The Idiot Son: Today's News for July 12th

As the media stumbles over itself about the newest revelations in the Russian collusion story, specifically regarding Donald Trump Jr., the New York Post sums it up with just an editorial headline:

New York Post:

Donald Trump Jr. is an idiot

We see one truly solid takeaway from the story of the day: Donald Trump Jr. is an idiot.

In the heat of your father’s presidential campaign, a bozo British publicist e-mails you to set up a sitdown with a “Russian government attorney” promising “documents and information” to “incriminate Hillary” courtesy of the “Crown prosecutor of Russia” as “part of” the Russian government’s “support” for dad — and you eagerly take the meeting.

“If it’s what you say I love it,” wrote Junior. As if the government of former KGB spymaster Vladimir Putin would do anything so clumsy. (Our former colleague Kyle Smith put it nicely: “Don Jr. is why Nigerian e-mail scammers keep trying their luck.”)

If you happen to think President Trump should be impeached over this story, consider this summary from Scott Johnson at Power Line:

There is no evidence that the Russian lawyer had damaging information to deliver. There is no evidence that the Russian lawyer delivered damaging information. There is no evidence that Trump Jr. asked the Russian lawyer to come back with damaging information. There is no evidence that Trump Jr. would have promised the Russian lawyer anything if she had agreed to return with damaging information. There is no evidence that Trump Jr. came away from the meeting with anything but disappointed expectations.

But if you still want more on the Trump Jr. story, Fox News had an exclusive interview with him last night and CNN is all over it.

In other, real news...

CNN:

China sends troops to Djibouti, establishes first overseas military base

China has dispatched troops to Djibouti in advance of formally establishing the country's first overseas military base.

Two Chinese Navy warships left the port of Zhanjiang on Tuesday, taking an undisclosed number of military personnel on the journey across the Indian Ocean.

Consider where Djibouti is:

(hat tip to Penn State University for the map)

Even though China says this isn't about "seeking to control the world", the strategic importance of this move is obvious.

If Arab-sponsored terrorism wasn't enough for you, the addition of China as a strategic player in Middle Eastern politics should give you a little more incentive to disconnect ourselves from that part of the world. And there is only one way to do that: Energy independence.