Trump Under Oath, 175 Years in Prison

The Russia Thing: President Trump says he’s willing to testify under oath in front of the Special Counsel investigating Russian election influencing.

“I’m looking forward to it, actually,” Trump told reporters at the White House. His announcement sort of ends speculation about whether or under what terms Trump might answer questions. Sort of. His lawyers could still talk him out of it or convince him to impose restrictions on the interview. Trump told the press, “Here’s the story, just so you understand, there’s been no collusion whatsoever. There’s been no obstruction whatsoever, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Trump characterized the suspicions of collusion with the Russians as unfair so, “You fight back,” and consequently, he said, the response is, “‘Oh, it’s obstruction.’”

It’s a risk for the president, who has experience being carved up by sharp lawyers in a lawsuit deposition. His over-confidence and looseness with the truth have previously gotten the better of him.

Pink Floyd: In that same session with reporters, the President said he’s open to citizenship for the younger undocumented immigrants known as “dreamers” in exchange for $25 billion to build his wall on the border with Mexico, and another $5 billion for security upgrades.

Close to 800,000 people have been protected from deportation because they were brought to the US as children, but Trump ended the program.

Talking about the dreamers, Trump said, “It’s going to happen — over a period of 10 to 12 years. If somebody’s done a great job and worked hard. It keeps the incentive to do a great job. … I think it’s a nice thing to have incentive, after a period of years, being able to become a citizen.”

Life: The President of Michigan State resigned late yesterday in the wake of accusations that the school didn’t do enough to stop its athletic doctor Larry Nassar from molesting young female athletes. At least 160 women and girls have spoken up.

Nassar yesterday delivered a weak apology before he was sentenced to spend up to 175 years in prison. “I just signed your death warrant,” said Judge Rosemarie Aquilina. Nassar is already serving 60 years on a federal conviction for possession of child pornography.

In a long speech before delivering her sentence, Aquilina read from a letter Nassar had written to the court. Nassar said that the athletes kept returning to him for treatment. He said in his letter, “The media convinced them that everything I did was wrong. They feel that I broke their trust. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. It is just a complete nightmare.”

At the “no fury” line, there was an audible gasp from the spectators.

Nassar pleaded guilty to a handful of counts, but 156 girls and women delivered victim impact statements in court. There’s no telling how many victims there really are.

This doesn’t end it. The NCAA has opened an investigation of Michigan state’s handling of the matter. Still to be sorted out is why and how USA Gymnastics, The US Olympic Committee, and Michigan State, where Nassar also worked, ignored complaints from athletes going back as far as 20 years. Lawsuits by victims will depend upon the laws and statutes of limitations in the states and countries where the abuse took place.

Last of its Kind: An Alabama reporter has found the remains of  a wooden cargo ship that is believed to the last vessel to bring African slaves to the shores of the United States in 1860.

Fifty-two years after the importation of slaves was banned, the ship named the Clotilda delivered 110 slaves on a river bank just a few miles above the city of Mobile. The captain had the ship burned and the recently-discovered wreck is roughly in the location the captain described.

The reporter, Ben Raines of AL.Com, said he brought in experts and “All concluded that the wreck dated to the mid 1800s (the Clotilda was built in 1855), and featured construction techniques typical of Gulf Coast schooners used to haul lumber and other heavy cargo, as the Clotilda was designed to do.”

Final Curtain: Flamboyant singer Elton John said he’s going to retire from touring after one last fantastic three-year show with 300 stops to be called,  “Farewell Yellow Brick Road.” He said, “That doesn’t mean I won’t still be creative, but I won’t travel any more…I don’t want to go out with a whimper. I want to go out with a bang…It’ll be the most produced, fantastic show I’ve ever done.”

Back to the Future: CBS announced that it is reviving the old sitcom “Murphy Brown” starring Candice Bergen, 20 years after the show finished a 10-year run.

When the show opened, Bergen played a hard-nosed 40-year-old television reporter who just got out of treatment at the Betty Ford Center. Bergen is 71 now.

Evidently Eldin the painter needs more time to finish the job.

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Wednesday, April 24, 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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