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JUNE 8,  2017

NO "SHORT TAKES" TONIGHT:

It's very rare that we cancel "Short Takes."  It usually happens on election nights, when we are counting votes and reporting results directly to you.

Tonight we've been absorbing the testimony of James Comey and the stunning (and depressing) results of the British election.  We'll be back in mid-morning, Eastern Time, with observations and news about both.  But we don't have the time to search for our short takes items.

A few quick observations before saying good night.  (It's 3:20 a.m. here.)  The Comey testimony, while not flattering to the president, could lead no honest person to believe that he tried to obstruct justice.  At the same time, Comey's admission that he organized a leak of internal material to The New York Times, through a Columbia University law professor, may well lead to some very intriguing stories about the leak machine in Washington and who's using it.  That professor, by the way, has essentially gone into hiding.  May the jokes flow.

On Britain:  This is trauma.  As we've reported, the Labour Party, which made important gains, is run by a major-league nutbag who has all the important Marxist and soft-on-terror credentials.  Will the political powers let him become prime minister?  That is the question.  Teresa May, based on actual counted votes, has lost her majority in Commons and is severely wounded.  True, her party still was the largest vote getter, and she can form a coalition with another party, but she's left with the prestige of an Edsel and the political stature of Hillary Clinton.  She's a great lady, and it's unfair, but the knives are out for her. 

More on both stories tomorrow.  I will attempt to sleep, although I consider it a waste of time.

June 8, 2017       Permalink

BULLETIN – FIRST RESULTS FROM BRITAIN – AT 7:05 P.M. ET:  Exit polls published almost two hours ago were stunning, and depressing, showing that Theresa May's conservatives not only would fail to increase their majority in Commons, but would actually lose that majority, resulting in a "hung Parliament," where parties would have to form a coalition to form a government.  The exit polls also showed a sharp gain for the Labour Party, currently led by a true-believing left-wing extremist named Jeremy Corbyn.  Corbyn is so far out that British security services apparently kept him under surveillance because they thought him a subversive.  Compared to Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders is Ronald Reagan.

However, the actual ballots are starting to come in, and the result might be better for conservatives than the exit polls predicted.  It's too early to make definitive predictions.  But if May cannot even hold on to a bare majority, she's heavily damaged.   Whether she could then stay as prime minister would be problematical.

June 8, 2017       Permalink

BRITAIN VOTES – AT 11:46 A.M. ET:  Britain is voting.  It's already late afternoon over there.  From The Telegraph: 

Theresa May is on course to increase her majority in the House of Commons with a final General Election 2017 poll giving the Tories a lead of eight points over Labour as the nation heads to the ballot box.

The Conservatives had as much as a 24 point lead when the snap election was called by the Prime Minister.

But Ipsos MORI’s final 2017 election survey for the Evening Standard, which was undertaken on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, puts the Conservatives on 44 per cent and Labour on 36.

COMMENT:  The polls clearly narrowed since the start of the campaign, but latest reports suggest that conservatives gained in the last three days or so.

May has not run a very good campaign.  But we hope that won't be held strongly against her when voters decide whether she, or her hard-left opponent, is best suited for national leadership. 

British polls have a very mixed history, so I wouldn't take late numbers as gospel. 

BULLETIN:  Some possibly troubling news from Britain.  The British press reports a surge in last-minute voter registration, with most of it coming from young voters.  That is negative news because the youth vote is heavily pro-Labour.   However, analysts caution that the actual number of votes that the new registrations will yield may not be that important in the overall.

Polls close at 10 p.m. in Britain, 5 p.m. ET in the United States.  Vote counting starts immediately.  We should know the winners tonight.

June 8, 2017       Permalink

IDIOT – AT 10:21 A.M. ET:  We're kind and gentle here, the very picture of patience and tolerance.  But even we get furious at times at the personal behavior of some "public servants."

The case in question today is one Kamala Harris, the new Dem senator from California, elected to replace the intellectually challenged Barbara Boxer.  Thus far, though, Harris – seen as a potential presidential candidate by some – has demonstrated only that she is Babs Boxer on steroids.  This potential president makes Donald Trump look like an old smoothie.  From Daily Caller:

Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) brutally suspended Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) from speaking during the Senate Intel hearing when she refused to let assistant attorney general Rod Rosenstein answer any questions.

Rosenstein was trying to explain why special counsel Robert Mueller cannot be fired by the president when Harris cut him off.

“Sir, if I may, the greater assurance is not that you and I believe in Mueller’s integrity…it is that you would put in writing an indication based on your authority as the acting attorney general that he was full independence,” she said.

Rosenstein looked annoyed during her entire question, and started to respond, “He has the full independence as authorized by those regulations,” before Harris stopped him again.

Burr wasn’t interested in allowing Harris to continue to interrupt the witnesses and cut off her speaking time so Rosenstein could finish his response.

“The senator will suspend. The chair is going to exercise his right to allow the witness to answer the question,” Burr said to eye rolls from Harris. “The committee is on notice to provide the witnesses the courtesy, which has not been extended all the way across, extend the courtesy for questions to get answered.”

“Mr. Chairman, respectfully, I would like to point out that this witness…” Harris started yet again.

“Mr. Rosenstein, will you … the senator will suspend. Mr. Rosenstein, would you like to fully answer the question?” Burr offered.

Rosenstein looked relieved to finally have speaking time, and responded, “the truth is, I have a lot of experience with these issues and I could speak for a very long time about it.”

COMMENT:  Harris has done this before.  She is thoroughly obnoxious, and her presidential dreams might well end with a severe Senate reprimand if she continues her rudeness.  The recordings made of these hearings will be used against her.

She apparently attended the Joe McCarthy Charm School and graduated with high honors.  If she doesn't make it in politics, she could teach others. 

She's a three-fer – part African-American, part Asian-American, and a woman.  A perfect Democrat.  A multicultural dream.  The Dems must be discouraged by what they see.  Or maybe they just don't care.

June 8, 2017        Permalink 

TODAY – AT 8:53 A.M. ET:  What a major day in news.  Why, we understand that James Comey is combing his hair at this very instant, ready to go testify before a congressional committee.  Yes, it's that James Comey.  Former FBI director.  Mr. Big.  The Democratic Party's great white hope.  There's nothing else that comes near this in import.  This is the greatest day of testimony in human history!  I know, CNN told me.

Oh wait.  I found something else that's happening.  Great Britain, America's most important transatlantic ally, is having a major national election.  Almost as important as James Comey putting on his tie!  If Theresa May's conservatives win, we dodge a bullet.  But if Jeremy Corbyn, an ultra-leftist terrorist sympathizer and certified wingnut, can guide his party to victory, the Western alliance will be in deep trouble.  Okay, it's not as important as James Comey knotting his tie, but it's something to look up on the internet, as you'll probably never find the British election on CNN, unless you hit the right 30-second spot. 

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot.  The Iranian parliament was attacked by terrorists, apparently from ISIS.  Happened yesterday.  Anyone remember?  Some say it's a big deal, that now Iran might strike out wildly in retaliation.  Look, I don't want to take your time away from the news bulletin that James Comey is looking for his car keys, but maybe give Iran a thought.

James Comey is on the road.  CNN is in ecstasy.  This is bigger than the Civil War!

Forget everything else.   There's no business like testimony business.

June 8,  2017     Permalink

JUNE 7,  2017

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

SISTER MAXINE SPEAKS – FROM INDEPENDENT JOURNAL REVIEW:  Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) derided President Donald Trump on Wednesday when she claimed that women nationwide didn't want to be alone with him.  Women “across the country,” Waters said, shared former FBI Director James Comey's request not to have private meetings with Trump.  Waters was referencing a recent report that Comey told Attorney General Jeff Sessions that private meetings with Trump were inappropriate and that he didn't want them to happen again. Comey confirmed that report in his prepared Congressional testimony, which was released on Wednesday.  I wonder how Maxine knows what women across the country are thinking.  Maybe she has supernatural powers, like all Democratic leaders.

MADNESS – FROM NEWSBUSTERS:   Former FBI Director James Comey has not said a single word in public, but the liberal media have been salivating for days over his upcoming testimony on Thursday. Case in point: from noon on Thursday (June 1) when the date for the testimony was set, until noon today (June 7), CNN has already devoted more than 10 hours of coverage to testimony that has yet to even occur. Their "Comey Countdown” logo first appeared at 3:01 AM on Monday – a full three days before the hearing was slated to start.  Think of it like the endless pre-game coverage of the Super Bowl. The massive anticipatory coverage is a not-so-subtle signal to the public that what’s about to happen is really, really, really important. And, instead of waiting to hear what Comey actually says in this hearing, airtime is spent on conjecture, speculation, and innuendo about the potential damage he might cause to the Trump administration.  On CNN Tonight on June 1, host Don Lemon suggested, “this is going to be the most watched thing – at least hearing – since Watergate.”   I can confirm the observation.  CNN has become unwatchable.  All credibility is gone.  Major stories aren't even covered.  It's all Trump impeachment all the time.  And most sources are unnamed.

ANCESTORS – FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL:  The bones of ancient hunters unearthed in Morocco are the oldest known specimens of the human species, potentially pushing back the clock on the origin of modern Homo sapiens, scientists announced Wednesday.  Found among stone tools and the ashes of ancient campfires, the remains date from about 300,000 years ago, a time when the Sahara was green and several early human species roamed the world, the scientists said. That makes them about 100,000 years older than any other fossils of Homo sapiens—the species to which all people today belong.  And because they didn't vote, Hillary lost the election.

June 7, 2017       Permalink

GREAT MOVE – AT 10:05 A.M. ET:   The Trump Justice Department is ending a racket, er, practice from the Obama administration that allowed liberal "cause" groups to shake down corporations.  From Fox: 

The Justice Department announced Wednesday it will no longer allow prosecutors to strike settlement agreements with big companies directing them to make payouts to outside groups, ending an Obama-era practice that Republicans decried as a “slush fund” that padded the accounts of liberal interest groups.

