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JUNE 30,  2017

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

OH, ANOTHER ONE – FROM BREITBART:   The Associated Press is at it again, pushing more fake news. Sadly, the once-great news wire service is trying to cover up its mistake—nearly the exact mistake that cost three editorial staffers at CNN their jobs in a scandal that first exploded a week ago today.  A Breitbart News investigation has led to the correction by the Associated Press–which originally resisted–of the fake news it printed as deeper questions of responsibility, accountability, and journalistic ethics consume the AP heading into Fourth of July weekend.  This time, the Associated Press invented an imaginary meeting 
between EPA administrator Scott Pruitt and Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris, and then alleged that some kind of impropriety happened as a result.  This is exactly the same mistake CNN made a week ago, when it alleged that Anthony Scaramucci—the founder of SkyBridge Capital and an associate and ally of President Donald Trump—held “meetings” with Russian investment fund leaders and was under investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee and Treasury Department as a result.  I hate to see this.  The mainstream media must get a grip and start insisting on fundamental journalistic standards.  Otherwise, it will pass into history.  Readers and viewers today have many choices in getting the news.  Names like AP and CNN are not written into Scripture.

ADVICE – FROM BBC:  Nigerian Mohammed Bello Abubakar, 84, has advised other men not to follow his example and marry 86 women. The former teacher and Muslim preacher, who lives in Niger State with his wives and at least 170 children, says he is able to cope only with the help of God.  "A man with 10 wives would collapse and die, but my own power is given by Allah. That is why I have been able to control 86 of them," he told the BBC.  He says his wives have sought him out because of his reputation as a healer.  "I don't go looking for them, they come to me. I will consider the fact that God has asked me to do it and I will just marry them."  I've always felt that stopping at 70 wives is a good idea.  I see that others disagree.

NOT EXACTLY THE LAND OF LINCOLN – OBAMA MAYBE – FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES:  CHICAGO — Road construction and bridge repairs may come to a halt.  At least one agency has threatened to downgrade Illinois’s credit rating to junk, a crippling borrowing position no state has ever seen.  And in perhaps the most visible and immediate sign of the pressure on Illinois leaders to solve their budget standoff at long last, the multistate lotteries — Mega Millions and Powerball — are to be suspended.  With hours left before Illinois begins an unprecedented third year without a full budget, warring leaders were still trying to strike a deal in a political and fiscal crisis that has engulfed the state since 2015.  After two years without a budget, many people who depend on state services — public university students, drug addicts, troubled teenagers, the elderly — have already felt the repercussions.   The states around Illinois are doing just fine.  One, Indiana, was run until recently by Mike Pence, now vice president of the United States.  But Illinois is sinking.  Nothing like a Democratic train wreck like Chicago to destroy a state.

June 30, 2017       Permalink

GOOD ADVICE – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 1:16 P.M. ET:  Lots of talk about journalism these days.  Some of it is actually worth hearing.    From the Washington Free Beacon:   

CNBC editor Nikhil Deogun said members of the press needed to stick to facts and remind themselves that their readers "are not as ignorant, as stupid as we think they are" during a discussion Wednesday on media in the Donald Trump era.

In a panel moderated by Katie Couric at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Deogun and Wall Street Journal editor Gerard Baker, The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg, Time editor Nancy Gibbs, and USA Today editor Joanne Lipman delved into the challenges of covering Trump and declining trust in the news media.

In one portion, Couric brought up the problem of confirmation bias in the media.

"Consumers are increasingly gravitating toward outlets that basically tell them what they want to hear, reinforce their beliefs," she said. A friend of mine said they're seeking affirmation, not information. So given that, how do you restore trust in the media writ large if people are so divided about which media outlets are actually fair and accurate?"

Deogun said the media should not fall into the "trap" of applying one standard to one person and a different standard to everyone else. He pointed to his former Wall Street Journal colleague Paul Steiger's mantra that "in the end, stick to the facts."

