Only time will tell if Donald Trump played his so-called base to get to the White House. He is changing his tune for sure. Here is from a New York Times story in today’s Chron:
President-elect Donald Trump tempered Tuesday some of his most extreme campaign promises, dropping his vow to jail Hillary Clinton, expressing doubt about the value of torturing terrorism suspects and pledging to have an open mind about climate change.
But in a wide-ranging, hourlong interview with reporters and editors at the New York Times – which was scheduled, canceled and then reinstated after a dispute over the ground rules – Trump was unapologetic about flouting some of the traditional ethical and political conventions that have long shaped the American presidency.
He said he had no legal obligation to establish boundaries between his business empire and his White House, conceding that the Trump brand “is certainly a hotter brand than it was before.” Still, he said he would try to figure out a way to insulate himself from his businesses, which would be run by his children.
Here is the entire read: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/nation-world/nation/article/Trump-retreats-from-some-of-his-extreme-positions-10631692.php.
More from the above:
Trump rejected the idea that he was bound by federal anti-nepotism laws against installing his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in a White House job. But he said he would want to avoid the appearance of a conflict and might seek to make Kushner a special envoy charged with brokering peace in the Middle East.
“The president of the United States is allowed to have whatever conflicts he or she wants, but I don’t want to do that,” Trump said. But he said that Kushner, who is an observant Jew, “could be very helpful” in reconciling the longstanding dispute between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
“I would love to be able to be the one that made peace with Israel and the Palestinians,” Trump said, adding that Kushner “would be very good at it” and that “he knows the region.”
Jared to the rescue? Sure. Like that is going to happen.
Here is what Commentary thinks. Let Trump continue to mix his personal business while living in the White House. Sooner rather than later even the GOP leaders won’t have the stomach to defend him.
Jason Castro is now with the Twins. This past season he was behind the plate for 111 games. What other position besides DH did he play this past season?
Commentary ran into Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Lisa Falkenberg this morning at the neighborhood breakfast taco eatery. She has a nice Thanksgiving Day column today and here is how it ends:
I’m thankful for stomach viruses. Thanks to a violent illness, I don’t remember much of election night.
I’m grateful for irony: former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is reportedly being considered as secretary of energy, the agency he infamously forgot to name among the list of three he wanted to abolish. Maybe he’ll accept the post and then forget to show up.
I’m thankful for humor. Those Biden memes have saved me from the fetal position more than once. And the clever folks tweeting #TrumpYourThanksgiving have dished out one-liners this week that can ease any awkward moment for those of us dining with relatives who voted the other way. Riff on wishbones that aren’t rigged. Build a border wall with potatoes. Deport the dark meat off the plate. Feign disgust at the turkey that has stuffing coming out of its whatever.
Jokes aside, I’m thankful for this country, for this democracy, even for this election, which has been a profound reminder that voting matters, and that those who care enough to turn out have the power to change things.
And I’m thankful for you, dear reader, and especially for the 400-or-so Chronicle subscribers who braved rush-hour traffic to hear me talk the other night. Journalism is more important now than it’s ever been. And those of you who still invest in the pursuit of truth, who willingly expose yourself to diverse viewpoints with which you may not agree, I salute you.
For those of us eating crow with our turkey this year, don’t worry. We’ll make it through dinner. But only with grace, hope and a side of silly.
Here is all of Lisa’s column: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/columnists/falkenberg/article/Giving-thanks-after-Trump-You-can-do-it-This-10631734.php.
The latest count:
Hillary Clinton’s lead over Donald Trump in the popular vote surpassed 2 million Wednesday morning, according to Dave Wasserman of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
Clinton has garnered 64,223,958 votes, compared to Trump’s 62,206,395 votes.
And Falkenberg’s comment:
“utterly useless daily tallies of Hillary Clinton’s lead in the popular vote”
Commentary watched the entire Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony yesterday. It was cool. Here is the best headline that I have seen about the ceremony:
Vin-sylvania Ave! Scully among DC iconics
Like I said, cool.
Last season, Jason Castro played first base in three games of course.
It is official. From Tags:
The Astros have agreed on a four-year deal with free-agent outfielder Josh Reddick, the club announced on Wednesday.
The pact is worth $52 million, a source previously confirmed.
That’s it from The Yard. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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