I was in Las Vegas over this past weekend, seeing shows and visiting friends, losing a whopping $7.00 on Video Poker and spending a fair amount of time in the room working on scripts. I still have scripts in urgent need of completion so I'll tell you about my trip in the days to come. Right now, here's some of what's in the news…

• As Kevin Drum notes, the new Republican/Trump line on their Health Care Plan is that Obamacare was a failure because though it drastically reduced the number of uninsured in this country, it still left some people uncovered. So that's why we need their new plan which will leave more people without insurance. I don't know what the endgame is on this or even if they're thinking one move ahead of what they say today. I guess it'll be something like, "Well, yes, there are more millions more uninsured now that our plan is in place but all those people chose not to buy insurance so we don't have to think about them."
• In a very long article, Frank Rich compares Trump in his current scandals to Nixon in the thick of Watergate. I was hesitant about that comparison but Rich finds a lot more common points than I'd imagined. In the end though, it all comes down to whether a Republican Congress is even going to acknowledge wrongdoing on the part of a Republican President.
• Jonathan Chait has an update on the unfolding scandal of Russian collusion. How amazing to see people who felt Benghazi had to be investigated over and over because those damned GOP-led hearings kept concluding Hillary was innocent, keep insisting it's wrong to even look into these allegations.
• And the latest Big Lie that the Trump administration is pushing is that millions of illegal voters are the reason Trump lost the popular vote that he really won. So we need to pass strict laws that just coincidentally would make it harder for non-white people to vote.
• Ezra Klein discusses how Donald Trump has diminished America's morality and sense of decency. As he notes, "The party that tried to impeach Bill Clinton to protect family values has embraced the position that it does no good to publicly discuss the [current] president's routine violations of basic decency."
• And as the Fourth of July is upon us, Jesse Berney assesses the state of patriotism in a country with Donald J. Trump in the White House.

Just so you know, by the way: I don't post these links because I think they will contribute in even a microscopic way to bringing down the Trump administration. I think the Trump administration will bring down itself. I just post things because I find them interesting. And maybe some of this will help us all maintain our equilibrium, especially when we encounter — as I did at the Vegas airport — someone who thinks our country is being saved from the certain doom of Gay Marriage, saving the environment and more people being able to afford to see a doctor.

The New York Times has a profile of Joe Sinnott, who has been working in comic books, mainly as an inker, for a long, long time. It's mostly about his embellishment of the Sunday page for the Spider-Man newspaper strip, which is far from his most important work even if it is his most current. But hey, any reason to salute Joe is fine with me. Wonderful man, wonderful talent.

I received two interesting e-mails about the late Huell Howser, who did a cheery TV show for PBS, running around and interviewing people. This one is from Darryl Musick and the "Philippe's" of which he speaks is a great downtown restaurant that makes terrific French Dip sandwiches. They claim that the founder of their establishment invented the French Dip sandwich — maybe so — and it's exactly the kind of place I would have expected Huell Howser to frequent. Here's Darryl…

Your story about Mr. Howser reminds me of a few times we'd run across him, not taping his show, but just having lunch at Philippe's.

The first time we met him there, we'd just finished and I stood up to go, turned towards the door, and literally ran into the man as he was walking by. I stopped, just for a second as the recognition hit and before I could do anything more, he stuck out his hand and said "Hi, I'm Huell Howser."

My wife said, "Oh, I wish I had my camera."

"Don't worry, I have one in the car. I'll be right back," he said.

He was and had the lady at the newstand take our picture. This was the pre-digital era so he took our address and said he'd send it to us. He did, along with a nice letter about how it was so nice to meet us at Philippe's.

Great story. And yeah, Mr. Howser was just the kind of guy to do something like that. Meanwhile, here's a message I received from Brian Stanley…

I don't know if you knew or cared but as an animation fan you might find this interesting:

A few years ago there was a new animated version of Winnie the Pooh where much of the plot revolves around the terrible evil monster Pooh and his friends mistakenly believe took Christopher Robin. As one of the few "grown up laughs" in the film, the big brute shows up after the credits, but of course he's super-enthusiastic and friendly. He's even fascinated when he falls in the large hole that was dug for him.

Despite all the available actors who could've done a fine job, I think you can guess from the title of this e-mail who the producers thought would be perfect for that. I believe it's his only film role.

Yeah. The friendliest guy on television. I wonder if there's a place these days for a guy like that.

A sea turtle yawning…

Ray Arthur reads this blog and writes me from time to time, sometimes about his old profession of working for a Film Commission, which means he helped arrange for TV shows and movies to be shot on location. Just got this from him…

Just saw your recent Huell Howser article. I assisted on three shows when I was Film Commissioning: Trona Pinnacles, Burro Schmidt Tunnel, and I can't remember the third. I'll attest that he was as nice and professional in person as he was on film (tape).

I remember two interesting off camera things about Huell. He had requested two Comp. Motel rooms. When we told him that we had arranged rooms at the EconoLodge he thanked me and said that was fine but was there any chance for an upgrade to one of the hotels, but not pushy at all, just, if you can. I couldn't help thinking that he thought, "This guy's really literal. I should have said 'Hotel.'"

And the second thing was the Mayor at that time wanted to give him a City Proclamation at the next Council Meeting while he was in town and Huell said, "Please thank the Mayor and please find a way to get me out of that. I feel so self conscious with those things." I explained to the Mayor that due to Huell's scheduling conflicts he would be unavailable but was very grateful for the invitation. Then we went to a restaurant in the next town for dinner.

Thanks, Ray. Always nice to hear that someone's on-camera character isn't at odds with their off-camera character. I used to watch Howser and get swept up in his enthusiasm for that week's topic. I'd hate to think his wasn't genuine.

Charlie Rosen's Broadway Big Band — with vocalist Alan H. Green — makes the Cole Porter tune "Too Darn Hot" even hotter…

MAD magazine has been bashing Donald Trump pretty hard lately.  Once upon a time, its founding publisher — the late William Gaines — announced he wanted to cut back on jokes about Richard Nixon not because Nixon didn't deserve it but because Gaines thought too many other worthy subjects were being ignored.  I don't think Gaines actually believed that.  What I heard from insiders was this: That the magazine — which then went to press two or even three months before the date an issue would reach newsstands — was having trouble writing Nixon jokes that might still be relevant 60 or 90 days later. But Gaines did say what he was quoted as saying.

I see people on the 'net quoting Gaines to argue that the magazine is overdoing it with anti-Trump material. Well, maybe — but that seems to be true of just about everyone who's any good and deals in topical humor. I don't know how it's humanly possible to be a good topical humorist today without treating Trump like the greatest embarrassment ever.

MAD isn't even new to the Trump-ridiculing business. As Snopes just noted, back in 1992 — before Colbert or Meyers or Bee or Oliver or any of them — they were going after the guy. The only notable spoofs before that I can think of would be Phil Hartman's impressions on Saturday Night Live…which Trump was an extremely bad sport about.

File this in the "As We Keep Telling You" file: Comic-Con International has extended its contract with the city of San Diego to stay right where it is and to not, as many insist on predicting, move to L.A. or Vegas or some other town. The new pact keeps the con there through 2021.

I don't think it will ever move unless someone who is both stupid and self-destructive rises to power in that city. And as we all know, stupid and self-destructive people never rise to positions of power in government.

Here's a nice obit on one of the world's great stuntpersons, complete with a quote from me. Let's remind the Academy to include him in the "In Memoriam" reel at next year's Oscars. I don't know if they've ever put someone with his profession in there before but if they have, they haven't honored nearly enough of them.

I imagine there are a lot of Republicans who when Trump won felt confident that a Republican Congress, a Republican Senate, a Republican President and a leaning Republican Supreme Court would give them every damned thing on their Republican Wish List. Those folks have to be squirming now at the infighting in that power bloc, and at the schoolyard tweets and dishonest rhetoric of their prez.

They may still get most of what they want but it sure ain't going to come as easy as they'd hoped. And there has to be a lot of concern out there that any day now, Trump will do something illogical (or impeachable) that will further derail Republican unity of purpose. It would not be much easier for our side if Democrats controlled everything. Total victories are a nice fantasy but not realistic. And now, this…

• Kevin Drum says Trump has finally achieved something. He's driven up the deficit by a trillion dollars. Trump will respond to this news the way he responds to every bit of news that isn't an awesome triumph. He'll denounce it as "fake news" and change nothing.
• Did the Trump campaign collude with Russia and Russian hackers? A lot of people are saying the evidence is thin. Jonathan Chait says it's thicker than they think.
• The whole slap fight that Trump is having with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski strikes me as one of those incidents where no one wins because everyone looks like an ass. But if you want to follow the latest, here it is.
• And here's John Cassidy with an overview and a sane look at this silly skirmish.
• Jeffrey Toobin discusses why the National Enquirer is so utterly in-the-tank for Trump. It must be tough for the folks at the Enquirer. To sell their paper, they have to somehow out-lie Donald.

