SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:56 P.M. ET:

NOW WE'RE TALKIN' – FROM COLLEGE FIX:   Several students involved in a large and aggressive protest against a pro-police speech at Claremont McKenna College in April that blocked the public from attending the talk have now been punished, the school announced Monday.  The throng had surrounded the building, forcing the speaker, “The War on Cops” author Heather Mac Donald, to give the talk via livestream to a near-empty room as demonstrators yelled “F*ck the police” and “Black Lives Matter” and banged on the venue’s windows.  After reviewing video and photos of the blockade, the college has punished seven students: Three received one-year suspensions, two received one-semester suspensions, and two were put on conduct probation, the college’s announcement said.  Officials also issued provisional suspensions of on-campus privileges to four non-students who appear to have played significant roles in the blockade, according to the statement.  It's a good start.  There must be a certainty of punishment for those who violate school rules. 

HEALTH CARE CRISIS – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:  Declaring defeat in the current the effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday night that his chamber will vote to completely repeal President Obama’s health care program — with a two-year delay to come up with a replacement.  “Regretfully, it is now apparent that the effort to repeal and immediately replace the failure of Obamacare will not be successful,” McConnell said in a statement.  McConnell wants the Senate to vote on a 2015 bill that passed both chambers and was vetoed by President Obama.  The two-year delay would “provide for a stable transition period to a patient-centered health care system,” MCConnell said.  The move comes after two Republican senators came out against the current bill.  Republicans must get this right.  They've had years to come up with a replacement for Obamacare.  Simple repeal right now seems like the best way to go, with a two-year delay to form a new plan.  Now the GOP must move on to tax cuts for the American people.  If the party cannot execute that it will deserve to lose the 2018 election.

WONDERFUL – FROM FOX:  World World ll widow Catherine Tauer this week received something she had longed for for seven decades.  The remains of the love of her life, Army Staff Sgt. Gerald “Jerry” Jacobsen were returned to her in Minnesota this week after years of resting under a nameless cross in France.  “This is such a lift to my heart,” said Tauer, 94. “It’s wonderful to have him home.”  Tauer and Jacobsen were married in 1943. Jacobsen was 27 when he went missing in action in 1944. He was declared dead a year later.  Every morning Tauer greeted a picture of her husband beside her bedside table, all while searching for his remains to no avail.  “He was just so good to me. No one could ever take his place.” The personal saga of World War II goes on.

July 17, 2017