"I think sometimes there's too much of a tendency to interpret a fact to a degree that it goes into opinion," he said. "And I think part of our job is to, again, remind ourselves that our … readers, viewers, users, are not as ignorant, as stupid as we think they are, and I think part of that is to be more transparent. Part of that is to be more forthcoming about what we know and what we don't know."

COMMENT:  I'm getting a sense that a number of journalists are waking up to the fact that their profession is in trouble.  One reason it's in trouble is that it talks down, or writes down, to its audience.  I was a "legitimate" journalist, at The New York Times, as readers know, and I saw that snobbery and condescension all the time.  We are the observers, and we are oh, so intellectual and so knowledgeable.  A number of journalists are not knowledgeable at all, outside their beat, and the word "intellectual" can be twisted to mean almost anything.

Charles Kuralt, who did the "On the Road" series for CBS, once told me how amazed he was at how well-informed Americans are.  He was correct.  The average American may not be able to articulate a news point the way a professor or journalist can, but he, or she, usually understands what is happening and its significance.  And Americans recall what has happened in their lifetimes.  We are not a stupid people,

June 30,  2017     Permalink 

THIS DEMANDS MORE ATTENTION – AT 10:21 A.M. ET:   A Cabinet officer asserts he's being threatened for doing his job, and most of the press is silent.  From the Washington Times:

Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly said Thursday that members of Congress have tried to “threaten” him over his department’s stepped up enforcement of the immigration laws they wrote, and called for even stiffer laws to punish sanctuary cities and repeat-illegal immigrants.

Mr. Kelly said he was “offended” by those lawmakers — who he didn’t name — who he said “often threaten me and my officers” when they try to enforce laws that call for the deportation of illegal immigrants.

It’s the latest blunt criticism from the retired Marine general, who has previously told members of Congress to “shut up” rather than criticize him over the laws they wrote.

He appeared Thursday on Capitol Hill with Speaker Paul D. Ryan and other Republicans, hours before the House was slated to vote on two new crackdown laws.

One would increase penalties on illegal immigrants who have been deported yet sneaked back into the U.S. and later committed other crimes. That bill is named Kate’s law, after Kathryn Steinle, the woman killed by an illegal immigrant two years ago while walking the San Francisco waterfront with her father.

The other new bill would punish so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to let authorities cooperate with federal immigration officers trying to deport illegal immigrants.

Mr. Kelly said sanctuary cities aren’t actually sanctuaries, but rather make their communities more dangerous by shielding illegal immigrants.

COMMENT:  Both bills passed the House, but will have an uphill battle in the Senate because of Democratic opposition.  Increasingly, the Democratic Party is siding with criminals, violent protesters in colleges, and other darlings of the left.

As far as Secretary Kelly's charge that he is being threatened, that should immediately be investigated by Congress.  It should be a priority item.  It is a very serious matter, but the Republicans will probably ignore it, as they ignore too many things while fighting amongst themselves.

June 30, 2017       Permalink 

THE COLLEGE PURGE – AT 9:51 A.M. ET:  Direct from the Soviet Union, but with an American cast, comes the great college purge.  UCLA, true to its status as a left-wing state-supported California college, is disappearing a professor, clearly for his conservative views.  From College Fix: 

A conservative professor at UCLA wildly popular with students has been terminated after he failed an employment review he claims his department rigged against him in an effort to oust him.

Dean of Social Sciences Laura Gomez told Keith Fink, an attorney and a free speech defender who’s been critical of UCLA for denying students’ free speech rights, in a letter he wouldn’t be appointed as a continuing lecturer. She wrote that Fink’s review found his “teaching does not meet the standard of excellence.” UCLA’s ousting of Fink was first reported by The Daily Wire.

The university’s decision ends a months-long saga between the UCLA administration and Fink, who said his superiors blocked students from taking his free speech courses and put him through a “star chamber” review process because they don’t like his right-of-center politics.

