Greetings! On Saturday, Spanish goalkeeper and political progressive Borja Iglesias told Spanish media he feared going to prison if he didn’t shake the president’s hand assuming he came to congratulate the team.  I haven’t read any news outlet stories if Iglesias shook Trump’s hand after Spain won the game, but ChatGBT says he did. (Breitbart)...Worth noting: Trump has expressed harsh criticism of Spain recently primarily because  he feels the country should contribute more to NATO. (CNBC)...Of course he did! After the game, during the post-match ceremony, Trump slithered onto the stage to try to grab the spotlight as Spain’s players lifted the trophy. But the images did the Portly POTUS no favors as he came across as a stooped and lumbering octogenarian often standing aimlessly on the stage with a scowl on his sagging mug. (Yahoo Sports)...Trump is really grasping at straws to justify his flailing war with Iran.  Yesterday, in a Truth Social post, he linked to a June 16 (!) op-ed in the Washington Times praising the “grand strategy behind the Trump-Vance Iran deal.” The article was scanned from a hard copy, probably because it was behind a paywall and Trump wanted readers to access it easily.  Pathetic...Attention DOGE: So Trump’s new presidential aircraft, a gift from Qatar, will be sidelined for a few months as it gets outfitted with defensive capabilities, according to NBC News.  All, I would assume, at taxpayer expense.  But in less than three years, the plane is intended to be parked at the Trump Presidential Library foundation.  Seems like an obvious case of government waste and inefficiency...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard

Greetings! Dark. That’s how I’d describe Trump’s 25-minute prime time speech last night as he spewed toxic charges challenging the integrity of the nation’s elections.  My take: it’s all designed to provide Trump and his allies with an excuse to call into question the results of the midterm elections, in which Democrats are expected to perform well. And when that happens, troops could be called in and Democracy will hang by a thread. Worth noting: CNN posted an annotated transcript of his speech. Students of autocracy will study it for decades....Song of the day: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. Here in NYC  as well as parts of the Northeast and Midwest, hazardous smoke from Canadian wildfires are fouling the air.  PJ Media nailed the situation perfectly with this headline: Canada: “Mind If I Smoke?”....Uh oh. Trillionaire Elon Musk is angry.  He slammed Netflix’s supposed “woke” description of the 1939 civil war epic “Gone with the Wind.” (Hollywood in Toto)...Weekend Watches (retro edition): I stumbled across the 2017 Netflix documentary Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins and it’s a winner.  The documentary charts the rollicking professional life of Texas political journalist, raconteur  and  humorist Molly Ivins who died in 2007 at the age of 62.  Her putdowns of George W. Bush will trigger belly laughs. She professed great faith in the wisdom of the voting public and I wonder if she would still hold that belief in the age of Trump. Also worth watching: If you can’t get into director Chris Nolan’s blockbuster epic The Odyssey, which opened today to rave reviews, I recommend Nolan’s 2006 hit The Prestige, about two feuding magicians in Victorian England. Starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, it’s available on Hulu...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard