Linkee-poo wants to be your fantasy, maybe you could be mine

Alligators up to the armpits again.

Even though there's a lot of talk about #MeToo, and for clarity, I support the movement, it doesn't mean that society has changed yet. "In a small county in rural northern Nevada, Melanie Keener was once the second-most powerful person in law enforcement. She was Storey County's chief deputy, overseeing detentions, investigations and the patrol division… That ended in 2016 when she reported her boss, Sheriff Gerald Antinoro, for sexual harassment." Women (and in some cases men) who report sexual harassment are still shamed and face retaliation.

"The House passed what advocates call the most significant gun control measure in more than two decades on Wednesday when it approved the first of two bills aimed at broadening the federal background check system for firearms purchases." Waits for right-wing freakout in 3… 2… 1…

"In 2019 the world looks different. Two years after President Trump took office, the U.S.-German relationship is at a new low." Putin's gambit pays dividends.

"The U.S. economy expanded at a solid 2.6 percent rate during the last three months of 2018, but growth was significantly lower than it had been earlier in the year, the government says." Everything is fine. We're all fine here. How are you?

While the US was focused on the Cohen testimony, the rest of the world got on with it's business. "Indian air force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, captured by Pakistani forces on Wednesday, has become the point of focus amid tensions between the two countries." The struggle over Kashmir is heating up.

"A woman arrested for allegedly assaulting a Massachusetts restaurant patron wearing a 'Make America Great Again' hat faces proceedings that could result in her deportation, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said." I wonder when some smart lawyer will make the argument that the MAGA hat is an explicit provocation and then make it stick?

"North Carolina prosecutors have announced that Leslie McCrae Dowless, the political operative accused of illegally collecting absentee ballots in that state's 9th Congressional District, has been indicted on charges of obstruction of justice and possessing absentee ballots." Also, Mark Harris has announced that he won't run in the new election. That was a Good Idea™.

"A federal judge in Texas ruled that state officials "created a mess" when they questioned the citizenship of about 98,000 voters and mistakenly concluded that many of those voters were not eligible to cast ballots… The sharply written ruling by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery of San Antonio ordered Texas officials to halt the removal of any registered voter from state voter rolls."

"Stocks sensitive to trade with China fell hard as U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told Congress he is looking for a tough deal with China that will include enforcement and be bigger than just an increase in Chinese imports of U.S. goods."

"President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left their summit meeting on Thursday in Hanoi, Vietnam, without agreeing on a denuclearization deal. A planned signing ceremony was canceled." Walking away at the last minute is a negotiating tactic you use to get a reduced price on a car. "'When we walked away, it was a very friendly walk,' Trump said, characterizing the meeting between the two leaders as one filled with 'warmth.' There are currently no plans for future meetings, but Trump said he looks forward to the next one, whenever that may be. "I would hope it would be soon, but it may not be for a long time.'" A "friendly walk"? What does that even mean? Also, who want to bet the next meeting will be during the 2020 election season? Anyone? Anyone?

"The testimony on Wednesday from Michael Cohen, President Trump's former personal lawyer who's headed to federal prison in early May, was a potentially seminal moment in the myriad investigations into the Trump administration House Democrats are expected to launch now that they control the chamber. It also provided a window into the real estate developer's surprise rise to the presidency in 2016 from the perspective of a top lieutenant who was by Trump's side for a decade." Are we not entertained?

"Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is earning praise from pundits over her performance during Michael Cohen's testimony, but there's more to her line of questioning than meets the eye… Pundits praised her performance, including her use of time, efficient questioning, and lack of grandstanding, and the fact that she asked follow-ups to questions raised earlier during the hearing." I was able to listen to most of her time, and yes it was unlike most of the rest of the congresspeoples' questioning, some of whom didn't actually ask any questions.

"Among the allegations in Michael Cohen's blistering testimony Wednesday about President Donald Trump is that his former boss 'cheated' -- Cohen's word -- to inflate his net worth. Trump's former lawyer said the documents were generated as Trump was seeking to move up on the list of Forbes billionaires as well as obtain loans from Deutsche Bank in an effort to buy the Buffalo Bills." A handy timeline of events.

"The Florida Bar is investigating Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz after his threatening tweet last night about President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen." Good. He deserves it.