Recycled News: Today's News for June 6th

The thing known as the "news cycle" is very real, although it should be called the "news recycle", because all it does is take an existing story and expand on it for roughly 3-4 days. This is why we get "What we know about the London Bridge attackers" from CNN. In the media, fear sells better than sex.

Giving terrorists a platform in a lede story after they are dead is exactly what they want. On the other hand:

New York Daily News:

Muslim leaders from across Britain refuse to bury London Bridge attackers

Muslims leaders from across Britain have refused to bury the three ISIS-claimed attackers who brought terror to central London and killed seven.

...One eyewitness said that an attacker shouted “this is for Allah” during the assault, but more than 100 imams and Muslim scholars from across Britain have said that they cannot even bury the terrorists after such actions that claim to be in the name of Islam.

It is about time that Islamic leaders recognized they are getting associated with this kind of human garbage. There is hope for Islam.

In other news...

Washington Examiner:

Federal contractor Reality Leigh Winner arrested 

for sending classified NSA intelligence to news outlet

A 25-year-old federal contractor is facing charges she leaked a classified National Security Agency document to a news outlet in May.

The charges against Reality Leigh Winner came about an hour after the publication of a story based on an NSA document detailing Russian attempts to hack American voting systems in 2016.

President Trump has been pushing Justice to go after leakers inside the federal government, which he has identified as "the big story" when it comes to Russia's involvement in the 2016 presidential election. Winner's arrest could signal the federal government is going to aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals who send classified intelligence to news organizations.

And the released information?

The Intercept:

TOP-SECRET NSA REPORT DETAILS RUSSIAN HACKING EFFORT 

DAYS BEFORE 2016 ELECTION

RUSSIAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE executed a cyberattack on at least one U.S. voting software supplier and sent spear-phishing emails to more than 100 local election officials just days before last November’s presidential election, according to a highly classified intelligence report obtained by The Intercept.

The top-secret National Security Agency document, which was provided anonymously to The Intercept and independently authenticated, analyzes intelligence very recently acquired by the agency about a months-long Russian intelligence cyber effort against elements of the U.S. election and voting infrastructure. The report, dated May 5, 2017, is the most detailed U.S. government account of Russian interference in the election that has yet come to light.

The important takeaway:

The NSA analysis does not draw conclusions about whether the interference had any effect on the election’s outcome and concedes that much remains unknown about the extent of the hackers’ accomplishments. 

The TRUTH is we know the attempt was made by Russia to hack the election. Whether they had any success is unknown at this time. Sorry Democrats, the election results still stand.

This should be very disappointing to Reality Leigh Winner:

The Daily Caller:

NSA Leaker Is A Bernie Supporter Who ‘Resists’ Trump

The 25-year-old woman who stole “Top Secret” documents from the National Security Agency and leaked them to The Intercept appears to be a supporter of Bernie Sanders and other progressive icons, such as Bill Maher and Michael Moore.

Reality Leigh Winner’s apparent social media footprint also shows that she is a supporter of other liberal causes, including the Women’s March and the Islamic Society of North America, the Muslim civil rights group.

She also recently referred to President Trump as a “piece of shit” because of his position on the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) protests.

It is easy to question Miss Winner's motives, but there are still questions remaining on this whole matter: Why was this NSA document still classified? Exactly what harm did its release cause?

While we still have no evidence that Russia succeeded, it is still important that Americans know what Russia was trying to do.

On Political Correctness

After the terrorist incident this past weekend, President Trump tweeted:

We must stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people. If we don't get smart it will only get worse

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2017

Before we agree or disagree with this statement, we should first ask, "What is political correctness?"

Merriam-Webster defines "politically correct" as:

"conforming to a belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in matters of sex or race) should be eliminated"

Political sensibilities are derived from social mores, which Wikipedia defines as:

"...social norms that are widely observed and are considered to have greater moral significance than others. Mores include an aversion for societal taboos, such as incest. The mores of a society usually predicate legislation prohibiting their taboos. Often, countries will employ specialized vice squads or vice police engaged in suppressing specific crimes offending the societal mores."

Note that mores "usually predicate" prohibitive legislation, but not always. Sometimes, we have an aversion to certain behaviors, such as eating mashed potatoes with your hands. There is no harm in it, so police involvement is unwarranted. But you will still look unfavorably upon an adult doing such a thing in public, and may even criticize them publicly for it.

