Straight to the Video: The Pentagon late yesterday released video showing Iran’s involvement in the attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The video shows an Iranian patrol boat pulling up next to one of the stricken tankers and removing an unexploded limpet mine from the side of one of the stricken ships.

  At a news conference, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security.” 

  Four tankers were attacked a month ago as well.

  There’s some disagreement about how the attacks were carried out. The Japanese shipping company that lost a tanker said its crew reports their ship was hit by a flying object.

  Iran denies any involvement.

  It’s hard to overestimate the importance of what’s happening. Forty percent of the world’s oil is shipped by tanker through these waters; the Persian Gulf, the Straits of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. The Iranian shore lines all of them.

  The Trump administration is now in a difficult position. After describing Iran as an international threat, they have to decide whether this situation can be defused with diplomacy or requires a military response.  

Open the Hatches: An independent government watchdog agency said President Trump’s close aide Kellyanne Conway should be fired for violating the law against political activity in a government office.

  The Office of Special Counsel, which isn’t related to the Robert Mueller investigation, enforces the Hatch Act that outlaws such political activity. A letter from the agency to President Trump describes Conway as a “repeat offender” and says, “As a highly visible member of the administration, Ms. Conway’s violations, if left unpunished, send a message to all federal employees that they need not abide by the Hatch Act’s restrictions.” The letter says, “Her actions erode the principal foundation of our democratic system — the rule of law.”

  The OSC has concluded that Conway “violated the Hatch Act on numerous occasions by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.”

 Conway has previously dismissed accusations that she routinely violates the act. “Blah, blah, blah,” she told a reporter who asked about it a few weeks ago.“If you’re trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it’s not going to work. Let me know when the jail sentence starts.”

The Razorback Runs:Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the angry White House press secretary who ended the tradition of daily press briefings, is quitting at the end of the month to run for governor of her home state Arkansas. President Trump announced her departure on Twitter, proving further proof that the press office has become irrelevant under his tenure and hers. 

  She has been one of the most defensive and combative press secretaries in the history of the office. She has outright lied in defense of President Trump.

  Sanders’ father was governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007.She would be running to replace Republican Asa Hutchinson, who was re-elected to a four-year term only last November.

Shock and Awe:Politicians in Washington are shocked about President Trump’s statement that he would welcome political dirt on an opponent from a foreign source and wouldn’t tell the FBI about it.

  What’s shocking here is that Trump still has the ability to shock.

  Fellow Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said, “It’s wrong. It’s antithetical to our democratic principles.”

  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer  of New York said simply, “How disgraceful.”

Dream Vacation: The mysterious deaths of at least seven tourists in recent weeks and months in the Dominican Republic have dominated television news in recent days. Representatives of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Bahia Principe hotel have said the deaths were merely accidents, although exactly what the accident was they don’t say. A Maryland couple were found dead in their room at the Grand Bahia Principe.

  Other visitors have said they became ill after drinking alcohol from the mini-bars in their rooms. Now news reports say investigators are focusing on the possibility that bootleg alcohol containing methanol has been slipped into the hotel supplies.

Shot in the Arm: Amidst a measles outbreak, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo yesterday signed a law ending the religious exception for child vaccinations.

  “We’re putting science ahead of misinformation about vaccines and standing up for the rights of immunocompromised children and adults, pregnant women and infants who can’t be vaccinated through no fault of their own,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman said in a statement.

  The law gives unvaccinated students up to 30 days to show they’ve started getting immunized. Much of the outbreak is in the Orthodox Jewish community, which has been the target of an anti-vaccination disinformation campaign.

  High rates of vaccination create what’s called “herd immunity,” reducing the risk of infection for people who for various medical reasons cannot be vaccinated.

  One of the most prominent people challenging the safety of vaccines is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. son of the assassinated senator. He has said, for one thing, that naturally occurring mercury in vaccines is poisoning children. Kennedy denies being an anti-vaxxer, but that’s basically what he is. 

Hoop Dreams:With Golden State missing their star forward Kevin Durant with a torn ligament, the Toronto Raptors edged the defending champions by just four points last night to win the NBA title. The final score; 114-110. 

  Three of the Raptors delivered stunning performances. Kyle Lowry scored 11 of his 26 points in the game’s first minutes. Pascal Siakam added 26 points and 10 rebounds. The undrafted Fred VanVleet made five 3-pointers to finish with 22 points. 

  It was the Warriors’ last home game in Oakland. They’re moving to San Francisco next year.

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