We are in the midst of a heat wave getting to 32C (90F) yesterday and very muggy. Today is more of the same. I think later this afternoon I will go play under my neighbour’s garden hose to cool off. One is never too old to have some good old fashion play time! To make things hotter, the Orange Ogre is being his loathsome self and tweeting right, left and centre about illegal immigration. In yesterday’s tirade, he used the word ‘infest’ in talking about illegal immigrants and conflated immigrants with gang bangers. But there was good news — Kris Kobach, Kansas Secretary of State and Drumpf acolyte, was handed his walking papers by a judge.
Short Takes
Mamamia — And in an uncomfortable turn of events, Donald Trump may have just been caught fibbing about his height as he innocently stood next to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
This photo taken during the G7 summit in Quebec has, unfortunately for Trump, gone viral. And when you stop ogling at Trudeau, you might just see why. …
Photo by Edward Hardy, photojournalist
Trudeau, you see, is standing taller than Trump. Which is difficult to explain when Trudeau is 6″2, and Trump claims to be 6″3. At least, that figure is according to Trump’s physical exam results which were released in January this year by the White House doctor. …
Here’s where it gets even more confusing: Trump’s New York driver’s licence stated he was 6″2. Did the 71-year-old President have a sudden… growth spurt?
OK, OK! Who cares how tall Trump is . . . is it really all that important? Well in this case, Trump’s height is a measure of the man so it is of some importance. He is shorter than Justin Trudeau but his narcissistic personality has to say “I am the leader” or in this case “I am tallest”. Is the demonstration of the height difference the source of his disdain of Trudeau. But “fibbing”? I call this outright lying which is all Drumpf knows how to do. In these politically hot times, I’ll leave this with you for a good laugh! . . . at the Liar-in-Chief’s expense of course!
Mother Jones — A federal judge on Monday struck down a 2013 Kansas law that required people to provide proof of citizenship such as a passport or birth certificate in order to register to vote. The decision deals a major blow to efforts by conservative activists to erect barriers to voting under the pretense that voter fraud is rampant. The law, Judge Julie Robinson determined, violated the 1993 National Voter Registration Act and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. …
Instead, Kobach and his team repeatedly failed to follow basic rules of evidence, requiring the judge to lecture him on what she called “Evidence 101.” (As it turns out, Robinson really did think Kobach needed to study up. In her opinion Monday, she ordered Kobach, a Yale-educated attorney, to take six hours of continuing legal education on the subject of how to introduce evidence at trial.)
In the words of Jackie Gleason, “How sweet it is!” It is about time that this legal weenie pipsqueak got his comeuppance! I doubt that this is the end of this. As noted in the article, Kobach was earlier found in contempt of court “for failing to comply with a court order to register Kansas voters whose applications had been held up by his proof-of-citizenship law. “I wonder what Kobach thinks about karma!
NY Times — President Trump said on Monday that he would direct the Pentagon to establish a sixth branch of the armed forces dedicated to protecting American interests in outer space, an idea that has troubled lawmakers and even some members of his administration, who have cautioned that the action could create unnecessary bureaucratic responsibilities for a military already burdened by conflicts.
During a speech at a meeting of the National Space Council, Mr. Trump announced plans to protect American interests in space through monitoring commercial traffic and debris, initiatives he said would be “great not only in terms of jobs and everything else, it’s great for the psyche of our country.” …
The US’s original Space Cadet during a meeting of the National Space Council on Monday, when he waded into a policy debate about space that has spanned administrations. Credit Tom Brenner/The New York Times
The creation of a sixth branch of the military to join the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard would require congressional authorization and approval. Senator Bill Nelson, Democrat of Florida, who is on the Senate Commerce Committee overseeing the nation’s space program — and who once spent six days in space — said that the president’s order lacked the support of the generals who would be required to carry it out.
The most recent proclamation from the US’s original “space cadet”, Drumpf. With 40 million Americans living under the poverty line as noted by the UN Special Rapporteur and Drumpf giving big tax concessions to the wealthiest Americans and corporations, where the hell does he think the money will come from for this folly? That’s right, after all those campaign promises for better health care etc, Drumpf will yet again cut programmes that are sorely needed. Is it any wonder that mental health professionals are saying Drumpf is NUTS??? (my word for brevity’s sake)
DC Report — The federal court suit over the Affordable Care Act became a potent threat to pre-existing conditions when the Justice Department filed a brief arguing that as of Jan. 1, 2019, those protections should be invalidated. The Justice Department argued that the judge should strike down the section of the law that protects people buying insurance from being charged higher premiums because of their health histories.
According to a 2016 analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, approximately 52 million Americans under the age of 65 could find their access to health insurance at risk because of a wide range of pre-existing conditions, from diabetes to cancer to pregnancy. Health insurers have for years been raising premiums, complaining about uncertainty and withdrawing from the business of selling individual insurance plans; more changes could further destabilize the market.
As a follow-up to TC’s article yesterday, read through David Cay Johnston’s interesting take on just where healthcare in the US is going. It can’t be said too often that the only healthcare that Republicans have is Republicare . . . pay or die. And these are your elected officials.
My Universe — Don’t let this be you with Republicans!
Resist!!!
Posted to Care2
Former Trump campaign manager 
Amy Kremer used to run the Tea Party Express, and now she runs the Women Vote Trump PAC. As you might expect, she’s a bit wacky.
