Catching up with recent news briefs

1.  Attorney General Sessions says:  If Trump fires Rosenstein it might mean that he would have to resign too.   Is Jefferson Beauregard just being coy?   Why didn't he make it as a direct threat?    'If he goes, I go too.'   Perhaps he's leaving himself wiggle room, but why?   On the other hand, maybe it's that Sessions knows Trump wants to get rid of him too;   and a direct threat might give Trump ideas of getting 2 for 1.

2.  House Republicans demanded Comey's notes on meetings with President Trump be released to them.   Some suggested that they were trying to set up a situation where Rosenstein's anticipated refusal could be used as a pretext for firing him.   If so, it backfired.   Rosenstein did release the 15 pages of notes, with some redactions of names.   In addition, the notes themselves back up Comey's other statements, both in his congressional hearings and in his book.   So, nothing to see here, folks.

3.  Rudy Guiliani says that he will be joining the Trump legal team specifically to bring the investigation to an end;  and he hopes to do that within two weeks.   Some think that it's Rudy's connections with the New York federal prosecutor's office, which is handling the Cohen case and which Rudy used to head that is the reason.   He has connections with FBI agents there who have leaked to him in the past.   Rudy may add political power to the team, but he is no longer a legal heavyweight.  He's way past his prime and into FoxNews punditry, such as it is.

4.  It seemed that EPA's corrupt administrator Scott Pruitt was a step away from being fired -- and that foot was starting to slip on a banana peel -- when the news week was grabbed by the raid on Michael Cohen's home and offices.  It's dominated the news ever since, which some people think is a lucky break for Pruitt.    Don't count on it holding.   The EPA Inspector General is investigating, as are several news organizations.  They continue to find more and more evidence of wrong-doing -- especially things like meetings with lobbyists that had been previously denied.   We've rarely seen someone come in to head a federal agency and so quickly turn it into his own private, personal corrupt machine.   I'd give him three more months, at most.

[Later addition:   It was reported Monday night that word has gone out from the White House to Republicans: stop defending Pruitt.   This comes after another revelation of a meeting with a lobbyist for a client, when Pruitt had previously said this lobbyist had no business before the EPA.  And BTW, this lobbyist's wife is the one who gave Pruitt the $50 a night condo rental.   Also, lots of corrupt and suspicious stories coming out about Pruitt's time as AG of Oklahoma too.  The senate has just confirmed the appointment of a #2 person for the EPA, so there will be someone to take over when Pruitt gets fired.]

5.  And baby makes 5:   Kate and William, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have had their third baby, born Monday night, weighing a healthy 8 pounds 7 ounces.   How does she do it?    Less than 24 hours after giving birth, Kate walks out the front door of the hospital -- along with Dad William and siblings George and Charlotte.  Kate is looking almost daisy-fresh, carrying the baby herself;  and the adoring crowd waiting outside the hospital goes wild.   They drive away in an SUV driven by Prince William himself.

The new baby, whose name has not yet been announced, is fifth in line for the British throne:   The line of succession being Charles, William, George, Charlotte, and [new baby].    Harry would come next -- unless it's after William's children have children of their own first.   This admirable and adorable young family is restoring the Brit's love affair with their royalty.   Too bad Charles will have to have his reign as king before William.

6.  Finally, back home:   an amazing parallel.   In the Watergate break-in, the DNC filed a lawsuit against the Nixon campaign within three days.    The 2018 DNC has just filed a similar lawsuit against the Trump campaign, albeit not within 3 days.   But here's the ironic factoid:    The judge to whom the current case was assigned actually worked on the Watergate case as a young, assistant prosecutor, some 40+ years ago.

Remember the outcome?  Nixon eventually resigned from the presidency rather than face the inevitable impeachment trial that was being prepared by congress.

Ralph