show after a massive bipartisan outcry over her posting a photo and video of her holding up a fake bloody head of President Donald Trump. Doing comedy showing a (fake) decapitation of a President clearly would be an unwise career move for anyone associated with a … [Read more...] about CNN fires Kathy Griffin after beheading photo: why CNN is right
Cartoon: Right Wing Media
Help combat Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
On May 7, 2013, our family suffered the tragedy of losing our baby, Rex Neal Van de Putte, to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Baby Rex was a perfectly healthy, smiling, and thriving baby. We were devastated and stunned by his death on that horrific Tuesday morning. In an effort to commemorate his brief time with us, and to act proactively and positively in Rex’s … [Read more...] about Help combat Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Trump is pulling U.S. out of Paris climate change deal, reports say
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has made the decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate change agreement, according to multiple reports Wednesday morning. Axios, Politico and the Associated Press reported that anonymous sources said Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt would work out details of the withdrawal from the agreement. A formal withdrawal… … [Read more...] about Trump is pulling U.S. out of Paris climate change deal, reports say
The Live Television Musical May Already Be Dead
When Hollywood finds something audiences respond to, it does its best to run it right into the ground. If audiences like something in one movie, why wouldn't it work in another, right? That's the reasoning. Just look at the current superhero craze. Or have you ever wondered why the western died? Easy. Everyone was making them… … [Read more...] about The Live Television Musical May Already Be Dead
Has Kushner flown too close to the sun?
WASHINGTON -- It's hard to write about Jared Kushner without going straight to the Icarus cliche -- hubris, flying too close to the sun, falling into the sea. I once wrote that he was the only one of President Trump's close advisers who couldn't be fired, but Kushner's father-in-law would be smart to prove me wrong. It is possible, of course, that Kushner was acting on … [Read more...] about Has Kushner flown too close to the sun?
Trump’s awkward overseas moments came with democratically elected leaders
GIARDINI NAXOS, Italy — President Donald Trump returned late Saturday from his first overseas trip as president, clearly more welcomed by the Muslims he proposed barring from the United States than by allies in Europe whose priorities and values have long been parallel with U.S. ideals. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi praised Trump as someone "capable… … [Read more...] about Trump’s awkward overseas moments came with democratically elected leaders
Peeing in the pool is actually really bad for you
And everyone else. Chances are, there's a lot of urine in this pool. Flickr via Wade Morgen Everyone pees in the pool. That’s the safe and well-informed assumption that many chemists studying the safety of public, chlorinated swimming pools make. But let’s face it: once you jump in the pool and smell and feel the chlorine… … [Read more...] about Peeing in the pool is actually really bad for you
The Russia Scandal Puzzle Is Finally Fitting Together. It’s Even Worse Than We Thought.
If you think of the Russia scandal as a big jigsaw puzzle with lots of seemingly unconnected pieces when they are first spread out before you, several things become apparent as the pieces begin to fit together. The easy pieces are the corners and edges of the puzzle, which scandal investigators and certain reporters figured out some time ago as they painstakingly connected … [Read more...] about The Russia Scandal Puzzle Is Finally Fitting Together. It’s Even Worse Than We Thought.
Cartoon: Donald Trump screwball
John F. Kennedy would have been 100 on May 29
LOS ANGELES–“God’s work on earth must truly be our own,” he declared in those thick Bostonian tones at the close of his renowned Inaugural Address on the bitter cold morning of January 20, 1961. A flawed man with impeccable charm and poise, a legend larger than himself, he remains the eternally young icon of our national wistfulness. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May … [Read more...] about John F. Kennedy would have been 100 on May 29
‘Stuff That Needs To Be Said’
How can we ever forget -- or forgive -- the vile, racially charged insults the first African American president and his beautiful family endured for eight years in these United States of America. Even to this day, four months after the 45th president replaced President Barack Obama, the hateful rhetoric persists. One of the most callous and unwarranted notions is one … [Read more...] about ‘Stuff That Needs To Be Said’
Anti-Latino rhetoric is building walls within our schools
by Esther J. Cepeda Washington Post Writers Group Columnist CHICAGO -- It is said that your perception is your reality. This truth is more important to understand than ever since some of us are living in a time when reality is skewed by perceptions shaped by falsehoods from people in power. Donald Trump rode into the White House by pushing the idea that … [Read more...] about Anti-Latino rhetoric is building walls within our schools
Small Gestures Key to Honoring Their Sacrifice
By Tom Purcell "Parades, mattress sales and burgers on the grill are all nice, but I feel we should do more to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country." "Ah, yes, you speak of the Memorial Day holiday, a day intended to honor the men and women who gave their lives to protect the freedoms too many Americans take for granted." "That’s right. Look, … [Read more...] about Small Gestures Key to Honoring Their Sacrifice
Memorial Day 2017 (Updated)
Update: Today, Marine Corps General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- the highest-ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces and the principal military advisor to the President, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense -- delivered remarks at Arlington National Cemetery in honor … [Read more...] about Memorial Day 2017 (Updated)
The Keepers: The most important thing on Netflix
The Keepers could be the most disturbing thing I've ever seen in my life, and I like to believe that I've seen some shit. 12 Years a Slave, The Colour Purple, Martyrs, The Last Tango in Paris and Irreversible have stayed with me for various reasons and I have no real desire to ever see them again. But each of these, save from 12 Years a Slave, are somewhat fictitious, and so … [Read more...] about The Keepers: The most important thing on Netflix
Happy Memorial Day: And remember…
Happy Memorial Day. And remember what it's about (a salute from yours truly to my late father Richard Gandelman, a World War II veteran who passed away on Memorial Day 2007): … [Read more...] about Happy Memorial Day: And remember…