Hasta La Gadget!

President Donald Trump is “considering” firing former FBI Director Robert Mueller, appointed by the Department of Justice to lead the investigation into ties between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials, a friend said Monday.

“I think he’s considering perhaps terminating the special counsel. I think he’s weighing that option,” Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy told PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff on Monday.

Ruddy, a personal friend of the president, was spotted at the White House earlier in the day.

According to Neal Katyal, the former acting U.S. solicitor general, Trump could direct Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller, to fire the former FBI director. (Rosenstein’s boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, has recused himself from the Russia investigation.)

The president also could order the regulations pertaining to the office of special counsel repealed, according to an article by Katyal published in The Washington Post last month:

The regulations provide that Mueller can “be disciplined or removed from office only by the personal action of the Attorney General” (again, Rosenstein here, because Sessions is recused) and only for “good cause.” The president, therefore, would have to direct Rosenstein to fire Mueller — or, somewhat more extravagantly, Trump could order the special-counsel regulations repealed and then fire Mueller himself.

One of Trump’s attorneys, during an interview on Sunday, wouldn’t rule out the possibility the president would fire the special counsel.  

“Look, the president of the United States, as we all know, is a unitary executive,” Jay Sekulow said on ABC’s “This Week.” “But the president is going to seek the advice of his counsel and inside the government as well as outside. And I’m not going to speculate on what he will, or will not, do.”

Sekulow said that he “can’t imagine” such a situation, but added that it is “an issue that the president with his advisers would discuss if there was a basis.”

Ruddy said in his PBS interview that firing Mueller would be “a very significant mistake,” even though he didn’t believe the appointment of the special counsel was proper. Ruddy claimed that Mueller was “under consideration” to lead the FBI, a position vacated after Trump fired James Comey, and that he spoke to the president about it.

“There’s some real conflicts,” Ruddy said. “It would be strange that he would have a confidential conversation and then a few days later become a prosecutor of a person he may be investigating.

“I think Mueller should have not taken the position if he was under consideration and had a private meeting with the president and was privy maybe to some of his thoughts,” Ruddy added.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, reacted to Ruddy’s interview on Twitter.

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Alright PlayStation fans, it’s your turn. Sony’s E3 2017 event is going down at 9PM ET/6PM PT tonight and we’ll be there to bring you all of the news as it’s announced. If you want to watch live at home, Sony is streaming the festivities on both Twit…

Depending on how much you like Wolfenstein, Bethesda’s E3 2017 press conference last night may have been somewhat underwhelming. However, despite the generally unimpressed reaction the conference garnered from internet denizens, there was one announcement that has received a lot of talk in the hours since Bethesda went live: Creation Club. On the surface, it seems like this is another … Continue reading

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The alt-right took a break from being crusaders for Western civilization to attack Shakespeare. Melania and Barron Trump moved into the White House, meaning less room for Steve Bannon’s collection of display jars containing fingers preserved in embalming fluid. And President Trump made his Cabinet members take turns to praise him, so maybe we should’ve let him get all his Kim Jong-un impulses out of his system by letting him have those tanks for his inaugural parade. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Monday, June 12th, 2017:

COURT UPHOLDS TRAVEL BAN BLOCK – Elise Foley: “The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on Monday upheld a block on Trump’s executive order that sought a 90-day travel ban to the U.S. for most nationals of six Muslim-majority nations and to suspend all refugee resettlement for 120 days. In doing so, the court cited one of Trump’s tweets ― and the fact that the White House acknowledged last week that they can be considered ‘official statements’ of the administration. ‘[T]he President recently confirmed his assessment that it is the ‘countries’ that are inherently dangerous, rather than the 180 million individual nationals of those countries who are barred from entry under the President’s ‘travel ban,’’ the ruling says. The judges then quoted a tweet from Trump on June 5, which said the U.S. needs ‘a TRAVEL BAN for certain DANGEROUS countries, not some politically correct term that won’t help us protect our people!’” [HuffPost]

GOP SENATE WON’T RELEASE HEALTH CARE BILL – Caitlin Owens: “Senate Republicans are working to finish their draft health care bill, but have no plans to publicly release it, according to two senior Senate GOP aides. ‘We aren’t stupid,’ said one of the aides. One issue is that Senate Republicans plan to keep talking about it after the draft is done: ‘We are still in discussions about what will be in the final product so it is premature to release any draft absent further member conversations and consensus.’ … It’ll take CBO about two weeks to evaluate and score a draft bill. Senate Republicans then want to vote on the bill before the July 4th recess. The draft bill had been expected to be finished tonight, but aides say the timing has slipped.” [Axios] 

SESSIONS WILL TESTIFY IN OPEN HEARING – A shot for every invocation of executive privilege. Julia Edwards Ainsley: “U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will testify publicly to a Senate panel on Tuesday, its chairman said, setting up another potentially dramatic hearing on possible ties between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential race. Sessions is likely to face tough questioning from Senate Intelligence Committee members over his dealings with Russian officials during the campaign and whether he had a role in the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, who testified last week before the same panel. Until a statement on Monday from committee Chairman Richard Burr, a Republican, it had been unclear whether Sessions would testify in an open or closed setting.” [Reuters]

Haircuts: Marina Fang (h/t Marina Fang), Dave Jamieson (h/t Marina Fang), Ryan Grim (h/t Ryan Grim), Eliot Nelson (h/t Eliot Nelson), Sahil Kapur (h/t Todd Zwillich) 

Like HuffPost Hill? Then order Eliot’s book, The Beltway Bible: A Totally Serious A-Z Guide To Our No-Good, Corrupt, Incompetent, Terrible, Depressing, and Sometimes Hilarious Government

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MARYLAND, D.C. AGs SUE TRUMP – Or, “Yes, D.C. Has An Attorney General.” Christina Wilkie: “Attorneys general from the District of Columbia and Maryland filed suit Monday against President Donald Trump, alleging that Trump’s ongoing ownership of his real estate empire violates constitutional provisions that prohibit the president of the United States from receiving money from both American states and foreign governments. ‘President Trump’s continued ownership interest in a global business empire, which renders him deeply enmeshed with a legion of foreign and domestic government actors, violates the Constitution,’ the complaint reads. Examples of alleged violations of the Emoluments Clause include, according to the plaintiffs, ‘leases of Trump properties held by foreign-government-owned entities; purchase and ownership of condominiums in Trump properties by foreign governments or foreign government controlled entities; [and] other property interests or business dealings tied to foreign governments.’” [HuffPost]

Another Democrat hankering for impeachment: “A Democratic congressman has drafted an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump and plans to file his legislation in the coming days. In a Monday letter to all House members, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) lays out why he thinks there’s enough evidence to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump and provides a copy of his proposed article of impeachment.” [HuffPost’s Jennifer Bendery]

GIANFORTE PLEADS GUILTY – Dude should still call Michael Grimm for advice. Chris D’Angelo: “Greg Gianforte, the millionaire Republican who on the eve of Montana’s special election for its U.S. House seat was accused of ‘body-slamming’ a reporter, pleaded guilty Monday to misdemeanor assault, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. After initially sentencing Gianforte to four days in jail, Gallatin County Justice Court Judge Rick West reduced the penalty. Instead of jail time, Gianforte must perform 40 hours of community service, complete 20 hours of anger management training and pay $385 in fines and fees.” [HuffPost]

Daniel Marans reports from Bernie Sanders’ People’s Summit in Chicago.

THIS WAS SO WEIRD – Next time, Trump should make the Cabinet play a sing-song name game (” My name is Betsy  *clap* *clap* Busy Betsy! ”). Igor Bobic: “President Donald Trump invited his top employees to shower him with compliments on Monday. They happily obliged, one-by-one, on live television. During a Cabinet meeting at the White House, the president touted the ‘record-setting pace’ of his legislative agenda and claimed ‘never has there been a president, with few exceptions’ who has accomplished more while in office…. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, who appears to be under constant threat of losing his job, thanked the president for ‘the opportunity and blessing to serve your agenda.’” [HuffPost]

Chuck Schumer’s office filmed a spoof of this.

