Greetings! The fall guy? Trump pulled ranked on testosterone junkie Pete Hegseth yesterday when he nuked the plans of the Secretary of Defense to livestream the execution of Maj. Nidal Hasan Dec. 3 by firing squad. It’s a major embarrassment for“Hairgel” Hegseth who seems overtly focused on his image, personal appearance and macho posturing. I think Trump might be setting him up as the fall guy post-midterms for his failed war with Iran. Trump announced his decision in a post yesterday afternoon on Truth Social. Worth noting: I guess newbie press secretary Katie Zacharia might have been too busy giving interviews to outlets like Real America’s Voice defending her background in law to personally brief the press on Trump’s decision. (Her segment appears at the 9:45 mark.)...I don’t know about you, but I’m getting sick of all the unwanted text messages from political candidates asking for money. It’s out of control. The “Block Contact” function on my iPhone seems worthless....Tell that to Trump: An opinion piece in The Blaze asserts that the “GOP can’t blame Biden forever for pain at the pump”...Weekend Watch: The seven-part Netflix adaptation of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden ranks as quality prestige television. The multi-generational story of the tormented Trask family as they settle in California’s Salina Valley may be too slow and dark for some viewers, but its intricate plotting and original characters kept me glued to the screen. Also See-Worthy: For anyone who remembers the dominant 1985 Chicago Bears football team, The Shuffle provides a rollicking look back at making of the team's best-selling rap song and video “The Super Bowl Shuffle.” You don’t have to be a football fan to thoroughly enjoy this brisk 30-minute documentary now available on HBO Max... If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard

Greetings! Trouble’s at Trump’s Truth Social: For the fifth straight month, visits to the Trump-controlled Truth Social dropped, according to TheRighting’s latest exclusive research. Despite Trump’s increasingly frenetic use of Truth Social as a weapon to bludgeon his opponents, distort the truth, and promote his far-right political allies, audiences are not taking the bait. It looks to me like a rejection of Trumpism which is another sign of likely midterm calamity for the Republicans...Rubio’s Greek (Word) Salad: The Secretary of State looks especially foolish for his remarks last week essentially defending U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle.  While in Greece on a tour of Europe just as the mud was hitting the fan from the Journal’s scoop about the embattled Ambassador which led to her ouster this week, Rubio told reporters before boarding his plane leaving Greece, “You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it’s the gospel. It’s not the gospel.”  Memo to Marco: It was the gospel. (Associated Press)...Zero hour for Zacharia? It’s early in the first week for the besieged new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia and the wolves have already begun circling. Her biggest sin appears to be her claim that she’s a practicing lawyer. (She graduated law school but mainstream media sleuths have not found evidence of her passing the bar exam, which is essential to practice law in this country.) In her LinkedIn profile, she lists her role at the company California Fix as General Counsel. The president is presenting Zacharia as a lawyer. This is not some inconsequential detail. If Zacharia can’t keep the facts straight about something as simple as her professional history, how is she going to articulate the position of the United States and the president on complex issues of significant domestic and global importance?...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard