WHO IS RUNNING THE COUNTRY ANYWAY?

UPDATE ON PROBLEMS WITH THIS BLOG SITE:

I'm using Safari on my portable Mac Air to see if this change will solve the problem cited by many who complained that this site is too slow.  LET ME KNOW IF THIS SOLUTION WORKS!

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Israel is in a mess.  Did you know their president is someone named Reuven Rivlin (left)?  Like Germany (whose president is not Angela Merkel, it is Frank-Walter Steinmeier), Israel has a system of government based on a parliamentary democracy.  The Prime Minister is leader of a multi-party system, while the President, elected by the Knesset, is mostly powerless with a ceremonial role.  He/she signs laws and treaties, and importantly, appoints the Prime Minister.

If you've been keeping up with their recent elections, the vote was so close that Rivlin asked Benjamin Netanyahu (left), the past Prime Minister, to see what he could do about forming a government, thus retaining his position as PM.  After 26 days at it, he failed, so Rivlin just asked Benny Gantz (right) of the Blue and White party to try.  Odds are that he, too, will fail.  So where will the country be?  Who knows. 

It is pretty clear, though, that Netanyahu is still leader of the Likud party...and will most likely be indicted by November for corruption, something he calls a witch hunt.  The most probably future course is something called the Rivlin Plan.   When Gantz fails, Rivlin appoints Netanyahu as PM, but only on the condition that he takes an extended break to fight corruption charges.  Gantz would then become PM.

Canada just had an election.  Justin Trudeau will continue as Prime Minister, but his Liberal party is now in the minority.  Four years ago when first elected, Trudeau showed hope and promise.  His popularity decline can be attributed to a whole host of reasons, but the indiscretion of being in blackface when in 2001 while a teacher certainly tarnished his image.

Then, of course, there is the US of A.  What no-no did President Donald Trump perpetrate today?  Nothing much, but acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor (left), before a closed House hearing, reportedly contradicted the testimony of Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to Europe having to do with Taylor's text message in which he called the quid pro quo "crazy."  He is still in that acting role, and that will seriously piss off Trump.

Can't end on those notes.  You should know that the National Basketball Association starts today with the Pelicans meeting the toothless Raptors and Lakers playing the Clippers.  Can you believe that, if the NBA finals goes to a seventh game, the last day of the season will be on 21 June 2020?  Eight months!

Also, too, today is game one of the World Series between the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros.  My fantasy team is on the edge of making money or not, depending on how well Josh Reddick of the Astros does.  No one else above me has him on its team.  Tonight, Gerrit Cole vs Max Scherzer.  Everyone has both.

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Typhoon Bualoi is now up to 144 MPH, but the projected track at this time shows that the eye will remain sufficiently offshore from Japan:

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