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JANUARY 12,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:51 P.M. ET: 

NO DUMMY – FROM THE HILL:   Melania Trump has hired a law firm in her native Slovenia to warn people against profiting off her name or likeness.  Entrepreneurs have raced to offer products associated with the future first lady since her husband Donald Trump became president-elect earlier this month, Politico reported Wednesday.  Melania Trump’s main concern is with Sevnica, her hometown boasting a population of 4,900 people.  The town has erected a billboard with the former model’s likeness, and a cottage industry hawking Trump-themed products has sprung up.  Trump hired the local law firm Pirc Musar & partnerji to halt the use of her name and image without permission.  “This is indecent financial exploitation and infringement of personality rights,” Natasa Pirc Musar, the law firm’s director, told Politico.  Pirc Musar said her team has not filed any legal proceedings but is monitoring potential cases and relaying them back to Trump.  “First we wanted to warn the public and now we count on their prudence to stop the practice,” she said.  She may have a case if her name is being associated with commercial enterprises.  However, she should be careful not to attack expressions of local pride.

GOOD FOR HIM – FROM DAILY BEAST:   According to Radar Online, 75-year-old crooner Paul Anka will perform his most famous song, “My Way,” at Donald Trump’s inauguration, with the lyrics re-written for his long-time friend and incoming president. “Paul was asked by the members of the Trump inauguration committee and he was only too happy to do it for his longtime friend,” one insider told the tabloid outlet. The source indicated that Anka’s special version of the Frank Sinatra classic would be performed during the inaugural dance between Trump and his wife Melania Trump.  Great style, great idea.  Anka is too old and too iconic to be bothered by political correctness, unless Meryl Streep wants to denounce him. 

OH PLEASE – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:  Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., grilled CIA director Mike Pompeo on whether climate change was a leading national security threat during his Senate confirmation hearings Thursday.  "CIA Director Brennan, who has spent a 25-year career at the CIA as an analyst, a senior manager and station chief in the field, has that when 'CIA analysts look for deeper causes of rising instability in the world, one of the causes those CIA analysts see is the impact of climate change,'" Harris began. "Do you have any reason to doubt the assessment of those CIA analysts?"  Pompeo, a Republican congressman from Kansas, replied that he was unfamiliar with the material Harris was referencing but that the CIA would gather information on all threats to American security, including any that stem from climatic activity, and present them to policymakers.  Good answer by Mike, who graduated first in his class at West Point.  Harris, who has national ambitions, did poorly in her first outing as a U.S. senator, hitting the Democratic left's talking points and little else.  She just succeeded Barbara Boxer, so the bar for her isn't too high.

January 12,  2017     Permalink

MATTIS WARNS – AT 11:18 A.M. ET:  Trump's nominee for secretary of defense is taking a very hard line, somewhat harder than Trump himself.  From Fox:

Defense secretary nominee Gen. James Mattis issued a grave warning Thursday at his Senate confirmation hearing, saying the established world order is under its “biggest attack” since World War II as he called for boosting military readiness and America’s alliances.

Under questioning from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., about Russia and other threats, Mattis said the U.S. should “recognize the reality” of dealing with Vladimir Putin’s government and that he’s trying to “break” the North Atlantic alliance.

Citing Russia’s aggressions and other concerns, he said: “I think [the world order is] under the biggest attack since World War II … from Russia, from terrorist groups and with what China is doing in the South China Sea.”

To address this, Mattis testified, “deterrence is critical.”

His assessment came as he called for strengthening “military readiness” while also pursuing “business reforms” at the Pentagon. He said U.S. forces must be the “best led, best equipped and most lethal in the world.”

“If you confirm me, my watchwords will be solvency and security in providing for the protection of our people and the survival of our freedoms,” he said.

Mattis, a tough Marine general who earned the nickname “Mad Dog” over the course of his career and most recently led U.S. Central Command before retiring in 2013, is poised to become the first career military officer in charge of the Pentagon since the 1950s,

He addressed any potential concerns about that break from tradition at his hearing Thursday, saying he recognizes civilian control of the military is a “fundamental tenet of the American military tradition.”