Social policing is a useful tool for societies to discourage unwanted behavior. When a social violation is raised to the level of a legal matter, there are severe social implications attached to it, such as limiting people's career opportunities or even making them societal outcasts. This is why the war on drugs is so controversial: Should drug abuse be considered a social violation, or should it be a legal violation? That is just one example. Other than the war on drugs, we could apply that question to any number of legal topics.

But the point here is about social policing, and its sub-category, political correctness. The problem with modern political correctness is not what is being socially policed by it. Most people will agree that sexual and racial inequality are good things to be socially policed, with radical examples of them to be legally policed. However, the problem with modern political correctness is it tends to treat social policing on matters of inequality the same as it would social policing of legal infractions. When you limit a person's career opportunities and/or make them a social outcast for a minor infraction, there is no way out. While that is very effective for ending such unwanted behaviors, it is the social equivalent of giving the death penalty for jaywalking.

Case in point: Consider poor Bill Maher, who used the "N" word on his show. From The Wrap:

[Maher's] out-of-nowhere use of the N-word on Friday’s “Real Time” brought instant rebukes and calls for him to be fired.

The former “Politically Incorrect” host proved he’s still politically incorrect when Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse jokingly invited him to “work in the fields.”

“Senator, I’m a house n—-a,” Maher said, immediately adding: “It’s a joke.”

Under the rules of political correctness, if Maher was black and said that, nobody would have blinked. Ask yourself, if a black man had said that, would you have laughed? But because Maher is white, his joke suddenly becomes a call to the social police (or the "PC police" as they are also known).

If a law applied to only one part of the population, such as Jim Crow laws did, that circumstance should be rejected as discrimination. Yet we don't apply the same standard to our social policing?

Mind you, I am not defending Maher, so much as pointing out a contradiction within political correctness. Other such contradictions can be found in our politically correct treatment of Islam.

In countries where Islam is the dominant religion, we find sexism and racism to be common, and even legally codified. Yet we insist on treating Islam and its followers the same as any other religion? If a religion is advocating unequal treatment of people, shouldn't our social policing extend to said religion? Moreover, shouldn't our immigration policies reflect our own social values?

President Trump is right about our need to lift the politically correct prohibition against criticizing a religious belief. We need to have an honest and open discussion about Islam, and that may include some criticism of it. This doesn't mean we should close the borders or go to war. It means we need to discuss this without the social police being called.

Qatar? Today's News for June 5th

In accordance with my policy to not cover terrorist incidents, there will be no mention of the incident this past weekend. If you must rubberneck, here is your link to the story.

In today's lede story:

CNN:

UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain cut off relations with fellow Gulf state Qatar

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates have broken diplomatic relations with Qatar, rattling a powerful 36-year-old Gulf states union, over what they say is the country's support of terrorism. Egypt has also cut off relations with the tiny Gulf state.

...The move comes two weeks after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt blocked several Qatari media outlets over comments allegedly made by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Al Hamad Al Thani. Al Thani reportedly hailed Iran as an "Islamic power" and criticized US President Donald Trump's policy towards Tehran.

The Emir's comments appeared on Qatar's official news agency, but Qatar claimed that the website was "hacked," the report fabricated by the culprits.

..."There are two competing theories," Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations says about the origin of the spat.

"One is that Saudi Arabia felt emboldened after Donald Trump's visit, and Trump's administration has had a strong stance on Iran, which is backed by Qatar.

"Another theory is that this is a product of month's tension, all brought to a breaking point after the Qatar news agency hacking story."

Note the framing of the Trump visit as a possible cause of this. Then look at how Fox News covered it:

Fox News:

Tillerson urges calm after 4 Arab nations sever diplomatic ties with Qatar

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged the Gulf nations to work out their differences after four countries severed ties with Qatar Monday for allegedly embracing several terrorist groups and its ties with Iran.

Tillerson, speaking alongside Secretary of Defense James Mattis in Sydney, said he did not believe the diplomatic crisis would affect the war against the Islamic State.

"I think what we're witnessing is a growing list of disbelief in the countries for some time, and they've bubbled up to take action in order to have those differences addressed," Tillerson said. "We certainly would encourage the parties to sit down together and address these differences."

 Then we get an interesting quote at the end of the article:

At that Saudi conference, Trump met with Qatar's ruling emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

"We are friends, we've been friends now for a long time, haven't we?" Trump asked at the meeting. "Our relationship is extremely good."

This quote is not in the CNN article at all.

So what is the TRUTH here?

Considering it has been two weeks since Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Al Hamad Al Thani made his comments about Iran, assuming he made them at all (based on their excuse of having had their website "hacked"), it is curious that Trump made his visit to the Middle East during that two weeks. Then again, why would Trump have said what he said about Qatar being America's friend during his trip?

One thing is clear: Somebody is throwing their diplomatic weight around. Four nations don't just decide to target one small nation for a diplomatic faux pas after two weeks. Words have been exchanged somewhere. Whether it is the United States or Saudi Arabia communicating the anti-Qatar message remains to be seen.

In other news...

Circa:

Comey refuses to answer bipartisan questions from senators, saying he's a private citizen

Former FBI director James Comey is formally refusing to answer questions submitted to him by a bipartisan group of senators, suggesting he no longer must do so as a private citizen.

Comey sent an email from his private account last week rebuffing the seven questions that had been submitted to him by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley and the committee’s ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein after Comey’s final testimony as FBI director to the panel last month. Comey was fired by President Donald Trump shortly after his appearance.

Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., joined in the request in a show that lawmakers in both parties believed the questions were important enough to demand answers.

Comey's  short email specifically cited his status as a private citizen as a reason for declining to answer the questions.

The  “private citizen “excuse was considered unusual by the senators since numerous former government officials have testified before Congress in recent weeks.

They included former CIA Director John Brennan, former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates (who like Comey was fired by Trump) and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

And Comey himself is appearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee this week, raising senators’ fears he is “venue shopping” to avoid hard questions the Judiciary Committee is likely to ask about the FBI’s use of NSA surveillance data and conflicts between Comey’s past testimony and new evidence in the public domain.

While that is speculation there at the end, it does seem like a valid speculation considering the facts reported.

This leads to the question of why would Comey shop venues? Because he knows he is every bit as legally culpable for covering for Mike Flynn as Trump was. If Trump asked Comey to end the FBI's investigation of Flynn, and Comey did not report that, then Comey was complicit in the cover-up.

Then again, was Flynn actually guilty of anything serious?

Reuters:

Putin's dinner with Michael Flynn: 'I didn't even really talk to him'

Russian President Vladimir Putin hardly spoke at all with former U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn when they sat together at a Moscow dinner in 2015, NBC News quoted the Kremlin leader as saying on Sunday.

Flynn's ties to Moscow are under scrutiny in the United States amid allegations of possible Russian interference in the 2016 election. An oft-published photo of him sitting next to Putin at a gala dinner seems to hint he had close relations.

Flynn has declined to testify to the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee about his Russian ties, invoking his constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination.

Putin, speaking to NBC News' Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly, said he recalled the dinner in question as a routine event.

"I made my speech. Then we talked about some other stuff. And I got up and left. And then afterwards I was told, 'You know there was an American gentleman, he was involved in some things. He used to be in the security services'," Putin said.

"That's it. I didn't even really talk to him. That's the extent of my acquaintance with Mr Flynn," he added.

The December 2015 dinner was in honor of the Russian television network Russia Today (RT), a Russian government-funded global network that U.S. officials consider a state-run propaganda outlet and purveyor of disinformation about the U.S.

Putin isn't known for his honesty, so take that for what it is worth. On top of that, how does Putin sit next to someone at a dinner and not discuss who they are? The Flynn story is still suspicious, and Putin's comments here didn't help it any.

Weekly Finale: Carole King's Biggest Hit(s)

Another week ends, and another weekly musical finale begins!

This week, I am looking at Carole King's biggest hit, "I Feel the Earth Move":



Or was her biggest hit "It's Too Late"?



The problem with deciding is they were both released on the same single record in 1971, and both reached number 1 in the U.S. charts. But here is the story from Wikipedia:

Given its upbeat nature, Ode Records selected "I Feel the Earth Move" as the A-side to Tapestry's first single. It achieved airplay, but then disc jockeys and listeners began to prefer the slower, lamenting B-side "It's Too Late". Both sides received airplay for a while, but eventually "It's Too Late" dominated. In fact, on the concurrent Cash Box singles chart, which still tracked the progress of both sides of a single separately, "It's Too Late" spent four weeks at number one while "I Feel the Earth Move" did not chart at all. Regardless, since Billboard had declared the record a double A-side and their chart gradually became seen by many as the "official" singles chart, it is generally listed in books and articles that both "I Feel the Earth Move" and "It's Too Late" reached #1.

I suppose it depends on your mood as to which song is better. "I Feel the Earth Move"'s percussive piano opening is infectious, leading into a rich crescendo of musical joy. Whereas, "It's Too Late"'s melancholy jazz sound could appeal to a more mellow mood.

Musical irony of the day: Toni Stern, the lyricist of "It's too Late", claims to have written the lyrics after a breakup with James Taylor. A few years ago, Taylor toured with Carole King, and they performed the song together:


As for covers, although Gloria Estefan's cover is probably the best known "It's Too Late" cover, I personally found the 2015 cover from China Crisis to be the richest and most unusual:



That does reveal an important key to covering Carole King songs: Bring the entire band with you. King's music is beautiful in its simplicity, with usually just a piano and/or a few instruments in most of her songs. Bring the entire band, and you can turn a tasty musical snack into a full seven course meal.

Case in point: Shinedown's cover of "I Feel the Earth Move". This song rocks the house, and really shows how a good cover can deliver on the promise of the original song:



It's too late for me this week, so enjoy your weekend. I will return Monday to move the earth with my blogging. Or at least shuffle a little dirt around.

Trump Ends World: Today's News for June 2nd

Based on the MSM's headlines, one would think that is exactly what President Trump did yesterday by pulling out of the Paris climate accord. The TRUTH is he pulled America out of a wild goose chase known as man-made climate change, which is the modern version of the Dutch tulip craze.

The story:

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

‘I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris’: 

Trump pulling U.S. from global climate pact, dismaying allies

President Donald Trump declared Thursday he was pulling the U.S. from the landmark Paris climate agreement, striking a major blow to worldwide efforts to combat global warming and distancing the country from its closest allies abroad.

Framing his decision as “a reassertion of America’s sovereignty,” Mr. Trump said the U.S. could try to re-enter the deal under more favorable terms or work to establish “an entirely new transaction.” But he indicated that was hardly a priority. “If we can, great. If we can’t, that’s fine,” he said.

Cue the hyperbole:

Scientists say Earth is likely to reach more dangerous levels of warming sooner as a result of the president’s decision because America’s pollution contributes so much to rising temperatures. Calculations suggest withdrawal could result in emissions of up to 3 billion tons of additional carbon dioxide a year — enough to melt ice sheets faster, raise seas higher and trigger more extreme weather.

Surprisingly, this theory (remember, it is theory, NOT FACT) is based on flawed models which have yet to project anything. This was best explained in a Dilbert cartoon, surprisingly:

But as the Cato Institute points out, when the so-called "scientists" try to rebut the cartoon, they end up proving it:

A communications group at Yale University has put out a video that seems to be a rebuttal to a Dilbert cartoon by Scott Adams poking fun at climate scientists and their misplaced confidence in models. The video is full of impressive-looking scientists talking about charts and data and whatnot. It probably cost a lot to make and certainly involved a lot of time and effort. The most amazing thing, however, is that it actually proves the points being made in the Dilbert cartoon. Rather than debunking the cartoon, the scientists acted it out in slow motion.

Read the entire article. What is amazing is that climate science has been proven wrong so many times, and yet is never held accountable. In fact, we should no longer call it science, as belief is now based more on faith than any kind of objective TRUTH. While climate science has not been proven wrong, it is a long way from "settled science".

Regardless, the Left has proceeded into full meltdown:

As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I can assure you that we will follow the guidelines of the Paris Agreement for our people, our economy & future. https://t.co/3znXGTcd8C

— bill peduto (@billpeduto) June 1, 2017

California Gov. Jerry Brown joined Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington state to form the U.S. Climate Alliance to uphold the Paris climate agreement.

The three states where renewable energy has been aggressively embraced account for a fifth of the U.S. economy.

California, New York and Washington already belong to an emissions reduction pact of states and cities worldwide, but Thursday’s action marked a direct stand against the Trump administration and a formal commitment to upholding the targets of the Paris agreement.

Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe also expressed interest in joining the new pact.

Also, Elon Musk, the head of Tesla, announced that he was withdrawing from a White House advisory council on manufacturing.

...At home, the U.S. Conference of Mayors strongly opposed the decision and said the nation’s mayors will continue efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming.

In a rare statement on his successor’s policies, Mr. Obama said: “Even in the absence of American leadership; even as this administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future, I’m confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got.”

Business leaders, normally strong supporters of Republican initiatives, had vigorously appealed to Mr. Trump not to abandon the agreement. Many economists believe the accord would likely help create about as many jobs in renewable energy as it might cost in polluting industries. 

Let's not forget the media's irrational response;

CNN:

Trump doesn't want to talk about climate change, and neither does his administration

If the headline isn't enough:

President Donald Trump spent an hour Thursday talking about his commitment to economic growth and national stability as he announced the decision to back out of the Paris Climate Accord.

Missing from his 2,000 word speech: any mention of climate change.

After famously calling climate change a "hoax" during the campaign, Trump has avoided the issue of increased man-made greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on global temperatures.

Maybe he avoids the topic because the world has gone insane about it? Frankly, his reaction is the best possible one: Avoid the topic completely, and hope it dies the natural death it has long deserved.

In more news of insanity...

Reason:

House Overwhelmingly Supports Bill Subjecting Teen Sexters to 15 Years in Federal Prison

Teens who text each other explicit images could be subject to 15 years in federal prison under a new bill that just passed the House of Representatives. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, has called the measure "deadly and counterproductive."

"While the bill is well intended, it is overbroad in scope and will punish the very people it indicates it is designed to protect: our children," Lee said during a House floor debate over the bill. The bill would also raise "new constitutional concerns" and "exacerbate overwhelming concerns with the unfair and unjust mandatory minimum sentencing that contributes to the overcriminalization of juveniles and mass incarceration generally."

Introduced by Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) in March, the "Protecting Against Child Exploitation Act of 2017" passed the House by an overwhelming majority last week. Only two Republicans—Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan and Thomas Massie of Kentucky—voted against the bill, along with 53 Democrats.

"The bill prohibits some conduct that the Constitution does not allow Congress to regulate, and Rep. Amash opposes the expansion of mandatory minimums and crimes that are already prosecuted at the state level," a spokesperson from Amash's office explained of his opposition.

On top of any state level time to be served, this means that a teenager caught sexting will be imprisoned until they are around 30 years old. In effect, for a youthful indiscretion, you intend to ruin their life?

This gets the bear:

Finally...

Daily Beast:

Kathy Griffin Hires Celebrity Lawyer to Respond to Trump Family ‘Bullying’

Comedian Kathy Griffin has recruited the help of a celebrity lawyer to respond to the alleged “bullying from the Trump family” she has “endured” following the publication of an image depicting Griffin holding the severed head of President Donald Trump. 

I was all ready to forgive Griffin, and then she pulls this. I retract my forgiveness yesterday, as this act shows a sincere lack of remorse on her part. Terrorizing the Trump's 11 year old son does not grant you the right to sue when they say nasty things about you. Frankly, the Trumps' reaction has been rather tempered, in my opinion. If she had done that to my 11 year old son, I would have said much worse things about her.

For this, Griffin has earned a Pogo award:

 

Kathy Griffin's Big Mistake

If you have not seen the above picture yet (how long were you in the cave?), it is comedian Kathy Griffin's attempt at humor. Nothing says "funny" like the severed head of a sitting president!

All humor aside, assuming there is any left after Kathy vacuumed the room of it, Kathy took a huge risk with this. There is a rule in comedy that states "Timing is everything".

Some things you have to wait before you can make jokes. For example, you couldn't make 9/11 jokes on 9/12, and maybe not even now.

You also have to consider your audience: 9/11 jokes in New York would be in bad taste, but might play well in Saudi Arabia.

"Killing the president" jokes take a long time to tell, and the president should have been dead for a long time already. The classic, "So Mrs. Lincoln, aside from that, how was the play?" would not have played well in 1866, but is a hoot today.

A joke about a living president runs into an almost eternal political correctness boundary that is appropriate, as Kathy Griffin learned the hard way. From TMZ:

[President Trump's 11 year old son] Barron Trump was watching television Tuesday at home with Melania when Kathy Griffin's photo appeared on the screen, and his initial reaction was that something terrible happened to his father.

Trump family sources tell us Barron was in front of the TV watching a show when the news came on and he saw the bloody, beheaded image. We're told he panicked and screamed, "Mommy, Mommy!"

As it was put to us, "He's 11. He doesn't know who Kathy Griffin is and the head she was holding resembled his dad."

Most humans consider showing an 11 year old boy the severed head of his father to be inhuman, which is the opposite of funny. How could she do it?

Columnist John Podhoretz nails the answer:

Imagine living in a bubble so impermeable it didn’t occur to you that retailing a photograph of a decapitated president’s head would be a horrendous career move — a bubble in which you don’t know anyone who doesn’t think the world would be a better place once Donald Trump had had his head cut off. 

That is the world Kathy Griffin lives in.

Kathy has paid the price for her misjudgment: She lost her CNN gig.

In her defense, she did pull the image and apologized immediately:

I am sorry. I went too far. I was wrong. pic.twitter.com/LBKvqf9xFB

— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) May 30, 2017

Should we forgive her? Absolutely. To be honest, I would even support reinstating her CNN job. We need to quit using political correctness as a bludgeon to ruin people's lives, especially after contrition is displayed.

Climate Change Dooms NATO: Today's News for June 1st

The headline above is overplayed for effect, but is comparable to the MSM's reaction to this story:

Associated Press:

TRUMP TO ANNOUNCE DECISION ON PARIS CLIMATE PACT THURSDAY

President Donald Trump will announce his decision on whether to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord during a Rose Garden event Thursday afternoon.

Trump promoted his announcement Wednesday night on Twitter, after a day in which U.S. allies around the world sounded alarms about the likely consequences of a U.S. withdrawal. Trump himself kept everyone in suspense, saying he was still listening to "a lot of people both ways."

The White House signaled that Trump was likely to decide on exiting the global pact - fulfilling one of his principal campaign pledges - though top aides were divided. And the final decision may not be entirely clear-cut: Aides were still deliberating on "caveats in the language," one official said.

Barring panic in the streets and a stock market crash, Trump will end America's involvement with the Paris climate accord.

It is a sad day when Donald Trump is the only adult in the room willing to point out the emperor has no clothes. Or in this case, that the climate isn't controlled by mankind. This is TRUTH.

But even if mankind controlled the climate, try getting the emerging market nations, especially China, in line with a climate accord WITHOUT throwing billions of dollars at them. It cannot be done.

Needless to say, reality hasn't stopped the Left from going full Chicken Little on this story:

CNN:

Trump and Europe don't mix, and that will have lasting consequences

America First" is what Donald Trump promised, and it's what he's delivering, with his expected withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and his upbraiding of fellow NATO leaders in Europe last week.

A possible rejection of the global consensus on fighting climate change and Trump's view of NATO and transatlantic trade as transactional agreements that add up to a bad deal for US taxpayers, rather than guarantees of US power and global influence, will win the President kudos from his political supporters.

But the headlines in Europe following his trip -- "Boor in Chief" among them -- and first reactions to reports he may walk out of the Paris pact are the signs of a backlash against Trump's global role that are likely to have longstanding consequences, not just for America's image abroad, but for his own foreign policy aspirations. 

The problem here is the basic assumption that the international status quo is just fine. America shoulders far too much of the world's policing burden, while Europe enjoys far too much of its own welfare state. If the TRUTH offends Europe, so be it.

As the article points out, many diplomats in Europe are unhappy with Trump. This is overdue. Maybe now Europe will take responsibility for itself? If it does, we can sing Trump's praises later.

Meanwhile, on the Right...

Fox News:

Clinton calls out Russia for election loss

Hillary Clinton came out swinging Wednesday, ripping Russia for her November loss to President Trump and accusing the White House of colluding with Moscow in weaponizing technology to bring her campaign down.

Clinton linked Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections to Trump and said she hoped investigators would be able to unmask a plot to interfere in the U.S. elections.

"I take responsibility for every decision I made, but that's not why I lost,” she said at the annual Code Conference in California. “Anti-American forces are going after our economy and they are going after our unity as a nation."

This must be said to Hillary:

Seriously, it is interesting how the Right is covering this and not CNN. If Hillary's account is accurate, why would Fox be eager to lede with it? Why isn't CNN covering it?

Napoleon said it best:

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."

Everyone who is not deluded by Leftist ideology or Democratic Party loyalty knows the Russia story is weak. On top of that, Hillary sounds like she is deflecting criticism from herself for the bad decisions she made.

Basically, Fox is not only refusing to interrupt Hillary, it is magnifying her mistake by promoting it.

It should be noted that Fox did report on Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord. It just wasn't the lede today.