Multiple news stories

1.   Rex Tillerson has been fired from his position as Secretary of State and will be replaced (if confirmed by the Senate) by current CIA Director Mike Pompao.   The main reason seems to be that Pompao is more attuned to Trump, both in policy and in "chemistry."   Pompao will be succeeded as CIA Director by his deputy, Gina Haspel, a 30 year career CIA officer.   If she is confirmed, she will be the first woman CIA Director.   Objections will be raised over her having presided over an "enhanced interrogation" site during the Bush administration.   Defenders say that she was carrying out orders and was only doing what was considered legal by the President at the time.

2.  Another White House staffer was also fired on Tuesday.   John McEntee has been Trump's personal assistant since his election, but he's one of the WH staff whose security clearance has been held up.    Suddenly on Tuesday, he was forcefully ousted from the WH, without even being allowed to get his belongings.  Claims are that he is under investigation for "serious financial crimes."  It was later revealed by knowing sources that McEntee has a gambling addiction.    Just one more example of the serious failure of this White House to do even cursory vetting of WH staff.

3.  Democrat Conor Lamb has apparently won the special election in Pennsylvania's District 18.   His lead is 627 votes, which does not trigger an automatic recount, but the losing candidate can request one.   This is a massive reversal in a district that Trump won by 20 points just 16 months ago, and where Trump campaigned for the Republican a few days before the election.   Lamb is 33 years old, a former Marine and a prosecutor;  he will be among the more conservative Democrats having announced his opposition to Nancy Pelosi for another term as Democratic House leader.   He's also described as a conservative Democrat who is "pro-union and pro-gun, backs bipartisan deals for fixing Obamacare and the nation's infrastructure, wants more job training and less college debt, and says he's pro-fracking but pro-environment, too."  It also makes him a smart politician, given the district he was running in.   His win certainly revs up the "blue wave" enthusiasm for the November election.

4.  President Trump flew to California where he inspected a series of prototype sections vying to be the design for Trump's "Wall," which he still insists will be built, despite congress's continuing lack of funding for it.   Another purpose of the trip was a fund-raising dinner in a private home, where the entry price was said to be $35,000 per person.    Yes, Trump is building a war chest, already, for his 2020 campaign.

5.  Trump's choice to replace chief economics adviser Gary Cohn is Larry Kudlow, who has experience working both in the Reagen White House and on Wall Street but is better known as a television personality and economic analyst on CNBC.   He has been an informal adviser to Trump during the campaign and since.    What's a bit odd is that supposedly a main reason Cohn left was his difference with the president over imposing tariffs -- and Kudlow is himself a proponent of free trade and opposed to generalized tariffs.   But, as we see time and again, Trump seems less concerned with policy differences and more with personal chemistry (which is also code for not being too blunt in challenges to the president).   Trump supposedly admires Kudlow because he looks and speaks well on television.   Advice to Kudlow:   Yes, but don't be too good.   Trump doesn't like to be overshadowed.

6.  Heather Nauert, who one year ago was a co-host of "Fox and Friends," one of Trump's favorite TV shows, was appointed in April 2017 to be spokesperson for the State Department.  Two days ago, Steve Goldstein was dismissed from his position as State Department Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs for putting out a notice about Rex Tillerson's firing that was contradictory and unflattering to President Trump.    Ms. Nauert has been named to replace Goldstein temporarily as Acting Undersecretary, making her the fourth highest ranked person in the State Department.    From "Fox and Friends" to #4 at State in less than a year!!!   Pretty remarkable -- except that it's Trump and a "Fox and Friends" flatterer.

7.  Yesterday, March 14, was the one-month anniversary of the massacre at the high school in Parkland, Florida.    Students had organized an 17 minute walk-out in memory of the 17 people who died in the attack.    But it was not just at the Stoneman Douglas High School.   They were joined by students in schools all over the U.S. and even in some foreign countries.    In recent years, we've been impressed by the power of women in organized protest.  Now we're seeing the power of these organized, determined, smart, articulate teenagers -- future leaders in the making.    Wait until we see what they accomplish with the March 24th Washington, DC march and counter-parts everywhere.

The students have three demands they're making of lawmakers:
   1.  Ban assault weapons
   2.  Require universal background checks before gun sales
   3.  Pass a gun violence restraining order law that would allow courts to disarm people who display warning signs of violent behavior.

They're also committing themselves to help get out the votes -- and to vote themselves as they become 18.   Many of them will run for office in the future.

Ralph