According to the media, this is a colossal disaster, bringing terrible consequences down on fragile elderly people across the land. Also on everybody else who buys goods from abroad. But writing about old people's alleged suffering brings out a louder crescendo of sad violin music. Also, single mothers.

What is it now, a few weeks short of 10 years since Trump first announced his presidential candidacy? Nada. Zero. Zip. None of the disparaging distractions, hoaxes, and distorted reports have proven effective in destroying his political persona.

But conflict, fear, and potential economic damage draw more readers/viewers than honest, full-scale reporting. So, that's what we get.

A day after the media went all in on Doom, the president paused for 90 days all of the new reciprocal tariffs, except for those on China. That's labeled Trump backing down because that sells.

What most media miss is that Donald Trump has a plan, a backup plan, and a backup plan to the backup plan. Take a deep breath and watch as it unfolds.

This week's audio commentary just below examines the president's strategy and goals and suggests an additional tactic that the best salesman in the nation might employ as the tariff struggle continues, as it will.

Probably most people realize scandals are a normal part of human organizations, especially those in government and especially those in D.C. government. What isn't as widely realized is that those Washington scandals rarely have any real consequences. Lots of words and furrowed brows. But nothing real at all.

They happen all the time. We hear about some of them. They explode. Shock and outrage erupt, much of it hypocritical. Perhaps an investigation or hearing. And then, like butter on a hot griddle, they melt away, not to be forgiven, just forgotten. 

Because, you see, there's so much other stuff going on. And media, which the Founding Fathers envisioned as vital watchdogs on government, have forfeited that obligation. And become part of the comfortable establishment, as long as it's Democrat.

This week's column assembled in one place more of these scandals than even I realized we had experienced. Some of them are really outrageous. And they soak up an awful lot of taxpayer money. Media helps to hide them.

But that's okay because...Hey, look, a squirrel!

The most recent audio commentary is related in a way. It looks at a new poll that revealed how badly Americans' trust in media has cratered. What I did not fully realize until I began pulling together the material was how far back the trust began decaying.

Finally, here's a post you may have missed last night. So, I'm catching you up. 

Those of us who lived in and fled from California are sadly too familiar with the Los Angeles homeless problem. The tragic mess is all over the place.

One of Gavin Newsom's go-to spending tools is solving the homeless problem once and for all by throwing money at it. A lot of money. After all, who could possibly object to helping people living on cement in cardboard domiciles?

A while back, they placed port-a-potties around downtown Los Angeles to avoid San Francisco's public poop problem. The toilets became mini-shoot-up galleries for drug addicts and also stand-up bordellos for prostitutes.

There's now a new administration running the U.S. Department of Justice. Its attorneys are no longer blind to Democrat grift. 

Are you sitting down? In just the past five years, California has spent in excess of $24 billion on the homeless issue. That's in excess of $13 million every single day. And the problem endures, along with an entire economic complex allegedly to fix the problem.

Somebody is getting a lot of money for a nice house, vacation, or car. But it sure has not solved the homeless situation. Now, a new U.S. Attorney has set up a special task force to investigate the fraud. And Jennifer Van Laar, RedState's Managing Editor, has the full story.