It’s Getting Wild, Former Speaker to Jail

That’s Entertainment: It was a wild day yesterday in presidential politics with Donald Trump making an actual foreign policy speech and trying to speak like a president, Bernie Sanders admitting he’s running low on gas, and Ted Cruz making an announcement that’s just hard to believe.

The Donald: Speaking in Washington, Trump promised his foreign policy would put “America First,” that he would quickly dispatch the Islamic State to oblivion, reject foreign trade deals that tie America’s hands, and avoid the “nation building” that bogged down the administration of George W. Bush. That last one is funny because Bush himself ran against “nation building” before he went to war in Iraq and Afghanistan and became a nation builder.

Trump may or may not have read his history. In 1939 the America First Committee tried to get the US to stay out of the troubles in Europe, and that didn’t go their way.

Berned: Facing grim delegate numbers, Bernie Sanders said in an interview that he will lay off hundreds of campaign workers all across the country to focus his efforts on the California Primary where 548 delegates are at stake. Sanders trails Clinton by 297 delegates and needs over 1,000 more to win the nomination.

“If we win this, every one of those great people who have helped us get this far, they will be rehired,” Sanders said. “But right now, we have to use all of the resources we have and focus them on the remaining states.”

Wait, What?: In a desperate move to breathe life into his wheezing presidential campaign, Ted Cruz announced that failed Republican candidate Carly Fiorina will be his running mate if he wins the nomination. It’s tough to say which one is supposed bring magnetic likability to the ticket.

Cruz described Fiorina as “brilliant and capable,” although she is best known for being ousted by Hewlett Packard after nearly driving the company into the dirt. As a candidate, Fiorina won exactly one (1) delegate before bailing out of the race. One wag tweeted that if Crus loses Indiana he’s going to appoint his cabinet.

Pinned: Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert admitted that he sexually abused students back when he was a high school wrestling coach before he was sentenced to 15 months in prison for violating banking rules while paying hush money to one of his victims.

The 74-year-old Hastert could not be charged with sex offenses because the statute of limitations has long expired on his crimes. US District Court Judge Thomas Durkin described Hastert as a “serial child molester” and added, “Nothing is more stunning than having ‘serial child molester’ and ‘speaker of the House’ in the same sentence.”

Prince: The investigation of the pop star’s death is focusing on prescription drugs. Investigators say prescription drugs were found with Prince’s body and in his home.

Trick Play: New England quarterback Tom Brady might have to sit out four games in the fall, but it won’t cost him much money. The website Deadspin reports that while Brady and the Patriots were waiting for final adjudication of his punishment in the deflated ball scandal, the majority of his pay for next season was shifted from salary to bonus, which the NFL can’t touch. That saves him about $2 million.

Gangstaz: New York authorities describe the indictment and roundup of two criminal street gangs as the biggest ever in the history of the city. About 90 gangsters accused of drug dealing and murder have been arrested and 30 more were still at large.

The seriousness of it all aside, the names of the gangs are fascinating. One is called 2Fly YGz, which is a branch of the national Young Gunnaz.

The other gang is called Big Money Bosses and the indictment says they identify their ranks by men’s suit brands. The leaders are Big Suits while lower ranks are Burberry Suits, Gucci Suits, Ferragamo Suits, and Sean John Suits.

There weren’t any Joseph A. Bank suits in the ranks, which is a shame because they have great sales.

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Thursday, April 18, 2024

Page Two

The Most Corrupt Justice

Monday, October 2, 2023

Democracy and Video in the Dark

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Page Two: Do the Right Thing

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Page Two: Sound Recall

Monday, September 13, 2021

Page Two: Cuomo Must Go

Friday, August 13, 2021

Trump and the Truth

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

The “Great” President

Monday, March 30, 2020

The Wright Stuff

Saturday, February 29, 2020

It's Been Said

"In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have, no excuses."

-Andrew Cuomo, resigning as governor of New York after accusations of sexual harassment

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