Greetings! Nix the press ban: So advise the editors of the right-leaning National Review.  “It is a violation of the spirit of a free press, and (Trump) would be better served by confronting reporters directly,” they wrote. Agree!...USA’s Chief Marketing Officer? During his off-the-rails speech at the UN yesterday, Trump insisted on re-branding artificial intelligence by the newly minted term “super intelligence.” Trump seems more interested in functioning as the country’s chief marketing officer, where he has obvious talents for coining catchy phrases that often stick (see: MAGA and all of its many offshoots). Personally, I’m in favor of calling artificial intelligence SHIT (Super Handy Intelligent Technology) because that’s where the world is heading if global leaders don’t create some guardrails to control AI. Worth noting: In his latest column, Thomas Friedman of the NY Times, thinks it’s time to cry wolf and it’s hard to argue against him...Worst state for academic freedom: It’s Maine, according to the Heritage Foundation’s annual ranking. Massachusetts and Connecticut are also in the bottom five. Florida got the nod as the best state for academic freedom. (Daily Signal)...Broken promises revealed: It’s widely accepted that President Trump doesn’t keep his promises. Author Anton LeBeau not only agrees with that statement, he set out to meticulously document the lies, deceptions and half-truths of Trump’s years in office. He just published his first book “The MAGA Audit: 100 Trump Promises That Fell Short.” Here’s my email interview with LeBeau...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard

Greetings! Trump TV,  the official White House YouTube channel, launched last night apparently partly in response to the press pool boycott of Trump’s major publicly facing activities. I tuned in this morning and it’s a mess.  I was subjected to a one-minute promo (set to the music of  the 1979 hit “Video Killed the Radio Star”) filled with snippets of shows like “Seinfeld,” “The Simpsons,” “Friends” and the movie “Home Alone.” My two immediate thoughts to the pre-roll video: so annoying, and did the White House secure the rights for the videos from the copyright holders? The channel didn’t provide live coverage of Trump’s UN speech this morning (carried by Fox News, MS NOW and Newsmax). It’s another embarrassment in a month of failures for the increasingly on-the-ropes president.  Worth noting: The channel already has more than three million subscribers....Four questions about Don Jr.’s wedding grift gift. (1) Exactly how much did Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev pay for the island rental where the May wedding was held and cost of the after-party fireworks? (2) Can we really trust Trump’s word that the money was repaid? After all, he fudged it by saying, “As I understand it, he paid it back.” (3) If there was nothing wrong with Don Jr. accepting the gift in the first place, as Trump claims, why was the money repaid? (4) According to various reports, Trump raked in at least $2 billion in 2025 through his various schemes. Why didn’t Papa pick up the tab? It's pocket change for him....Stupid but revealing Trump fact: When he’s being interviewed on television, he prefers to be shot from the right side so the thinning part in his ridiculous hairstyle doesn’t show, according to this NY Times article today. Memo to Trump: you’re not fooling anyone. Your thinning hair is a stylistic disaster no matter which side you’re presenting to the cameras...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard