"Licht said he wished he had introduced the in-person audience to TV watchers so that viewers could better identify who they were, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions were private" - CNBC

The problem is the CNN Trump townhall audience rincluded only Trump supporters which is not an accurate view of the country. But for Chris Licht to be making any admission he might have done things differently shows there has been strong pushback from CNN staff and viewers.

Over the years people have told me that just because I fear going to the doctor doesn't mean I don't have what it is I already have. They say this to be helpful but we health worriers already know this. We dread medical tests because we want to remain in denial.

But a doctor once told me something that really hit home. He said, " do you want to wait until you have symptoms?" No of course not and I have never forgotten that wise advise.

I have found that with Alvin Bragg securing an indictment of Trump and E Jean Carroll winning her civil case that I am not as angry anymore at the stalling igoing on at the DOJ. I'm still angry don't get me wrong. But Alvin Bragg and E Jean Caroll have made it possible for me to relax. They took a risk bringing charges. These cases could have gone another way with Trump escaping accountability once again. But Alvin Bragg and E Jean Carroll had courage and I am very grateful.

"Britain's disgraced Prince Andrew is refusing to downgrade from his 30-room royal mansion to 5-bed Frogmore Cottage, Harry and Meghan's old home" - The Independent.

Anyone would be thrilled to live in Frogmore Cottage. But you see in Andrew's behavior how right Harry was in pointing out that growing up a "spare" comes at a cost. You end up fighting over the size of your royal mansion which really belongs to the British tax payer.

"Biden expected to meet with Hill leaders Tuesday following ‘productive’ debt limit meetings among staff" - CNN

Let's hope.

Saw an Interview with Marianne Williamson. Never read her. I am sure she has said things that are problematic but she came across well in her interview. She is running for Pres on the Democratic ticket. I will be voting for Biden but I do worry.

Its Biden's age. Trump is not young either but there is so much bile and rage in Trump that it can be mistaken for energy and alertness. But in reality if Trump had to memorize or learn facts for a debate his true incompetence would shine through

I will be reading Nowhere For Very Long by Brianna Madia in a few days. It's a travel memoir and I have loved travel memoirs since I was in my twenties and read Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon.

Sometimes though taking off in a van for a year is not affordable or feasible if one has family. But you can travel in other ways by setting your life on a different path. I always travel through books but I need to take more chances and explore more.

Gov Sununu said it was ‘embarrassing’ when the audience laughed at Trump’s dismissal of the E. Jean Carroll verdict. And when the camera panned the supposedly undecided crowd, he says: ‘I knew pretty much everyone in there, they’re all Trump supporters.’ - Trip Gabriel

This took guts on Gov Sununu's part.

I'm hearing E Jean Carroll's team is thinking of suing Trump again over the statements he made at CNN's "townhall". That would be a mistake in my opinion. E Jean Carroll won and Trump cannot erase or pardon himself out of that sex abuse verdict. It's going into the history books. Therefore to sue again is risky. You can't be sure how the next verdict will go and it's not necessary. The jury spoke and none of Trump's blather can change that.

It looks like CNN is trying to make a play for FOX viewers. But getting too close to Trump and his MAGA audience doesn't end well. FOX needed to firmly state that Trump lost in 2020. Instead to appease their audience they had on Sidney Powell which led to Dominion suing them for defamation which led to discovery, Tucker being fired and their audience leaving. That's what can happen if a network gets too close to Trump.

"Allowing Trump to appear in front of an audience exclusively comprised of people who are likely sympathetic to Trump -- and then turn over the questions to that group -- is irresponsible" - Judd Legum

I so agree. The CNN boss Chris Licht said it was important for America to hear from Trump voters who often don't get a voice.

Are you kidding me? Since 2016 reporters have done nothing but cover the grievances of the Trump voter. I can no longer watch CNN under this new management.

When I am feeling stressed or blue there is nothing like beginning a new Louise Penny mystery.

I will not watch CNN's Town Hall with Trump tonight. But I will be curious how he behaves. Trump knows he has been given a huge platform and that millions of voters are watching. But tonight's event may be a good opportunity to gage how in control Trump still is. He will be asked about E Jean Caroll but he'll also be asked about Ukraine and Putin. Hopefully this is a tough interview with follow up.

Dave Barry has a new novel out. Swamp Story. I will read it. He's so talented and I like the fact that he still lives in Florida. Gives me hope. But gone are the days when people associated the Sunshine State with the Golden Girls and Miami Vice. That Florida is gone sadly.

If you are a company or corporation you are thinking twice about moving to Florida right now and if your corporation is already here you are quietly thinking about leaving. Basically you have seen the way DeSantis has treated Disney and you want no part of that and I don't blame you.

And while DeSantis is in his war with Disney entirely of his own making he should be worrying about hurricane season which begins less than a month from now.

When I was on Twitter the fact that I didn't have a blue check never bothered me. I understood it. I never had more that a few hundred followers and so why would I have a blue check? And it was the blue check accounts that I most gravitated too. They had hundreds of thousands of followers for a reason, many were prominent journalists and thinkers that were worth reading.

But now you can get a blue check by paying for it and it's another reminder why I left twitter.

The idea of Queen Camilla will never sit well with me. Not wild about Charles either. They had their chance when they were young to get married and didn't. At that point you move on but Camilla wouldn't and that was unfair to Diana. It's why I root for Megan and Harry. The whole idea of royalty is problematic and England is so much more than the Royals. Its the land of the Magna Carta, Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens and the courage shown during WW II.
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"Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has signed onto a letter stating he and more than 40 members of the Senate GOP conference will not back “any bill that raises the debt ceiling without substantive spending and budget reforms" - The Hill

I am worried and McConnell should be too. If the US defaults social security, the stock market etc are in big trouble. McConnell like most Senators is a millionaire many times over but you would hink he'd care about his constituents but no.

If Joe Tacopina loses the E. Jean Caroll case it may not be his fault. But that won't matter since Trump never blames Trump.

"CNN - An Experimental Alzheimer’s medication slowed declines in patients’ ability to think clearly and perform daily tasks by more than a third in a large clinical trial"

The above is from today's CNN front page website and what wonderful news if this drug turns out to work.