The Painful Truth: An  “epidemic of dishonesty” and a trend toward “alternate realities” are a threat to US democracy, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told graduates at Rice University in Texas yesterday.  The billionaire founder of Bloomberg News asked, “How did we go from a president who could not tell a lie to politicians who cannot tell the truth?”

Without taking a direct swipe at President Trump, Bloomberg told the graduates “There is now more tolerance for dishonesty in politics than I have seen in my lifetime. The only thing more dangerous than dishonest politicians who have no respect for the law is a chorus of enablers who defend their every lie.”

Truth is the topic du jour for both graduation speakers and political writers. So is political corruption. In a piece for The Atlantic titled,  “It’s Time for Trump Voters to Face the Bitter Truth,” Conor Friedersdorf writes that “Donald Trump promised to ‘drain the swamp’ while running for office. Voters gave him the opportunity to follow through when they propelled him to the White House. Instead, he surrounded himself with people who saw his victory as an opportunity to enrich themselves by selling the promise of access or influence.”

That’s a reference to the whole mess with Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, former political aide Corey Lewandowski, and a legion of swamp things who immediately went into the Trump-influencing business the moment he was elected. They are right in there with the Trump family.

Bloomberg’s Tim O’Brien says, “Ever since Trump and his family arrived in Washington they have essentially hung a for-sale sign on the White House by refusing to meaningfully separate themselves from their own business interests,” He says, “That’s certainly not lost on the companies that do business in or with Washington. They know that in Trump’s swamp, you pay to play.”

Terror: A knife-wielding man on a Paris street shouted “Allahu Akbar” before killing one passerby and wounding four others yesterday. The assailant was shot dead by the police. ISIS claimed responsibility.

> Suicide bombers killed at least 11 people and wounded dozens in attacks on three churches in Indonesia’s second-largest city of Surabaya this morning.

Police said at least five suicide bombers were involved, including one on a motorcycle and a woman who had two children with her, according to The Associated Press.

Down and Up: The federal tax cuts have proved to be a windfall for the states raking in higher taxes, The NY Times reports. The states haven’t adjusted their tax rates to account for what is and isn’t taxable under federal  law anymore. The states now have to decide whether to kick back the money or keep it.

The Kimchi Shutdown: North Korea announced that it will dismantle its nuclear test site. The Punggye-ri nuclear test site has been the location of all of North Korea’s six known nuclear tests. North Korea says journalists from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia and Britain will be invited to watch a special ceremony in which all of the tunnels at the testing ground will be destroyed along with the observation, research facilities, and guard buildings.

Fourteen Feet: A human foot clad in a hiking boot was recently discovered washed up on the shore of Gabriola Island in British Columbia. That would be odd enough, but it’s not the first foot discovered on the shores and waters around Vancouver. It’s the 14^th foot found in the past 10 years.

The first foot was found in August 2007. Most of the unattached feet were wearing a running shoe. Two of them had a boot on them. The original owners of nine of the feet were identified, and investigators matched two pairs.

Theories abound that this is the work of a serial killer, a foot fetishist, a hit man, or air crashes. Investigators just don’t know. They’re still doing their footwork.

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