#CWAA: Can We All Agree – 6/24/2018 edition
June 24, 2018
Can we all agree, it’s pretty clear the administration had never envisioned a scenario where migrant children would be reunited with their parents?
Can we all agree, whatever sympathy Melania Trump earned as the ‘suffering wife’ of her sex-obsessed husband, dissolved with her wardrobe choice?

Melania’s fashion choice
Can we all agree, the unnecessary trade war Mr. Trump started, will not end well, since other countries have figured out that if you call the President’s bluff, he will back down?
Can we all agree, legalized marijuana is a fact in the United States, despite Jeff Sessions objections – even the FDA agrees?
Can we all agree, the only people who don’t think Mr. Trump’s business dealings represent a conflict of interest are his most rabid supporters?
Can we all agree, progressives underestimated Mr. Trump’s supporters in 2016, but they won’t in 2018 or 2020?
Can we all agree, restaurant owners might be within their rights to refuse service to politicians they oppose, but it won’t be long before we have ratings such as ‘GOP friendly’ or ‘Democratic favorite.’
Can we all agree, this week’s Supreme Court decision, requiring warrants for cellphone location data, creates a problem for all those TV shows tracking criminals with cellphone data?
Can we all agree, we should not be immune from criticism from the United Nations, regarding poverty?
Can we all agree, it seems odd that it took Intel over a year to discover that their chief executive had a consensual relationship with another employee before he became CEO?
Can we all agree, the proposed government reorganization is pretty much ‘dead on arrival’ but it shows the skewed priorities of this administration?
Can we all agree, the plan comes just days after the Senate rejected the administrations proposed spending cuts offered to soften the blow of the tax bill?
Can we all agree, it would be great if we had a president young enough to have a child while in office – like New Zealand’s Prime Minister?
Can we all agree, The White House has no overriding philosophy other than undoing anything that has President Obama’s name on it – this week it was ocean protection?
Can we all agree, a drop in disability claims when the economy improves, suggests that maybe some workers were not as disabled as we thought?
Can we all agree, the United Nations’ Human Rights panel has problems, but withdrawing is not the way to promote change?
Can we all agree, it’s rather remarkable that no one batted an eye when a newspaper investigation showed a cabinet member may have profited financially from a decision his agency made?
Can we all agree, the administration clearly missed the State Department’s “Tips for Traveling with Children” when they developed their immigration plan?
Can we all agree,the Koch brothers care about only one thing, and will oppose anything – even public transportation plans – if they think it will cut into their profits.
Can we all agree, The President’s plan for a ‘Space Force’ sounds like a Saturday morning cartoon?
Can we all agree, it’s taken 18 months but some media outlets are finally rethinking the way they cover the administration’s propaganda and lies?
Can we all agree, we may not have always agreed with the late Charles Krauthammer, but he was a fine writer and consistent in his beliefs?
and finally:
We should all pause to mark the passing of Koko the gorilla.
#CWAA: Can We All Agree™ – 6/17/18 edition
June 16, 2018
#CWAA: Can We All Agree™ – 6/10/18 edition
June 10, 2018
Can we all agree, the only thing Donald Trump cares about is keeping the spotlight on himself – that’s the only reason he refused to sign the G-7 closing statement?
Can we all agree, Mr. Trump has no unified policy goals, can’t handle criticism and can only respond with name calling?

German Prime Minister Angela Merkel explains it all to Mr. Trump.
Can we all agree, it was quite a week in sports: a new Stanley Cup owner, repeat NBA champions and a Triple Crown winner?
Can we all agree, Melania’s ‘minor surgery’ suddenly got a lot more serious?
Can we all agree, The Pope seems to be the only world leader who can get the attention of the CEO’s who will ultimately change the world’s climate?
Can we all agree, Special Counsel Robert Mueller is using every charge he can muster to force Paul Manafort to flip on Mr. Trump?
Can we all agree, Mr. Trump delights in annoying Attorney General Jeff Sessions, by changing the nation’s marijuana policy with an off-hand comment?
Can we all agree, there will finally be a House vote on immigration policy?
