DramatistDreamer

When I was in elementary school, we read the Declaration of Independence. We also had to memorize and recite the Preamble for a school assembly. That people wouldn't recognize it strikes me as somewhat unnerving, even more unnerving is that these people vote. Ironically these people are usually the very same ones who want to suppress the rights of others, screaming about 'voter fraud'. Speaking of voting irregularities...

I feel like any soap today would be lucky to have Amelia Marshall today! I could shed a tear thinking about Marshall, Monti Sharp, Nia Long and Vince Williams. I took them for granted but watching the remaining soaps (well, I'm actually down to Y&R now), I can now see how rare it is to have a circle of actors who were each so strong in their own right.

If China has the power, they don't seem to be very interested in wielding it against NK. I think they view NK as that crazy cousin that you deal with with kid gloves. (I'll never forget the Chinese government ordering Chinese people on Weibo to stop calling Kim Jong-Un "Fatty Kim" which had become a name that Chinese posters online had taken to calling the North Korean dictator). China just seems more concerned with NK having enough economic prosperity and order that there is no refugee crisis spilling over their border. I think China would rather wield whatever power they may have in the circle of the 'big countries'. For instance, they are relishing the idea that the U.S. is now coming to them, practically hat in hand, asking them for help on something.

As president, Barack Obama along with First Lady Michelle used to host an annual 4th of July picnic for veterans and their families. What is Trump doing? Playing golf in Bedminster, NJ. Hm. China has no interest in even giving the appearance that they are acceding to any request put forth by the U.S. when they actively engage in trade and share a border with North Korea. China doesn't want to rock the boat for fear of unleashing instability that would lead to a refugee crisis sprawling over the border into their country. There may not be a good solution to this but Trump's solution to rely on China to 'fix things' for the U.S. is certainly an unwise strategy and likely to fail.

Grrrrr.

Since Trump's been in office, how many of these nuclear missile tests has North Korea done? This must be some kind of record, or something for the most missile tests.

The courts seem to be the only entity holding the line against some of these ridiculous Trump rollbacks from pushing through. Court Blocks E.P.A. Effort to Suspend Obama-Era Methane Rule

I swear this man has 'baby fever'! Two sets of twins, yet he still talks of more kids. I wonder how Mirka feels. Not to mention Andy is going to be a Daddy for the second time. I guess we know how he injured that hip.

Most people may not realize that there are some areas where healthcare clinics are so few and far between that even men have been known to go to some PP clinics for care.

...but you're not a journalist though. It's understandable but anyone who isgetting paid and claiming to be press and tennis media should do some research. The guy has been on tour for almost two years now, it just makes the person who asked the question look uniformed and foolish. So he's that guy, hm. I hadn't remembered the name of the defaulter. He really deserves to be dragged for that. Welp, he can go in the next round then. Who does he play next?

Speaking of Medvedev, why did I see that upset coming? So is Anacone now out of a job? Don't know what to say about Berdych's rankings drop except, life comes at you fast!

The tennis media is known for asking impertinent questions. They are surprising in their lack of decorum and their questions usually lack insight. I can remember when they got Monfils (of all people) so irritated that he dropped the F-bomb at his post match press conference during the US Open last year. Also, the media asked this question today of a player, which shows utter ignorance: Andrei is Ukrainian and played in the 1990s, Daniil is Russian and only began his pro career 2 years ago but oh, some Einstein in the press corp thinks they're brothers. The British media is the worst, their style of 'journalism' is pure tabloid and they were clearly looking to exploit a tragic situation. Hopefully this is the end of that line of questioning and the press will go back to asking their usual irrelevant sports-related questions. If not, I would just pass on each accident related question, maybe even let the moderator know I'm going to leave if there are more non-tennis related questions. If it comes down to it, as a last resort, I'd skip the press conference altogether and pay the fines. They can go exploit someone else's misery. Isn't Dan Evans free these days? The British press can obsess over his cocaine habit and his hatred of Aljaz Bedene, who won his five setter over Ivo Karlovic today.

Not content to let Trump be the biggest a-s-shole of the day, Chris Christie makes a case for himself.

I see your point, in a way (about focus) but no, the critiques are not the same. Trump once called a woman fat ugly pig, when has Obama ever done that? Speaking of healthcare, do you remember the level of viciousness that was directed at Obama by his detractors when the bill was released? People actually had dummies made up to look like Obama and tied the necks in a noose! Are people not aware of the imagery of a Black man made to look like he was hanging in a noose? I can see your point about Democrats focusing on an issue and driving it but I don't see anyone hanging effigies of Trump hanging in nooses and no, Kathy Griffin's stunt (although bad) doesn't come close. A reminder of just the kind of man the current president has always been. I remember this ad. It's a good thing that Trump had no position of political power back then because surely these men would never had lived to see this day. And he still has never apologized but suddenly Trump's too soft to bear the brunt of criticism?? Puhlease!

Putting it in perspective.

The GOP didn't do much to help their own case toward being taken seriously during the Obama years when they also screeched about Michelle Obama's arms, the length of Sasha and Malia's skirts and that Obama having had the "audacity" to wear a tan suit on Easter Sunday. You have to pick and choose your battles but Americans, including the media should be able to focus on more than one newsworthy topic at a time.

Maybe people are paying attention to the wrong media because I will say this-- PBS did some very thorough investigative work on both candidates during the Presidential election campaign season but I get the distinct feeling that, unless it's Downton Abbey, people don't care about what much of public television has to offer. Frontline is an excellent program that goes in-depth but I wonder whether people have the attention span to watch their episodes. ETA: PBS is not as daring or avant-garde as they once were, in terms of arts programming-unfortunately, but they still manage to have a few stalwarts that consistently do programming well. Their news reporting is easily some the best you will see on television.

Meanwhile Scott Pruitt, the EPA's new head is undoing environmental protections and regulations with alarming efficiency including reversing a ban on a pesticide known to cause nerve damage in children. Come to think of it, I'm not sure most American care about this either since there has been so little pushback by the public on these environmental rollbacks.

@DRW50 Oh wow, thanks for this, what a find! I can actually remember when HBO used to broadcast coverage when I was a kid. The late great Arthur Ashe was one of the commentators. I miss hearing his nuanced analysis, I miss his insights into today's sports culture. I'd love to know what he thinks of a Colin Kaepernick. I recently discovered that PBS also used to broadcast tennis before going to cable. ETA: They even mention Cablevision, which growing up was the cable provider that my family susbscribed to!

So now, Trump's so-called anti-voting fraud commission wants people's personal information to go to an insecure site. Maybe easier pickings for the Russians to tamper with?

It's so weird. Wasn't Van Susteren at CNN before she went to FXNC? I remember once thinking it would be weird for her to go to make the switch from CNN but, I guess the money was right and switch she did, with aplomb! Also strange that anyone, let alone NBC would be banking on Kelly to be a 'hit' on daytime TV. She has never struck me as the type that had a daytime 'personality'. Then again, she tried to compare herself to Oprah and those two never struck me as having any similarities whatsoever.

Of course, it's a shell game faciliated by the quest for clicks online and off. The real sh*tstorm will likely hit when some of these Congresspeople revisit their home districts during the recess.

Haven't been paying much attention today to the gathering sh*tstorm that Trump's tweets have been causing (I have other things to do) but I've just noticed that there are some calls for Trump to 'tone it down' or 'stop this'. One tweet even refusing to dignify his rants on Twitter. Here's one (gently put) example.