We’ll look at a few of the stories that would have been at the top of the charts if not for the shooting off of very expensive Tomahawk missiles at an airfield.  Not for nothin’ I know quite a few construction “professionals” in New Jersey who could ruin an airfield for a bit less than the cost of 1 Tomahawk missile, no less 59.

But before we walk away from the missile story it’s a worthy reminder that this action was what Obama wanted to do but the GOP in Congress wouldn’t let him do and Trump tweeted many times he should not do.  Oh and yes, Obama asked Congress, Trump didn’t.

Guess who Trump asked… I’ll give you one guess and it rhymes with the Smussians.

Given the Russians activity in the area it’s not inappropriate to warn them, but it would be nice if he’d gone to Congress first, then Putin.  And it’s also not inappropriate to imagine that Trump wasn’t just giving them a heads up, but asking for permission.

Also worth nothing that until two days ago Trump’s Syrian policy, such as it is, favored Assad.  He is a clown with Tomahawk missiles.

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On that note, the NY Times reports that the CIA knew about Russian intervention in the election even earlier than previously thought.  This is a good piece laying out the timeline of when who knew what.  The more we know, the more it explains people’s behavior.  Reid had been briefed and was trying to sound alarms.  The top Republicans had been briefed and said and did nothing.  McConnell would not go along with the harshest language in a letter to the FBI (who we now know were investigating).

But Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican majority leader, resisted, questioning the underpinnings of the intelligence, according to officials with knowledge of the discussions. Mr. McConnell ultimately agreed to a softer version of the letter, which did not mention the Russians but warned of unnamed “malefactors” who might seek to disrupt the elections through online intrusion. The letter, dated Sept. 28, was signed by Mr. McConnell, Mr. Reid, Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Representative Nancy Pelosi, the ranking Democrat…

“The public,” Mr. Reid wrote said, “has a right to know this information.”

McConnell says no they don’t, not if it helps the GOP for them to be ignorant.  This is a McConnell/GOP pattern of opportunism that continues to the next story.

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McConnell went ahead and blew up 200 years of Senate tradition, because no conservative should ever be denied a place on the Supreme Court.  Gorsuch is not the shining example of jurisprudential integrity they sold him as.  But no matter, they still smart over the thoroughly unacceptable Bork being denied in the 80s.  Bork had lots of nutty conservative ideas, but moreover was the guy who actually fired Archibald Cox for Richard Nixon in the famous Saturday Night Massacre.  That’s unacceptable.

Gorsuch believes that corporations are people.  Nobody who believes that should be on the Supreme Court.

McConnell is a supreme opportunist (no pun intended), using the denial of Gorsuch as an excuse.

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Only 98,000 jobs added in March, bad.  But Unemployment lowered to 4.5%.  And of course because trump is president we know those stats are now accurate.  When Obama was president unemployment stats were rigged, and we likely had 40% unemployment.

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California, literally rebuilding the state after decades of Republican intransigence, raised gas taxes to enact a bold $52 billion infrastructure plan.  It’s amazing what can get done when Republicans are not in the way.