COMMENT:  So far all the Trump nominees in the national security area are taking harder lines than Trump himself, especially in dealing with Russia.  I think we'll see Trump joining them in coming weeks, as he realizes that his chumminess with Putin has been a liability.

What Trump does not need is for someone like Mattis to resign in protest against policies that are too soft on Russia.  Trump's opponents, even within the GOP, would have a field day.  I think some realism is coming our way.

January 12, 2017       Permalink

RUDY IS BACK – AT 10:20 A.M. ET:  Rudy Giuliani, one of the most successful crime fighters in American history, has been named to a position with the Trump transition team.  That's a positive.  He'll be in a position to give sound advice.  From the Sinclair Broadcast Group: 

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) - The Donald Trump transition team has named Rudy Giuliani as an adviser to cyber security efforts.

In a press release Thursday, the president-elect's team said it expects to host meetings with "senior corporate executives from companies which have faced or are facing challenges similar to those facing the government and public entities today, such as hacking, intrusions, disruptions, manipulations, theft of data and identities, and securing information technology infrastructure."

Calling cyber intrusion "the fastest growing crime in the United States," Trump expects Giuliani to lead the meetings.

COMMENT:  When he was mayor of New York, Rudy committed the worst offense you can commit in politics – he succeeded.  Must not do that without the permission of the intellectual left.  Must not show that the system can work. 

He's a tough guy, not always elegant, and not welcome at society balls.  But he knows how to approach criminal activity, and that's a rare gift.  He has turned down several job offers from Trump.  Maybe this advisory role can extend beyond the transition. 

January 12, 2017       Permalink

THE TRUMP EFFECT – AT 9:47 A.M. ET:  From USA TODAY: 

Amazon will create 100,000 full-time jobs in the United States with full benefits over the next 18 months, the tech giant announced in a statement Thursday.

The company says the positions are for workers across the country and across all skill and experience levels. Most of the positions will be at fulfillment centers, including new ones under construction in California, Florida, New Jersey and Texas.

"Innovation is one of our guiding principles at Amazon, and it’s created hundreds of thousands of American jobs," said Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in a statement. "These jobs are not just in our Seattle headquarters or in Silicon Valley—they’re in our customer service network, fulfillment centers and other facilities in local communities throughout the country."

Amazon has quickly ramped up its workforce over the last few years, as it pushes to open up more fulfillment centers to get packages out to its customers more quickly. In 2011, Amazon had 30,000 employees. At the end of last year, it employed 180,000 people.

COMMENT:  Great.  And yes, of course, it isn't due only to Donald Trump, but the Trump effect is at work.  Companies now know that creating jobs gets them great publicity and favor from the incoming administration.  Job creation will be part of the product.  That's good.  It's a good mental place to be.  Turn tax eaters into taxpayers. And companies are now showing that it can be done.

January 12,  2017     Permalink 

JANUARY 11,  2017

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

WINSTON TO RETURN – FROM BRITAIN'S SUN:   DONALD Trump has asked Britain to send Winston Churchill’s bust back to the White House so he can return it to the Oval Office, The Sun can reveal.  The request was put to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson by the President Elect’s senior advisers during talks in New York three days ago.   Last night, Downing Street confirmed that Theresa May has agreed to a loan of the famous sculpture again.  The gesture marks a diplomatic coup for the PM in her bid to win influence over the unpredictable new US leader.  A bitter row over the bust’s location has raged for seven years since outgoing President Barack Obama replaced the wartime leader’s image with one of Martin Luther King in 2009.  Since then, it has been kept at the British Embassy in Washington DC.  Trump’s closest advisers Jared Kushner and Steven Bannon relayed the request for the bust’s return after revealing their boss was a big fan of the legendary Tory, and had even read Boris’s biography of him.  A No10 spokesman told The Sun last night: “The Prime Minister is happy to loan the Churchill bust to the White House and will be delighted to view it on display when she visits this Spring”.  There had been hints of this earlier.  I hope the placement of the piece in the Oval Office is accompanied by an appropriate ceremony.  The sculpture of King should also remain as a symbol of racial harmony. 