GRAB HIM BY THE P*SSY – The most ridiculous development involving this meaning of the word “pussy” since Gary Johnson called Donald Trump one. Asawin Suebsaeng: “On Sunday morning, President Donald Trump woke up early to again vent his frustrations on Twitter, his preferred medium. Among @realDonaldTrump’s grievances was that the fired FBI director was ‘very’ much so a coward…. It’s the president personally getting in on what one senior Trump administration official described to The Daily Beast as the ‘Comey is a pussy’ offensive’ ‘It minimizes [Comey and] undermines the seriousness of his testimony and claims,’ the official noted, chuckling. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity so as to speak freely.” [Daily Beast]

CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVES STILL BACKING TRUMP – WWJD? Vote for Trump, apparently. Eliot: “These political crusaders cited the president’s accomplishments ― like appointing conservative Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and loosening restrictions on religious institutions engaging in political activity ― as evidence that Trump himself is a near-miracle…. ‘I am genuinely excited about what God is doing in America right now,’ proclaimed Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.)…. Indeed, to hear the language employed by speakers and attendees at last week’s gathering, Trump the ally ― the crude but reliable vector for the Christian conservative agenda ― is a welcome development, though Trump’s personal morality doesn’t meet their standards. Even if they think eternal hellfire may await the commander-in-chief in the hereafter, for the time being all they can hear is harps.” [HuffPost]

Here is a stupid thing, in case you missed it: “New York’s Public Theater lost financial support from two high-profile corporate donors, Delta Air Lines and Bank of America, on Sunday amid intense criticism of its production of Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar,’ which depicts the assassination of a Trump-like Roman ruler. The companies’ decisions came after days of criticism online and in right-leaning media outlets that was amplified by Donald Trump Jr., a son of the president, who appeared to call into question the theater’s funding sources on Twitter on Sunday morning.” [NYT’s Liam Stack]

If this weren’t stupid enough, Delta once sponsored a production that featured an Obama-like Caesar.

Dang, SCOTUS is loaded! “Newly appointed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is selling his family home in Boulder, Colorado, for $1,675,000…. At least six justices are worth at least $1 million, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of 2016 financial disclosures released last week by the Administrative Office of the U.S. courts.” [Newsweek’s Michele Gordon] 

WHEW, AMERICA FINALLY HAS COVERAGE FOR THE SABBATH – Journalists everywhere thank Melania Trump for giving them their weekends back. Nina Golgowski: “First lady Melania Trump and her son, Barron, have officially moved into the White House, almost five months after President Trump was sworn into office. She celebrated the moment on Twitter Sunday night while sharing a photo overlooking the Washington Monument. It included the hashtag #Movingday. ‘Looking forward to the memories we’ll make in our new home!’ she tweeted…. Melania had stayed behind in New York City until 11-year-old Barron completed his academic school year. The president’s youngest child will attend St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland, starting this fall, the school had previously announced.” [HuffPost] 

ATTRACTIVE RICH PERSON UNACCUSTOMED TO CRITICISM – If Ivanka really wants to see “viciousness,” she should check out her old man’s Twitter feed. Jenna Amatulli: “During a Monday morning appearance on ‘Fox & Friends,’ Ivanka Trump said she was caught off guard by the ‘viciousness’ and ‘ferocity’ directed at her father, President Donald Trump…. ‘It is hard. And there is a level of viciousness that I was not expecting. I was not expecting the intensity of this experience,’ she said.” [HuffPost] 

BECAUSE YOU’VE READ THIS FAR – Here’s a baby who hates grass. 

COVFEFE FINDS ITS WAY INTO THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD – Now it’s your turn, Bqhatevwr. Paige Lavender: Paige Lavender: “Spurred by what has become one of President Donald Trump’s more famous tweets, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) introduced the COVFEFE Act on Monday. The bill actually has a serious intent, calling for the official record-keeping of a president’s words to include social media feeds…. Trump’s social media feeds prompted Quigley, co-founder of the Congressional Transparency Caucus, to introduce the Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically for Engagement ― COVFEFE ― bill, which would amend the Presidential Records Act to include the term ‘social media’ as documentary material.” [HuffPost] 

Honorable mention: “Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) today will introduce legislation to ensure Donald Trump has a stake in the catastrophic consequences of ignoring climate science. The Prohibiting Aid for Recipients Ignoring Science (PARIS) Act will prevent properties owned by a president or his or her family from receiving federally subsidized flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).” [Rep. Blumenauer’s office] 

COMFORT FOOD

– How Rotten Tomatoes has impacted Hollywood. 

– Watch this incredibly relaxing video of a watch strap being made.

– What the numbers on airport runways mean. 

TWITTERAMA

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The Question: Dry drowning was recently ruled as the suspected cause of death for a 4-year-old boy from Texas. What is this medical condition and what are the signs that someone might be suffering from it?

The Answer: We don’t yet know what happened in the tragic case of the child in Texas, but drowning is an issue of heightened concern in the summer. 

About 3,500 people die per year in the U.S. due to unintentional drowning. One in five of those deaths is a child under the age of 14. And there’s a large disparity by race: African-American children between the ages of 5-19 are 5.5 times as likely to drown in swimming pools than their white peers.

But to understand any of the terminology about drowning ― and it is confusing ― it’s important to understand what happens when someone drowns. 

“Wet drowning,” which is drowning while submerged under water, is what most people think of when they hear the word “drowning.” This refers to when a spasm in the larynx ― a muscular organ in the throat  ― occurs and relaxes the opening to the throat’s airway, allowing water to enter the lungs. 

In the event of dry drowning, on the other hand, a laryngeal spasm also occurs, but the muscle at the top of the airway doesn’t completely relax, and so less water enters the lungs, according to Dr. Wassam Rahman, medical director of the emergency center at Johns Hopkin’s All Children’s Hospital. 

There’s no clinical difference in the outcome of wet versus dry, Rahman says. In both cases, without medical intervention, death is quick: The laryngeal spasm makes it hard to breathe and oxygen is cut off from the brain. Usually an autopsy determines if a death was wet or dry ― and one can quickly die in a body of water, or shortly after getting out of it, by dry drowning.

But there’s an additional danger with dry drowning ― it could lead to “secondary drowning,” a deadly and hard to spot condition if you don’t know what to look for.

“Suppose a child ducks their head and chokes on some water and is fine,” Rahman told HuffPost. “Then within 24 hours he starts to have some respiratory symptoms ― [secondary drowning] is a delayed [reaction].” 

During secondary drowning, a little bit of water gets inside the lungs from say, a near-drowning experience or even something as seemingly benign as being tossed around by waves. 

The only difference with secondary drowning is that in the hours following, the lungs respond to the trapped water by swelling, essentially starting to pool with the body’s own water, Rahman explained. Ultimately, the fluid in the lungs makes it hard for the body to produce oxygen. Oxygen blood levels eventually drop, which can cause a slowed heart rate and, in rare cases, cardiac arrest.

If a child develops a cough a couple of hours after swimming or submersion, or cannot catch his or her breath, something might be wrong, according to Rahman. 

Chest pain, vomiting, irritability or a drop in energy in the hours after swallowing a large amount of water can also be signs of secondary drowning, according to the American Osteopathic Association. 

If you see any of these signs, get medical attention immediately since patient outcome gets worse with the progression of time, Rahman notes.

And watch your kiddos when they’re in the pool or ocean: Drowning is the second most common cause of death by unintentional injury, behind car accidents, among children ages 1-4 years-old, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For every child that dies from drowning, another five go to the emergency room for nonfatal submersion injuries, according to the CDC. Nonfatal drowning injuries can cause severe brain damage, including long-term learning disabilities, memory impairment and the loss of basic cognitive function. 

Some of the top factors that influence drowning risk are lack of swimming ability, a lack of barriers, such as a pool fence, to prevent unsupervised water access and a lack of close supervision while swimming, according to the CDC. 

You can never have too many eyes on kids when they’re playing in the water. And learning CPR is a great skill. Seconds count: The more quickly CPR is started on a drowning victim, the better the chance their outcome will improve. 

“Ask Healthy Living” is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult a qualified health care professional for personalized medical advice.

H/T CNN

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