Can we all agree, suicides byAnthony Bourdain and Kate Spade will force the nation to focus on the increase in the county’s suicide rate?
Can we all agree, the most ominous part of the arrest of former Senate aide for spying was the seizing of a reporter’s notes?
Can we all agree, by refusing to defend the Affordable Care Act’s very popular pre-existing condition provision, the AG has handed the Democrats a powerful campaign tool – even in red states?
Can we all agree, Muhammad Ali does not need a pardon – Mr. Trump is just pandering in a desperate attempt to win over African-American voters?
Can we all agree, separating families, whether they come here illegally or not, is just inhumane?
Can we all agree, Tuesday’s election results show that Democratic voters remain energized?
Can we all agree, the cancellation of the White House visit by the NFL Champion Philadelphia Eagles, probably ends the practice for all sports teams?
Can we all agree, Former President Bill Clinton, should just shut up?
Can we all agree, elimination of the Miss American swimsuit competition may have been the politically correct move, but if will not help the pageant’s TV ratings?
Can we all agree, while reporters focus on EPA administrator Scott Pruitt’s ethical lapses, he is working to allow chemical companies to poison us?
Can we all agree, Facebook continues to get bad press for selling information to anyone who wants it, but Americans don’t seem to care?
Can we all agree, Mr. Trump knows he will be charged with a crime in Mr. Mueller’s Russia investigation – why else would he protest so much?
and finally:
I can’t imagine what it must have been like for Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer to write this.
#CWAA: Can We All Agree™ – 6/3/18 edition
June 2, 2018
#CWAA: Can We All Agree™ – 5/27/18 edition
May 27, 2018
Can we all agree, the on-again, off-again talks with North Korea suggest Mr. Trump is desperate for a foreign policy ‘win’ to get the focus off Robert Mueller’s investigation?
Can we all agree, Ireland’s vote, repealing a ban on abortion is a recognition of modern realities?
Can we all agree, many Americans, see some kind of sinister plot to silence Melania Trump, since the First Lady has now been out of sight for over 2 weeks, after criticizing her husband with her new anti-bullying initiative?

Hillary and her Russian hat, a not-so=subtle poke at the President.
Can we all agree, it would be hard to find anyone in Washington who understands why the administration felt obligated to save the Chinese firm ZTE?
Can we all agree, Iran’s willingness to rescue their nuclear deal with the EU, will, once again, leave the US on the outside looking in, with no opportunity to affect change.
Can we all agree, now that the head of the federal prison system has resigned in frustration, it’s only a matter of time before the head of the DHS tires of being Mr. Trump’s punching bag?
Can we all agree, the European Union is now setting the standards for internet privacy? That’s why your email has been flooded with new privacy notices this week.
Can we all agree, when Hillary Clinton showed up at Yale Class Day with a Russian-style hat and jacket everyone knew who she was trolling?
Can we all agree, the resignation of the president of USC was long overdue? Accusations that a school gynecologist abused patients is the second major scandal at the school in less than a year.
Can we all agree, it looks like PGE stockholders will be facing a pretty hefty charge, now that Calfire has blamed the utility for causing the devastating wildfires in Northern CA last fall?
Can we all agree, Michael Cohen’s attempts to profit off his relationship to Donald Trump seem to get worse every week, but is he really any different than anyone else in Washington selling influence?
Can we all agree, while former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has been arrested, the impact of his case will be felt for years?
Can we all agree, Jack Johnson deserved to be pardoned, but there are probably many more, less well-known folks who deserve the same treatment?
Can we all agree, Mr. Trump’s letter. withdrawing from the summit with North Korea is stunning for its tortured style, egotism and attempts at flattery?
Can we all agree, the administration’s proposed 25% tax on ‘imported’ cars is one more example of a poorly thought out negotiation strategy? It will hurt more American workers than it helps.
Can we all agree, the families of the Sandy Hook elementary school, faced a double-edged sword in deciding to sue conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, but his claims are just too ourtrageous to ignore?
Can we all agree, now that Mr. Trump will be forced to allow his critics to access his twitter account, he’s probably a lot less likely to actually read his social media feed?
Can we all agree, by caving in to Trump’s demands, the NFL owners showed they have no backbone, and do not care about the players as actual human beings?
Can we all agree, Jared Kushner’s classmates at Harvard don’t seem to have much use for the President’s son-in-law?
Can we all agree, the soon-to-be-indicted Mr. Kushner, could find his new security clearance, short lived?
Can we all agree, California Democrats are panicked that a 2% improvement in Mr. Trump’s approval rating, could doom their plan to retake the House?
Can we all agree, the week’s election results revealed a fresh slate of unknown candidates who just might change the face of US politics?
Can we all agree, if gas prices and mortgage rates continue their climb, it won’t be long before everyone starts to realize, Mr. Trump’s policies are costing them real money?
Can we all agree, both the Russian and Venezuelan elections were corrupt?
Can we all agree, there is something wrong with a system that allows two US citizens to be detained just because they were speaking Spanish?
Can we all agree, Deputy AG Ron Rosenstein, made the right choice in acceding to Trump’s demand for a probe if FBI intelligence gathering? While Mr. Trump is way out of line, the inquiry will turn up nothing and it will keep the President quiet.
Can we all agree, Mr. Trump’s attempt to create an FBI conspiracy might help his ratings but will have little impact on the Mueller investigation?
and finally:
My Bucknell family remembers one of our most distinguished alums, author Phillip Roth, who died this week.
#CWAA: Can We All Agree™ – 5/20/18 edition
May 20, 2018
Can we all agree, the muted moral outrage at the shootings in a Texas school, guarantees the NRA doesn’t have to worry about any new gun control legislation – even though this year more students have died in schools than soldiers on the battlefield?
Can we all agree, even a Texas school that was prepared was no match for one determined student with a gun?

The new Duke and Duchess – a welcome respite from politics. (BBC photo)
Can we all agree, yesterday’s royal wedding was great escapist entertainment?
Can we all agree, the new Duchess’s half family makes our own families seem almost normal?
Can we all agree, China’s commitment to ‘buy American’ with no specifics, is not a win for the administration?
Can we all agree, the latest theories about the fate of Malaysian Airlines flight 370, make a lot of sense?
Can we all agree, sports gambling has always been present, but it will now become accepted, thanks to the Supreme Court?
Can we all agree, Mr. Trump seems to have agreed to help the Chinese tech firm ZTE, but has gotten little in return?
Can we all agree, one way or another, there will be more women in government after the midterm elections?
Can we all agree, the real news, after the tragic Cuban plane crash, is that 3 people actually survived?
Can we all agree, the Special Counsel’s investigation has really become a PR battle to wear down the American public?
Can we all agree, 400 consecutive months of warming temperatures is more than a trend – it’s a fact?
Can we all agree, with so much news this week, few have noticed that Congress has rejected Mr. Trump’s farm bill, his net neutrality plan, his budget blueprint and his House committee’s bogus report on Russian interference in the 2016 election? The list doesn’t include the primary results on Tuesday)
Can we all agree, Nobel Peace Prize and Trump, should not appear in the same sentence?
Can we all agree, this week’s failure of the farm bill, just proves that the immigration debate will continue right up to the 2018 mid-term elections?
Can we all agree, the new director of the Veterans Administration will not last much longer than the last, unless he bends to the will of the President’s henchmen?
Can we all agree, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos would love to end his contract with the USPS and Mr. Trump is giving him the excuse he needs?
Can we all agree, the fact that the EPA is running its San Francisco regional office from Santa Barbara, speaks volumes about the department’s policies?
Can we all agree, after this video went viral, Mr. Trump probably wishes he never met Bill Gates?
Can we all agree, if the US birth rate continues to decline, we’ll be forced to open our borders?
Can we all agree, Gina Haspel, the new director of the CIA, will probably, do a good job, but that won’t please Mr. Trump?
Can we all agree, the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians is just another sad chapter in the intractable story of the Mideast and will not change anything?