SORDID – FROM AP:  Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said he has spoken with Donald Trump about the unsubstantiated report Wednesday claiming Russia had compromising personal and financial information about the president-elect.  Clapper said in a statement released Wednesday night that he told Trump the intelligence community “has not made any judgment that the information in this document is reliable.”  The dossier contains unproven information about close coordination between Trump’s inner circle and Russians over hacking into Democratic accounts as well as unproven claims of unusual sexual activities by Trump, among other suggestions attributed to anonymous sources. The Associated Press has not authenticated any of the claims.  Clapper also said he told Trump he does not believe any leaks from Friday’s meeting between intelligence officials and Trump came from the intelligence community.  This is a very seedy situation.  It is also suspicious, coming only a week before inauguration.  There is a real attempt to delegitimize Trump's election, and I suspect there will be other developments in the next week.   I don't have any specific evidence, but I have a gut feeling that we won't have a normal Inauguration Day.

CHICAGO HORROR – FROM AMI NEWSWIRE:   The record-setting violence in Chicago is even worse than announced as new evidence shows the city suffered 50 more homicides last year than the numbers publicly reported in the past week.  The city posted a decades-high homicide count of 812 in 2016, per the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. That’s 15% greater than the 762 murders reported by the city's police department.  The discrepancy is largely due to the fact that the county tallies “homicides” while the police number counts “murders.” Murders are defined as violent acts subject to criminal prosecution. Homicides, according to the medical examiner, include instances “when the death of a person comes at the hand of another person. This does not imply that all homicides are murders that would be subject to criminal prosecution.”  The city police count is also lower because it excludes violent, intentional deaths if the act is deemed justified, including police killings of residents.  Per the county’s count, homicides rose 54% in 2016 over 2015 when Chicago had 528 deaths determined to be homicides.  Gun violence is the leading cause of death for victims of homicide in Chicago with 725 decedents being felled by at least one gunshot wound.  African Americans also bore the brunt of the violence in Cook County, which includes Chicago. They accounted for 710 of the county-wide total of 915 (88% of which occurred in the city). Men comprised 90% of the homicide victims in the county.  The president gave his farewell address in Chicago earlier this week.  I don't recall his mentioning this.  

January 11, 2017       Permalink

REMEMBER THIS KID? – AT 11:50 A.M. ET:  He was another one of Obama's heroes – "clock boy."  It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...CLOCK BOY!  From PJ Media: 

A district court judge in Texas has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Ahmed Mohamed on his own behalf and on behalf of his 15-year-old son, Ahmed Mohamed. They had sued Fox News, Glenn Beck, and the mayor of Irving -- among others -- for defamation in September of 2016.

A year earlier, Ahmed, then a 14-year-old freshman at an Irving, Texas, high school, was arrested, briefly detained by police, and suspended for three days after bringing to school a "cool clock" that looked like a briefcase bomb. Ahmed claimed to have "invented" the easily assembled clock, and that he had brought it to school to show it to his shop teacher.

The incident led many to question the Mohamed family's motives. Newly appointed District Court Judge Maricela Moore dismissed the lawsuit following a nearly three-hour hearing on Monday, according to the American Freedom Law Center.

Please recall that President Obama, as usual, got involved in this, as did several gullible corporations.  Obama invited Adhmed to Washington, portraying him as some kind of victim of Islamophobia. 

A defense lawyer, David Yerushalmi, said:

"This lawsuit filed by Clock Boy’s father is yet another example of Islamist lawfare, which is a component of the Muslim Brotherhood’s civilization jihad.”

Yerushalmi further explained that the purpose of such lawsuits, formally labelled Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (“SLAPP”), is to intimidate into silence those who might comment publicly on the connection between jihad, terrorism, sharia, and Islam.

COMMENT:  Read the whole story.  It's fascinating.  The fact that our president got involved, without learning a single fact, tells us who's been governing this nation for the last eight years.  That nightmare ends a week from Friday.

