Idiocracy

The Washington Post reports: The National Park Service is diverting nearly $2.5 million in entrance and recreation fees primarily intended to improve parks across the country to cover costs associated with President Trump’s Independence Day celebration Thursday on the Mall, according to two individuals familiar with the arrangement. Trump administration officials have consistently refused to say how much taxpayers will …

McClatchy reports: The next generation “Marine One” presidential helicopter will make its first public flight at President Donald Trump’s July 4 event, two U.S. officials confirmed to McClatchy. The helicopter is not in official use yet. It is being produced by a team from Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky. In the last few months the helicopter has flown test flights around …

The Associated Press reports: At least two Army tanks have arrived in Washington ahead of a Fourth of July celebration that President Donald Trump says will include military hardware. An Associated Press photographer says the two M1A1 Abrams tanks are with four other military vehicles on a freight train in a railyard at the southeastern edge of Washington. The vehicles …

Just in from Gallup Polling: As Americans prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, their pride in the U.S. has hit its lowest point since Gallup’s first measurement in 2001. While 70% of U.S. adults overall say they are proud to be Americans, this includes fewer than half (45%) who are “extremely” proud, marking the second consecutive year that …

“If you look at Twitter, I have millions and millions of people on Twitter and it’s — you know, it’s a very good arm for me. It’s great social media. But they don’t treat me right. And I know for a fact, I mean, a lot of people try and follow me and it’s very hard. I have so many …

“It’ll be like no other. I’m going to say a few words and we’re going to have planes going overhead, the best fighter jets in the world, and other planes, too. And we’re going to have some tanks stationed outside. You’ve got to be pretty careful with the tanks, because the roads have a tendency not to like to carry …

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 …