Bill began Tuesday's No Spin News with a couple of breaking news items from the West Coast.
First, liberal Federal Judge William Orrick has blocked the Trump administration's plan to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities that don't cooperate with immigration authorities. "Judge Orrick says the administration can't do that," Bill reported, "because only Congress has the right to regulate who gets money. It's not a terrible legal argument, but if you violate the law the Justice Department can certainly punish you. This will be litigated and I hope the Justice Department will file a court action against San Francisco and other places because they are violating federal law."
Also in San Francisco, the jury is now deciding the fate of Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, the oft-deported illegal immigrant accused of murdering 32-year-old Kate Steinle. "Zarate says he found the gun under a bench," Bill said, "and accidentally pulled the trigger. Are you buying that? I suspect that he'll be convicted of manslaughter and if the judge has any conscience he'll throw the book at him."
Meanwhile, accusations of sexual harassment continue to pile up against some well-known men, with CBS' Charlie Rose and Congressman John Conyers being the latest alleged miscreants. CBS has already fired Rose, who admitted his misbehavior, but the 88-year-old Conyers is denying everything. "This presents a problem for the Democrats," Bill observed, "because Conyers says he didn't do anything. The presumption of innocence in our country is long gone – if you are accused you are considered guilty in the court of public opinion. But Conyers is adamant that he didn't do anything so, to be fair, you have to give him the presumption of innocence. Every American should want one thing in all of these cases – justice!"
In other news, once-respected Newsweek magazine, which exists only online, has posted an article that compares Donald Trump with the late Charles Manson. According to the writer, both men had the ability to win over their alienated followers. Meanwhile, President Trump has jumped into another feud, this time with LaVar Ball, whose basketball-playing son was arrested for shoplifting in China. "Three UCLA players were put in jail," Bill reported, "and President Trump got them out. The players thanked the president, but LaVar Ball disrespected the president, who then tweeted out that he should have left them in jail. Because Mr. Ball and his son are black, CNN brought up the usual 'racist' accusation."
To debate the question of whether we are witnessing a collapsing culture, Bill welcomed Julie Alvin, who oversees lifestyle coverage for all of Time Inc. She pointedly blamed President Trump for the decline in civility. "There has been an erosion of decency and respect," Alvin said, "and the most glaring example of that is the person sitting in the White House. He starts fights with foreign leaders and football players and congressmen. The fact that he was voted into office is an indication of our culture collapse."
Bill argued that the hatred and incivility began long before President Trump took office and blamed much of it on the anonymity of the Internet. "It used to be," he contended, "that if you were going to smear somebody, you had to do it face-to-face. But now you can bully people anonymously and that is putting our culture in danger."
Alvin concurred, but only partly. "The rancor between parties has been especially bad," she agreed, "and the Internet exacerbates that, but the president is setting a tone to the millions of people who follow him. The presidency was always held up as being dignified, but the person in that position now is behaving like a petulant child. What are parents supposed to say to their kids when Donald Trump is calling people names and disrespecting war heroes?"
Bill reminded his guest that all presidents have had moral failings and that Donald Trump won because Hillary Clinton was perceived as dishonest. "People in Michigan and Ohio and Wisconsin didn't trust her. So there were two flawed candidates and the folks went with the person they though would help them more. You can't really say that a Trump presidency has made the culture more base when the alternative could have been worse!"
While no minds were changed and little common ground was found, Bill and Julie had a spirited and respectful discussion, always a good first step on the road to greater civility.
Bill then turned to the developing story out of Texas, where Border Patrol officer Rogelio Martinez was killed and his partner severely injured. They were reportedly attacked by illegal immigrants who bashed them with rocks and stones. "There's something about this story that doesn't stack for me," Bill declared. "Border Patrol agents have guns! Maybe they were ambushed, but they have all-terrain vehicles and pistols and something doesn't stack here. They have to tell us, because we the people have to know if our law enforcement agents are in danger. I don't like the way this is being reported."
In their emails and message board comments, Premium Members opined on Hillary Clinton's continued reluctance to concede defeat, the controversy surrounding Judge Roy Moore and his accusers, and America's opioid crisis.
Bill also announced that his live Facebook event, originally scheduled for this coming Monday, will be postponed by one week so we know more about the tax bill's fate in the Senate. The live event, which will focus on President Trump's performance, will now be held on Monday, December 4th. So save the date and mark those calendars! |
