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

SAY IT AIN'T SO, JUSTICE THOMAS – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:  Justice Clarence Thomas, a reliable conservative vote on the Supreme Court, is mulling retirement after the presidential election, according to court watchers.  Thomas, appointed by former President George H.W. Bush and approved by the Senate after a bitter confirmation battle, has been considering retirement for a while and never planned to stay until he died, they said. He likes to spend summers in his RV with his wife.  His retirement would have a substantial impact on control of the court.  It would be a disaster, if Hillary is in the White House.  Thomas's replacement would probably be wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt.

HOW PRECIOUS – FROM THE COLLEGE FIX:    The elite Sidwell Friends School, the institution from which Malia Obama just graduated and where the younger Obama, Sasha, is still enrolled, will ban any clothing with “Redskins” on it this coming school year.  Head of School Bryan Garman says the ban came about partly due to “some prodding” by the school student government, but the administration “fully supports” the idea.  “Our student government passed a resolution stating that the mascot of the District’s National Football League team is offensive and antithetical to the values of the community,” Garman writes.  Many surveys show that the great majority of Native Americans do not consider "Redskins" offensive.  But what do they know compared with Washington liberals?

THIS IS RIDICULOUS – FROM REALCLEARPOLITICS:  In an interview with NBC's Chuck Todd, Attorney General Loretta Lynch says that on Monday, the FBI will release edited transcripts of the 911 calls made by the Orlando nightclub shooter to the police during his rampage.  "What we're not going to do is further proclaim this man's pledges of allegiance to terrorist groups, and further his propaganda," Lynch said. "We are not going to hear him make his assertions of allegiance [to the Islamic State]."  That is crazy, but typical of this administration.  Play down the fact that the shooter was an Islamic terrorist.  That's the part that Americans must hear, but it will be suppressed to protect our little ears.

June 19,  2016