Flag at Half-Class: The American flag was at half-staff as the sun went down over the White House last night after a turbulent day in which the flag was at the top of the pole in the morning.

The White House flag flew at half-staff Sunday in honor of the late Arizona Sen. John McCain. Yesterday morning, while flags all over the country were flying low,  the White House flag was back on top, causing a national uproar until President Trump signed an order to lower it again. It will stay at half-staff until McCain is buried.

After first refusing to keep the flag at half-staff or say anything admiring about McCain, Trump under pressure finally last night begrudging said, “We very much appreciate everything senator McCain has done for our country.” That was the best he had to say. At least three times yesterday reporters asked if Trump had any comment about McCain and he kept his jaws locked.

The Trump family’s most effusive sympathies were uttered by the bloodless first daughter Ivanka, who said, “The nation is united in its grief and the world mourns the loss of a true hero and a great statesman.” So touching.

It is true that McCain lived and served long enough that his flaws and failures in life are forgotten in death. But McCain was one of few Republican politicians who stood up to Trump and called him for what he is, causing the President to embark on a vendetta that continues to the senator’s grave.

The late senator may have the last word in an eloquent yet biting deathbed statement issued by his spokesman.

McCain, who was a prisoner of war for 5 ½ years and endured untold tortures, said, “I have often observed that I am the luckiest person on earth. I feel that way even now as I prepare for the end of my life. I have loved my life, all of it. I have had experiences, adventures and friendships enough for ten satisfying lives, and I am so thankful. Like most people, I have regrets. But I would not trade a day of my life, in good or bad times, for the best day of anyone else’s.”

In a message aimed not only at Americans, but at the President, McCain said, “We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.”

Trader Joe: President Trump announced that he has reached a trade deal with Mexico to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, Nafta, which he hates. He’s threatening to leave Canada out of the agreement.

The new agreement is really an update of Nafta to accommodate the digital economy, cars, farm goods, and labor unions. As with Nafta, American companies can still operate in Mexico and Canada without tariffs.

Nonetheless, Trump said, “This is one of the largest trade deals ever made. Maybe the largest trade deal ever made.”It’s a mathematical impossibility for a trade deal with Mexico to be the largest trade deal ever.

Non-Protection Racket: The government’s top official overseeing the $1.5 trillion student loan industry resigned citing the administration’s hostility toward protecting the people who take out the sometimes predatory loans.

Seth Frotman has been the student loan watchdog for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau since 2016. The CFPB successfully sued the for-profit Corinthian Colleges and is now suing Navient, one of the country’s largest student lenders. But now the Department of Education, headed by Betsy DeVos, refuses to help with the Navient suit and is loosening lending rules.

The CFPB is being quietly dismantled under its trump-appointed boss, Mick Mulvaney.

Frotman said in his resignation letter, “You have used the bureau to serve the wishes of the most powerful financial companies in America. The damage you have done to the bureau betrays these families and sacrifices the financial futures of millions of Americans in communities across the country.”

One Man, One Vote: For the second time, a federal court has thrown out North Carolina’s congressional districts, saying they are unconstitutionally drawn to favor Republicans. Ten of the state’s 13 districts are represented by Republicans.

The fight is probably headed to the Supreme Court, but the judges in North Carolina left open the possibility that the districts will have to be re-drawn before the mid-term elections.

Guns and Mental Illness: The man who shot and killed two champion video game players at a tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. had been treated in a psychiatric hospital at least twice, according to his records. David Katz, 24, of Baltimore, shot himself at the end of his spree.

Filings from his parents 2007 divorce reveal his social and emotional struggles, as well as psychiatric treatment. Nevertheless, Katz had legally bought two handguns in the weeks before the shooting.

Apple, Inc:It’s been a long time since the news about apple involved actual apples. For years the Red Delicious apple that fills the bowl at the hotel desk has been America’s most popular apple, despite the development of much tastier hybrids; Cameo, Pink Lady, Ambrosia, Jazz. The US Apple Association says the Red Delicious is about to be supplanted.  Coming on strong are the Granny Smith, Fuji, and Honeycrisp.But the apple people projecting that the Gala is about to be #1.

Somebody please tell the management at Marriott.

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