Politics
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President Trump celebrates the passage of the Tax Cuts Act with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, and Vice President Mike Pence. Among the many services George Washington did his country, we can be grateful he chose to be called “President of the United States,” because if then-Vice President John Adams had had his way, we might have to address Donald Trump as “His Elective Majesty.” Sycophancy is part of the job description of a vice president, of course, but Adams surely had nothing on Mike Pence, who at a celebratory Cabinet meeting last month delivered a three-minute homage to His Elective Majesty that, by the Washington Post’s count, paid tribute to Trump’s leadership, abilities and accomplishments, on average, every 12 seconds. Modesty isn’t a trait often ascribed to presidents, or to Trump personally, but watching him lap up this Niagara of praise, I couldn’t help wonder, Doesn’t he see through this BS?
President Donald Trump was the topic du jour before the Alabama-Georgia national championship game on Monday. One of the biggest moments came cameras panned to Trump as Zac Brown Band performed the national anthem. The president was definitely mouthing *something* … but were they really the words to the anthem?
See for yourself:
During the singing of the national anthem at tonight's College Football Playoff National Championship game in Atlanta, @POTUS was spotted joining in. pic.twitter.com/TJKhUkbdSp — Fox News (@FoxNews) January 9, 2018
Many supporters were proud to see the president on the field:
Politics aside it’s so cool to see President Trump standing on the field with respect for our anthem. #nationalchampionship — HUGE (@Hugeshow) January 9, 2018
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AWESOME!! @Potus Trump walks on Field at #NCAA football final— STANDS AND SINGS NATIONAL ANTHEM pic.twitter.com/dkoduGscWR — Jim Hoft (@gatewaypundit) January 9, 2018
But much of the Twitterverse seemed to think he downright didn’t know the words to the nation’s anthem and took the opportunity to troll:
Up Next: Trump saying the video of himself “singing” during the National Anthem as fake news. #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/9m67fRNvFv — Allie (@Allie_Murph) January 9, 2018
Trump calls himself a "stable genius" but doesn't know the lyrics to the national anthem #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/eIUU4DRaWX — Kyle Kuzma #NBAVote (12-27) (@LakeShowBoy3) January 9, 2018
Donald Trump clearly did not know the words to the National Anthem but was mad about people kneeling for it…. — Monica. (@mojojojo91) January 9, 2018
Draymond Green is rarely shy with his opinions, and his latest candid thoughts on NBA officiating have cost him $25,000.
The NBA fined Green on Monday for criticizing officials on Saturday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
The NBA has fined Golden State's Draymond Green $25K for ripping officials on Saturday night. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 8, 2018
The Golden State Warriors forward picked up his league-leading 11th technical foul on Saturday for arguing with an official in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers, leaving him five shy of an automatic suspension.
Green ripped into officials after the game over what he views as personal vendettas referees have with players.
“It’s bad,” Green told The Athletic. “It’s horrible. It’s really bad. I don’t know why it is. But I think it’s ridiculous. It’s ruining the game. … It should be one of, if not the main priority, to be solved. It definitely should.
“They can get a new crop (of referees), a whole new crop. Too many personal things going on. Too much me against you. It just don’t work that way.”
The NBA has fined Draymond Green for criticizing officials on Saturday. (Getty)
Warriors teammate Stephen Curry walked a fine line when asked about Green’s relationship with officials, but said that he does believe that Green is sometimes treated unfairly.
Steph Curry on Draymond’s technicals and if he gets an unfair shake pic.twitter.com/ajHPGXduOR — Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) January 8, 2018
“He has a certain kind of mannerism about him, a certain disposition that is different than other people,” Curry said. “I’ve been on the court where you’re just looking around like why did he get a tech? He didn’t say anything. He didn’t do anything demonstrative. I’ve seen way worse kind of had a blind eye turned to it.”
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Another layer of the onion from the bombshell ESPN report on discord in the New England Patriots organization got peeled away Monday.
The Cleveland Browns were willing to deal the No. 4 overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft “and other goodies” to the Patriots for Jimmy Garoppolo, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports.
The Patriots ended up dealing Garoppolo two days after the Browns reached out to negotiate, the report details. The Patriots told the Browns that Garoppolo wasn’t available for trade.
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson backed up the report’s assertion.
I asked one of Belichick’s guys about this shortly after the trade. Was told in no uncertain terms would Bill ever deal Jimmy to the #Browns. Not in 100 years. https://t.co/VlvOMQQ3B6 — Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) January 8, 2018
In the end, the Patriots didn’t negotiate with anyone other than the 49ers, according to the report.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick speaks to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo before a game in October. (Getty)
The ESPN report detailed that the Garoppolo deal with the 49ers resulted as a “clear mandate” from team owner Robert Kraft to head coach Bill Belichick, who was reluctant to part with his prized backup quarterback.
Kraft denied this report.
“I assumed once the season started, we’d talk again at the end of the season about it,” Kraft told The MMQB. “The next time I spoke with Bill about it was the Monday before the trade deadline. He called me on that Monday and said he got a deal with San Francisco, Jimmy for a second-round pick and [quarterback] Brian Hoyer. Turns out they had to cut Hoyer and then we got him. But really, this was basically a second-round pick and Brian Hoyer for Jimmy. Bill asked me if I was OK with this. I was really taken aback a little bit. I wanted to think about it. I talked to Jonathan, who was okay with it, and I called Bill back and said, ‘OK.’”
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Regardless, with Tom Brady still playing at an MVP level and Garoppolo approaching the end of his contract, the Patriots had a decision to make, and they stuck with Brady.
If they truly turned down a chance at the first-round pick the Browns had acquired from the Houston Texans only to accept a considerably less valuable second-round pick from San Francisco, it’s a head-scratcher.
The Patriots have won five Super Bowls in seven appearances during the Brady/Belichick era in large part because they almost always get the better end of transactions. That they wouldn’t negotiate with the Browns or any team other than the 49ers is a stunner and out of character for a normally shrewd organization.
