Donald Trump has been claiming that there are folks out there — conveniently unidentified in his telling — who revere the man in Dallas who killed those police officer and asked someone someplace to observe a moment of silence for him. No one knows where this occurred, not even Trump's campaign co-chair could say where it happened.

But as Josh Marshall points out, this is just an attempt to get white people (mostly likely the dumber white people) out to support the Trump campaign…because that's really all he's got going for him. It's stoking the fires of white resentment of minorities and it is, of course, based on a lie.

Like the mythical multitudes in New Jersey who he claimed cheered the towers falling on 9/11, no one will ever prove it occurred. But many a Trump follower will (a) believe it and (b) not think Trump is any sort of liar. We may be in for a lot of this between now and November.

Here's a rerun from 12/20/10. I have nothing new to add to this story…

One day in the early eighties, I took my 1957 Thunderbird (the one I no longer own) in for detailing at a place in Beverly Hills. When I went to pick it up, there was a short delay in bringing it out so I got to chatting with the manager there. He asked me if I'd ever seen a Pierre Cardin Cadillac. I said no. He said, "Come on in here," and he took me into one of his garages. There, I saw the most beautiful new (i.e., non-classic) car I'd ever seen in my life. It was not the one in the photo below, which is a picture of another model of Pierre Cardin Cadillac. It was even better looking than that, painted with pinstripes in colors one does not ordinarily see on an automobile. I asked him to explain just what it was I was looking at. Car buffs, please forgive me if I get a few of the numbers wrong.

He explained, "Every year, the Pierre Cardin company buys 100 new Cadillacs right off the assembly line. They get them unpainted and without upholstery or other decorations. The Pierre Cardin people supply all that. They design a special paint job, a special interior, special carpeting…everything. Then they install it all. It's a designer Cadillac."

He then went on to explain about the one glistening there before me: "Customers have to order them and put down a 25% down payment. Then they're shipped out from the Pierre Cardin factory but before they go to the buyer, they're sent to a detailer like me to give them a final cleaning before delivery. But this car is homeless. The guy who was going to take delivery of it defaulted on his last payment or something so he's not going to get it."

I asked what was going to become of it. He said, "It's been sitting here for two weeks. I'm charging them storage while I wait for them to tell me what to do with it. Hey, you interested in buying it?"

I wasn't interested in buying any new car at any price but I had to ask, "How much is it?"

He said, "Seventy-five thousand dollars." That's a lot of money for a car now and you can imagine how much it was at the time, which I think was around 1983. A brand-new non-designer Cadillac Eldorado that year was around $20,000. I paid a lot less than that for the T-Bird.

I told the gentleman I wasn't interested in buying a new car. Especially a $75,000 car.

He said, "I could probably arrange for you to get a thousand off." He said that as if he expected me to say, "Whoa! I don't want a $75,000 car but of course I want a $74,000 car! Write it up!" Instead, I said no thanks. He asked why not. I said, "Well, the price is reason enough. But even if I had that kind of money to spend, I wouldn't drive a car that fancy and expensive. It practically screams, 'Steal me! Steal me!'"

"Oh, no," he said. "People never steal these."

"Are you serious? A beautiful car like this, people don't steal?"

"It's too dangerous," he explained. "There are only, like, three of them in the entire state. If someone's driving one around, it gets noticed instantly. If you're going to steal an expensive car, you want to steal a grey Mercedes. They all look alike."

I didn't completely buy that but I asked him, "Okay, so people don't steal Pierre Cardin Cadillacs. Do they ever strip them for parts?"

He said, "That, they do. And it's beastly expensive to replace parts or to get certain things fixed on them."

"So why would anyone possibly want one?"

The man thought for a second, shrugged and replied, "To tell the whole world you can afford one."

Do you love Monty Python? Then read about the unknown hero who saved the original TV episodes from being lost forever. (The known hero who gave me that link is Shelly Goldstein.)

Jeffrey Toobin on what Hillary did right and wrong with her e-mail scandal. He believes — and I think there's something to this — that since Whitewater, both Clintons treat any investigation as a partisan attempt to tar them with scandal. Which is just what most of them are…but that doesn't mean their response to all has been the right one.

