News Vérité

We have all heard the saying about the “best laid plans of mice and men,” but how about the best laid plans of Donald Trump and Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu — their scheme to reshape the Middle East into a terrorism-free, Iran-neutralized region? Oops… the “best laid plans” of anyone can indeed “go awry.” The Middle East is now a mess. Netanyahu always had his eye on the prize, the elimination of Iran as a threat. He found an ally in Trump, who became like the drunken sailor of yore after his overnight success in Venezuela in bringing down a ruling government in a few hours flat with no casualties. The latest incidents involving Iran, Israel, and the U.S. reveal that the Middle East has indeed been changed, but not for the better. The whole region is now in crisis and could go up in flames over the slightest provocation. Consider these happenings: This past week, Israel bombed a Hezbollah command center in Beirut, and in response, Iran sent missiles into Israel. Trump tried to settle matters, but as before with the Iranian ceasefire, there is now only a facade of spoken restraint. Israel is still carrying out operations in Lebanon.

Tariffs may have worked well back in America’s great manufacturing days under President William McKinley, but a couple of decades later, the 16th Amendment shifted revenue collection to taxation of the American public. To his credit, Trump 47 did lower a whole slew of taxes in his “Big Beautiful Bill,” but since then, he has also inflicted tariff mania on the world with the goal of bringing back manufacturing to the U.S. His April “Independence Day” announcement of new tariffs was later ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, but that didn’t deter the man. He then turned to Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose a 10-percent, across-the-board tariff on all nations. A federal court recently struck that down, and it was already limited to 150 days from the outset. Now he’s using Section 301, which allows him to impose tariffs in response to “unfair foreign acts, policies, or practices affecting U.S. commerce.” Under 301, he’s targeting countries that fail to “effectively enforce” bans against products created by using “forced labor.”  He has singled out six entities — Canada, Ecuador, the European Union, Indonesia, Mexico, and Pakistan — for a 10-percent tariff. All other nations will

My guess: Boos will overpower yeas, just as Spurs will overwhelm the Knicks in tonight’s NBA Championship Game to be attended by President Donald Trump. Now, Trump is a native New Yorker, and he did as much to transform New York City as probably anyone in the past half-century, but he also lost two costly legal battles there. A fraud charge, based on a law that didn’t apply and whose statute of limitations had run out, was quickly approved by a jury that included two attorneys. The other was a sexual harassment lawsuit, which was made possible only because New York State lifted its civil statutes of limitations for one year, and that yielded something like an $88-million judgment. (My Opinion: If he actually sexually approached E. Jean Carroll, as was alleged, he should be ashamed. She wouldn’t be worth a free glance in a bar.) Security is tighter than ever around Madison Square Garden. Fans are already irate because the outside watch party has been moved blocks away due to security concerns. One more reason for boos over cheers.