Greetings! Trump backs down. So says this Wall Street Journal editorial with an on-the-nose headline: Trump Stages an Iran Retreat. While the editors applaud him for damaging the country’s nuclear program, they nonetheless conclude, “(t)here’s no denying that Mr. Trump is retreating from his main goals as political pressure has built at home and finishing the job requires greater military risk”...I’m generally not a fan of Dana White, the Trump-loving entrepreneur and UFC CEO, but I give him credit for name-checking his fighter Josh Hokit for calling Michelle Obama “a man” Sunday night.  “I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families,” White wrote in a text message to Time magazine. “Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense.”  Worth noting: Joe Rogan, who was interviewing Hokit when he dropped the slur, didn’t “address” the fighter’s remarks, according to Time...All eyes are on ABC’s “The View” today where VP JD Vance drops in to flog his new book Communion. It’s something of a special occasion because conservatives virtually never get the spotlight on the morning yakfest.  A NewsBusters analysis found that only two conservatives appeared on the program compared to 128 liberals in 2025.  Worth noting: NewsBusters described the female hosts of the show as the “cackling coven”...We interrupt this newsletter for my semi-annual fund-raising appeal. Please consider a donation to help keep TheRighting alive and well.  Your contribution will help pay for writers, original research and technical improvements to enhance the overall reader experience. And, most importantly, it will help amplify TheRighting’s pro-democracy voice in the MAGA resistance (visit the donation page.)...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard

Greetings! Jalen Brunson, President Trump holding on line 2. Will The Donald invite the NBA champion NY Knicks for a White House photo op? If he does, will they go? (Hope not!!!!) Worth noting: Last year’s NBA champs, the Oklahoma Thunder declined Trump’s invite...Speaking of NY athletes, House Republicans are eagerly awaiting the election of former NY Yankee All-Star first baseman Mark Teixeira to become the representative in Texas’ 21^st  Congressional district north of San Antonio. The Trump-endorsed Teixeira won the GOP primary and is considered a lock to win in November since no Democrat has held the position since 1978, And the power-hitting politician is expected to boost the fortunes of the GOP’s Congressional baseball team, which has already beaten the Democrats six years in a row, according to The Hill...Desecration: There’s no other word to describe my feelings about the South Lawn of the White House lawn being used last night for UFC’s violent cage fights in celebration of Trump’s 80^th birthday. I watched the first hour of this grotesque spectacle and that was enough. This morning on Truth Social, Trump described the event as “One of the most exciting days in the History of our fabled White House!” (Cue the gagging)...Bowing tonight: Fans of MS NOW’s fast-talking Ali Veshi will want to catch tonight’s debut of the weeknight show The 11^th Hour with Ali Veshi. Veshi takes over from Stephanie Ruhle, who I liked but never matched the pizzazz of her predecessor Brian Williams. Williams helmed the 11 PM slot from  2016 to 2021, most often pegged to the perpetual  craziness of the Trump 1.0 administration, laden with his trademark wry wit...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard