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JUNE 23,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:20 P.M. ET: 

AND NOW SAUDI – FROM REUTERS:   Saudi security forces on Friday foiled a suicide attack on the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, cornering the would-be attacker in an apartment, where he blew himself up, the Interior Ministry said.  In a statement read on state television, the ministry said that three cells had planned the attack on worshippers and security forces at the mosque as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan nears its climax.  Historically, Saudi Arabia has been one of the great state sponsors of terrorism.  Some 15 of the 19 hijackers involved in our 9-11 attacks were Saudi.  But in recent years the Saudis seem to have moderated, and we hope they've now learned something about the madness they originally unleashed.

REAL POWER IN GEORGIA – FROM CONSERVATIVE TREEHOUSE:   […] John Anzalone, Ossoff’s pollster, said the Democrat’s campaign succeeded in turning out its voters — but they were swamped by Republicans who came out in numbers that ended up dwarfing previous high-profile special elections.  That’s a very interesting admission/statement for a Politico article.  That’s also an example of what happens when President Trump’s ‘Monster Vote‘ turns out...Pollsters say sky-high turnout drove Handel, the GOP nominee, to a nearly 4-point victory on Tuesday, despite most pre-election surveys showing Ossoff with a small-but-shrinking lead.  The pollsters continue to underpoll Trump and his supporters.  That's why I'm skeptical about the "presidential approval" numbers I see today.  Americans are still angry about what's been done to them by liberals.

UH, JUST A SEC – FROM CBS:   The tallest building west of the Mississippi River will celebrate its grand opening Friday in downtown Los Angeles.  The 73-story Wilshire Grand Center at 900 Wilshire Blvd. was developed by Korean Air, which is owned by Hanjin International Corp., at a cost of about $1.2 billion.  The high-rise is 1,100 feet tall, surpassing the height of the U.S. Bank Tower, which was previously the tallest building in Los Angeles at 1,018 feet...The tower includes a massive, stabilizing central core and braces designed to act as shock absorbers to withstand gusty Santa Ana winds and earthquakes. Southern California has dozens of faults and the building is designed to withstand about a 7.5 magnitude temblor.  I've been in two California earthquakes, and I don't care what they say.  I still wouldn't want to have an office on the 73rd floor when the ground starts trembling.  Include me out.

June 23,  2017     Permalink

THE COLLISION – AT 9:14 A.M. ET:   We still demand to know what happened to the USS Fitzgerald earlier this week.  Seven American sailors are dead.  From the distinguished defense reporter, Bill Gertz, at the Washington Free Beacon: 

The deadly collision between a U.S. destroyer and a container ship June 17 took place while the freighter was on autopilot, according to Navy officials.

The Philippines-flagged cargo ship ACX Crystal was under control of a computerized navigation system that was steering and guiding the container vessel, according to officials familiar with preliminary results of an ongoing Navy investigation.

Investigators so far found no evidence the collision was deliberate.

Nevertheless, an accident during computerized navigation raises the possibility the container ship's computer system could have been hacked and the ship deliberately steered into the USS Fitzgerald, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.

A more likely explanation is that collision was the result of an autopilot malfunction, or the autopilot's warning signals, used to notify the ship's operators, were missed.

The destroyer was severely damaged when the protruding undersea bow of the cargo ship struck Fitzgerald on the right side. Seven sailors died as a result and the captain and two others were injured.

The two ships hit about 64 miles off the coast of Japan.

The collision occurred at around 1:30 a.m. local time but was not reported by the freighter's crew until around 2:25 a.m. Investigators believe the time lag was the result of the crew not realizing they had hit another ship.

Commercial ship autopilot systems normally require someone to input manually the course for the ship travel. The computer program then steers the ship by controlling the steering gear to turn the rudder.

The system also can be synchronized with an electronic chart system to allow the program to follow courses of a voyage plan.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  It's fascinating.  The story contains this line:  "For the Navy, investigators are trying to determine why the ship's radar and other sensors did not detect the Crystal in time to take steps to avoid the collision."

This may be a larger story, and we will follow it.

June 23, 2017       Permalink

MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN – AT 8:23 A.M. ET:  This is what we like to see.  At its best, this is what the Trump administration can be about.  From Reuters: 

Foxconn (2317.TW), the world's largest contract electronics maker and a major Apple Inc (AAPL.O) supplier, plans to invest more than $10 billion in a display-making factory in the United States and will decide on the location of the plant next month.

The Taiwan-based firm has been eyeing U.S. investments for some time and its CEO, Terry Gou, had previously said the company hoped to spend over $7 billion to set up a display-making plant in the country - which has no panel-making industry but is the No.2 market for televisions.

Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, is currently considering Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina as possible locations, Gou told reporters after the company's annual shareholders meeting on Thursday.

All those Trump states.  Hmm.

"In July we will make a conclusion," Gou said, adding the company would invest the money over five years.

COMMENT:  Hard to say how many actual jobs will be created, as factories are highly automated.  But whatever the number, it's better than what we have now.

Trump is clearly working behind the scenes, and he's getting things done.  Don't tell CNN.

June 23, 2017       Permalink 

YOU MEAN THE SANDERS HOUSEHOLD IS LESS THAN PURE? – AT 8:14 A.M. ET:  We have learned that Bernie, the people's candidate, earned a million last year, and that the down-to-Earth guy owns three houses.

And did you know that Bernie's down-to-Earth wife, Jane, has some substantial legal problems?  Yeah, it must be Trump doing this.  So she's hired some good-ole simple country lawyers, very down-to-Earth, to keep her out of trouble.  This could get serious, and affect Bernie's influence as chief leftist philosopher and guide.  From the Washington Free Beacon:

Jane Sanders, wife of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), has hired attorneys to represent her in a Department of Justice probe of her time as president of Burlington College.

A former Burlington employee who coordinated the school’s response to an FBI subpoena in February 2016 said that she was contacted by Sanders's lawyers, VT Digger reports. The probe concerns a land deal Sanders conducted while she was president.

Land deal?  You mean, like the big people in Washington do?

Coralee Holm, the former employee, said that the lawyers "wanted information on what I had been asked by the FBI. They were trying to get clarification on what the accusations are because they had not been contacted by anybody as to an investigation." She received a call from Burlington attorney Rich Cassidy in late April or early May.

She also received one from Jennifer Windom, a lawyer with a D.C. law firm, in late May.

Two former Burlington trustees also said they were contacted by Sanders's lawyers.

The controversy centers around a $6.7 million loan that Sanders obtained to purchase a 33-acre campus for the school.

The loan agreement required that Burlington show at least $2 million in collateral. But three of the donors, including the largest, said their pledges were misrepresented.

Between 2010 and 2014 the college collected only $676,000 in donations, and it was unable to enroll as many students as Sanders had projected. It closed in May 2016, with debt from the land purchase cited as a primary reason.

The FBI was reviewing Burlington's financial records as recently as February.

COMMENT:  But I'm sure the college was very diverse, and, in its bankruptcy, thoroughly multicultural.  I wish these capitalist lenders would leave poor Jane alone.

June 23,  2017     Permalink

JUNE 22,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 6:05 P.M. ET:

COINCIDENCE OR NOT? – FROM CNBC:   A new study finds an increase in accident insurance claims in three states that have approved the sale of marijuana for recreational use.  According the Highway Loss Data Institute, the number of vehicle collisions reported to insurance companies in Colorado, Oregon and Washington is 3 percent higher than what would have been expected if those states had not made it legal to buy pot.  "We're concerned about what we're seeing," said Matt Moore, the institute's senior vice president. "We see strong evidence of an increased crash risk in states that have approved recreational marijuana sales."  While Moore's research finds a greater crash risk, his study does not say if the increase in collisions in the three states were directly caused by drivers who were high.  Further study is needed, but that drug has to have at least some effect.  We're talking human life here.

I THINK SHE'LL BE SPENDING MORE TIME WITH HER FAMILY – FROM FOX:   It's been more than seven months since Election Day, but Americans' opinions of Hillary Clinton remain the same.  A new Gallup poll finds just 41 percent of Americans have a favorable view of the former presidential candidate, with 57 percent expressing an unfavorable view.   It's the same split that Gallup found in December 2016. Gallup said that historically, losing presidential candidates have gained popularity after the election.   Let's not be unduly harsh.  She's been nationally famous for 25 years, and it's unlikely that opinions of her will change that much.  She's also dragged down by an unpopular party.

I LOVE IT – FROM FOX:   On "The Fox News Specialists," Katherine Timpf said no picture summed up the left's dismay at Jon Ossoff's (D) loss in Georgia than a screenshot of crestfallen CNN contributors.
As CNN cut to a break, the internet caught politics editor Mark Preston, political analyst Gloria Borger, political director David Chalian and reporter Dana Bash frowning as they sat around a table.  The photo was also shared on several blogs and websites.  Timpf said the media and Democrats billed the race as a referendum on President Trump.  Go to the link.  It includes the photo.  Send those people a word of encouragement.

