Trump in the Sand, Wag the Finger

Arms and the Man: President Trump was greeted in Riyadh yesterday with artillery salutes and a flyby of fighter jets before he signed a $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia in the first stop of his foreign tour. The deal includes naval ships, armored vehicles and more.

“It was a great day,” Trump said, touting “tremendous investments in the United States . . . and jobs, jobs, jobs.”

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross took part in a traditional Saudi sword dance, demonstrating that they have no rhythm.

Trump is trying to reverse what was years of growing tensions between the Saudis and the Obama administration. Having insulted pretty much the entire Muslim faith during his campaign, Trump is expected to call today for Arab unity to fight the Islamic State.

First Lady Melania Trump stepped off Air Force One without wearing a headscarf. So did Ivanka. It’s customary to wear one in deference to Saudi sensibilities. The precedent for going scarfless was set by Michelle Obama, who was condemned at the time by none other than Donald Trump, who tweeted, “Many people are saying it was wonderful that Mrs. Obama refused to wear a scarf in Saudi Arabia, but they were insulted. We have enuf enemies”.

Wag the Finger: Back at home, Trump’s troubles await his return. Conservative columnist Peggy Noonan writing in the Wall Street Journal gives President Trump a scolding for his performance so far in office: “It would be good if top Hill Republicans went en masse to the president and said: ‘Stop it. Clean up your act. Shut your mouth. Do your job. Stop tweeting. Stop seething. Stop wasting time. You lost the thread and don’t even know what you were elected to do anymore. Get a grip.’”

Nation: Bouncing back from a Supreme Court decision that struck down most of the state’s abortion limits, the Republican-controlled Texas House has passed a law that bans a commonly used second-trimester abortion procedure known as dilation and evacuation. Doctors found to administer the procedure would be charged with a felony.

The provision was attached to a bill requiring burial or cremation for all fetal remains, a law that was previously struck down.

Hermit Kingdom: North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile today. They just aren’t listening to President Trump.

Social Notes: Pippa Middleton, younger sister of the Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, was married yesterday in a ceremony attended by the next generation of royals and their children. Middleton, 33, married James Matthews, 41, a financier who used to be a race car driver. Didn’t we see this plot in “Downton Abbey”?

The Obit Page: Stanley Greene, a fearless photographer who travelled the world snapping pictures of war, has died at age 68. Once a member of the Black Panthers, Greene started as a fashion photographer before he moved to Paris and covering conflicts.

Greene was the only foreign photographer inside Russia’s White House during a 1993 coup attempt. He stuck it out during shelling and gunfire. He wrote in his book “Black Passport,” that “The fact that I thought I was going to die gave me courage.” He wrote, “Courage is control of fear. I think that this incident is the one that steeled me. I’m no hero, but it made me so that once I commit to a story, I have to see it through.”

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Friday, March 29, 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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