The Morning Briefing - July 20, 2016
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL - As if he was the U.S. Attorney General - or perhaps auditioning for the gig - Gov. Chris Christie took the stage at the Republican National Convention to present his case that Hillary Clinton is "GUILTY!" of pretty much everything wrong in the world. Christie, acting as prosecutor, went country by country, giving one-sided arguments as to how Clinton repeatedly screwed stuff up, and then asked the one-sided jury on the convention floor if she was "GUILTY!" In the end, according to the Christie-led crowd, Clinton has clearly disqualified herself to be President of the United States, as well as any job that would give her any degree of responsibility, like sweeping up the Taco Bell on Route 1. And so, the judge and jury deemed only one candidate in this race suitable for the Oval Office. 93 percent guaranteed. Case closed.
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL - Donald Trump says he is loath to read books or, well, just about anything. So, he gets most of what he thinks he knows from TV news shows. His confession to the Washington Post speaks volumes about why Trump can't tell a Shiite from a Sunni; know that all Muslims aren't terrorists; or understand why a 2,000-mile Mexican wall sounds, well, a stretch. Yet, the misinformed mogul insists he is smarter than any expert or academic, claiming to "always make the right decision with very little knowledge." Rutgers University presidential historian David Greenberg says putting a non-reader in the Oval Office "isn't inherently dangerous" but "in Trump's case ... when you combine it with the vulgarity and the authoritarian style, it shows a locker-room, business-world machismo that pervades his persona." One must ponder: would President Trump's daily Threat Matrix appear on a Post-it?
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL - Speaking of politicians who famously don't read, where's Sarah Palin? In his runup hullabaloo to the GOP convention, Donald Trump vowed to surround himself on stage with winners. After the big-name sports heroes backed out, Trump was left with his adoring trust fund family, Chachi and, of course, Gov. Chris Christie. Hard to dispute that the "Thrilla from Wasilla" has been one of Trump's most loyal cheerleaders. Asked why Palin is a convention no-show, Trump told the Washington Examiner: "She was asked ... we love Sarah (but) it's a little bit difficult because of where she (lives), you know, it's a long ways away." Hard to believe a seven-hour flight from Alaska to Cleveland is denying us more folksy Palinisms.
NEWARK - Discouraging street violence and promoting sportsmanship are among Ras Baraka's goals behind the new Mayor's Belt Boxing Tournament underway here. Teenager pugilists, most of them from New Jersey's urban areas including Camden and Trenton, came to Newark for the elimination-style tourney's first-round last weekend at the North Ward's Kasberger Sports Complex. Second-round matches will be July 30 and the tournament's final two days are on Aug. 7 and 14. Boxing trainer Anthony Carr told NJ.com that the city's message to teenagers is "instead of picking up guns ... pick up the gloves and show us what you're really made of."
ATLANTIC CITY - And if teen-aged boxing isn't enough entertainment for you, head down to Atlantic City this weekend for what is being billed as an "epic battle of pint-sized proportions." It is called a "midget wrestling championship" at an open-air arena at The Hideaway Atlantic City, considered the "Biggest Little Event in Atlantic City." It is also being called the "Knee High Knuckle Buster," with pocket-sized masked wrestlers committed to "tussle, toss, take-down and do whatever it takes to ultimately finish their opponents." If that isn't enough, Coors Light is offering "big fun with tiny prices." Just $10 for six mini-cans. Apparently, there is no PC left in AC.
MADISON - Hard to imagine how much booze this guy drank, prompting him to parade around a local Italian restaurant wearing just a thong and then head-butting a cop who tried to arrest him. NJ.com says the 28-year-old Brooklyn man became combative as he paraded around the eatery in just his thong last Thursday. There's a bunch of criminal charges here, besides what we assume are some sanitary violations, prompting what will become a very entertaining case before the otherwise mundane Morris County Superior Court.
LINDEN - It was a crappy idea that just didn't work. A 27-year-old Plainfield man defecated in his pants, hoping it would dissuade cops from arresting him. No such luck. The apparently drunk man got pepper sprayed and arrested after kicking two officers during a scuffle on North Wood Avenue early Sunday morning. NJ.com says this party-pooper is now being held on $65,000 bail for aggravated assault, resisting arrest as well as a few outstanding warrants from Somerset and Union counties.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Attention "Pokemon Go" players, there's yet another place you are banned. Indonesian officials say you need to keep out of the presidential palace and off the well-manicured grounds, according to hastily printed flyers plastered earlier today. "This is the office of the president, not a playground," says the chief of the palace's press bureau, after the Cabinet Secretary booted a bunch of players wandering around the palace, citing an obvious security risk.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1917 that the draft lottery was held to build the military for World War I. The first drawn was #258. "Damn," says Fred.
WORD OF THE DAY
Winkle (WINK-ul) - verb
Definition: to displace, remove, or evict from a position
Example: Republicans would love to winkle any Kasich supporters from the convention floor.
WEATHER IN A WORD
Glorious.