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

PUMP PRESSURE – FROM CNBC: If it seems to be costing you more cash to fill up your tank these days, you're right.  "We've gotten accustomed to cheaper gasoline over the past couple years," Robert Sinclair, AAA Northeast Manager of Media Relations told CNBC's On The Money in a recent interview.
According to AAA, the average cost of a gallon of unleaded regular is about 25 cents more than this time last year.  With fewer miles driven, and less demand during the cold winter months, winter gas prices are usually lower. Why the price spike now?  "We're still riding the wave, if you will, as a result of Hurricane Harvey, where gasoline prices jumped up afterwards," Sinclair said.  After that natural disaster, prices never really returned to pre-hurricane rates.  The Dems will use this against Trump, although they're against the internal combustion engine, so maybe they're even.

MORE NONSENSE FROM BRITAIN – FROM THE TIMES OF LONDON:   Waitrose is selling gender-neutral Mother’s Day cards as retailers reduce their use of the M-word to make today’s celebration more “transgender inclusive”.  The supermarket chain is selling a “Happy You Day” card in its Mother’s Day range in which the word “mother” does not appear.  Waitrose said the move was aimed at “broadening out who the cards can go to, whether it’s grandmas or transgender mums”. Traditional cards are still sold.
Waitrose has been joined by other retailers, including Scribbler, whose Mother’s Day offerings include a “Two mums are better than one” card for same-sex couples and a “Dad, thanks for being the most amazing mum” card.  The changes come after calls by some trans activists to rename Mother’s Day.  There's an old saying that if you want respect, give some.  Maybe it's time for some of the groups knocking at the door, asking for acceptance, to show some regard for traditional values and language.  We can co-exist, but we demand respect as well.

THE PRESIDENT VISIT'S THE ENEMY CAMP – FROM THE DAILY MAIL:   Donald Trump is coming – at last – to the state he loves to hate, setting foot in California for his first time as president.
This is turf he lost to Democrat Hillary Clinton by more than 4 million votes in 2016. He has mocked its judges for blocking his agenda, sued over its lax enforcement of immigration laws and threatened to pull out federal agents.  But there's something he's dying to see here: the prototypes for his long-promised wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. And there's something he's eager to do here: raise cash from the Beverly Hills crowd.
Trump's arrival Tuesday will come just days after his Justice Department sued to block a trio of state laws designed to protect people living in the U.S. illegally.  The White House is clearly entering campaign mode.  I think we can expect to see Mr. Trump play an enormous role in the upcoming midterms. 

March 11, 2018