Can we all agree, EPA secretary Scott Pruitt, showed, once again, that he has no problem lying to Congress?
Can we all agree, the EPA continues to do more damage to the planet than any other White House policy?
Can we all agree, White House advisor John Bolton, probably should not have used the phrase ‘the Libya model’ in referring to North Korea since 8 years after US intervention Libya is now a failed state with no central administrative functions?
Can we all agree, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, had a pretty good response to Mr. Trump’s suggestion that she be charged with obstruction of justice? (Do we need to point out that he’s an expert in the topic)

Just for fun: write your own caption.
Can we all agree, The New Yorker story on presidential Lawyer Michael Cohen, paints a vivid portrait of someone with no scruples, trying to profit from near-celebrity?
Can we all agree, if former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, was so upset about the Trump Administration, he should not have stayed so long?
Can we all agree, if US health spending is rising faster than any other Western Country, shouldn’t our life expectancy be increasing at the same rate? (hint: It’s not.)
Can we all agree, Tom Wolfe was a great writer, who loved being controversial?
Can we all agree, Mr. Trump didn’t have much choice about admitting that he paid to buy the silence of an adult film star?
Can we all agree, we’re all wondering what Mr. Trump said, if anything, to welcome Melania home from the hospital?
Can we all agree, the $500 million settlement Michigan State University signed with victims of Larry Nassar, will do little to rebuild the emotional damage he inflicted?
Can we all agree, the same can be said for the gynecologist at University of Southern California who is now suspected of inappropriate behavior?
and finally:
A heartwarming story about a baby rescued at birth and how he met his savior 20 years later.
#CWAA: Can We All Agree™ – 5/13/18 edition
May 13, 2018
Can we all agree, moms deserve more than just one day with breakfast in bed?
Can we all agree, the world is not a safer place now that the President has abandoned the Iran nuclear deal with nothing to replace it?

From my garden to moms everywhere: The rose ‘Lasting Love’
Can we all agree, at some point an Iranian missile will reach an Israeli target and the Middle East will erupt in a full war?
Can we all agree, speechless would be the only way to describe public reaction to Mr. Trump’s vow to save jobs in China, endangered by his own actions?
Can we all agree, making fun of a senator, John McCain, who is battling cancer is not acceptable between friends and certainly should not be tolerated in the White House?
Can we all agree, as long as white people see minorities as people to be feared, racism will continue to flourish in America?
Can we all agree, Mr. Trump’s new plan to lower drug prices will do nothing to save the average American anything when they get their next prescription?
Can we all agree, one solution would be to get off the drugs and their damaging side effects?
Can we all agree, California has already won the battle to retain higher emission standards for new cars and trucks?
Can we all agree, it’s too bad California Governor Jerry Brown, isn’t interested in running for President now: he would have a better shot than he did in 1996?
Can we all agree, Rudy Giuliani needs to work for Mr. Trump full-time, just to undo the mess he made in his first few part-time weeks on the job?
Can we all agree, no-one seems to know why anyone would have paid Mr. Trump’s lawyer to do anything, given his sketchy past?
Can we all agree, anyone who uses Facebook will probably recognize at least one ad used by the Russians during the last campaign?
Can we all agree, Senator McCain’s opposition to Gina Haspel, to lead the CIA, probably will not derail the nomination?
Can we all agree, it is sad when the President of the United States, is not able to attend funerals for respected citizens?
Can we all agree, it would be easier to credit Mr. Trump for the release of three Americans from North Korea, if he didn’t insist on taking so much credit himself?
Can we all agree, our new ambassador to Germany is off to a bad start, but he just reflects the administration’s view?
Can we all agree, the longer the GOP ignores the results of early primary returns, the closer they get to a blue wave in November?
Can we all agree, it was great to see the heads of major drug companies taking some responsibility for the nation’s opioid crises, but none of them offered solutions?
Can we all agree, California’s mandate that all new homes built after 2020 include solar panels, is the kind of leadership the nation needs?
Can we all agree, Oliver North leading the NRA, is just what that organization needed to further damage its reputation?
Can we all agree, the fall of NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, was just astounding?
Can we all agree, immigration officials’ plan to separate parents and children if they cross the border together, is just one more cruel and unnecessary tactic ICE agents will use as they gleefully persecute immigrants to the United States?
Can we all agree, EPA Secretary Scott Pruitt, just cannot make it through a full week without another scandal?
Can we all agree, Melania Trump’s implicit criticism of her husband’s policies and demeanor could not have been more obvious, than in her choice of topics to focus on in her next few years in the White House?
Can we all agree, after years of progress against smoking, the cigarette companies have found a new way to encourage addiction?
Can we all agree, by the end of Nick Mulvaney’s tenure, as acting head of the consumer protection agency, there will be no consumers protected from any industry?
Can we all agree, new leaders in Armenia and Malaysia seem to suggest that Democracy can work?
and finally:
Those of you who thought only bone-jarring concussions suffered by football players were a problem, now have more evidence to consider, on the impact of even minor blows to the head.
#CWAA: Can We All Agree™ – 5/6/18 edition
May 6, 2018
Can we all agree, everything you need to know about this week at the White House can be found in last night’s opening sequence for Saturday Night Live?
Can we all agree, Mr. Trump is so desperate for approval, he doesn’t mind insulting two of our top allies to get applause at the NRA convention?

Stormy Daniels on SNL
Can we all agree, Rudy Giuliani, will be out as Mr. Tump’s lawyer, before he can get his ‘facts’ straight?
Can we all agree, any sane leader would want the country to be focused on job growth and the economy, but the White House makes that impossible?
Can we all agree, all the talk about people fleeing California,seems to be contradicted by the state’s new ranking as the world’s sixth largest economy?
Can we all agree, it will take years before the Swedish Academy regains enough credibility to award another prize for literature?
Can we all agree, Speaker Paul Ryan deserves no credit for reinstating the House Chaplain, who never should have been fired in the first place?
Can we all agree, Governor Scott Walker’s attempts to bribe Wisconsin voters, sounds like the kind of stunt we read about in some ‘shit-hole’ African country?
Can we all agree, John Kelly is only delaying his departure from the White House to make sure it doesn’t seem like the press is correct?
Can we all agree, EPA secretary Scott Pruitt, has created an agency run by lobbyists for the gas and coal industry and he thinks that’s what Americans want?
Can we all agree, the way the Washington Redskins football team treats its cheerleaders, is a microcosm of how women are treated in business?
Can we all agree, Iowa only passed a new abortion ban so that it would wind up at the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade?
Can we all agree, Israel’s only goal in releasing intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program, is to justify Mr. Trump’s upcoming decision abrogating the treaty?
Can we all agree, conservative attempts to intimidate Special Counsel Robert Mueller, are continually undercut by Trump’s own actions?
Can we all agree, House conservatives who drew up articles of impeachment against Rod Rosenstein don’t realize how out of step they are?
Can we all agree, Mr. Trump will never sit for a voluntary interview with Mr. Mueller and the legal battle over the upcoming subpoena will drag the investigation well past the midterm elections?
Can we all agree, since it appears clear that Mr. Trump’s own attorney leaked the questions the president might be asked by the special counsel, it’s tough to figure out why Mr. Trump is upset?
Can we all agree, the best story of the week was the settlement between two black entrepreneurs and Starbucks. They sought nothing for themselves, but secured funding for a business development program.
Can we all agree, many Democrats would rather see Nancy Pelosi exit center stage, but she doesn’t seem to be hurting the party’s fund raising?
Can we all agree, no one seems to be able to figure out why the government allowed the caravan of asylum seekers to enter the United States, after the administration spent so much time ridiculing the immigrants?
Can we all agree, Texas and 6 other states suing to end the DACA program, will be the biggest losers when they are seen as unfriendly to migrants?
Can we all agree, there is no stranger story than the raid on the offices of Mr. Trump’s former doctor, who now admits the candidate dictated his pre-election report on his own health?
Can we all agree, the NY condo tower that won the right to remove the Trump name from signage, will not be the last building to eliminate any public connection to The President?
Can we all agree, if a sitting Republican senator feels the only way he can win an election is to criticize his party’s lone legislative achievement (the tax cut) what does that say about the legislation?
Can we all agree, the departure of the leader of the department of Immigration and Enforcement will have little impact on the misguided anti-immigrant policies of the administration?
#CWAA: Can We All Agree™ – 4/29/18 edition
April 29, 2018
Can we all agree, if the historic meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea solve the major issues on the peninsula, there will be little need for a summit with the United States? Maybe that’s Kim Jong-Un’s end game.
Can we all agree, the annual Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, is really just one big inside joke, that has little relevance to the average American?

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince Louis. How can she look this good? (AP Photo)
Can we all agree, until Mr. Trump decides to end his 2016 campaign and actually govern, there is little hope he will help Republicans in the 2018 mid-term elections?
Can we all agree, by using a public genealogy site to track a killer, police in California have given all of us second thoughts about searching our family history?
Can we all agree, Bill Cosby’s conviction, is just the beginning of the impact the #Metoo movement will have on American society?
Can we all agree, ICE agents can claim they are just doing their jobs, but arresting Americans and tearing families apart is not what this country is all about?
Can we all agree, firing the House Chaplain, because he represents the poor and oppressed, exposes Speaker Paul Ryan for who he really is – a cruel ideologue?
Can we all agree, The White House wants us to think, the nomination of Ronny Jackson to head the Veterans Administration, was derailed by a single senator even though it knows the pill-pushing alcoholic sycophant never should have been nominated?
Can we all agree, Kanye West and Donald Trump deserve each other?
Can we all agree, EPA chief Scott Pruitt’s testimony on Capitol Hill comes straight from the Trump playbook – deny everything and claim a conspiracy?
Can we all agree, while there is no chance the bill to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller will ever get a hearing, the bipartisan committee vote approving the measure, is a warning to The President and a rebuke to Senate Leader Mitch McConnell?
Can we all agree, in a normal news week, say two years ago, Ford’s decision to end production of sedans, would be cause for major headlines and hand-wringing about what’s wrong in Detroit?
Can we all agree, ending public access to complaints filed with the Consumer Protection Bureau undermines the agency’s purpose?
Can we all agree, Housing Secretary Ben Carson’s plan to reduce housing subsidies for the poor, really makes you wonder if he really grew up in a housing project, as he claims?
Can we all agree, French President Emmanuel Macron won the PR battle with Donald Trump, with his pointed criticism of the administration during his speech to Congress?
Can we all agree, German President Angela Merkel wouldn’t put up with the false friendship pantomime of Trump and Macron, so her pointed message barely registered with the public?
Can we all agree, Mr. Trump knows that the case against his former lawyer Michael Cohen, could pose the biggest threat to his administration, but he’s having trouble distancing himself from his former ‘fixer’?
Can we all agree, Fox TV has become the PR department for the White House?
Can we all agree, there is probably a Las Vegas betting line on how long it will take before Mr.Trump undermines a statement from new Secretary of State Mike Pompeo?
Can we all agree, the new history of lynching museum will help the nation confront its past?
Can we all agree, Budget Director and Former Congressman Mick Mulvaney, admitted what we all knew – money buys access and power in Washington?
Can we all agree, Mr. Trump wants a new deal with Iran, but it’s clear the world will just move on without him?
Can we all agree, Facebook’s new rules, will make no difference to most of us and we’ll continue to let the tech company gather and sell our data?
Can we all agree, the EPA’s ‘transparency rules’ are designed to be just the opposite?
Can we all agree, Armenia’s path to Democracy is heartening, but don’t look for a repetition in other authoritarian countries?
Can we all agree, the GOP may have won an election this week, but a 5 point margin in a district Mr. Trump won by 20 points 18 months ago, is not good news for the Republicans?
Can we all agree, we are amazed that a woman who just had a baby can look this good as she leaves the hospital?
Can we all agree we all want to see more heroes who claim they were doing ‘what anyone else would do’?
and finally:
If Latinos are hired as border agents, will it help humanize the department?