In a statement to The College Fix, Fink’s teaching assistant Andrew Litt said “this outcome is entirely politically-motivated” by Fink’s superiors and others at the university “who do not like his message on issues [such] as free speech and due process which UCLA routinely flout.”

“His termination is an injustice to the students and the taxpayers of the state, a threat to all teachers and academic freedom and a slap in the face to the notion of due process and fundamental fairness. He will not give up the fight here based on principle,” Litt continued.

 A spokesman with UCLA told The College Fix via email Wednesday that Fink will no longer be a lecturer at the institution as of June 30, and the communications department “has thanked Mr. Fink for his service and has wished him well in the future.” He said the university couldn’t comment further on the review because it’s a personnel matter.

COMMENT:  Where do students fit in?  They don't, unless they're students willing to go along with the leftist order.  But Mr. Fink's popularity shows that there are plenty of students who'd like an alternative.  I hope they're allowed to stay.

June 30,  2017     Permalink

JUNE 29,  2017

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

MAJOR SPORTS NEWS – FROM THE HILL:   The Justice Department on Thursday dropped the legal challenge to the the Washington Redskins' name, the Associated Press reported.  According to the AP, the Trump administration dropped the challenge in a letter to the Supreme Court in response to last week's ruling in Matal V. Tam, in which an Asian-American rock band won the right to copyright the name "The Slants," despite the name's offensive connotation.  In the Thursday letter, the Justice Department argues that the Matal V. Tam decision means that the court would decide in favor of the Washington Redskins if the case went before the justices.  Last week, Redskins owner Dan Snyder drew the same conclusion, and said he was "thrilled" by the court's decision in the copyright case His lawyer, Lisa Blatt, issued a  statement saying that the court's decision resolved the dispute over the NFL team's name.   The issue of the name should be settled in the marketplace of ideas, not in a court case.  If Native Americans find the name offensive, they can loudly voice their objections.  So far, I have heard no sense of outrage. 

SAD – FROM NEWSMAX:   Greta Van Susteren said Thursday on Twitter that she was "just wondering, so what happened?" after she was abruptly cancelled by MSNBC because of low ratings. Hours earlier, Van Susteren tweeted she was out at the cable network, less than six months after she was hired after 14 years at Fox News. Van Susteren's "For the Record" program has failed to hold on to the ratings of its 5 p.m. lead-in, "Meet the Press Daily," Adweek.com reported.  The move comes as MSNBC is seeing some of it best ratings in its 21-year history, according to the report.  MSNBC president Phil Griffin said chief legal correspondent Ari Melber would take over Van Susteren's time slot. Greta is a fine, thoughtful broadcaster.  I hate to see her leave the air.  However, she's had a very long run, and has done some excellent reports.

THIS IS CHILLING – FROM BLOOMBERG:   Bison Capital, a Hong Kong-based investor in film and TV production, agreed to acquire a majority stake in Cinedigm Corp., which creates programs for Netflix Inc. and other online outlets  Bison will buy 20 million newly issued shares of Cinedigm for up to $30 million and provide as much as $10 million in working capital, according to a statement Thursday. Los Angeles-based Cinedigm is also in talks to exchange its 5.5 percent convertible notes due in 2035.  The takeover of Cinedigm, which got its start helping smaller theater chains convert to digital projection, highlights the growing interest Chinese investors have in owning the films and TV shows that play in their fast-growing domestic market.   Very disturbing, in my view.  China is a hostile country.  I don't want them having a say the artistic content of any American film company.

June 29,  2017     Permalink

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK – AT 10:47 A.M. ET:    Ah, the thoughtfulness, the progressive creating, the intellectualism.  Well, not really.  From the Washington Free Beacon: 

The National Endowment for the Arts is funding a progressive rendition of Pride and Prejudice, a choreographed traffic jam, and a play about climate change causing the end of the world.

Aside from spending $20,000 on a musical about a lesbian illegal immigrant in love with an ICE agent and giving $100,000 to the theater company that put on a Trump assassination play, the NEA's list of new grants includes numerous frivolous art projects.

