The Silence of the Lambs: A day after Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake denounced President Trump and announced his retirement, Trump continued his personal attacks on Flake and his fellow dissenting Republican, Bob Corker of Tennessee.

Trump tweeted, “The reason Flake and Corker dropped out of the Senate race is very simple, they had zero chance of being elected. Now act so hurt & wounded!”

Trump did not answer Flake’s accusations that the president is a danger to democracy and world peace. Instead, Trump tweeted, “Jeff Flake, with an 18% approval rating in Arizona, said ‘a lot of my colleagues have spoken out.’ Really, they just gave me a standing O!”

Trump did, in fact, get a standing ovation after a meeting with Republicans. But somewhere in Congress there are Republicans who agree with Flake, Corker, John McCain and former President George W. Bush. There are some Republicans who don’t believe it’s their job to speak up.

Idaho Sen. Jim Risch had the following exchange with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Tuesday night.

WB: “But when he lies about something and you know it’s a lie, shouldn’t you speak up?”

JR: “That’s your job.”

WB: “But that’s your job. You’re a United States senator  … you’re a co-equal branch of the U.S. government.”

The Rabbit Hole: Still covering campaign 2016 a year later, CNN reports that a data analytics company working for the Trump campaign asked WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to provide access to Hillary Clinton’s emails kept on her private server. The company, Cambridge Analytica, was hired by the campaign in the summer of 2016.

There’s no evidence that Trump knew of the request or that Cambridge succeeded in getting anything. It’s just proof that campaigns are dirty.

On the other side, the Clinton campaign is now taking heat about its law firm commissioning the infamous “Trump-Russia” dossier. It’s another example of the unattractive dirt-digging that goes on in American politics. It does not appear that the Clinton campaign attempted to use the damaging information in the dossier. They may not have trusted its credibility and the document was never released by the campaign, although it was leaked after the election was over.

To Your Health: The new prices for 2018 Obamacare insurance plans went online yesterday on Healthcare.gov and the consulting firm Avalere Health says that the instability caused by health insurance politics is causing rates to increase by an average 34 percent. Low-income customers aided by federal subsidies won’t see an increase.

Some of the increases, though, are whoppers. “Silver” plan premiums will go up by 49 percent in Florida, 43 percent in Missouri, and 65 percent in Wyoming.

Something Fishy: Both Republicans and Democrats are calling for an investigation into the award of a $300 million no-bid contract to a tiny Montana company for restoring power in Puerto Rico. Whitefish Energy, of Whitefish, Mt. (pop.  6,357) had only two employees when Hurricane Maria hit. Under the contract they will charge $462 per hour for a subcontracted supervisor and $319.04 for a subcontract lineman.

Whitefish appears to have a friendship with Interior Secy. Ryan Zinke, although it’s unknown whether he had influence over the contract award. The Daily Beast, reports that Whitefish is financed by a company run by a major Trump donor.

San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz called for immediate cancellation of the contract. Puerto Rico’s financial oversight board is moving to place an emergency manager in charge of the bankrupt Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, which awarded the contract. Seventy-five percent of the island is still without electricity.

Nation: A 58-year-old brother of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock was arrested in Los Angeles yesterday on charges of possessing child pornography. Bruce Paddock was arrested at a nursing facility in the Valley Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, just north of Studio City. — The federal government is expected today to begin releasing the final secret papers on the assassination of President Kennedy.

The Obit Page: Fats Domino, one of the creators of Rock n’ Roll whose rendition of “Blueberry Hill”  and ″Ain’t It a Shame” are classics, has died at age  89.

A lot of sound came out of the man who was 5-5 and 200 pounds. His songs hit the top 40 dozens of times. Domino was the son of a violin player in a family of nine children. He taught himself to play the piano and quit school at age 14.

Popular in the 1950s, Domino was pushed aside in the 1960s by the British Invasion and psychedelic rock. “I refused to change,” he said. “I had to stick to my own style that I’ve always used or it just wouldn’t be me.”

The Boys of Summer: The Astros beat Los Angeles 7-6 in 11 innings last night in the second game of the World Series last night. The Series is even at 1-1. Next game is tomorrow.

Say No More: In an impromptu press conference yesterday, President Trump said he has been unfairly trashed by the press.

“The press makes me more uncivil than I am,” Trump said in a backhanded admission that he is uncivil. “People don’t understand,” he said. “I went to an Ivy league college. I was a nice student. I did very well. I’m a very intelligent person.  The fact is I think I really believe, I think the press creates a different image of Donald Trump than the real person.”

All you have to do is quote him and he does the rest.

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