by John Walters

Starting Five

Enema Of The State

How did Trump know his health care bill would pass in Congress? He had a preexisting cognition.

 

Well, I know it’s called the A-H-C-A, for starters. https://t.co/XYdyOspDvX

— Smokin’ Sarah Spain (@SarahSpain) May 4, 2017

Also, the bill means that $880 billion will go back into the hands of the nation’s wealthiest people, so remember that as your wife or father can no longer get dialysis or heart medication.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mtZ60AvDQY

I tried to explain this on Twitter last night: If this bill passes the Senate and tens of thousands of people who would have lived under Obama now die, that the people who pass it should have no expectation of safety.  One guy asked what kind of country has no respect for the rule of law, and I pointed out that the colonists who dumped tea into Boston Harbor did not; or the Scots who fought back against Prima Nocie (a law in which a Roman or English soldier gets to sleep with your wife before you on your wedding night) did not.

 

.@Reince exiting gop cloakroom tells me: “The president stepped up and helped punt the ball into the end zone.”

— Molly Hooper (@mollyhooper) May 4, 2017

Horrendous laws, particularly those that endanger the lives of thousands, tend to have violent consequences. And so this dude on Twitter wondered where I was before Obamacare, and how mad I was then. And I tried to explain that we had slavery under Washington and Jefferson, but they weren’t bad presidents. However, if someone had tried to reintroduce slavery AFTER Lincoln (and who knows, it’s only been 106 or so days for Trump), then that guy would be a horrendous president.

2. Does This Make Them Also Great Danes?

A story on BBC.com (a HIGHLY recommended daily read) says that for the first time in 200 years, a wolf pack has returned to Denmark. Better yet, lupine experts are not providing officials with information as to the wolves’ location so as not to interfere with their breeding. Yay, animals! Yay, people who get it.

3. Let’s Get It On

I’m not 100% sure who will advance to the NBA Finals, but the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are now a collective 12-0 in the postseason. With their 115-104 Game 2 defeat of Utah last night, the Dubs have now won their six by an average of 16 points per game. The Cavs’ games have been much closer (they were a missed shot away from losing Game 1 to the Pacers), but the LeBrons seem to be getting stronger with each game.

Will either team lose before the NBA Finals (yes)? Are we heading toward the final chapter in this trilogy in June? Yes.

4. The Daily 360

I don’t know why I hadn’t really noticed it before, but if you go to the New York Times sit (nytimes.com), on the far left column, you will see a video embed under “The Daily 360.” They’re fantastic! Each day the Times takes you to a different part of the world with a 360-degree camera and provides a short essay to accompany it.

Truth: When I was at The Daily, the Fox News-run iPad newspaper, we did these and they were also terrific (the first one was from the heart of Tahrir Square in Cairo during the Egyptian uprising). Alas, they were expensive and we didn’t really commit to it as much as we should have. Also, not enough people use iPads, so there was that.

5. Fyre Extinguisher

I really didn’t pay attention to this Fyre Festival sh*t show until last night minutes ago, but 25 year-old organizer/Fyre Media founder Billy McFarland has some ‘splainin to do (and is already facing $100 million in lawsuits). A planned concert festival on the Bahamian island of Great Exuma with promotional posters featuring Bella Hadid and Emily Ratjakowski (the usual suspects), a rumored $250K payment to Kendall Jenner for a single Instagram post, tickets that cost as much as $12,000 and acts that canceled at the last minute such as Blink-182.

Lots of profligate spending by McFarland and his fellow bros, who sound as if they were trying to get their Wolves of Wall Street on. Listen, if I want a clueless twenty something or two to throw a concert festival and pull it off, I’m going to Wayne and Garth. At least they knew how to do it.

Music 101

Sister Golden Hair

I’ll never understand why Glenn Frey and Don Henley didn’t just approach America and pay them gobs of money to write for them or simply to just go away. Or ask them to join the band. America was the best Eagles band outside (and often including) the Eagles in the early Seventies. This song, released in 1975, was one of two songs by the L.A.-based band that went to No. 1.

Remote Patrol

Game 3: Spurs-Rockets

9:30 p.m. ESPN

Kawhi Leonard can overcome anything short of autocorrect, but how will the Spurs fare now that Tony Parker will miss the rest of the playoffs? Tough task in Houston, and suddenly the James (Harden) gang has the upper hand.