Greetings! Adios: Karoline Leavitt shocked the political world yesterday with her announcement that she’s stepping down as White House press secretary. In an article I wrote for Mediaite in early January, I predicted that speculation would heat up this year about her next career move. But I thought she’d last until early 2027.  In my article, I forecast two possible career paths for Leavitt and I still stand by those possibilities: TV anchor or run for political office where she would have an adoring right-wing press to put wind at her back. Let’s not forget that in 2022 she ran unsuccessfully for Congress in New Hampshire’s 1^st district. For the past 19 months, I have marveled at her ability to maintain composure performing the world’s toughest communications job in front of an often adversial White House press corp (justifiably so, I might add). However, I also agree completely with this assessment of her stint as the overly aggressive snarling guard dog protecting the 47th president: “(H)er tenure was defined by demonizing the press, smearing individual journalists, and deflecting on behalf of a president who has engaged in open corruption and the weaponization of government,” wrote Oliver Darcy of Status News last night...If you’re interested in the origin story of conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch, mark your calendar for Dec. 11.  That’s when the movie “Ink” bows theatrically before landing on Netflix January 8.  The film, which stars Guy Pearce as the young press baron in 1969 London, focuses on Murdoch’s struggles to relaunch the British newspaper The Sun into a populist tabloid,  (Variety)....Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who is considering a run for the Oval Office in 2028, has penned a Fox News op-ed  where he outlines a 14-point plan to rebuild America. He offers suggestions like free childcare and a $25 minimum wage...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard

Greetings! Cowardly lion? I’m not necessarily accusing Trump of cowardly behavior last month for sneaking off Air Force One in a catering cart for the safety of a nearby U.S. Air Force jet while preparing to leave a NATO meeting in Turkey.  But the optics looked terrible, especially for an administration that prizes hyper-masculinity as one of its core values.  He let journalists and administration staff fly in Air Force One. Most were unaware that it might be targeted by Iranians aiming to blow the aircraft out of the sky. Worth noting: The NY Times nailed it by publishing this quote about the catering cart incident from Andrew Marlowe, who wrote the great 1997 movie “Air Force One” starring Harrison Ford as the heroic president. “If the threat were that great, it’s hard to imagine the audience rooting for any character who would trade his own safety by treating the remaining civilians onboard as potential sacrificial lambs, especially without their informed consent,” said Marlowe. Also worth noting: The relentlessly macho-posturing SecDef Pete Hegseth joined POTUS on the secret jet while Scott Bessent and Marco Rubio flew on the decoy jet. Does this mean Trump views them as more expendable than Hegseth?...America lost the Iran war. So says The American Conservative’s Andrew Day. “Clearly, the White House badly underestimated Tehran’s resilience and resolve,” Day writes, “an inexcusable miscalculation considering the frantic warnings issued by Iran experts before the war. There aren’t many silver linings here amid the gloom and doom.” Worth noting: the Washington Examiner also slams Trump’s war. The headline says it all: Trump Has a “Big Stick” in Iran. He Forgot to Bring a Brain...Why are canceled movie stars like Armie Hammer and Jonathan Majors appearing in anti-Muslim films? Texas Monthly has the answers....If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard