An interesting day for the Donald

What a 24 hours 45 has had. This morning he crowed about how our military, with help from the Kurds even after we abandoned them, cornered ISIS leader Abu Baker al-Baghdadi in Syria. Al-Baghdadi detonated his suicide vest, killing himself and several children. Trump took malevolent glee in reciting (and perhaps making up) gory and humiliating detail about the ISIS leader's last moments. It really was nauseating to listen to. Yes, the world is better off without this terrorist but gloating over anyone's death is unseemly and may endanger many now that ISIS prisoners have escaped their Kurdish prison guards. They will want revenge for their leader's humiliation.
Trump loves to compare himself to his predecessor Barack Obama so of course he tried to make the case today that al-Baghdadi's death was a bigger deal than Osama bin Laden's. Then trump falsely claimed he had called for bin Laden's death in a 2000 book. We can also compare how trump treats such a grave moment to how Obama did, as the Washington Post's David Nakamura does in this opinion piece.
There also appears to be some doubt as to whether trump watched the raid as it happened. The timeline suggests he may have been playing golf and a former White House photographer has suggested the War Room photo of trump and some generals may have been staged after the fact. This would not surprise me in the least.
Hours later, trump and his closest sycophants attended Game 5 of the World Series. The crowd booed trump. Loudly. Then they chanted "Lock him up." So.... not exactly a victory lap. Team owners reportedly asked game officials to *not* sit trump next to them. This splendidly named New York Times piece gives the details of trump's humiliation. Add to that the protest signs reading "Veterans for impeachment" that sprung up just behind home plate when trump was introduced in the third inning.
Was he expecting to be feted as the conquering hero? Perhaps. But he got a dose of what Americans who do not attend his rallies or watch Fox News think of him. I doubt he will be going out "to the old ball game" again anytime soon. If you have not seen/heard his horrendous 2001 rendition of that ballpark classic, here you go.
The Tweet of the day goes to Patton Oswalt who summed up 45's day thusly: "Imagine being so hated that on the day you announce that the leader of ISIS has been killed on your orders a stadium full of baseball fans still boos you."
Trump is that hated and for good reason. Yes, a terrorist leader is dead. That is good. But this country is still stuck with a president fixated on his own ego rather than the nation's best interests. He's had more than three strikes and too many fouls to count. Time to call him "Out!"

They tried to shut her up; she still spoke

We were treated this week to another Capitol Hill theater of the absurd episode as the GOP bends itself into pretzels trying to shield Donald Trump from accountability over Ukraine. More importantly, we are also being treated to brave public servants defying 45 and his congressional enablers. People like Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper
who spoke for three hours yesterday about 45 denying Congressionally approved aid to Ukraine until they coughed up imaginary dirt on the Biden family. 
Why just three hours when other key witnesses like Ambassador William Taylor have testified for nine or more hours? This New Yorker piece details why his testimony this week was so damning and damaging for trump.
Thirty plus Republican members of Congress, who have clearly been consuming waaayyy too much orange Kool-Aid, broke protocol and federal law to protest and delay Cooper's testimony. Because she was going to speak on national security issues, her testimony was set for a secure setting. Enter, stage right, what appeared for all the world to be a gay men's choir (as a Facebook friend put it) blocking the hall and demanding entrance into the secure room. With cellphones. And ordering junk food on said cellphones. Also, half of the protesting politicians had clearance to attend one or more of the three committees set to hear Cooper's testimony.
So Ms. Cooper had to wait five hours while the choir boys insisted on transparency by violating secure space in which Ms. Cooper was attempting to provide Congress with, wait for it, transparency. So far she has been the only Pentagon witness. The Pentagon tried to stop her from testifying and they have thus far refused to hand over requested military documents.
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Coopers and Taylors in public service. Because of their speaking out, Congress and the American people are learning the depths of trump's self-serving depravity. As for the trumpets in the House? They need to be shown the door.