Irish Troubles

Normandy News: Trump is in France this morning for the 75^th anniversary commemoration of the Normandy landing, the military operation that began the liberation of German-occupied France and the rest of western Europe from Nazi control.  He’s speaking now and at least so far his words, reflect the solemnity of the moment, still it’s odd to listen to him speak about a war waged against the horrors of fascism and extreme nationalism given his antipathy to NATO and his predilection for and apparent envy of autocratic leaders.  As to that whole autocrat thing, yesterday the National Park Service confirmed Trump’s plans to rebrand July 4 from Independence Day to Salute to America Day an event that will include him speaking from the Lincoln Memorial. What better way to launch a reelection campaign than by taking over Independence Day and featuring yourself as the guest of honor at a new “great patriotic event?” As to his patriotism, before leaving London Trump told TV host Piers Morgan, one of his Celebrity Apprentice alumni, that though he missed out on fighting in Viet Nam because of those painful faux heel spurs, he would have fought against a real enemy like the Nazis if he could have.  While saying that he pointed out that he never participated in any Viet Nam era anti-war demonstrations nor did he even consider fleeing to Canada the way those other poor guys without rich fathers with podiatrist in their pockets did, adding that as president he’s given more money to the military than anyone else, funny since that money comes from tax dollars and as far as we know he’s not much of a taxpayer.  He also defended his transgender military ban saying that it was essential because, you know, those transgender people need lots of medicine, dismissing Morgan’s observation that the military spends far more money on Viagra than on hormone therapy with one of those “I haven’t heard that” pushbacks.  Trump also weighed in on guns by criticizing the UK’s high number of stabbings, because if more people had guns there would be fewer knife attacks?  And since no interview would be complete without Trump revealing his ignorance of all things science he weighed in on climate change by once again denying that climate change is caused by humans, instead saying "I believe there's a change in weather, and I think it changes both ways. Don't forget, it used to be called global warming. That wasn't working. Then it was called climate change. Now it's actually called extreme weather."  On his way to Normandy he stopped off in Ireland.  While there he showed that he doesn’t know that Ireland is an independent country and not part of the UK by referring to UK Prime Minister May as Ireland’s Prime Minister during a press conference with Ireland’s actual Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar.  Then because he apparently has no idea that the need to maintain seamless transit across the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, is one of the most significant sticking points of the Brexit negotiations, he compared the Irish border, to the US southern border saying “It will all work out very well, also for you, with your wall, your border,” he said. “We have a border situation in the United States, and you have one over here.” You got the feeling that Varadkar really wanted to slap Trump in the head, instead he grimaced and replied “I think one thing we want to avoid, of course, is a wall or border between us.”  Sigh.  After Trump finished displaying his ignorance, his sons Tweedle Don and Tweedle Eric went bar hopping with the locals to drum up some free publicity for the family’s financially strained local Golf Course, because what’s a trip to Europe without a Trumping branding exercise or an emoluments violation.  

Back Home:   Abortion related issues continue to dominate the news.  In a further effort to solidify the anti-abortion base, the Trump administration announced that the federal government would drastically curtail federal spending on medical research that uses tissue from aborted fetuses, mainly by ending fetal-tissue research within the National Institutes of Health.  Lawrence O. Gostin, a professor specializing in public health law at Georgetown University, said the new restrictions would “devastate” crucial medical research as it “will affect everything from cures for cancer and HIV through to Parkinson’s and dementia. The ban on fetal tissue research is akin to a ban on hope for millions of Americans suffering from life-threatening and debilitating diseases. It will also severely impact the National Institutes of Health, universities and other researchers, who will lose key funding for their laboratories and their vital work.” Notably, Health Secretary Azar who appears to understand the value of such research opposed the move and had tried but failed to come up with a compromise position.  He’s distressed, but not enough to resign in protest.  On the campaign front former VP Joe Biden inadvertently stepped into some crap of his own after his campaign spokesman confirmed that Biden supports the Hyde Amendment.  That law, which was passed in 1976, bars the use of federal funds to pay for abortion except to save the life of the woman, or if the pregnancy arises from incest or rape.  The ban which significantly impacts women who rely on Medicaid and women in the military has always angered abortion rights activists but has allowed politicians from swing districts to reassure their constituencies that their tax dollars aren’t used for abortion.  Biden is already getting heat for his position from women’s groups and abortion rights activists.  Last night during an MSNBC townhall Elizabeth Warren laid into him big time saying that the Hyde Amendment is “essentially discriminatory, because women with sufficient financial resources have an advantage in obtaining access to abortion when compared to poorer women who might have more equal access but for the law's funding prohibition. "It’s been the law for a while, and it’s been wrong for a long time, because it really is, it’s just discrimination." She went on to say that this is not about politics but in reality it is.  Anyway, don’t be surprised if Biden walks back his position.

Other News:  The Trump administration is all in on protecting the rights of the “unborn” but not so interested in protecting or worrying about the quality of life for real live children.  Yesterday the Office of Refugee Resettlement began discontinuing funding for English classes, recreational programs and legal aid for unaccompanied minor in federal migrant shelters because, in their words, such programs are “not directly necessary for the protection of life and safety.”  No one indicated what those children are supposed to be doing while spending months in those shelters.  Sit still in the corner maybe, that ought to work well?  In other news, forget about that cruise to Cuba. Because every vote, especially those votes from Florida’s anti-Castro Cuban community count, the Trump administration announced the imposition of new restrictions on Americans going to Cuba.  Industry experts estimate that the new rules affect nearly 800,000 passenger bookings that are currently scheduled or already underway.  On the impeachment front, 60 House Democrats and one House Republican are now publicly calling for the initiation of impeachment proceedings. Politico reports that House Judiciary Chairman Nadler is so fed up with White House and Justice Department shenanigans that he is ready to impeach too but that Speaker Pelosi is doing her best to keep him in her camp.  Politico reports that yesterday, during a closed door session with party leadership, Pelosi said that she doesn’t want to see Trump impeached, instead she wants to see him in prison.