Greetings! Welcome to the early bird edition of TheRighting. I’ve got a fishing boat to catch at 8 a.m. today so I'm up extra early. Wish me luck!...He’s got a point: Trump is moaning justifiably about the awful Time magazine cover image of him.  The unflattering angle was shot from below his face directly at his jowly neck.  Because of the angle and lighting, his hairline looks pathetically anemic. The cover feels like a deliberate attempt to portray Trump in the worst possible way. However, Trump’s public complaints only help to drive more eyeballs to the uncomplimentary picture. American Thinker created a much more positive image of Trump – generated with an AI tool – featuring him standing in front of a pyramid with nary a golden hair of his thinning thatch out of place... Book critic-in-chief: President Trump is urging his followers on Truth Social to buy Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s new book I Am Giorgia: My Roots, My Principles. “She is an inspiration to all,” he gushed. “Buy your copy today.” Not only did Trump provide the cover blurb, Don Jr. wrote the foreword. The book was published in June.  It’s curious why he’s pushing it now...The gerontocracy rolls on.  Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mill has thrown her cane – excuse me, I mean hat – into the race to displace the state’s GOP stalwart Senator Susan Collins.  Mills turns 78 December 30. I’m all for vigorously challenging Collins so that Democrats can try to reclaim the majority in the Senate, but the optics of this seem all wrong. Political novice, 41-year-old oyster farmer Graham Platner, seems a more exciting choice for the Dems...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard

Greetings! Perhaps Trump got a little ahead of his skis in declaring the war is over, after playing a key role in securing the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.  The editors of the Wall Street Journal’s historically conservative editorial page certainly think so. “This is far from guaranteed,” they wrote, arguing for caution. “Mr. Trump’s line, ‘This is a historic dawn of a new Middle East,’ echoes past hopes that have been crushed. Hamas gave in Monday not to make peace, but because its alternatives were worse. It seeks to exploit the cease-fire to restore its power and return to war”...Mensch: Joe Biden took the high road with a congratulatory Twitter post about Trump’s successful efforts to bring the last Israeli hostages home from captivity in Gaza.  “I commend President Trump and his team for their work to get a renewed ceasefire deal over the finish line,” the former president wrote.  Earlier in the day while addressing Israel’s Knesset in a globally televised speech, Trump accused Joe Biden and Barack Obama of hating Israel. Very un-menschy...Most major news organizations are refusing to agree to sign a pledge to the Pentagon that they will avoid using content that has not been cleared by the proper authorities.  Those outlets include (no surprises here), the NY Times, the Guardian, AP, CNN, Politico and the Washington Post. One prominent right-wing outlet is also resisting the new requirement: Newsmax.  No word on where Fox News stands.  (The Guardian)...Charlie Kirk would have been 32 today....If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard