SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET, EXCEPT FOR THE NOTE ABOUT THE RETURN OF AMERICAN PRISONERS FROM NORTH KOREA, WHICH WAS ADDED LATER. 

DON'T TELL AL GORE – FROM PHILLY.COM:   Temperatures in the contiguous United States were 2.2 degrees below 20th Century averages last month, making it the coldest April in 20 years, according to the government analysis released Tuesday.  Overall it was the ninth-chilliest April on record in Pennsylvania in records dating to 1895, said the National Center for Environmental Information.  In Philadelphia, 21 of the 30 days were cooler than normal, and coincidentally the official temperature at Philadelphia International Airport also finished 2.2 degrees below the 30-year average and featured a significant snowfall.  You know, of course, that this is caused by global warming.  As are hurricanes, blizzards, and chilly pizza. 

GINA GAINS – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:  Sen. Susan Collins, one of two Republican senators in the Senate Intelligence Committee who had been holding out on a decision on whether to vote in favor of Gina Haspel, President Trump's nominee for CIA director, has committed to voting 'yes,' effectively giving Haspel the votes she needs to pass with a simple majority.  The Maine Republican announced her decision in a statement early Wednesday evening, hours after Haspel testified at a confirmation hearing before the committee, where she faced tough questions about her her prior work at the agency overseeing programs that involved torture.  "After careful consideration, I will vote for the confirmation of Gina Haspel to become the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency," Collins said.   Ms. Haspel, who has received praise from across the intelligence community, and from representatives of both Democratic and Republican administrations, was treated horribly by California Senator Kamala Harris, when testifying before the Intelligence Committee.  Haspel is an outstanding public servant, and I trust she'll be confirmed by the entire Senate.  Harris is a minor senator with presidential ambitions, and something of an embarrassment.

GREAT MOMENT – FROM AP:   JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. — Three Korean-Americans who were detained in North Korea for more than a year were greeted by President Donald Trump beneath a giant American flag after they returned to the mainland U.S. early Thursday.  Despite a middle-of-the-night landing, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and a host of senior administration officials joined Trump to celebrate the occasion. The men, Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak Song and Tony Kim, had been released Wednesday amid a warming of relations between the longtime adversaries.  The real star of the event was our new secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who negotiated the release.  A very successful debut.

May 9, 2018