January 11, 2017       Permalink

DONALD FIGHTS BACK – AT 11:21 A.M. ET:  You've seen the stories in the last day on the internet – absolutely unverified, with no evidence presented whatever.  The stories hold that Russia has damaging information on Donald Trump, including sex-soaked videos, and can blackmail the new president.  Even some journalists are wincing at the stories, or rumors.  Where are the facts?  Where is the proof?  Trump himself is fighting back.  From AFP: 

In an angry Twitter rant on Wednesday, US President-elect Donald Trump vehemently rejected reports that Russia had compromising information on him, including sex tapes, likening the unsubstantiated claims against him and the US intelligence response to “Nazi Germany.”

Trump, an avid user of the social media platform, termed the allegations “fake news,” and said he has no dealings with Russia. He also argued US intelligence agencies should have prevented the information from reaching the public.

Russia has also denied the reports, calling them a fabrication and claiming their purpose was to damage Moscow’s relations with Washington.

“The Kremlin does not have compromising information on Trump,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, calling the claims a “total fake” and “obvious attempt to harm our bilateral relations.”

In a series of posts to his Twitter account, Trump wrote: “Russia just said the unverified report paid for by political opponents is “A COMPLETE AND TOTAL FABRICATION, UTTER NONSENSE.” Very unfair!”

“Russia has never tried to use leverage over me. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA – NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!” he continued. “I win an election easily, a great “movement” is verified, and crooked opponents try to belittle our victory with FAKE NEWS. A sorry state!”

“Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to “leak” into the public. One last shot at me. Are we living in Nazi Germany?”

COMMENT:  Well, that's pretty angry stuff.  Maybe not the right tone for a president.  But I can understand Trump's fury.  There is an active attempt to delegitimize his election.  It is ugly.  It is based on little more than rumor.

The press has an obligation here to get at the facts and report the news.  But the press itself is under suspicion by large chunks of the American public.  Who do we go to for the truth?  It is a dilemma for us, created by the press itself, much of which has given up its credibility in exchange for "making a difference."

January 11, 2017       Permalink

TILLERSON AT THE PLATE – AT 10:19 A.M. ET:  Confirmation hearings for the President-elect's choice for secretary of state are underway today.  From Fox:

Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson, at the start of his confirmation hearing Wednesday, named radical Islam, China and Russia as the primary challenges confronting an American government that's “stumbled” under the Obama administration.

“If we do not lead, we risk plunging the world deeper into confusion and danger,” he told senators.

Tillerson, the ExxonMobil CEO vying to be confirmed as the nation's top diplomat, testified in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee amid swirling questions about alleged meddling in U.S. politics by the Kremlin and Tillerson’s own business ties to Russia. But the energy executive took on the Russian issue head-on during his opening statement.

“We must also be clear-eyed about our relationship with Russia,” Tillerson said. “Russia today poses a danger, but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interests … our NATO allies are right to be alarmed at a resurgent Russia.”

Tillerson also took aim at China’s “illegal” building of man-made islands in the South China Sea and radical Islam, which he said posed “a grave risk to the stability of nations and the well-being of their citizens.”

Tillerson testified a day after a contentious Senate session involving Attorney General nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions. The audience at Tillerson’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing again appeared to be filled with protesters including Code Pink activists were dressed in Statue of Liberty garb, a man outfitted in a suit made of money and some protesters suited up in T-Rex costumes – a play on Tillerson’s name.

COMMENT:  Thus far Tillerson has been saying the right things.  However, his past ties with Russia, and suspicions about the President-elect's own ties with Russia, are dominating concerns about the new administration's foreign policy.   They are legitimate areas of inquiry.

I'm periodically monitoring the hearings.  Tillerson is impressive.  He speaks slowly, thinks very clearly, and answers questions by breaking down his points into logical components.  I can understand why he was nominated. 

Unless something really horrible comes out, I can't see him being rejected.  But things are strange in Washington.

January 11,  2017     Permalink