Greetings! Iran is winning the battle of Hormuz opines the reliably conservative editorial board of the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Wall Street Journal....JD Vance appeared Friday night on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” to tout his religious conversion memoir “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith” (Here’s a four-minute clip).  Props to Vance for having the guts to parachute behind enemy lines to appear on “Real Time” and ABC's liberal yakfest “The View.”  Still, he lost me in his word salad response to Maher’s suggestion that he and fellow MAGA leaders stop blaming election defeats to Democrats on rigged voter fraud and accepting only GOP victories as fair and square. It was a shameful non-answer and an obvious attempt to pander to his boss’s election lies...Speaking of Bill Maher: Last night, Maher received the prestigious Mark Twain Award for American Humor at the Trump Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.  The event, featuring other comics including Louis C.K. and Jay Leno, will  stream on Netflix beginning July 21. (Kennedy Center)....Word of the day: Kakistocracy. The archaic word pops up in the seventh graph of this NY Times column by David Wallace-Wells skewering MAGA 2.0. Dating back to the 17th century, kakistocracy is a term for a regime run by the most corrupt, least qualified individuals.  Any government come to mind?

Best Presidential Biographies: As the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I asked Bob Frye, a committed U.S. history buff and a pal since our college days, to recommend essential biographies of American presidents. Bob is uniquely qualified for the assignment since several years ago he set out to read the biographies of every U.S. president (he’s nearing completion of his goal). The tomes  he’s selected  reflect the extraordinary character, judgment and leadership qualities of the men who sat in the Oval Office. Here are Bob’s picks with his comments:

Washington: A Life, by Ron Chernow (2010) — A definitive portrait of Washington’s discipline, restraint, Republican leadership, and refusal to convert presidential authority into a kingship.

American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, by Jon Meacham (2008) — A Pulitzer Prize-winning study of Jackson’s democratic appeal, forceful personality, disruptive politics, and controversial legacy. His inaugural ball was the closest event in history to a UFC fight at the White House.

Lincoln, by David Herbert Donald (1995) — A humane full-life biography of Lincoln’s intelligence, patience, melancholy, and moral seriousness. Alternative Lincoln pick: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abe Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2005) – A fascinating study of Lincoln’s wartime political genius.

No Ordinary Time, by Doris Kearns Goodwin (1994) — A rich account of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, their wartime leadership, treatment with allies, and management of home-front resolve.

Truman, by David McCullough (1992) — A Pulitzer Prize-winning portrait of Truman’s plainspoken character, Cold War judgment, and nuclear-age decisions.  At the conclusion of his time in office, Truman drove himself home to Independence, MO, a penniless man.

Greetings! Todd Blanche for Justice: Former Trump U.S. Attorney General (AG) Bill Barr has written an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal arguing that Todd Blanche deserves to be confirmed as Trump’s new AG.  “The left has portrayed Mr. Blanche as a man who will docilely carry out the president’s desires,” Barr writes about the Acting Attorney General who once served as Trump’s personal lawyer. “But Mr. Blanche doesn’t shy away from giving the president straight-from-the-shoulder advice and, where warranted, pushing back on bad ideas.” I think Mr. Barr has a generous interpretation of Blanche’s service to Trump...Another milestone birthday to celebrate: Hillbilly Elegy, the best-selling memoir that launched JD Vance to national prominence, was published 10 years ago on June 28 (The American Conservative). I read it back in the day and thought it was great story. But that was well  before Vance sold his soul to Trump..MAGA world will probably love this film coming this fall.  Run, Hide, Fight: Infidels imagines a terrifying scenario involving Islamic terrorists who take over a liberal college in order to force Sharia law on students.  However, a group of what the producer calls “red-blooded students” and a Delta Force veteran save their “clueless peers.” The film is being distributed by right-wing media powerhouse The Daily Wire (natch)...Weekend Watch: Larry David’s Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Unhappiness bows tonight on HBO Max.  The weekly series, from creative genius and America’s most annoying curmedgeon Larry David, looks at key moments in our nation’s history through his critical, but cock-eyed lens.  I haven’t seen any episodes but I’m guessing it will be wildly uneven but nonetheless watchable. Indie Wire has the first review and gave it a B-....If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard