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PBC News & Comment: Sean Spicer Jumps from Sinking SS. Trump

Depriving Melissa McCarthy second season of satire, embattled press secretary Sean Spicer quits as Trump names Tony Scarramucci communications director….–we serve up a couple of Spicer’s greatest hits; press briefings may be replaced by White House infomercials

–in Guardian op-ed, Thomas Frank comments on the war between media and Trump

–on the way to easy coronation, new FBI director Chris Wray gets unanimous vote of Senate Judiciary committee, watchdog Sue Udry lists key issues that Wray dodged

–in important story, LA Times explains how FBI profiler put an innocent man in prison for 10 years

update by The Intercept on Reality Winner case excludes any mention of reporter Matthew Cole’s role in exposing her whistleblowing

–Trump’s lawyers are investigating 45’s pardon power, and the investigators of special counsel Mueller

–U of Chicago law professors comment: if Trump pardons to obstruct justice, it could be a crime that leads to impeachment

–Alabama corruption expert Roger Shuler notes that Jeff Sessions is, apparently, not corrupt enough for Trump

–even if Congress doesn’t kill Obamacare, Trump has a least 6 ways to undermine it

–Trump’s decision to end covert support for “moderate” Syrian fighters leaves those fighters exposed, exposes lack of plan to address power vacuum

–Maduro fights general strike in Venezuela

–in Mosul, bloodletting continues as Shia-Sunni scores are settled

–Vatican publication, likely approved by Pope Francis, slams the US political alliance between evangelical fundamentalists and neocon Catholics, reports Fr. Tom Reese