Highlights of the week

24 years after The Wizard Of Oz premiered, Ray Bolger sang If I Only Had A Brain on the Judy Garland Show. Life was good in black and white.

ITEM 1: The New York Post reported, “Israel launches airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear program, killing top military officials: ‘If we don’t act now, there will not be another generation.’ ”

What threat does Iran pose to the USA—other than that whole “Death To America” thing?

ITEM 2: NBC said, “Nationwide protests loom over Trump’s upcoming military parade.”

If you protest the Army’s 250th birthday, we should put you in a catsuit and catapult you to Haiti.

The parade will feature soldiers from all sorts of units. Those fellows in the blue uniforms have been in a long time.

ITEM 3: The Quinnipiac University National Poll asked 1,265 registered voters, “Is your opinion of Donald Trump favorable, unfavorable or haven’t you heard enough about him?”

4% said they haven’t heard enough about Trump. We really need more schools to show Home Alone 2 in history class.

ITEM 4: DOJ announced, “U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver was charged in a three-count indictment today for forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.”

No problem. Just give her a roach clip, baling wire and some bubblegum, and she will be out of jail in no time.

Oh wait. That’s her cousin, McGyver. She needs to lawyer up.

ITEM 5: Senator Alex Padilla attended Kristi Noem’s press conference.

What newspaper does the senator work for? Whoever it is should fire him because you always let the official finish her statement before asking questions.

ITEM 6: Collin Rugg tweeted, “LA Mayor Karen Bass tells Los Angeles residents to stay away from downtown, says 23 businesses have been looted & there is ‘graffiti everywhere.’

“Bass has implemented a curfew in downtown LA tonight from 8 pm to 6 am.”

Here’s an idea: Bring in the National Guard.

ITEM 7: The New York Post posted, “113 House Democrats vote against GOP resolution denouncing the anti-Semitic terrorist attack in Colorado.”

The story said, “Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), who is Jewish, voted no on the resolution.”

Was his Grandpa a member of Jews for Adolf?

ITEM 8: Fox reported, “Springsteen calls Trump ‘treasonous’ while performing at famous site of 1936 Berlin Olympics.”

Wasn’t the Nazi anthem a tribute to a driver for hire? Surely you’ve heard of Uber Alice. I’d reference a Springsteen song but I am unfamiliar with his music.

ITEM 9: Nick Sortor tweeted, “Governor Newsom’s MAJOR ADDRESS is ALREADY a massive failure, as they DIDN’T TURN THE MIC ON.

“NO OUTLETS have an audio feed, as Newsom tries speaking on national TV. He runs his livestreams just as well as well as he runs his state.”

Actually, that’s a brilliant strategy because people are tired of hearing nothing but lies. Embrace the silence, Democrats.

ITEM 10: Politico reported, “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made it his mission to remind Americans that they need to get off the couch and lay off the junk food. But there’s one vice he’s not talking about: smoking.”

The article said only 1 in 26 young people smoke. The rest are too busy sitting on their couches playing video games and eating Doritos.

ITEM 11: OSINTdefender reported, “President Donald J. Trump announces while speaking to soldiers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, that the bases renamed under President Joe Biden will be renamed for Confederate Generals: Edmund Rucker, A.P. Hill, Robert E. Lee, and George Pickett.”

But as with Bragg (now named for Roland Bragg) the generals no longer will be honored. Fort Rucker will be named for Darius Rucker, Hill for Faith Hill, Lee for Peggy Lee and of course Pickett for Wilson Pickett. They won’t do this immediately. They are going to wait till the midnight hour.

ITEM 12: CNBC reported, “Consumer prices rose less than expected in May as President Donald Trump’s tariffs had yet to show significant impact on inflation, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.”

Maybe tariffs are the way you bring down inflation.

ITEM 13: The Detroit News reported, “GM plans $4 billion push to move production from Mexico to U.S.”

Oh the cruelty. Americans will have to go back to making their own cars. No one wins a tariff war.

QUESTION: About ICE, why are Democrats protesting government workers doing their jobs?

Do we follow and harass the weights and measures people when they check to make sure the gas pumps are accurate?

Should we picket Jellystone Park and demand the firing of Mister Ranger over how he treats Yogi? No pick-a-nick baskets, no peace.