June 22, 2017       Permalink

I WANT TO HEAR THE EXCUSE – AT 11:18 A.M. ET:   Germany complained mightily when it was revealed that US intelligence was regularly tapping Angela Merkel's cell phone.  Well, well, look what has just been revealed.  From AFP:

Germany's foreign intelligence service long spied on numerous official and business targets in the United States, including the White House, Spiegel weekly reported Thursday.

The magazine said it had seen documents showing that the intelligence service, the BND, had a list of some 4,000 so-called selector keywords for surveillance between 1998 and 2006.

These included telephone or fax numbers, as well as email addresses at the White House as well as the US finance and foreign ministries.

Other monitoring targets ranged from military institutions including the US Air Force or the Marine Corps, space agency NASA to civic group Human Rights Watch.

Hundreds of foreign embassies as well as international organisation like the International Monetary Fund were not spared, Spiegel said.

The BND declined comment in the Spiegel report.

Germany had reacted with outrage when information leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed in 2013 that US agents were carrying out widespread tapping worldwide, including of Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone.

Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany where state spying on citizens was rampant, declared repeatedly that "spying among friends is not on" while acknowledging Germany's reliance on the US in security matters.

COMMENT:  This hardly shocks me, and really doesn't disturb me all that much.  Of course friends spy on friends.  A friend can be an enemy tomorrow morning.  But now maybe the Europeans will be a little less self righteous when lecturing the United States on these matters.

June 22, 2017        Permalink

OH, THIS IS REALLY SMART – AT 10:29 A.M. ET: – Another kamikaze squadron within the Democratic Party.  From Fox: 

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) said Wednesday that its members had voted to reject an invitation to meet with President Trump, claiming that the administration's policies are causing "legitimate alarm" among African-American lawmakers and their constituents.

So you deal with it by refusing to meet the man who could modify those policies.  Genius.

CBC Chairman Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., wrote in a letter to Trump that proposals in the president's budget would "not only devastate the communities that we represent, but also many of the communities that supported your candidacy."

Richmond specifically cited proposed cuts to Pell Grants for low-income college students and eliminate the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps seniors and others on fixed incomes heat their homes. He claimed those cutbacks would "destroy minority communities, all while your Administration and Congressional Republicans consider proposals to provide tax cuts for the richest Americans."

The chairman also criticized the Republican effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare, claiming the Affordable Health Care Act passed by the House last month would "strip millions of black people of their health care."

Richmond said the caucus had expressed its concern several times, including in eight letters and a document, but the administration has failed to respond.  Trump and top members of the caucus met in March, but Richmond said there has been no follow-through on promises like helping black lawmakers meet with Trump's Cabinet.

COMMENT:  These may be legitimate complaints, but you don't turn down a chance to have the ear of the president.  Make your argument, and get your facts right.  When Bill Clinton eliminated "welfare as we know it," there were also predictions that the sky would fall.  It didn't.  It improved things.

June 22, 2017        Permalink

ARE DEMS STARTING TO UNDERSTAND? – AT 9:51 A.M. ET:  I doubt it.  "Understand" is not normally a word in their vocabulary.  But maybe a few brave Democrats are starting to realize why they lose and lose and lose.  From Howard Kurtz Fox: 

Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator from Connecticut, made some candid comments that caught my eye yesterday.

When he’s back home, Murphy said, he sometimes chats people up on a commuter bus, and “they are never talking about issues like Russia. They are not talking, frankly, what’s on cable news at night.”

And then, in the “Morning Joe” interview, he took a whack at his own party: “The fact that we have spent so much time talking about Russia has been a distraction from what should be the clear contrast between Democrats and the Trump agenda, which is on economics.”

Bingo. Running mainly against Donald Trump didn’t work for the Dems in 2016, and it’s not working now.

The news peg for these recriminations, of course, is the Democrats losing Tuesday’s special election for a House seat in Georgia. I never spent much time on that race because I never believed that Jon Ossoff, despite raising $25 million, was going to win in a heavily Republican district that he didn’t even live in.

But since the media collectively declared it a referendum on Trump—and would have gone haywire if Ossoff had won—there is a reckoning about what the Democratic Party stands for.

Ohio Democratic congressman Tim Ryan told the New York Times that his party is “toxic” in large swaths of the country: “Our brand is worse than Trump. We can’t just run against Trump.”

COMMENT:  In the immortal words of Ed McMahon, "You are correct, sir."  Yes, your party's brand is worse than Trump's.  It is seen as snobbish, elitist, out of touch, and catering only to what special group is popular on the left this year.  Not the party of Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy.  More the party of George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama.

June 22,  2017     Permalink