Fifty years after he was sidelined by bone spurs, President @realDonaldTrump finally made his way to Vietnam in service of his country (read: Russia) this week.
There, he was shot down—like a dog—and voluntarily recorded a propaganda video in which he heaped praise upon one of America's most ruthless adversaries.
Some might call Trump a hero, but I like people who weren't captured.
Meanwhile, back on the home front, Trump was under sustained attack by his former attorney/fixer, Michael Cohen, who cast him as a racist, a conman, and a cheat.
Cohen came ready with receipts to support his explosive allegations about Trump's rampant criminality; in fact, Republicans didn't even try to push back on this.
However, when it came to Trump's (supposed) racism, Republicans were much more combative—after all, how can Trump be racist if he has a black friend?!
Morning lineup:
Meet the Press: Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA); Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH); Roundtable: TBA.
Face The Nation: National Security Adviser John Bolton; Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA); Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL); Roundtable: Jeffrey Goldberg (The Atlantic), David Nakamura (Washington Post), Paula Reid (CBS News) & David Sanger (New York Times).
This Week: Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY); Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA); Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D); Roundtable: Tom Llamas (ABC News), "Independent" Strategist Matthew Dowd, Republican Strategist Sara Fagen, Maggie Haberman (New York Times) & Michael Tomasky (New York Times).
Fox News Sunday: National Security Adviser John Bolton; Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI); Roundtable: Ben Domenech (The Federalist), Gillian Turner (Fox News), Former Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) & Marie Harf (Fox News).
State of the Union: National Security Adviser John Bolton; Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA); Roundtable: Republican Strategist Amanda Carpenter, Former State Rep. Bakari Sellers (D-SC), Republican Operative David Urban & Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Evening lineup:
60 Minutes will feature: a report on a lawsuit filed on behalf of 21 kids alleging that the US government knowingly failed to protect them from climate change (preview); a report on Code.org, which is teaching computer science to girls from kindergarten up (preview); and, an interview with Mark James, the engineer who was fired after an Amtrak train crashed into his parked train, killing two and injuring more than 90 people (preview).
Oscar-winning documentary film Free Solo will air commercial-free on National Geographic at 9pm. Very highly recommended.
Late night shows:
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Monday: Actress Julianne Moore; Actor Thomas Lennon; Singer Bebe Rexha.
Tuesday: Actor Kit Harrington; Actress Amber Tamblyn; Musician Hozier.
Wednesday-Friday: TBA.
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Monday: "A Total Shutshow: A look back at the longest government shutdown in U.S. history."
Tuesday: "This Is U.S.: A look back at notable local news stories."
Wednesday: "The Russian Scandal: The Creme de la Kremlin III."
Thursday: "You're Fired: In Memoriam Vol. 2: A look at another round of Trump appointees who either resigned or were fired."
Elsewhere...
An Arizona state rep claimed that vaccines are communist... or something.
Signing her post, "live free or die," state Rep. Kelly Townsend went on Facebook Thursday to decry mandatory vaccinations as a communist idea.
One day after Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said he was "pro-vaccination," Townsend, a Mesa Republican, wrote that she'd heard about proposals to "force" people in Arizona to be vaccinated.
"The idea that we force someone to give up their liberty for the sake of the collective is not based on American values but rather, Communist (sic)," she wrote.
"Our country is sovereign, our State is sovereign, our family is sovereign, our God is sovereign and the most holy and sacred last frontier of sovereignty is our own body," Townsend wrote. "Folks, I am going to ask you to educate your children, educate your family, educate those around you about the fundamentals of liberty and what that means. It seems we have lost those fundamentals along the way and are chasing our fears."
And, speaking of "living free"...
Candace Owens, of "Hitler wasn't really so bad" fame, argued that racism doesn't exist because she's never been a slave.
Candace Owens, the director of communications for student group Turning Point USA, drew sharp criticism on Friday after she attempted to refute the existence of racism by explaining that she herself has never been a slave.
"America is not a racist country," the black conservative provocateur said during a conservative convention. "Stop selling us our own oppression. Stop taking away our self-confidence by telling us that we can't because of racism, because of slavery."
"I've never been a slave in this country," Owens declared.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
– Trix