Another dose of John Oliver to tide us over until he returns with new shows on July 24…

I saw a lot of posts yesterday from angry Bernie Sanders supporters, most of whom made a quick leap from thinking Bernie could do no wrong and was the one guy in the world who'd never sell out…to wailing that Bernie had sold them out. Ah, but for what? For getting a large portion of his agenda into the Democratic platform and for wanting Republicans to not keep the Senate and also win the presidency? There's a sleazy bribe if I ever heard one.

I dunno what else they expected him to do. Consider two of Bernie's main objectives: Universal health care and free college. Which of these two possible presidents — President H. Clinton or President D. Trump — is likelier to get us close to those? Which one's likelier to get tough with financiers, cracking down on unscrupulous business practices like, say, Donald Trump's? (If you think Hillary would be just as bad there…well, maybe. Or maybe Bernie, with an insider's perspective, thinks otherwise.)

Really though, it comes down to alternatives. I don't see where Senator Sanders had any. Some of those who'd backed him are saying, "There should be a third party," which is one of those things people say and then nothing ever happens. It's like when something transpires in government that you don't like and you vow to pass a Constitutional Amendment to overturn that. Nothing ever happens. You say it, you feel good and then you forget about it because it's too much work and it'll never happen anyway.

Any time you hear someone say "We'll start a third party" or "We'll pass a Constitutional Amendment," just imagine they're saying "We'll cover the entire planet in cream cheese!" Because the chances of the cream cheese happening are really about the same as the odds of the third party or the Constitutional Amendment.

The folks calling for a "third party" are also forgetting that we already have a third party…and a fourth party and a fifth and so on. Their impact on national elections is basically to act as "None of the Above." You and I will win as many states as Gary Johnson. It would be great if any of those were viable but it just doesn't work that way. You know why it's Johnson running on the Libertarian ticket and not Rand Paul? Because Rand Paul wants to stay in politics.

So does Bernie Sanders and I hope he does for as long as he can.

Great speech by Bernie Sanders just now. Hard to believe that any of his supporters thought he wouldn't give Hillary an enthusiastic endorsement. The notion that he had anything meaningful in common with Donald Trump other than "outsider" status was always ridiculous. Hey, my gardener has "outsider" status, too. He'd make a great president if all we want to do is plant bougainvillea around the White House.

Let's see: Sanders wants to put restrictions on what corporations and the rich can do to this country. Trump wants them to be able to do whatever they want, no matter what it does to the poor and disadvantaged. Yeah, there's a lot of common ground there. Why, just think of all that Senator Sanders could do for his agenda with Republicans controlling the House, Senate and Presidency.

I have a few friends who were so obsessed with the idea of electing Bernie Sanders that they fell into the whole Fox News/Trump "Crooked Hillary" meme. They wouldn't believe another word from those sources but they bought into that premise because, you know, when you're fervent about an election, every single negative thing anyone says about your opponent is true.

I know it's tough to turn loose of that kind of thing. There are folks out there who refuse to believe that electing Bill didn't destroy the economy. But — and I have a friend reading this who'll know I have him particularly in mind — Bernie Sanders can get up there and admit that it's time to forget about what's not going to happen and do the best you can. I hope all his supporters can do that too.

My wonderful friend Carolyn sent me this link. It's the United States Navy Band with selections from Jersey Boys. Of course it is…

If you think Hillary Clinton is the Anti-Christ in a pants suit, you probably won't want to read this piece by Ezra Klein about her. You'd probably think it was some blind partisan puppet of hers, trying to spin her shortcomings as strengths. Given his past track record, I know Klein's too sharp a reporter to do that. If you like Hillary or might like Hillary, it's an interesting read.

For the record: I like Hillary. I voted for Bernie but I'm fine with Hillary and not just because she's not Donald Trump. I don't like everything she's said or done but if I wait for a candidate who's perfect, I'll never vote again. I think she's smart. I don't think she's crooked. I do think there's something to the theory — which Klein doesn't completely buy — that a lot of the distrust some people have for her flows from the avalanche of phony, baseless scandals and accusations. She was guilty of wrongdoing in Whitewater, Filegate, Travelgate, Vince Foster (etc.) the same way Barack Obama is guilty of being a gay Kenya-born Muslim who is secretly working to destroy America.