ITEM 14: NYT said, “A Cutting French Senator Becomes Trump’s European Nemesis.”

He says it in French, so nobody cares.

ITEM 15: CBS reported that the entire Fulbright Foreign Scholarship (FFS) Board resigned because they don’t like Trump.

Good. Now to get rid of the scholarships and save taxpayers $287.5 million a year. That’s $2.875 trillion over the next 10,000 years according to the CBO.

ITEM 16: CBS also reported, “Conservation efforts have brought the nearly extinct gray wolf back to California—but the focus has now shifted from saving them to helping cattle ranchers facing mounting losses from them. The state has spent more than $3 million compensating ranchers so far.”

Some species deserve to go extinct.

Oh, I don’t mean gray wolves. I mean California Democrats.

ITEM 17: The Department of Homeland Security tweeted:

Got a problem with illegal aliens? Put a little ICE on it.

ITEM 18: New York Post tweeted, “Russia fired North Korean ballistic missiles at Ukraine in latest barrage, Zelensky says.”

I probably should not give this advice to Putin, but he really shouldn’t use any of Kim’s ships because they become instant submarines.

ITEM 19: ABC tweeted, “Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Wednesday eight new members to the CDC's independent vaccine advisory committee, some of whom have been critics of shots—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Oh no. Vaccine makers will have to prove their vaccine to skeptics.

ITEM 20: The New York Post reported, “WNBA ratings have plummeted over 50% since Caitlin Clark’s injury.”

Some say she is malingering but I know she cannot wait to hit the floor again as opponents will foul her again and again.

ITEM 21: CBS reported, “The head of FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center—a position responsible for the government’s response to storms—submitted his resignation letter Wednesday and will formally depart the agency in two weeks.”

But who will coordinate ignoring Tennessee and North Carolina if they get hit by hurricanes again?

ITEM 22: ABC fired Terry Moran, 65, after he tweeted a diatribe against Trump and his administration. Breitbart News tweeted a video of Andrew Breitbart confronting Moran 15 years ago.

Some people are born with a BS detector. Breitbart’s was industrial-sized.

ITEM 23: The Hill reported that the DNC essentially fired David Hogg.

I hear Keebler Cookies is hiring.

ITEM 24: Fox reported that the Senate confirmed Billy Long as the head of the IRS—an agency he wants to eliminate.

Hey, Congress, the 16th Amendment says you may tax income. It doesn’t say you have to.

ITEM 25: CBS reported, “Planned PBS, NPR cuts would overwhelmingly hit outlets in states Trump won, report finds.”

But that’s OK because PBS and NPR assured me that federal taxpayers provide only 1% of their funding—leaving out the part where 41% of NPR’s funding comes from local stations.

ITEM 26: Mike Benz tweeted, “Incredible. Per Data Republican, the AFL-CIO receives more from YOU THE TAXPAYER ($72 million) each year in federal grants than it receives from membership dues from its own union members ($69 million).”

Well, it works out OK because the union then gives the same amount to the campaigns of Democrats. Money has never been as clean after going through this laundry machine.

ITEM 27: Dr. Eli David tweeted, “Iran’s IRGC Quds Force commander Gen. Esmail Qaani is confirmed safe in Israel. It can now be revealed that he was an Israeli asset, providing intelligence that led to elimination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and Hezbollah leaders Nasrallah and Safieddine.”

A reader asked, “Is Israel going to bomb Iran into the 21st century?”

ITEM 28: Trump: “Iran’s hardline negotiators are now dead.”

CNN’s Dana Bash: “Does that mean Israel got them?"

Trump: “Well, they didn’t die of COVID.”

ITEM 29: Mohanad Hage Ali, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut, said, “Hezbollah is in a difficult position. Iran is in need of support from its closest ally and they are incapable of delivering.”

They’re short-handed.

ITEM 30: The Daily Wire reported, “Three government contractors and a USAID official have pleaded guilty to a scheme involving paying bribes in order to steer more than half a billion dollars in foreign aid contracts, the Department of Justice said Friday.

“Roderick Watson, a USAID contracting officer, admitted to steering money to multiple companies in exchange for more than $1 million in bribes.”

But the media insisted USAID goes to feed starving people in Africa.