Friday roundup

Ryan Fazio at The Federalist says major league baseball should definitely not institute a 20-second pitch clock, that there are many other reasons games are lengthening.

Since the Iran nuclear "agreement" went into effect, every 90 days the US government is required to officially weigh in on whether Iran is in compliance, The Trump administration did so in April. Fred Fleitz at NRO says it should not make the same mistake again, that Iran's violations are not of the fuzzy, around-the-edges variety, but rather direct and documented:

One. Operating more advanced uranium-enrichment centrifuges than is permitted and announcing the capability to initiate mass production of centrifuges. (Although I agree with this concern, the U.S. should not have agreed to let Iran enrich any uranium while the JCPOA is in effect, never mind enrich it with advanced centrifuges. This is one of the JCPOA’s most serious flaws.)

Two. Exceeding limits on production and storage of heavy water, a substance needed to operate plutonium-producing heavy-water nuclear reactors. (Again, I agree, but the U.S. should not have agreed to a pact that allows Iran to produce heavy water or operate a heavy-water reactor.) 

Three. Covertly procuring nuclear and missile technology outside of JCPOA-approved channels. There’s direct evidence of this, from German intelligence reports.

Four. Refusing to allow IAEA inspectors access to nuclear-research and military facilities. 

File this one under amateur-hour personnel decisions: Donald Trump's lawyer specifically assigned to Russia-intrigue matters crossed a bright line regarding degree of snark when he responded to an ordinary citizen who emailed him. Granted, the emailer was a Rachel Maddow-watching leftie who called on him to resign, but this was way over the top and, shall we say, unhelpful:

Kasowitz responded. Like a nut.

Kasowitz replied with series of angry messages sent between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern time. One read: “I’m on you now.  You are f**king with me now Let’s see who you are Watch your back , b*tch.”

In another email, Kasowitz wrote: “Call me.  Don’t be afraid, you piece of sh*t.  Stand up.  If you don’t call, you’re just afraid.” And later: “I already know where you live, I’m on you.  You might as well call me. You will see me. I promise.  Bro.”

Let me stress – this is the man Trump chose to represent him before Mueller and his team of investigatory power houses.

But, in 2017 post-America, you can count on online venom to be found all along the spectrum:

A Democrat state lawmaker in Maine on Tuesday attacked President Trump and his supporters in a now deleted Facebook rant in which he used the vilest language imaginable and threatened the president. Rep. Scott Hamann (D-South Portland) wrote:

Well then f*ck you, snowflake. You're a f*cking pussy ... See, it's not only Trump supporters who can talk like complete a$$holes. As long as that's what's coming out of that side, then I'll match you dumb f*cks word for word. 

A hair-raising reminder that the jihadists only have to be lucky once:

Five terror attacks , some of which were just minutes away from being carried out, have been thwarted by police in the capital [in the last four months]. 

Let's end with a feel-good story: An elephant flailing away in the ocean ten miles off the coast of Sri Lanka is rescued by a navy vessel of that country. Video at link.

 

Friday roundup

New Marist poll finds a majority of American women want abortion restricted, don't want tax dollars funding it, think it's morally wrong, and think it hurts women in the long term.

In a stroke of great luck yesterday, I just happened to catch Theresa May's speech to the GOP lawmakers' summit in Philadelphia. It rocked. It was a full-throated affirmation of the special US-UK relationship and its role as the cornerstone of Western civilization's greatness. Let's dispense with the aspect the nitpickers will inevitably bring up: No, she didn't call for ripping up the Iran nuke "agreement," but that was hardly the venue for such a pronouncement, and she did say Iran was the chief cause of terror and strife in the Middle East, and she did call for very strict policing of Iran's actions. But on energy, the free market, standing up to Russia and China, and bedrock Western values, she turned in a start performance for her American debut.

Border Patrol chief Mark Morgan gets the pink slip.

The entire senior management of the State Department resigns. Questions surround the move:

[Washington Post reporter Josh] Rogin’s own reporting calls into question his claim that the departing officials didn’t want to stick around. Kennedy “was actively involved in the transition and was angling to keep [his] job under Tillerson,” according to three State Department officials with whom Rogin spoke. 

In fact, it may be that all four of these officials are leaving involuntarily. Two senior administration officials now say that the Trump administration told the four that their services were no longer needed. This, the two officials say, is part of an effort to “clean house” at Foggy Bottom.

In the case of Patrick Kennedy in particular, it is no great loss:

Kennedy was implicated in the Benghazi fiasco. He was also involved in the Clinton email scandal. Fox News reported that Kennedy proposed a “quid pro quo” to convince the FBI to strip the classification on an email from Hillary Clinton’s server and repeatedly tried to “influence” the bureau’s decision when his offer was denied. 

Just what is keeping Curt Schilling from his rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame? 


TransCanada has reapplied for a permit to bring its magnificent Keystone XL pipeline across the border.