On my plane ride to Vegas two weeks ago, I sat next to a loud Hillary-hater who was lecturing everyone around us about her and we got into a debate which most of the nearby passengers found amusing. Basically, his thesis was that Hillary's been accused of so many things, she couldn't possibly be honest. Somehow, the fact that none of these alleged crimes resulted in indictment or prosecution was, in his mind, proof that she was devious and had blackmailed someone or bribed someone or whatever. Because he knew she was guilty and that was that. One thing I'm not looking forward to in a Hillary Clinton presidency is 4-8 years of that from her opposition.

I have friends who are solidly behind Hillary Clinton for president and others — a lesser number but some — who think Trump is the only way to go. The latter group seems to be laboring under the delusion that convincing me — the guy who works on Groo the Wanderer — that Trump would make a great president will vault him into the White House.

Newsflash: I get but one vote and it's in a state where former Secretary of State Clinton currently has a lead of somewhere between 18 and 23 points. If Trump ever closes that gap to the point where there's a chance of him winning California, it will probably means he already has a lock on the other 49 states plus the District of Columbia.

The former group — those who support Hillary and/or would sooner feed their genitalia into a wood chipper than see Trump win — are alternately happy with the polls and worried that "something will happen" that will change the whole dynamic of the race. I agree "something will happen" but wonder if it, whatever it is, will really change anything unless it means a change of nominee(s). Until it does, I see no reason to fret about the race. I do see a reason to stop looking at the national polling and having panic attacks over minor fluctuations.

Once again, I remind you: We do not elect our Chief Execs based on the popular vote. Ask President Gore if you don't believe me. We do it by the Electoral College. If you want to know if there's really something to worry about, keep your eye on Nate Silver's charts of who's likely to get the needed 270 votes to win.

Silver and his crew figure it three ways. At this moment, Hillary Clinton is projected to win 342 electoral votes via one projection, 315 by another and 337 by the third. Please stop writing or calling me from the window ledge with worry until she dips below 300. And when she does (if she does) tell me which 29 more electoral votes you're worried are at risk.

I am not saying Trump cannot win and I am certainly not saying that Clinton and her supporters should not be campaigning with all their might. Even when you're way ahead, run as if you're somewhat behind. But stop stoking your ulcer by thinking that every poll that shows Trump closing the gap in the popular vote means we're going to have four years of the guy who brought us Trump Steaks.

And yes, I know at one point I didn't think the Republican Party would nominate the guy but there's a big difference between the right-wing party voting for a someone I consider a dangerous right-winger and the entire country voting that way. For one thing, the Republicans were always destined to nominate someone I thought was a dangerous right-winger. I just thought for a while it would be a different one.

Got a question from a reader of this site asking, "So what exactly is a TV tag?" Guess I should have explained that.

When you produce a TV show for a network, there are specifications. The show is supposed to be delivered at a specific length and the opening titles and closing credits are to be a certain length. If there are commercials involved, producers are told how much time to leave for commercial breaks and approximately where in the show they are to fall.

If we're talking about a half-hour show as we were with M*A*S*H, the specs usually lead to the decision for a two-act structure. The show is to be told in two acts…once in a while, three. But these acts may be preceded by a very short scene at the top to try and hook the viewer…or it may be followed at the end by a very short scene that provides a feeling of "wrap-up" and if it's a comedy, ends on a joke. Once in a while, you do all of these.

If the scene at the top starts your show and precedes the opening titles, it's called a cold opening. If it comes after the opening titles, it's called a tease or teaser. The scene at the end is called a tag. These are not set-in-titanium terms. They're just what most people call them.

When I worked on Welcome Back, Kotter back in the ice age, this was the format: The first thing you saw was a cold opening in which Mr. Kotter told his wife a joke. This led into the opening titles, which led into Commercial Break #1. Then we had Act One, followed by Commercial Break #2, then Act Two, then Commercial Break #3. When we came back from Commercial Break #3, we had a tag in which Mr. Kotter told his wife or someone else a joke and this led into the closing credits.

Generally speaking, you want to make the tag expendable because when they start cutting the show for more commercial time in syndication, that's usually the first thing to go. Why have it in the first place? Because it may cause some viewers to sit through the last commercial break to see it instead of turning off the set, changing channels or heading for the bathroom. So advertisers like tags and so do networks. That last commercial break is where the network will probably put a promo for the show that's on next, the goal being to stop viewers from reaching for the remote. And that's about it.

Hey! How do they make bacon?

A Spanish bullfighter was gored to death by the bull he was fighting yesterday — and it was witnessed by millions on live television. Do you, like me, have trouble lamenting a death in this situation?

Whatever reverence we have for human life, it's mitigated somewhat when the deceased was engaging in "daredevil" activities, seeking a thrill and/or paycheck by risking death. If you risk death, you're accepting that every now and then, what you're doing is going to lead directly to your demise. It's in a whole different category when someone dies as a result of a choice as opposed to illness or an accident or an unpredictable act of violence. Bullfighting is in a subset of that category because even when it goes well for the human, it never ends well for the bull and turns that bull's death into a public, inhumane spectacle.

Bullfighting is on a long list of activities or practices that some people enjoy but I cannot for the life of me understand why. Most of them I can easily ignore but bullfighting has long troubled me…as I would hope it troubles you. One of the things I don't like about it is that on those rare occasions when a matador (or a toreador of whatever they're called) is killed or injured, there's a moment when a part of me that I don't like very much thinks, "Good!"

Preview Night for Comic-Con International in San Diego is ten days from now. Ten! Time for you to begin looking over the Programming Schedule because if you're going, you really, really need to study it in advance and make some notes on what you're going to see…and what you're going to see if you can't get into your first choices. (I believe people are already lining up for the Star Trek panels.)

If you're not going…well, maybe you want to check the schedule to live vicariously through those who are going. In any case, you can now look at the schedules for programming on Preview Night, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday — in that order.

Even better, you can look below and see the list of the important panels, the ones I'm hosting.

Thursday, July 21 – 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM in Room 8
THE MARK, SERGIO, STAN AND TOM SHOW
This used to be the annual "Sergio and Mark Show" but we've changed the name to note that the adventures of Groo the Wanderer are brought to you not just by the award-winning team of Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier but also by Stan Sakai (the creator of Usagi Yojimbo) and the hardest-working man in comics, Tom Luth. They'll be discussing the new Groo mini-series – the first issue of which is debuting at the convention – and many upcoming projects. Some feature their silly barbarian, some don't. But it's always a treat to hear these brilliant guys, especially the tall one who wrote this panel description.

Thursday, July 22 – 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM in Room 9
CAPTAIN AMERICA 75th ANNIVERSARY
Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Captain America has been wielding his shield, donning red, white, and blue, and fighting the good fight for 75 years. From Captain America Comics #1 to Captain America: Civil War, Steve Rogers has had a pretty decent 75 years, to say the least. Come celebrate "Cap" with Jim Simon (Son of Joe Simon) and Allen Bellman (artist, Captain America) all while being interviewed and questioned by former Kirby assistant, moderator Mark Evanier (author, Kirby: King of Comics).

Friday, July 22 – 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM in Room 8
WALT KELLY AND POGO
The greatest newspaper strip of all time? Some would call you that and even if you aren't one of them, you've gotta love the wit and whimsy of Walt Kelly's magnum opus, Pogo, now receiving its first ever complete reprinting in an Eisner-winning series from Fantagraphics Books. Let's remember this great artist with comic historian Maggie Thompson (Comic Buyer's Guide), film critic Leonard Maltin, historian Michael Barrier, cartoonist Scott Shaw!, Eric Reynolds (co-editor of the Complete Pogo series) and Moderator Mark Evanier (Groo the Wanderer).

Friday, July 22 – 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM in Room 4
SPOTLIGHT ON ALLEN BELLMAN
Before there was Marvel Comics, there was Timely Comics. Artist Allen Bellman was there, and now you can not only listen to his amazing stories and the history of Timely Comics but also participate in a fantastic Q&A. A short signing will follow. I'm moderating this.

Saturday, July 23 – 11:45 AM to 1 PM in Room 6BCF
QUICK DRAW!
It's still the fastest, funniest panel in the whole convention! Once again, your Quick Draw! Quizmaster Mark Evanier pits three super-speedy cartoonists against one another as they go mano a mano and Sharpie to Sharpie to create great cartoon art right before your very eyes. Competing this year are (as usual) Sergio Aragonés (MAD Magazine, Groo the Wanderer) and Scott Shaw! (The Simpsons) and they're joined this year by Keith Knight (The K Chronicles) plus a couple of surprising surprises!

