NEWS OF THE WEEK

•  After a controversial opening act, the 2024 Summer Games have swung into overdrive and are flooding the TV with opportunities to see sports you never knew were sports.  Highlight?  A gal from Guatemala won the first gold medal in the country's history with her specialty of trap shooting.
• The Reds acted like nothing is wrong with their team and did almost nothing at the league trading deadline.  They do have a slim chance of reaching the wildcard round but I wouldn't bet on it.
• K. Harris and D. Trump traveled around throwing barbs at each other.  Nothing seems to have stuck yet.  Trump told black journalists that he didn't know Kamala was black until just recently.  Kamala to southerners that unlike Donald she could speak with a southern accent.  
• The Senate is holding hearings about the attempted assassination of candidate Trump. They are grilling the Secret Service, the FBI and the Justice Department for information.  Mostly, it seems they just want to voice their displeasure with the general ineptitude of their operations.   They forced Secret Service head Kimberly Cheatle to resign.  She was replaced by her understudy, Ronald L. Rowe Jr.., the Deputy Director.  A lady named Cynthia Sjoberg Radway is the agency COO.  I don't know where she came from.  You haven't changed anything when you promote people from within an inept organization.  
• Israel executed a pinpoint strike with a missile that took the life of the leader of Hamas - the guy responsible for the attack which started the current war in Gaza.  They did this in Tehran, the capital of Iran during the inauguration ceremonies for their new leader - egg on their face.   This immediately followed the targeted air strike which killed the commander of Hezbollah in Lebanon.  Hezbollah just last week sent missiles into Israel killing children at a school.  Iran financially sponsors terrorist groups; Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi in Yemen; all of which, have attacked Israel.  I'm afraid, we will see an escalation to this tit-for-tat until it really explodes.
• Scot, my son-in-law, came home from the hospital with a newly installed heart valve compliments of some gracious animal.  Grandson Joe is back from a "bachelor party cruise".  That's only two of the things Stacey has been worrying about.  Michelle continues to walk around with "something" in her renal tract that is allowing little stones to find their way to freedom.  My granddaughter-in-law Katie continues to walk around with something in her, too.  I can't wait to see what she produces.