. . . even if Obama vetoes as he has threatened.

Of course, what do his threats matter? (Except when he has phone and pen to use. He’s a hot hand with phone and pen.)

The fellow is on to something: “Donald Trump can so skillfully elude a reporter’s questioning that he often is treated with kid gloves . . . .”

Which is to say, he knows the rules of engagement, is quick on his feet (or in his chair),  that is, handles himself well, scores high in an important presidential qualification.

Big bucks in cash delivered to Ayatollahs by Loretta Lynch on her say-so.

Boss Barack has his ways, a sort of third-world version of presidency. His ancestral homeland the once-Dark Continent is noted for such.

(If this be seen as a thinly veiled pitch for the Donald, so be it.)

It was a great marketing move, I hand him that.

. . . and talked about it moments after it happened.

“Scary,” he says, that Huffington Post would do this. “Orwellian.” Have a look.

Times [of London] Literary Supplement, that is, once unique, now run by a newspaper editor. Cancelling long-time subscription, I said this without being asked:

It’s the new editor, by the way. He is making TLS just another journal. Review after review I can take or leave. Before him, I couldn’t get through an issue, continually stopping to read about things I’d had no interest in previously. New man is a news man, whatever his student pedigree. Has mass market in mind, can’t help himself.

So it goes in the wild and woolly world of cultural leadership.

Selectively applauding first-amendment user.

As he applauded Tea Partiers and others nailed by his Internal Revenue people. What a guy.

Spunky fellow, vs. our professorial disapprover.

“Who does he think he is? I am no American puppet. I am the president of a sovereign country and I am not answerable to anyone except the Filipino people,” Duterte scoffed in a speech Monday. “Son of a bitch, I will swear at you.”

Hmm. Look out, spunky fellow, he will draw a red line in the sand about you.

Source: Philippines leader curses Obama; meeting canceled – CNNPolitics.com

It’s about “youth” being un-hireable because they have been so put upon.

Front page stuff in hard copy, 2,700+ words (!), way down the “breaking news” screen on the web.

It’s the bland entertaining the bland.

Has stuff like:

* “a failure to invest in its low-income neighborhoods and the people who live there”

* “The system has pushed them to the back of the hiring line.”

* “The problem is not new, but it has taken on renewed urgency as violence surges in some of the city’s neighborhoods, often claiming people — as victims and perpetrators — in their teen and young adult years” — that old demon violence, in this case “claiming” perps. Murderers are victims too!

* “executive director of the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance” is first-quoted source, is followed by dozen or so non-profit quotes or citings or references. Not an economist among them. This is a puff piece, folks — no, a public service announcement. You are warned. Feel-good copy.

* “neglect of low-income neighborhoods,” tried and true OK phrase.

more more more

Michelle the anti-obesity champion is blowing up.