by John Walters

Starting Five

1.Repeal and Replace?

Redact and Rccuse

Resign and Retire

Try to remember/That time in September….

No, Jeff. Really. Try. Attorney general Jeff Sessions is able to vividly remember a trip he took to Russia in 1991, but apparently simply cannot recall what he and Russian ambassador Sergey Kilysak spoke about on Capitol Hill jus six months ago. Whatevs.

Even the Donald said of Sessions awful session during his confirmation hearing when he lied/misled Senator Al Franken/Stuart Smalley, “He could have stated his response more accurately (but it was clearly not intentional).” Does the second half of that statement even matter when you are under oath?

Sessions yesterday said that he would recuse himself from any inquiry into whether Russia and Team Trump conspired before the 2016 election (good, because he is potentially one of the perpetrators), but that may not be enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUZZuhaztyk

“I did NOT have international relations with that country…”

Another thing: The FBI had been investigating Sessions for a month or two before that confirmation hearing. The Bureau had no idea he had twice spoken to the Russian ambassador, or did they just not feel obligated to inform anyone, such as the confirmation committee? Hadn’t it been only three months earlier when James Comey went out of his way to inform Congress of even less than that in terms of only investigating HRC? Here, they would have had solid proof, as opposed to hearsay. Interesting..

2.  The Bank of Cyprus?

Every good James Bond or  Lisbeth Salander spy tale requires a shady offshore/island bank and it sure seems as a bank sitting in the Mediterranean is ours.

I mentioned this Rachel Maddow clip the other day and even included it, but I’m posting here again because even though it’s a tad complex, it is potentially the “Follow the money” clue to much of what is happening regarding Trump and Russia. A Russian oligarch in need of laundering money bought a south Florida home from Donald Trump for two-and-a-half times what Donald paid for it only a few years earlier. Trump made $60 million on the sale, gross. And now that oligarch, who still has money-laundering needs, is connected to a bank in which Wilbur Ross, the recently confirmed Secretary of Commerce, is a Vice Chair.

Follow the money. It’s all right here.

3. Dub Missteps

For the first time in 146 games, or 23 months, the Golden State Warriors lose two in a row. The Dubs, minus Kevin Durant, were outscored 10-2 in the last three minutes in Chicago last night to fall 94-87. They were 6 for 30 (20%) last night from beyond the arc and were 8 for 28 in Tuesday’s loss at Washington. That’s a combined 24% shooting from 3-point land, which is indicative of a tired team (or an untalented one, which they are not).

The Dubs play Atlanta, Boston and San Antonio in the next 10 days or so and are only two games up on the Spurs in the loss column (50-11 to 46-13). The winner of the West will get a virtual bye (Denver, most likely), while whoever finishes second is looking at a real foe in the Clips, Memphis, Utah or OKC.

The Bulls, meanwhile, as our friends at The Big Lead tell us, have now won 18 home games in a row playing on Thursday nights on TNT.

4. Vermont? Yes, Vermont

No team in Division I hoops has a longer winning streak than the Vermont Catamounts, who have won 19 in a row and have a 16-0 record in the America East Conference (only one other school is unbeaten in conference play this season: Princeton, at 12-0). The 27-5 UVM boys last lost on the first day of winter, December 21.

This time of year folks in Burlington are usually more fired up about the NCAA skiing championships or hockey, but the men’s hoops team is also drawing attention (Burlington, by the way, is a GREAT town…SSSHHHH!). You may recall that 12 years ago the Kitties upset Syracuse in the first round of the tourney.

UVM is a balanced squad. 6’6″ frosh Anthony Lamb is the leading scorer at just 12.2 points per game and no one even plays 30 minutes. Of course, they haven’t needed to yet.

Kitty coach John Becker? Six seasons at Vermont, six 20-plus win seasons. He’s doing something right.

5. Mush’in Impossible

The annual Great Iditarod Sled Dog Race commences next week. You may be vaguely aware of that (you may be unaware that a few years ago, when Brooklyn was at Peak Hipster, there used to be [maybe there still is?] and Idiotarod Race in which teams pushed one another around in shopping carts). I digress….

What you may be unfamiliar with is the Iditarod Trail Invitational, in which human-powered races traverse either a 350-mile or 1,000-mile course tracing the famed Iditarod route going either by ski, bicycle or foot (you don’t alternate between the three; you choose one discipline and stick to it). That race is taking place right now. Current news says it’s 20-below as the racers are proceeding westward.

The doggies don’t have a choice. The people, they are choosing to do this of their own free will….

Music 101

Brand New Key

As a female folk singer-songrwriter in early Seventies, Melanie was buried beneath the flood of superstar talents such as Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon. But I’d put her quirky voice on the same tier as any of theirs and she had two certifiable hits (this and “Look What They’ve Done To My Song”) that received massive airplay. This song hit No. 1 in December of 1971 and January of ’72. The Astoria, Queens, native, who is still around (age 70) is one of only three female solo artists who performed at Woodstock in 1969 (along with Joan Baez and Janis Joplin; pretty good company).

Remote Patrol

Saturday

Duke (23-7) at North Carolina (25-6)

8:15 p.m. ESPN

The Heels were held to a 38-year low with 43 points at Virginia earlier this week and they lost in Durham two weeks ago. Look for a might effort from Carolina blue.