Her media pals have swooned over her, calling her the best press secretary ever. She was competent, I'll give her that -- but she was condescending, and lied a lot (though that may come with the territory), and did very little to raise the tone of debate in the country. I give her credit for holding regular briefings, but I have it on good authority that she and her underlings maneuvered to make sure that challenging questions were quashed, except from Peter Doocy, who works for Fox News, which is too big to ignore or wish away (Obama tried).
This was not a job she should have had. The job was earned by former Biden spokesperson Symone Sanders, who was somehow shunted to the VP's office and eventually left the administration. (Somehow in all the talk of systemic racism, we never heard the explanation as to why a black woman who did it all on the campaign trail was passed over in favor of a white woman who did not.)
There is a corruption issue here: Psaki is leaving to join MSNBC, if reports are to be believed, and there were several outlets courting her, so she was, as Byron York notes, briefing the same organizations who were trying to hire her (and whom she was trying to entice to hire her). There are stark conflicts of interest.
I think one can honestly say, though, that the administration will be served more poorly by anyone who replaces her, which is a form of praise, I guess.
This is my first broadcast from the new office and studio in Washington, DC, where I'll be for a couple of years my neighborhood back in L.A. cleans up -- and as we follow the Trump administration from a little closer up than usual.
Topics:
- The anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump
- The escalating tariff battle with various different trading partners
- The future of the Middle East peace talks, and ongoing antisemitism
- The Jeffrey Epstein files and whether they mean anything at all
- The continued crisis of the Texas floods, and stories of heroism and survival
And more!
Special guests:
- James Rosen - Newsmax chief Washington correspondent
- Bob Price - Breitbart News Texas reporter, on the ongoing floods
- Robert Cahill - Trafalgar Polling, on a new alliance of reliable pollsters
- Rabbi Yaakov Menken - Coalition for Jewish Values - on Israel & antisemitism
Tune in: 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week’s portion tells the grand story of the prophet who tried to curse people of Israel and instead ended up blessing them.
I am reminded that these portions continue to be relevant anew, as this particular reading lent the title for Israel’s recent 12 Day War against Iran, “Operation Rising Lion.”
This week's portion includes the commandment of the red heifer -- one of the classic "irrational" commandments whose fulfillment is an expression of faith. It also includes the regrettable episode in which Moses strikes the rock.
I referred to this story in a wedding speech last night. Why was Moses punished for striking the rock in Numbers, when he struck the rock without incident in Exodus -- both for the purpose of providing water to the people?
The answer is that in the interim, the Jewish people had received the Torah, which is like the marriage contract between the people of Israel and God. In a marriage, you do not resolve things by breaking boundaries, but through love.
The additional reading, from Judges Chapter 11, is the story of Jephthah (Yiftach), a man whom the leaders spurn, but to whom they must turn to save the nation. The parallels to our present political circumstances are striking.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Fourth of July!
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