Midweek news briefs

1.  Trump's Muslim ban (third):  The Supreme Court held hearings Wednesday on Trump's twice revised ban on travel from (some) Muslim countries.  This time it was not just a temporary stay decision but the legality of the ban itself.

   Justice Kennedy, the Republican most likely to be the swing vote, joined the Democratic Justices in sharp questions to the government's Solicitor General who was arguing the case.   Much of it had to do with Trump's motivation in instigating the ban, with the government saying that anti-Muslim statements made by Trump during the campaign should not be considered.   Kennedy particularly took issue with this.  On the other hand, some noted that Kennedy was also sharp in his questioning of those challenging the ban.  A decision is expected by the end of June.

2.  Judge ends Trump's ending of DACA:  A third federal judge has now delivered the harshest blow yet to Trump's end to the DACA program, which shields undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children and who have passed strict vetting that rules out any blemishes on their records.    U.S. District Judge John D. Bates called Trump's abrupt action last September to end the program "virtually unexplained" and therefore "unlawful."   He also called it "arbitrary" and "capricious" because it did not adequately explain why it said the program was unlawful.

Still, he gave the administration 90 days to provide more solid reasoning for ending the program.   If they do not, then presumably the ending of DACA will be overturned.   Thus Judge Bates' decision goes beyond others in that it provides for restarting the program and accepting new applications, assuming the government does not meet the 90 requirement.

3. Trump still trumpets a lie about Iran deal:   Even though French President Emmanuel Macron was standing with him and obviously knows the lack of truth in his statement, President Trump repeated his claim on Tuesday that:  "The Iran deal is a terrible deal.  We paid $150 billion.  We gave $1.8 billion in cash.  That's actual cash, barrels of cash.  It's insane.  It's ridiculous."  At another point, in Macron's presence, he spoke of "giving them [Iran] $150 billion."

None of that is true.  Here are the facts.   If Trump really doesn't know this, then he is unfit to be president.  If he knows it, and claims it's true anyway, then he is doubly unfit to be president.    Facts, as reported by the Associated Press:    There was no $150 billion payout from the U.S. Treasury.  The money he refers to represents Iranian assets held abroad that were frozen until the deal was reached and Tehran was allowed to access its funds."  The money has belonged to Iran all along.

The payout of about $1.8 billion is a separate matter.   That dates to the 1970s, when Iran paid the U.S. $400 million for military equipment that was never delivered because the government was overthrown and diplomatic relations ruptured.   But it was money they had paid -- and didn't get what they paid for.

"That left people, businesses and governments in each country indebted to partners in the other, and these complex claims took decades to sort out in tribunals and arbitration.   For its part, Iran paid settlements of more than $2.5 billion to U.S. citizens and businesses."   So, on this one, they actually paid us more than we paid them -- because they owed more, and they paid up, just as we did.

4.  Trump's nominee to head VA in trouble:   Admiral Ronny Jackson, the president's personal physician in the White House, was Trump's choice to head the sprawling bureaucracy that is the second largest and perhaps the most complex in the government.   It's has 366,000 employees, is responsible for the medical treatment of 9 million veterans, and has to oversee hospitals all over the country.   Already, Adm. Jackson, who seems a very affable man who gave Trump a glowing health report, was causing concerns.  It's become obvious that Trump does not vet people he nominates for important positions;  he simply goes with his gut or with expediency or because no one else wants the job.

Here, it's pretty obvious that Adm. Jackson knew how to flatter the flattery-addicted president.  The thing he lacks is any experience running a large, complex organization.   So questions were being raised about that.   But now, according to the ranking Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee, more than 20 people have come forward who are current or former members of the medical corps who worked under him or had first hand knowledge.    They have put forth charges that go well beyond lack of large-scale, managerial experience.

They claim that Adm. Jackson creates a hostile work environment;  one focus group rated morale as a 2 out of 10.   Others referred the difficult working relationship, attributed primarily to Adm. Jackson, with a fellow physician-chief.  In addition, there are charges of being drunk while on duty protecting the president, especially on overseas trips -- and of freely handing out sleeping and wake-up meds inappropriately to others on the trip.   The Republican chair of the committee has delayed the hearings which were scheduled for Tuesday.   Trump has given mixed signals but says he will leave it up to Adm. Jackson to decide whether to withdraw.

This is a particular problem, and it's particularly bad.   It also points to a general problem about this administration.   They apparently don't even begin to vet potential appointees.   Trump just doesn't seem to care.   He trusts his own instincts more than facts.

5.   Searching for some news not involving Trump:   I'll keep looking.   Something is bound to turn up.   Ah!   Here it is.   No, the Democratic candidate for the special election to fill an open congressional seat from Arizona did not win.   But she came within 5% points in a congressional district that Trump won by 21% points in 2016.   This follows the same pattern in Georgia 06 and several other states where Democrats cut deeply into Republican majorities in deep-red states.  In fact, Democratic candidates have sharply cut into the winning margins in virtually every one of these special elections in deep-red districts -- and have won a few where the odds were not so great.

And these are on top of those actual surprise wins, like Alabama and Virginia.

Ralph

PS:  6.  Then there was the evening breaking news:   (a)  Rudy Guiliani, as Trump's new lawyer, has met with Special Counsel Mueller and says that he is trying to get Trump to agree to an interview with Mueller.  (b)  Trump's other lawyers sent a letter to Mueller saying that he wants to personally be able to go through the documents seized in the Michael Cohen raid and take out anything that has attorney-client privilege.  (c)  Michael Cohen has sent an affidavit to the judge in his case saying that he will take the 5th amendment rather than testify in the civil case involving payment to Stormy Daniels.