A Week in Trumpworld

Wow, in Trumpworld political news comes so thick and fast that it’s hard to keep up. But this past week or so has been even crazier.

• Hope Hicks admits to telling “white lies” for Trump.
  

• Hope Hicks resigns as Trump’s Communications Director, the fifth person to hold or be named to that post in the past 13 months.

• Jared Kushner -- in charge of negotiating Middle East peace, improving relations with Mexico and China, reforming the criminal justice system, and streamlining the entire federal government -- has had his security clearance downgraded. 

• Intelligence intercepts show that at least four foreign governments have discussed ways that Jared Kushner could be manipulated. 

• Rick Gates pleads guilty to, among other things, lying to the FBI about a meeting with Paul Manafort and pro-Russian GOP congressman Dana Rohrabacher. 

• Evidence has emerged that Roger Stone, a big Trump adviser and self-professed “ratfucker” back in his Nixon days, had direct contact with Wikileaks during the election campaign. 

• Joseph Mifsud, the shady Maltese professor who promised the Trump campaign “dirt” on Hillary Clinton, has been missing since last October. 

• Corporate American has started turning against the NRA. 

• The state of Georgia threatens Delta Airlines for distancing itself from the NRA.

• Trump tells lawmakers that it’s okay to sometimes go up against the NRA. 

• Trump claims he would have happily faced certain death by intervening in a school shooting unarmed. 

• Trump causally, and unexpectedly, announces tariffs on steel and aluminum, causes the Dow Jones to dive 500 points.   

Let's see what happens next week.

Ron and Betsy Work It Out

A lot of people have been claiming that the meeting Donald Trump Jr. had with a Russian lawyer who was offering damaging information on Hillary Clinton provided by the Russian government is a “nothing-burger” because Junior didn’t actually get any such information. He just wanted to get it, and the fact that it didn’t work out, they would say, excuses him of any possible wrongdoing.

And this is so true. One way to look at it is to imagine an everyday family situation that we can all relate to. 

Just picture a comfortable, suburban living room where...

Ron, a 40-something man, is on the sofa watching TV, when his wife Betsy walks in, holding a piece of paper. She has a concerned look on her face. 

“Ron,” she says. “I found this e-mail on your computer. Would you care to explain this?” 

Ron looks surprised. “E-mail? What e-mail?” 

“From someone named Tiffany. She’s talking about meeting you for dinner.” 

Ron looks relieved. “Oh that. That was just someone that a buddy from work told me about. Said she was, well, you know, easy.” 

“Easy?” 

“Yeah, you know, kind of loose. I thought she might be good for a fling. Maybe a one-night stand.” 

“And you had dinner with this, this Tiffany?” 

“Sure. She sounded great, so I had to check it out. Anyone would have done the same.” 

Ron notices the shocked look on Betsy’s face, mutes the sound on the TV. “But, honey, trust me, nothing happened.” 

Betsy looks at him doubtfully. Ron stands up, takes her hand, gives her a sympathetic look. 

“Sweetheart, she just wasn’t as hot as my friend said. She would have been a lousy lay. Lousy. Yuck. So, I cut the dinner short. Told her ‘No thanks’.” 

Betsy smiles, her eyes misting a little. 

“She wasn’t hot enough for you?” 

“No. And it’s too bad. Trust me, I was really looking forward to it.” He squeezes Betsy’s hand, watches her face. “So, we’re all good? 

Betsy hesitates. Ron continues, "I could have cheated on you, but I didn’t. She just wasn’t hot enough.” 

There’s a twinkle in Betsy’s eye. She leans up and gives Ron a kiss on the cheek. 

“I couldn’t ask for a better husband. I’d better go finish the dishes.” 

As she scurries away, Ron picks up the remote, gazes at the TV with a satisfied smile on his face.

So children, as any good wife like Betsy will tell you, “intention” to cheat doesn’t matter. It's just a nothing-burger.