Shortly after taking office for the second time, Donald Trump described himself as "the man who some say is the greatest president in history." Someone actually saying that is Mr. Trump himself. He is certainly one of the quirkiest, most unpredictable, most impulsive of US presidents, almost like a 3-year-old child, unsure himself what he might actually be doing next. Psychiatrists would dub his condition senior attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. But for Mr. Trump and his supporters, his crazy steering of the ship of state is actually quite exciting, almost like riding a roller coaster and never getting off. When not just peacefully snoozing, he is taking our country on what might be described as a "wild ride," an idiom that Google says "describes an experience that is intensely exciting, unpredictable, and often chaotic."
Voters really don't know what to expect next. Last year, Trump said that Americans "are going to see $2 gasoline pretty soon," and again on May 11, he declared that oil and gas prices would "drop like a rock" just
as soon as the war is over. The war seems to be over now, but we are all still waitng for that rock to drop.
Trump is not like former presidents Taft or Harding, whom we barely remember. He will certainly be remembered.
France records its hottest day ever as Europe withers in early heat wave
In Paris today, the high temperature was predicted to reach 106°F.
People just jumped into rivers without knowing how to swim.
Fortunately for us here in Berkeley Springs, no heat wave yet so far, so no need for any air conditioning or even fans. In Berkeley Springs today, it is currently 78 F, expected to rise briefly to 81. We keep all our windows open now to catch the breezes. Actually for someone like me, called in Spanish friolenta--sensitive to cold--the weather here right now is just about perfect. I'm glad to be in Berkeley Springs, where our elevation is 656 Ft. (200 meters) with a soft breeze often blowing. At 3 am, the temperature is predicted to reach about 57 F, so time then to pull up the bedcovers.
My friend out in Phoenix is staying there all summer to help deliver food to elderly folks unable to leave, sometimes traveling up to higher ground by himself just to cool off. The current tempertature there today is 98 F, expected to rise to 108 (actually similar to Paris right now). But January temperatures there are quite comfortable for most outdoor activities, usually reaching the high 60's.
My friend says:
It will be 106 F today. Arrrgghhhhh... I hate it. Later this week, it will be "only" 101. The people I deliver meals to are almost all appreciative and pleasant. An occasional grumpy person is encountered, but they are rare. The food bank managers especially appreciate us volunteers who stick it out here in Tucson over the summer.
All of us have to eat. preferably every single day.
Trump abruptly cancels signing of bipartisan bill on affordable housing
He demands that his voter ID provision be approved first, which caught his staff
completely by surprise. That's what can happen when a president is impulsive, suffering from senior attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It's hard to run a government with a president who has the attention span of 3-year-old. American voters, you actually chose this guy and he still has 2 years and some months left to go. So about showig him a little "tough love"?
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) joined Donald Trump today for lunch.
NY Times, How Trump Is Prioritizing White People as Refugees
He started with white South African farmers whom
Elon Musk had described as victims of a genocide.
NYTImes, Iranian Singer Sentenced to 74 Lashes for Performing Without Hijab
Iran still uses corporal punishment
France has confirmed its first case of Ebola - a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The 176 measures aim to further decentralize Cuba's state-run economy, which has been left gasping by a tightened embargo under President Donald Trump.
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Wash. Post, Israel deliberately targeted Palestinian children in Gaza, U.N. commission says
And also specifically targetted girls and women, trying to wipe out the next generation. (And, so far, Trump has been supporting Israel and Netanyahu 100%, never mind the charges.)
Wash. Post, U.N. Report Says Israeli Killings of Gaza Children Post-Truce Amount to Genocide
Israel’s U.N. mission dismissed the report as a “libelous sham,” and called the investigating commission a “fundamentally flawed mechanism.”
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KVUE, Millions of honeybees escape into a rural Texas neighborhood after a semitrailer crash
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Mark your calendars, as July 4 is coming up.
OK, folks, the clock is ticking and night approaches, so it may be time to post this draft before the whole effort goes haywire. Waiting until the next day to make the post has often proved disastrous. Tomorow is another day when new events will unfold, so we'll confont them then.
