Idiocracy

The Washington Post reports: National Park Service acting director P. Daniel Smith faces plenty of looming priorities this summer, from an $11 billion backlog in maintenance needs to natural disasters like the recent wildfire damage to Big Bend Park. But in recent days, another issue has competed for Smith’s attention: how to satisfy President Trump’s request to station tanks or …

The Washington Post reports: Plans by President Trump to reshape Washington’s Independence Day celebration now include an area in front of the Lincoln Memorial reserved for dignitaries, family and friends that will be accessible only through tickets distributed by the White House. The VIP section will stretch roughly from the steps of the memorial to the midpoint of the reflecting …

CBS News reports: President Trump met with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday while they were in Osaka, Japan, calling the crown prince a “friend of mine.” Mr. Trump called bin Salman “a man who has really done things in the last 5 years in terms of opening of Saudi Arabia.” Mr. Trump did not answer questions about …

The Daily Beast reports: Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson claims the State Department was kept in the dark about key U.S. foreign-policy decisions during his time in the Trump administration because the president’s son-in-law had effectively set up his own shadow operation. Jared Kushner was privately working on strategic partnerships with foreign countries and meeting discreetly with world leaders …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump said Wednesday that a war with Iran would not “last very long” or involve ground troops, as he seemingly dismissed warnings that limited U.S. military action could spiral into a larger conflict. Trump reiterated his desire to avoid a war but said “we’re in a very strong position if something should happen.” “It wouldn’t …

The New York Times reports: President Trump lashed out at the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, on Wednesday, dredging up false accusations about the conduct of investigators after House Democrats announced that Mr. Mueller would testify publicly next month. The president offered no evidence as he repeated earlier accusations that Mr. Mueller destroyed text messages between two former F.B.I. …

“There has to be some reason why he’s not endorsing him. He was the vice president. They seemed to have gotten along. President Obama not endorsing him is rather…a big secret. Then he goes and lies and says, ‘I asked the president not to endorse me,’ Give me a break. he’s embarrassed that Obama’s not endorsing him so he goes …

The New York Times reports: The Treasury Department’s internal watchdog has agreed to look into why designs of a new $20 bill featuring Harriet Tubman will not be unveiled next year. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, last week asked the Treasury Department’s inspector general to open an investigation following Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s announcement at a …

The Daily Beast reports: Jason Miller, a former top campaign aide and close adviser to Donald Trump, has left his job as a managing director at Teneo, a prominent consulting firm, days after launching a profanity-laced tirade directed at a top House Democrat. “I have parted ways with Teneo by mutual consent and look forward to formally announcing my next …

Axios reports: Nearly 100 internal Trump transition vetting documents leaked to “Axios on HBO” identify a host of “red flags” about officials who went on to get some of the most powerful jobs in the U.S. government. The first red flag for Rex Tillerson, who became Trump’s first Secretary of State, was about Russia. “Tillerson’s Russia ties go deep,” it …

Mediaite reports: President Donald Trump had rare praise for Hillary Clinton, his 2016 presidential opponent, in an interview with Chuck Todd that aired on NBC News Sunday. “I went to Michigan. She didn’t go to Michigan enough. I won Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania. I won places that she didn’t do a good job. What can I tell you? No, maybe I …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump said he hadn’t thought about live-tweeting the first Democratic debates but now that the media has brought it up, he just might. Several people close to the president told POLITICO and The Wall Street Journal that Trump’s closest aides hoped the president wouldn’t unleash a stream of consciousness on Twitter during the debates but were …

Talking Point Memo reports: President Trump on Friday shared an edited video depicting him campaigning for office indefinitely in a play on a Time magazine cover published last October. The actual cover — from the Oct. 22, 2018, issue — was titled “How Trumpism Outlasts Trump” and features campaign yard signs for Trump for every four years from 2024-2044. The …

The Christian Post reports: After several years of seeking to establish a private police force to adequately protect its church and school campuses, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey [photo] has signed legislation allowing the Briarwood Presbyterian Church to do just that despite objections from critics. The ACLU of Alabama argues that the move by Briarwood to establish its own police force …

From E. Jean Carroll’s piece for New York Magazine: The moment the dressing-room door is closed, he lunges at me, pushes me against the wall, hitting my head quite badly, and puts his mouth against my lips. I am so shocked I shove him back and start laughing again. He seizes both my arms and pushes me up against the …

Mediaite reports: Former Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller erupted into an expletive-filled tirade against Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) on Thursday night. “He’s a fucking scumbag anyone obsessed with attacking innocent Hope Hicks should take a long walk off a short pier,” Miller tweeted of Nadler. “That’s fine. We’ll call Mr. Nadler ‘Mr. MuffinTop,’” Miller added in another tweet an hour …

“President Obama made a desperate and terrible deal with Iran – Gave them 150 Billion Dollars plus I.8 Billion Dollars in CASH! Iran was in big trouble and he bailed them out. Gave them a free path to Nuclear Weapons, and SOON. Instead of saying thank you, Iran yelled Death to America. I terminated deal, which was not even ratified …

Portland’s NBC News affiliate reports: Republican state senators who fled the Oregon Capitol to prevent a vote on major climate legislation will be fined $500 a day each if there aren’t enough senators present to vote on the bill. A GoFundMe page to raise money to pay the fines for the 12 Oregon senators had collected more than $6,000 as …

Oregon Live reports: Oregon’s Democratic governor, Kate Brown, has dispatched state troopers to find missing Republican senators and bring them back to Salem to legislate. All 11 Republican senators are in hiding, at least some of them out of state, in order to prevent the Senate from having the quorum it needs to operate. They can’t abide the Democrat-backed carbon …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump on Thursday told reporters that “you’ll soon find out” whether the U.S. will strike Iran as tensions between the two countries ratcheted up. U.S. officials said earlier in the day that an Iranian missile had shot down an American drone over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran claimed that the drone was above its territory. …