R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, who died yesterday at age 76, was bigger than her own music. She was a figure in civil rights, women’s rights, and even comforting soldiers in Vietnam with the power of soul.

Known as the “Queen of Soul,” she sold more than 75 million records. She died of pancreatic cancer in her home city of Detroit.

Franklin’s 1967 hit “Respect” became an anthem for women’s power and the song by which she was known the rest of her life. What few people know is that the song was written by Otis Redding about a man pleading for respect from his woman. He sang: “Hey little girl, you’re sweeter than honey / And I’m about to give you all of my money. Franklin changed the lines and sang, “”Oooh, your kisses, “Sweeter than honey / And guess what? / So is my money.”

Franklin was coached in gospel vocals by her father, a well-known Christian minister. He introduced her to Fats Domino and Bobby Bland.She grew up in a neighborhood in Detroit that spawned Diana Ross, the Four Tops, and Smokey Robinson.

Franklin converted from gospel to pop. Her hits included “I Never Loved A Man,” “Do Right Woman — Do Right Man,” “Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools,” “Think,” and “Rock Steady.” Cinque Hendersonwrote in The NY Times,“No one blended the sacred and the sexual quite as Ms. Franklin did.”

Free Press, Fake News:In response to editorials in hundreds of newspapers yesterday defending the press from attacks by President Trump, the President tweeted, “THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA IS THE OPPOSITION PARTY. It is very bad for our Great Country….BUT WE ARE WINNING!”

Evidently he was unconvinced. Critics of the editorial blast were correct that Trump would take it as proof that the press is colluding to bring his downfall. He wrote, “There is nothing that I would want more for our Country than true FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. The fact is that the Press is FREE to write and say anything it wants, but much of what it says is FAKE NEWS, pushing a political agenda or just plain trying to hurt people. HONESTY WINS!”

Trump has never identified a story about him — or anything else — that is fake. The Washington Post says that, conversely, Trump has made 4,229 outright false or misleading statements since he became president.

Insecure:President Trump’s decision to strip former CIA Director John Brennan of his security clearance has caused a predictable uproar. Former security officers generally keep their clearance so they can consult with the current administration about continuing issues. The Brennan move means that Trump is using the power of his office to punish critics.

David Priess, a former CIA officer, told The NY Times, “It makes national security agencies vulnerable to the selective granting and removal of security clearances, which is something that happens more in a banana republic than the United States of America.”

Retired Admiral William H. McRaven, who directed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, has written a public letter in sympathy with Brennan, asking that the president revoke his security clearance as well. He wrote, “Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation.

McRaven said, “If you think for a moment that your McCarthy-era tactics will suppress the voices of criticism, you are sadly mistaken. The criticism will continue until you become the leader we prayed you would be.”

Most Foul:A Frederick, Colo. father who stood in front of television cameras and said his pregnant wife and two young daughters had “just vanished,” has been charged with the murder of all three. Christopher Watts is accused of murdering his wife, Shanann, and their daughters Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3. Shanann’s body was found on the property of a local oil company and the two girls were found inside oil tanks.

Watts had told reporters, “I mean, the kids are my life. I mean, those smiles light up my life. And just, like, I mean, last night, when they usually eat dinner, it was like, I miss them.”

Overdose:More than 72,000 Americans died as a resulted of drug overdose in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It’s a 9.5 percent increase over the previous year. The surge is attributed to the increased use of synthetic opioids, including fentanyl. About 30,000 of the 2017 deaths were the result of using synthetics.

Parade Rest:The Pentagon announced that President Trump’s military parade will not happen this fall and will be delayed at least until 2019. The news came shortly after the cost of the parade was revealed to be $92 million, roughly three times the original estimate.

Girl Talk:Fired Trump aide Omarosa yesterday released an audio recording of Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara offering a $15,000 a month no-show job with the 2020 Trump campaign to keep Omarosa quiet about her time in the White House.

Lara, wife of Eric Trump, can be heard saying, “It sounds a little like, obviously, that there are some things you’ve got in the back pocket to pull out. Clearly, if you come on board the campaign, like, we can’t have, we got to …” and at that moment Omarosa says, “Oh, God no.”

“Everything, everybody, positive, right?” Lara Trump asks.

Snippets of the entire recording were released only to MSNBC. Two things to note here: Omarosa is a sharp player of the press and Lara Trump is a dimmer bulb than even her husband.

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