President Trump Rescinds Philadelphia Eagles Invite Over Anthem Issue 

On Monday night, President Trump tweeted an explanation, saying: “The Philadelphia Eagles Football Team was invited to the White House. Unfortunately, only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event. Staying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. Sorry!” 

The NFL Network said Monday that fewer than 10 players planned on attending the ceremony at the White House, and a number of prominent players, including Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Long, LeGarrette Blount and Rodney McLeod, had said they would not take part. 

The White House released a statement saying, “The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country. The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better.” 

The New York Times allegedly obtained a recording of an October 2017 meeting that included NFL owners, players and league executives. Jeffrey Lurie, the owner of the Eagles, was said to have told attendees and other owners that he has “no interest in supporting President Trump.” 

“This is not where you brandish a group of people because they own assets in a sport we love, supporting what many of us perceive as, you know, one [expletive] disastrous presidency,” Lurie said.

IG Report Latest

President Trump on Tuesday questioned why the final report from Inspector General Michael Horowitz has not yet been released. Trump questioned whether the “numerous delays” in the Justice Department’s report of the Hillary Clinton email case is being watered down.

In a tweet Tuesday morning, Trump said, “What is taking so long with the Inspector General’s Report on Crooked Hillary and Slippery James Comey. Numerous delays. Hope Report is not being changed and made weaker! There are so many horrible things to tell, the public has the right to know. Transparency!” 

In coming weeks, Horowitz is expected to release a nearly 500-page report criticizing the Justice Department and FBI for their handling of the probe into Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state. A draft version of the report was submitted to the DOJ and FBI in mid-May so officials could identify any information that should be protected from disclosure.

Trump-Kim Meeting: Preparations Going Well

The White House said on Monday, June 4, that a first meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will take place at 9am ET in Singapore on June 12.

With one week to go to the summit, hosted by Singapore, remarkably few details have been publicly confirmed. However, Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted today that “The venue for the Singapore summit between @POTUS and Leader Kim Jong Un will be the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island. We thank our great Singaporean hosts for their hospitality.” 

Sanders also said that the White House “advance team” - which features military, security, technical and medical staff - were already on the ground in Singapore. They are “finalizing preparations and will remain in place until the summit begins.”

Gallup Poll: Half of Americans Say U.S. Moral Values Are Poor

A Gallup poll conducted from May 1- May 10, found that 49% of Americans say the state of moral values in the U.S. is “poor”. 37% of US adults say moral values are “only fair” and 14% say they are “excellent” or “good”. 

When asked further, 77% of the people polled said moral values in the U.S. are getting worse, while 18% say they are getting better.

College Drops National Anthem from Commencement Ceremony

Pomona College in Claremont, California, is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college. They have played the national anthem at their commencement ceremonies up through this year. 

The first commencement for Pomona College was on June 27, 1894, and it has been reported that the national anthem has been played at each commencement up to this year. Totaling 123 commencements with the national anthem. 

In an interview on Monday with The College Fix, Pomona College junior and co-editor-in-chief of the Claremont Independent, William Gu, said the publication’s student journalists and some parents noticed the absence of the national anthem at this year’s commencement on Sunday May 13. YouTube videos confirmed their suspicions. 

Administrators have not announced any reason for dropping the anthem, but William Gu told College Fix one possible reason for the decision might have been because the college is “afraid that some students might protest the anthem, which would cause much more trouble than simply dropping it.”

There has been no comment from Pomona College despite repeated requests from College Fix and the Claremont Independent.

Mail Time!

• I disagree with you on Trump remaining silent on the Mueller investigation. Do not let Mueller work quietly. Keep the spot light on him. It helps Americans stay focused on the abuse and stupidity of the investigation. 

• Hi Bill, re: Trump's Lawyers" tactics on the Mueller Investigation, the best defense is a good offense. Rules for Radicals:
Do what the opponent is not expecting. Flood people with miss-information. 

• Bill, why do you think the IG report release keeps being delayed?

• I am trying to get the Gaston County NC Honor Guard to make a donation to the Independence Fund. You can guess the obvious questions about them. They are not rated by Charity Navigator. My take from their 2016 Form 990 is that 75% goes to services. You obviously support them. How to you pick your charities? Signed up for concierge service tonight. How is that email service going to work? 

Word of the Day: Dunderhead