Gannett, ignoring Trump-Putin love affair, tells readers: We will always have football

To drive home the point that President Trump's Twitter tirades have spared only Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, political satirist Bill Maher posted this doctored vacation photo of the Terrible Twins on his HBO show Friday night.

Maher also urges Republicans to adopt the troll as the symbol of the party that can't get anything done. He said trolls are "people who get off on provoking other people who are trying to have a adult conversation."

Trump doesn't blame 'white supremacists'

 for violence, death in Virginia

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

On Friday, the United States and North Korea appeared to be on the brink of nuclear war.

But in northern New Jersey, Gannett editors at The Record of Woodland Park just managed to squeeze a story on the "crisis" onto Saturday's front page.

More than half of Page 1 was devoted to "FOOTBALL FRENZY" -- the kickoff of the NFL's pre-season.

To drive home Editor-cum-Hatchet Man Richard A. Green's priorities, a huge swath of the Local news front today discusses how MetLife Stadium is changed from Giants' blue to Jets' green in less than 24 hours.

The main headline appears aimed at stadium staff, not readers:

"You have less than 24 hours

 to flip MetLife Stadium."

"GO."

How's that?

There is news supposedly related to President Trump at the top of the same page, but readers might be confused by contradictory information in the first and sixth paragraphs (1L).

In the lead paragraph, Jose Estrada Lopez of Fairview is identified as a Guatemalan immigrant "ordered deported under the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigrants."

But just five paragraphs later, readers are told Estrada Lopez has been fighting to stay in the country "for nearly four years" -- meaning he was a target of President Obama's crackdown on illegals, not Trump's.

Trump-Putin

The New York Times reported:

"The U.S.-Russia relationship took a baffling turn when Mr. Trump thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for ordering the U.S. Embassy to slash personnel, a move made in retaliation for sanctions imposed because of Russia's election meddling.

"I'm very thankful he let go of a large number of people because now we have a smaller payroll," The Times quoted Trump as saying.

How bizarre. 

Instead of coming down on Putin, Trump attacked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for failing to pass a health care repeal bill.

See related posts:

8 times we've avoided nuclear war

Our democracy may not survive Trump lies

Charlottesville

This afternoon, the White House condemned "white supremacists" for inciting the violence that led to one death in Charlottesville, Va.

The statement, attributed to an unnamed spokesman, was issued more than 36 hours after the protests began, The Times reported. 

It was not attributed directly to the president, who "often uses Twitter to comment directly on controversial topics," the newspaper said, or to trash McConnell and others.

The White House was under siege after racist Trump blamed "many sides" for the violence.