Greetings! Robert De Niro joined the circus outside the courthouse yesterday, as closing arguments were delivered in the historic criminal Donald Trump  election interference trial.  In an expertly managed presser, De Niro gave a Bronx cheer to The Defendant Trump and warned voters that the ex-president posed an existential danger to democracy. “This is not a threat, this is a reality, and that’s why I’ve joined the Biden-Harris Campaign, because the only way to preserve our freedoms and hold onto our humanity, is to vote for Joe Biden for president,” said De Niro.  Predictably, right wing media called the Oscar-winning actor’s comments raging bullshit. My take:  De Niro tactfully sucked the air out of The Donald’s defense lawyers’ closing arguments and gave a big boost  to The Donald’s enemies and those were the voices that dominated news coverage.  NewsBusters has the full transcript of De Niro’s comments…Midweek Movie Watch: The Verdict, 12 Angry Men, Witness for the Prosecution…In a short, snarky post, the Granite Grok asserts that if you stand with Joe Biden, you are “standing with a an actual White Supremacist”…. Political thriller of the summer: Lunden Roberts,  ex-paramour of Hunter Biden who had a child with him, will publish her behind the curtains peek about her experiences with the president’s son.  The pub date for Out of the Shadows is August 20, which coincidentally is the week of the Democratic National Convention. Expect multiple appearances on Fox News and Newsmax for Ms. Roberts The book’s jacket photo features an image of Ms. Roberts and her child.  Nothing but class...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard

Greetings! Fake of the Week: The Washington Free Beacon admits it used AI to generate an image labeled in the caption as a “smug, obnoxious journalist sitting at a bar.” Looks like a thirtysomething guy with a close-cropped beard, a decent haircut, horn-rimmed glasses and  tweed overcoat. Nothing remotely smug or obnoxious about the AI-generated journo to me. In fact, the image sets a high bar for how journalists should be attired and groomed on the job….Race to the Judicial Bottom: Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel “Flagman” Alito are neck and neck to see who can be the most compromised conservative on the highest court in the land...Weekend Watch: Amazon Prime’s dystopian “Fallout.”  Despite  excessive violence, it’s a good popcorn summer series and a welcome distraction while we wait for closing arguments in Donald Trump’s election interference  trial and the looming verdict.  Here’s the“Fallout” trailer if you are wondering whether to commit.…I’m getting an early start on the Memorial Day weekend so there will be no newsletter Friday.  But don’t forget to remember America’s fallen military men and women who gave their lives for our freedom.  This holiday is much more than a reason to get a 20% discount on a new mattress…If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard