Here are my observations and opinions on selected news of the day.

BUT DID YOU NOTICE? – It would be difficult to miss the interviews coming out of the Aspen Security Forum, but chances are you haven’t noticed the left-leaning media chosen to moderate them. Three NBC correspondents topped the list with Lester Holt interviewing FBI Director Christopher Wray, Peter Alexander interviewing Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Andrea Mitchell interviewing Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.

CNN, the New York Times and the Daily Beast each had two representatives doing the moderating. Among the 10 other media representative, just one – Fox News Channel – could be considered friendly to conservatives.

AMERICANS FILING FOR UNEMPLOYMENT dropped to a more than 48.5-year low last week as the labor market strengthens.

AND SPEAKING OF THE ECONOMY, the government collected a record $1,305 trillion in individual income taxes through the first nine months of fiscal 2018, according to the Treasury Department’s monthly statement. It is reportedly because more people are working and paying taxes, but Treasury said it may also be higher because more folks are cashing in gains made in the stock market.

OBAMA SURFACED IN SOUTH AFRICA this week, lecturing students on a wide range of topics. Again, the former president was unsuccessful in his attempt to attack President Trump without naming him:

“A politics of fear and resentment and retrenchment began to appear, and that kind of politics is now on the move. It’s on the move at a pace that would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago. I am not being an alarmist, I am simply stating the facts. Look around.

“Strongman politics are ascendant suddenly, whereby elections and some pretense of democracy are maintained – the form of it – but those in power seek to undermine every institution or norm that give democracy meaning.”

THEN, as if he was being reminiscent of his presidency, he said, “Unfortunately, too much of politics today seems to reject the very concept of objective truth. People just make stuff up. They just make stuff up. We see the utter loss of shame among political leaders where they’re caught in a lie and they just double down and they lie some more.”

Does that sound familiar? How many times did he repeat the lie that we could keep our doctor and our plan? And how about, “I learned about that from reading it in the media?”

IT WAS WHEN HE SAID “democracy also requires the rights of political and other minorities be safeguarded,” quoting Nelson Mandela,” and added that he understood “it’s not just about who has the most votes.”

IN CASE YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN, these two quotes come to my mind in respond to that statement:

“We’re not campaigning any more. The election is over.” – President Obama addressing Sen. McCain at the 2009 health care summit

“Elections matter. I won. You lost. Deal with it.” – President Obama addressing Republicans, 2013

TWEETING @BarackObama, the former president wrote: “Unfortunately, too much of politics today seems to reject the very concept of objective truth … people just make stuff up.”

AS YOU TRY TO CONTAIN YOURSELF, read this brief response from actor James Woods @RealJamesWoods: “If you like your doctor …”

HERE’S A QUESTION TO CONSIDER – How often have you heard it said that we should stop funding United Nations member countries who continually vote against us?

Rush Limbaugh asked this week, “Why in the world should Donald Trump stand up for the intelligence community of Barack Obama that has single-handily tried to wipe him out of office, to destroy his presidency and his career. Why?

The president, on a number of occasions, has voiced his support for his intelligence people, carefully and appropriately distinguishing his praise for the lower level employees. His criticism of John Brennan, James Clapper, James Comey, Michael Hayden, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, all of whom have openly demonstrated a bias not previously experienced in modern day politics with words like “traitor,” “treasonous,” “racist,” “Nazi” and “impeachment” used flagrantly.

IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE, but I understand that Brennan, Clapper, Hayden and Strzok still possess top secret security clearances.  Why?

FORMER DISGRACED FBI DIRECTOR James Comey, wrote @Comey this week that “All who believe in this country’s values must vote for Democrats this fall. Policy differences don’t matter right now. History has its eyes on us.”

NEO-NEOCON responded with, “Seriously, folks … is anyone on earth taking advice from James Comey?”

JOEL B. POLLAK did @joelpollack with: “So if we vote Republican, we don’t care about this country’s values? James Comey questions our patriotism unless we support The Party. This hack was in charge of the FBI for years. Now THAT is scary.”

THE MEDIA continues to talk about the Russian meddling and collusion by the Trump team with Russians as one in the same. That’s wrong.

They like to hear the president acknowledge the Russian meddling because in doing so, in their minds, that also assumes he’s admitting there was collusion. The media refuses to make the distinction between the two.

“Mr. Trump isn’t the answer to Mr. Putin’s dreams. The answer to his dreams is the U.S. tearing itself apart over tendentious partisan claims of “treason,” which ought to have some cheerleaders of this meme thinking twice.” Holman W. Jenkins Jr., Wall Street Journal

RIDICULOUS – The unhinged Democrats who have called for President Trump’s interpreter to appear before a Congressional hearing to reveal what was discussed in the private meeting between the president and Vladimir Putin goes beyond the pale.

LAUGH-OF-THE-DAY – Have you heard that the Democrats have selected the motto – “For the People.” So far, we have learned that it’s also the sales slogan for a used car dealer in Austin, Texas and an ambulance chaser.

        May God bless the United States of America.