Sticks and Stones

It’s Raining It’s Pouring:  It was just another normal day in Trump America.  Days after saying that bombing Iran and risking the killing of more than one hundred civilians in retaliation for the downing of one of our drones would be a disproportionate response to the loss of military equipment Trump launched into a twitter tirade threatening Iran with total annihilation in response to Iran President Hassan Rouhani’s calling him out as mentally retarded.  Apparently name calling is only okay when Trump is doing it otherwise, not so much.  Then a haunting picture of an El Salvadoran migrant father and his 23 month daughter lying dead in the Rio Grande river bed alongside the US border with their arms wrapped around each other went viral.  The desperate father had opted to take his family across the river after the family’s efforts to apply for asylum were stymied by the weekend closure of an official crossing point. Tragically, the father had actually gotten his daughter safely across the river but she followed him back into the river after he went back across to retrieve his wife and other child, he then died while trying to save her. When asked about that tragedy and the conditions at the migrant detention centers Trump of course blamed the Democrats and his favorite punching bag, Obama, claiming conditions were much worse when that Black guy was president as if that would even be an acceptable excuse for gross mismanagement now.   Then, because that wasn’t enough for one day, late yesterday Trump’s day got just a bit worse after House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler and House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff announced that one of their subpoenas appears to have worked, the very reluctant Special Counsel Mueller has agreed to testify in front of an open session of Congress.  After learning that his appearance is scheduled to take place on July 17, pundits on Fox and a number of Trump’s Republican abettors went on the attack, promising to question Mueller about the origins of his investigation because who cares about election interference, collusion or obstruction anyway.  Also, for good measure, the press which had given columnist/journalist E Jean Carroll’s rape allegations against Trump short shrift tried to make up for their lack of attention by giving her accusations more air time asking every Republican they could find as well as daughter Ivanka for comments on the assault accusation.  For the record, all of them said that they believe Trump’s statement that he didn’t rape her because she wasn’t his type, Ivanka pretended not to hear the question.  Getting back to the migrant crisis, for some inexplicable reason after moving 300 children out of the ill equipped, filthy facility in Clint Texas,  Customs and Border Control moved 100 children back into that facility later in the day.  When asked about the horrific conditions at that border center, Texas Republican Congressman Michael Burgess actually said “You know what? There’s not a lock on the door. Any child is free to leave at any time, but they don’t. You know why? Because they are well taken care of.” If he truly believes that someone should send child services to his home to check on his family. Despite reports that children at the Clint facility were going without soap, blankets, edible food, water and other provisions, Customs and Border Patrol has been refusing donations from the public saying that they’ve got plenty of supplies, they just have a distribution problem.  You think? Maybe a lack of empathy and conscience problem too. As to blaming the Democrats, Speaker Pelosi has an answer for that.  Late last night “her” House passed a $4.5 billion humanitarian aid bill, tossing the problem back to the Republican led Senate and Trump.  One more thing, because these days there is always one more thing, yesterday Federal District Judge Emmet Sullivan denied an attempt by the Justice Department to stop House and Senate Democrats from collecting information from the Trump organization related to their emoluments case.  When it rains, it pours.  

Rain, Rain Go Away:  Yesterday was one of those revolving door days.  With Sarah Huckabee Sanders exiting on Friday, Trump needed a new Press Secretary, or at the very least someone he could call a Press Secretary because without daily press briefings he really doesn’t need one so Melania tweeted out that her press secretary Stephanie Grisham would be moving into the role while keeping, at least for now, her Melania related responsibilities. For good measure Melania ended her tweet with a #BeBest because who doesn’t highlight their anti-bullying mission when dead parents and children are floating up on river bank?   Grisham, who will also be Trump’s communications director, another one of those part time positions since Trump pretty much is the communications director in chief, is jumping right into her new position.  She’ll be traveling with Trump to the upcoming G-20 meeting where he will be meeting with China’s President Xi to discuss their trade war.  In other human resources news possibly in response to the Clint facility fiasco  John Sanders the acting head of Customs and Border Protection resigned, notifying acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan of his imminent departure.  It’s expected that he will be replaced by Mark Morgan, an immigration hardliner, who is currently the acting director of ICE. Apparently everyone at DHS is acting, or in their case, acting out. Though he’s still serving, California Congressman Duncan Hunter should probably be reconsidering his career options. Prosecutors have upped allegations against him saying that he used campaign funds to pay for extramarital affairs with lobbyists and congressional staffers.  Those additional charges may explain why his wife, who Hunter had previously claimed was the one responsible for the wire fraud, record falsification and campaign violations he’s also been charged with, has been cooperating with prosecutors.  

2020:  The first Democratic debate takes place tonight.  As a reminder tonight’s roster includes:  Elizabeth Warren, Beto O'Rourke, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Julián Castro, Jay Inslee, Bill de Blasio, Tim Ryan, John Delaney and Tulsi Gabbard.  While all eyes will be on Warren, who of late has been outpacing that other progressive darling Bernie Sanders, and Beto keep an eye on Washington Governor Jay Inslee, his focus is climate change but he’s got a lot of practical experience and is very articulate.   On the Republican front, it turns out that kowtowing to Trump pays off.  Yesterday he endorsed vulnerable Republican Senator Thom Tillis who is seeking reelection in North Carolina, ensuring that Tillis won’t get primaried from the right. She hasn’t received his endorsement yet but Arizona’s Senator Martha McSally, who lost when she ran against now Senator Krysten Sinema but got to the Senate anyway when she was appointed to fill the John McCain seat, is seeking equal treatment but so far Trump hasn’t jumped on her bandwagon.