Saturday, July 23 – 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM in Room 6BCF
CARTOON VOICES I
Each year, Moderator Mark Evanier gathers together a bevy of the most talented cartoon voice actors working today and invites them to explain and demonstrate their artistry! This year's lineup includes Phil LaMarr (Samurai Jack, Futurama), Brian T. Delaney (MAD, Halo 5: Guardians), Georgie Kidder (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Goldie and Bear), Gregg Berger (The Garfield Show, Transformers), Julianne Buescher (The Muppets, Sid the Science Kid) and Jim Meskimen (Avengers Assemble, MAD).

Saturday, July 23 – 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM in Room 5AB
THAT 70'S PANEL
It was a time of change in comics with a new generation intermingling with the old and taking command. Hear what it was like from Howard Chaykin (American Flagg, Black Kiss), Paul Gulacy (Master of Kung Fu, Sabre), Elliott S! Maggin (Superman, Green Arrow), Marv Wolfman (Tomb of Dracula, The New Teen Titans), probably one other person and Moderator Mark Evanier (Groo the Wanderer, Blackhawk).

Sunday, July 24 – 10:00 AM to 11:15 PM in Room 5AB
THE ANNUAL JACK KIRBY TRIBUTE PANEL
Each year, we set aside time to talk about Comic-Con's first superstar guest and the man they call The King of the Comics, Jack Kirby. Jack left us in 1994 but his influence on comics, film and this convention has never been greater. Discussing the man and his work this year are Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Kirby biographer Ray Wyman, Jr., Scott Dunbier, (Director of Special Projects for IDW Publishing) and attorney Paul S. Levine. Naturally, it's moderated by former Kirby assistant Mark Evanier.

Sunday, July 24 – 11:30 AM to 12:45 PM in Room 6A
CARTOON VOICES II
Yesterday's Cartoon Voices Panel will have been such a hit that we'll have to do another one with different but equally talented actors from the world of animation voicing. Once again, Moderator Mark Evanier has assembled an all-star dais that will include Dee Bradley Baker (Phineas and Ferb, Family Guy) Vicki Lewis (Rugrats, Finding Nemo), Fred Tatasciore (The Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness), Trevor Devall (Guardians of the Galaxy, Kid vs. Kat) and Debi Derryberry (Monster High, F is for Family) and maybe someone else.

Sunday, July 24 – 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM in Room 25ABC
COVER STORY: THE ART OF THE COVER
What does it take to make a great cover for a comic book? Let's ask four of the top artists…all folks who've created some of the best. Come hear the "shop talk" of Jonathan Case (Batman '66, The New Deal), Howard Chaykin (American Flagg, Black Kiss), Babs Tarr (Batgirl, Sailor Moon), Paul Gulacy (Sabre, Master of Kung Fu) and Scott Shaw! (Captain Carrot, The Simpsons). Moderated by Mark Evanier.

Sunday, July 24 – 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM in Room 25ABC
THE BUSINESS OF CARTOON VOICES
Interested in a career doing voices for animation and videogames? There are plenty of people around who'll take your money and tell you how to go about it…but here's 90 minutes of absolutely free advice from folks who work in the field. Come hear cartoon voice actor Dee Bradley Baker and Debi Derryberry, talent agent Paul Doherty (Cunningham-Escott-Slevin-Doherty) and your moderator, voice director Mark Evanier (The Garfield Show).

As always, these times, room assignments and panel participants are subject to change. I suggest you get there early for any panel in a room that starts with a "6" as these always fill up quickly. Matter of fact, a lot of people try getting into the last half of the preceding panel, whether they care about it or not, just to get a seat for the panel they do want to attend. I may have to start doing this on some of the panels I moderate because they don't always want to let me in. See you there, I hope.

Another Sondheim moment. From the PBS version of Company (the one starring Neil Patrick Harris), we have Anika Noni Rose performing "Another Hundred People." I once saw a really low budget version of this show done in a 99-seat theater with too small a cast. Some people had to double, playing two roles that would usually be played by separate actors. Afterwards, I tried to talk the director into changing this song to "Another Seven People"…