Here are my observations on the news of the day.

THE PRESIDENT’S USE OF “S—THOLES” is still getting negative press by the left-leaning media, even though examples of its common use continue to surface.

In the blog, Althouse, Ann Althouse devoted her January 12, 2018 post to the subject of this slang word.

“A wretched place … (a) a dirty or dilapidated dwelling; (b) a remote, downtrodden, or unpleasant city, town, etc.” – Oxford English Dictionary

With that definition, Althouse stated that the dictionary cited a number of examples of its use dating back to 1930. I don’t have the space here to publish them, but if interested, you can read her blog.

“It was said by the President of the United States, but in a private meeting,” she wrote, “where I presume he, like many presidents before him, have said “f—k” and other bad words of the time. We know Nixon did. LBJ did.

“So what is the big deal? The big deal is that its racist. Supposedly. That’s in the mind of the hearer, as the hearer really hears it or chooses to speak of it, and the motivations there are not untainted. Anything about Trump that can be called racist, will be called racist,” she added.

It’s realistic to believe that the president was referring to “s—thole countries,” not individuals. “Is Haiti not a wretched place?” asks Althouse.

“S—thole” is a perfectly good rude, slangy word,” concludes Althouse, “It is not a racial term, and shame on the people who are making it racist.”

“Let’s be clear about one thing,” writes Ben Domenech in The Federalist, “Haiti is a s—hole. I’ve been twice. It is a really hellish place.

“When this story broke yesterday, people immediately seized upon it as indicative of the president’s racism. That’s wrong,” he added.

I often wonder how many Democrats would be willing to bring a Haitian family into their homes as immigration sponsors. I think not. As I wrote yesterday, they are mainly interested in their projected votes.

To wit, I understand the National Review’s Rich Lowry caught CNN host Joan Walsh off guard when he asked if she would rather live in Haiti or Norway.

“Anti-immigration appetites are fed when people are unwilling to admit the truth about what they are arguing,” Domenech claims.

HOW ABOUT THIS observation from Philip Kennicott, culture editor of the Washington Post? He asks: “Did Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Il) speak sharply to the president, saying no one should speak like that, not in the White House, not in decent society?”

“It’s kind of weaselly to sit there and listen and then afterwards talk to the press and let them, who didn’t experience the context or have the ability to shape and propel the conversation – do your chiding and slamming for you,” Kennicott suggests.

Certainly, Kennecott knows that Durbin would not confront the president like that.

I’m reminded of the Sen Jeff Flake’s shameless glory-seeking take down of President Trump on the Senate Floor. He didn’t have the courage or character to vent his beliefs to the president in private, which could have been arranged.

MEANWHILE, the president said this weekend that the DACA is probably dead because Democrats don’t really want it, they just want to talk and take desperate needed money away from our military.

DILBERT CREATOR SCOTT ADAMS writes in his blog that President Trump has earned the highest presidential approval of all time. No, he isn’t referring to those ”popularity” polls– if you are a Democrat, you disapprove of him; if you voted for Trump you probably still approve of him; and if you are an anti-Trump conservative, you believe he is going a good job, but you disapprove of him anyway.

Adams is referring to the small business optimism, calling it the new standard for presidential approval because “economics” captures most of what a president influences. Think about it. Adams points out that the threat of war; even a trade war, a terror attack, immigration and other issues all directly influence the economy.

“The economy captures all the goodness and badness of a presidency without really trying,” Adams believes, “and the measure that best reflects the future of the economy, in my opinion, is small business optimism.”

HARD TO IMAGINE, BUT … The Treasury collected a record $390,847,000,000 in individual income taxes in October-December, but despite the record revenues, the federal government ran a deficit of approximately $225 billion during the quarter. With that, I was reminded of the quote of the late Sen. Everett Dirksen (R-Il) – “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.”

GROWTH NUMBERS – Even with 3 percent growth, economists are skeptical about continued impressive growth. Many of them hold back credit for the consumer confidence to the White House, but a recent CNBC/Moody’s Analytics Survey noted that the improvement in business attitudes and spending is a direct result of the changing of the guard in Washington and may be contributing to a more consistent growth pattern.

Joseph LaVorgna, chief economist Americas at Natixis, notes that while his forecast is an outlier, he says the fourth quarter could even hit as high as 5 percent, and he sees the 3 percent pace continuing into 2018.

FORMER UN AMBASSADOR Samantha Power caused a bit of a stir in foreign policy circles with her tweet – “Does anybody else pine for the good old days when we weren’t talking or thinking about buttons – the size of nuclear buttons, the ease of hitting the wrong button, etc.?”

The best response came from Richard Grenell, who is currently up for confirmation as our ambassador to Germany, “Your good old days were actually when North Korea assembled their nuclear program, began perfecting their launch, and miniaturized a nuclear warhead. You ignored this developing storm.”

Makes me thankful that the Trump administration has a powerful voice in UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.

CHELSEA MANNING has announced that she will challenge Maryland Democrat Ben Cardin, who is up for re-election in November. It’s difficult for me to understand what she is thinking. The DNC will surely support Cardin, who is considered an over whelming favorite to win a third term.

CHICAGO, CHICAGO, my kind of town. Aaron Goldstein, a candidate for Illinois attorney general, was robbed at gunpoint while taking promotional photos with campaign workers for his campaign. It happened in the Northwest Side ward, were he is the Democrat committeeman.

The robbery took place mid-afternoon as three men in their early 20s approached the party and demanded belongings and cameras from Goldstein’s group. At least one of the thieves had a gun.