Greetings! Pow! The usually pro-Trump NY Post slams the sons of the portly POTUS and Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick for “Hunter Biden-style sleaze” in the wake of a devastating NY Times investigation.  The Times article charges that Eric and Don Jr., along with  Kyle and Brandon Lutnick, are connected in a billion-dollar Kazakhstan mining deal backed by the U.S. government. “It stinks to high heavens,” huffs the Post’s editorial board....Sounds about right: The Washington Examiner calls Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers “America’s most agreed-upon band.” I’d agree with that. The pro-Petty piece notes that the band’s seminal hit “American Girl" was recorded 50 years ago on July 4, 1976. How cool is that?...Top films celebrating the best of America: Yesterday, my buddy and history buff Bob Frye recommended five essential biographies of American presidents as we enter the nation’s semiquincentennial weekend celebrations.  Today, I’ve selected five films that showcase the positive spirit of America and the best qualities of her people. Here they are in alphabetical order: Apollo 13 (1995). American explorers in jeopardy. Technology plus enormous grace under pressure save the day. High Noon (1952). A lone sheriff does the right thing in the Old West and stands up to a deadly gang terrorizing a dusty town in a classic western starring Gary Cooper in a role that embodies all the qualities we want in our heroes.. Independence Day (1996). Winning popcorn movie as brave U.S. pilots led by Will Smith in a star-making role tackle deadly alien spacecraft. American know-how, brains and brawn eventually come through to save the planet.  Rocky (1976). Yo Adrian, this film worked perfectly in 1976 at the tail end of the bicentennial year and it still rings true today as the archetypical American story of an underdog who just won’t quit. Saving Private Ryan (1998). This movie has it all: D-Day, Spielberg, Hanks. It’s a nail-biting celebration of American valor and spotlights the indomitable spirit of the soldiers who put everything on the line to save our freedom and defeat the Nazis...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard

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.