Trump has already started fund-raising for his 2020 re-election bid. A lot of folks think it's way premature. I think it's wise. It's a lot easier to raise money when your approval rating is at 38% than it will be when it's at 23%.

Here's Jonathan Chait with a good overview of where we are on the Senate Health Care Mess. I wonder if we've ever had a case where most of the majority party in either the House or Senate was so determined to ram through a measure that was polling at 17% approval. Clearly, that doesn't bother politicians much when it's polling well with their major donors.

The late Huell Howser was the cheeriest person on this planet. He was a fixture on Los Angeles television for years with a show that operated on a simple premise: Mr. Howser would just go places that interested him and ask people questions.  He was never angry, never confrontational, never upset at anything he learned and usually fascinated and delighted with everyone and everything. There used to be a comedian at the Improv who did an impression of Howser visiting a cockfight and raving about the blood and carnage.

This episode is from April 29, 2007 and it's all about the pizza business.  It starts at the Village Pizzeria down on Larchmont, which still serves a pretty good pie.  For those of you who live in Los Angeles, the website Eater L.A. just did something certain to infuriate their readers: They listed the Essential Los Angeles Pizzerias…and of course, if your favorite isn't on there, the folks who compiled it are horrid, know-nothing, Satanic-worshipping troglodytes. Village Pizzeria is on there, as is my favorite, Vito's.

Then Mr. Howser wanders to a convention in Las Vegas for the pizza business. How come nobody ever asks me to moderate panels at one of those? I always enjoyed his shows, even when I didn't think I had any interest in the topic. Maybe you'll find this fun to peek at…

And I'm going to throw in links relating to the Health Care Debate since that's somewhat Trumpy…

• Ezra Klein explains why people who think Medicaid is worthless are (a) wrong and (b) somehow under the impression that instead giving all that money to the rich in tax cuts is going to do anything for the people who will hurt by cutting Medicaid.
• Ed Kilgore explains how when Trump says there are no cuts in Medicaid, he's using a very deceptive way of measuring the numbers.
• And Kevin Drum explains how a cut is a cut is a cut.
• Trump's partial travel ban goes into effect today. As Dara Lind notes, there are still a lot of questions as to how it works and what it's supposed to do.
• And here's Ezra Klein again, this time discussing how some Conservatives seem to be trying to live up or down (take your pick) to the caricature that Liberals have of Conservatives.
• Once upon a time, weapons inspector Scott Ritter warned us that Saddam Hussein did not possess Weapons of Mass Destruction and we should not go to war there on the belief that he did. Ritter was widely denounced as foolish and gullible, and his warnings were ignored. He is now warning that Trump's claims of chemical weapons in Syria are a lie that could be used to justify another war built on a false premise. Maybe someone oughta at least consider that this man could be right again.
• Former Bush-Cheney advisor Bruce Bartlett does not think the current Republican Party is dealing well with reality. I sometimes think it's because it gets in the way of believing the world is or could be the way they wish it was.

And we won't even get into those nutty tweets that Trump was sending this morning except to note that he still thinks the worst thing you can say about anyone is that their business is not prospering…even if that's not true. And he's sure embarrassing people who want to believe in him as a leader.

Maybe the smallest dog in the world…

There has been talk of a Single-Payer Health Care Plan here in the state of California. Sounds great…but as our pal Kevin Drum notes, it's darn near impossible for the foreseeable future.

And I meant to link to this piece by Kevin which notes that Americans are becoming more and more comfortable with the concept of Gay Marriage. I guess that's because they're noticing that God did not smite us all down or send locusts to devour our children as some had predicted would occur if Henry was allowed to marry Dave.

Matt Taibbi doesn't think a lot of the press these days. It's maddening how when reporters make one mistake, a lotta folks think they now have an excuse to not believe all the true things that get reported that they don't want to believe.

Matthew Yglesias explains "Why Donald Trump can't make deals in Washington." Matt's answer to that is "The big problem is he has no idea what he's talking about."

And finally for now, the question everyone is asking: What the hell are Fidget-Spinners?