Humoring the headlines: April 29, 2017

Trump’s Fist Hundred Daze

By Laurie Baron

Laurie Baron

SAN DIEGO−Donald Trump considers grading him on his first one 100 days “an artificial barrier,” “not very meaningful,” and a “ridiculous standard.” Nevertheless, he thinks he has “done more than perhaps any president in the first 100 days.” Steve Bannon has advised him to be more of a visionary who is laying the foundation for policies that will make American great for 1,000 years.
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Over the past week there have been nationwide marches to highlight the importance of science and climate change. Trump has dismissed both causes as hoaxes because the first has supplied the fake evidence for the second.
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Trump recently asserted: “One of the best chemistries I had was with Merkel.” Just from the photograph of their first meeting, however, it appeared that she was so toxic to him that he wouldn’t shake her hand.
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The House Intelligence Committee requested the White House to release any documentation on why it granted Michael Flynn a top security clearance despite the honorarium he received from Russia to give a speech there and his record as a lobbyist for Turkey. The White House refused, and Sean Spicer blamed President Obama for granting Flynn that status in 2015. Apparently, extreme vetting is only applicable to immigrants and refugees.
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House Republicans have amended the American Health Care Act to be more acceptable to the Freedom Caucus. Now the states will have the right to classify mortality a preexisting condition that necessitates higher insurance premiums or denial of coverage.
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Baron is professor emeritus of history at San Diego State University. He may be contacted via lawrence.baron@sdjewishworld.com. San Diego Jewish World points out to new readers that this column is satire, and nothing herein should be taken literally.