Numerous grants are dedicated to the issue of climate change. The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts received $60,000 for performances and workshops on climate change and a curriculum for public schools on "food justice."

A $10,000 grant went to the San Francisco Green Film Festival, a county in Florida received $50,000 for artists to design rain gardens.

The California Shakespeare Theater in Berkeley received $25,000 for an opera based on the science fiction novel Parable of the Sower, which imagines a dystopian future because of global warming.

"Chronicling the spiritual awakening of a future America grappling with the effects of climate change, ‘Parable' is told in the form of a ritual song cycle informed by African-American spiritualism," according to the grant.

The adaptation offers "deep insights on gender, race, and the future of human civilization."

A dance performance by custodial workers is costing taxpayers $20,000.

COMMENT:  This is what happens when an agency becomes politicized.  And this is what happens when the people's money is misused.  Anyone in the mainstream media interested?

June 29, 2017       Permalink

ISIS SQUEEZED IN IRAQ – AT 10:14 A.M. ET:  This story does not get anywhere near the attention it deserves.  The anti-ISIS forces are winning in Iraq.  Victory will not bring the end of ISIS.  It will probably mutate somewhere else, but victory will show that ISIS cannot hold land it has taken.  From Reuters: 

After eight months of grinding urban warfare, Iraqi government troops on Thursday captured the ruined mosque in Mosul from where Islamic State proclaimed its self-styled caliphate three years ago, the Iraqi military said.

Iraqi authorities expect the long battle for Mosul to end in the coming days as the remaining Islamic State fighters are now bottled up in just a handful of neighborhoods of the Old City.

The seizure of the 850-year-old Grand al-Nuri Mosque is a huge symbolic victory for the Iraqi forces fighting to recapture Mosul, which had served as Islamic State's de facto capital in Iraq.

"Their fictitious state has fallen," an Iraqi military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, told state TV.

The insurgents blew up the medieval mosque and its famed leaning minaret a week ago as U.S.-backed Iraqi forces started a push in its direction. Their black flag had been flying from al-Hadba (The Hunchback) minaret since June 2014.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi "issued instructions to bring the battle to its conclusion," his office said.

COMMENT:  The rise of ISIS in Iraq occurred because, under Field Marshal Obama, the United States pulled out of that country too soon, and did not leave a protective force behind.  It takes time, sometimes decades, to stabilize an area.  When the United States has held the course and maintained its commitment, as in South Korea, the result is usually good.  We failed that test in Iraq.

June 29, 2017       Permalink

AND IN THE REAL WORLD – AT 9:57 A.M. ET:  In other words, outside CNN's world of investigatingTrump every day.  The situation with North Korea is critical.  The president's superb national security adviser, Lieut. Gen. Herb McMaster, is on the case.  From Fox:

The Trump administration is considering a wider range of strategies on how to deal with North Korea, including the military option, Trump's national security adviser said Wednesday.

“The threat is much more immediate now and so it’s clear that we can’t repeat the same approach – failed approach of the past,” H.R. McMaster, the adviser, said during a security conference with Homeland Security Chief John Kelly.

He said it would be insanity to continue to do the same thing the U.S. has done for years and expect a different result.

McMaster’s comments come a day before Trump is scheduled to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. South Korea’s new leader vowed to stand firmly with Trump against North Korea, downplaying his past advocacy for a softer approach toward the isolated regime.

"Together we will achieve the dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear program, peace on the Korean Peninsula and eventually peace in Northeast Asia," Moon said.

COMMENT:  There had been serious concern in Washington that South Korea's new leader would take an unacceptably soft line toward the North.  That has not happened, and I would think that President Trump's firmness had a great deal to do with that policy decision.  Compare please with our last president.

North Korea, with its nuclear and missile programs, is our most pressing foreign problem.   As the song says, "Somethin's got to give."

June 29,  2017     Permalink