In a memo sent to 94 U.S. attorneys' offices early Wednesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he would end the practice that allowed companies to meet settlement burdens by giving money to groups that were neither victims nor parties to the case.

Sessions said the money should, instead, go to the Treasury Department or victims.

“When the federal government settles a case against a corporate wrongdoer, any settlement funds should go first to the victims and then to the American people—not to bankroll third-party special interest groups or the political friends of whoever is in power,” Sessions said in a statement.

Conservatives have long fought the policy introduced under the Obama administration. Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers introduced legislation that would prohibit the Department of Justice from requiring defendants to donate money to outside groups, after concerns that the settlements bypass congressional appropriations processes.

“This bill is oversight and action. Congress must not tolerate Justice Department political appointees using settlements to funnel money to their liberal friends,” Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., who introduced the bill, said in a statement. “This is also an institutional issue. Once direct victims have been compensated, deciding what to do with additional funds recovered from defendants becomes a policy question properly decided by elected representatives in Congress, not agency bureaucrats or prosecutors.” 

COMMENT:  A terrific move.  No more shakedowns, at least in federal cases.  Of course, the Justice Department will now be accused of racism.  It should simply ignore the accusation and stick to its new policy.

June 7, 2017       Permalink

TERROR ATTACK IN IRAN – AT 9:34 A.M. ET:  There has been a major terror attack in, of all places, Tehran, Iran.  Add this to the many terror attacks that have occurred recently.  From CNN: 

Tehran, Iran (CNN) Attackers have mounted simultaneous gun and suicide bomb assaults on Iran's parliament building and the tomb of the republic's revolutionary founder, in one of the most audacious assaults to hit Tehran in decades.

At least 12 people were killed and dozens more injured in the twin assaults on the Iranian capital, state media reported. A third attack was foiled, Iran's Intelligence Ministry said.

ISIS issued a swift claim of responsibility. Its media wing, Amaq, claimed "fighters with the Islamic State" carried out the attack, but did not offer evidence.

By choosing the burial site of Iran's revered revolutionary leader, and the national legislative forum, the attackers picked highly symbolic targets.

The attack shocked Tehran: Until now, Iran has largely escaped the regular assaults launched against other participants in Syria's civil war. In a region plagued by sectarian violence, residents of the Iranian capital have lived in a peaceful oasis.

The violence unfolded at about 10 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) when gunmen apparently dressed as women stormed the main gate of the parliament building in central Tehran and opened fire, Iran's Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Hossein Zolfaghari told state television.

The attackers took a number of hostages and at least one detonated a suicide bomb. Sporadic gunfire was heard before Iranian authorities declared the situation under control about four hours later. All four attackers were killed by security forces, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

COMMENT:  This is one of those situations where you root for both sides to lose.  The danger, of course, is that an angry Iran will now strike out wildly, even at the wrong target. 

Iran is called by many American officials the world's chief sponsor of terrorism.  Which terrorists will it now call on to stage a spectacular retaliation?

June 7, 2017       Permalink

HOORAY FOR WRAY – AT 9:24 A.M. ET:  The president has made his choice for a new FBI director.  He will have to be confirmed by the Senate.  From Fox: 

President Trump on Wednesday said he intended to nominate former assistant attorney general Christopher Wray to be the next FBI director.

Wray, currently a litigation partner at King & Spalding, would replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who took over when James Comey was fired by Trump in May.

“I will be nominating Christopher A. Wray, a man of impeccable credentials, to be the new Director of the FBI. Details to follow,” Trump tweeted.

And...

Wray was nominated as assistant attorney general in charge of the DOJ's criminal division in 2003 and served in that role until 2005. After he left the Justice Department, Wray returned to private practice, focusing on "white collar and internal investigations," according to his DOJ biography.

During his time at DOJ, Wray became known for overseeing the Enron prosecution task force and playing a major role in the department's post-9/11 response.

In private practice, Wray also served as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's lawyer during the "bridgegate" saga. Christie has been a close confidant of Trump's, however, it's unknown if the two discussed the pick.

And...

Wray graduated from Yale in 1989 and received his law degree from Yale Law School in 1992, where he served as the Executive Editor of Yale Law Journal. He joined the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia in 1997 and began working at Main Justice in 2001.

Wray received the Edmund J. Randolph Award, the DOJ's highest award for public service and leadership, when he left the Justice Department in 2005.

COMMENT:   Very solid background, although I'm guessing the Democrats will figure out a way to oppose him.  There was already some sniping this morning at CNN, the first name in views.

The president's announcement stole some thunder from the hearings underway on Capitol Hill in the "Russian influence" matter, hearings that will culminate tomorrow in the appearance, in a starring role, of James Comey.

June 7,  2017     Permalink