CT Expert Insights

David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America wade through the details of another horrific school shooting.  This time 17 people are dead at a high school in Florida.  They honor the heroes who saved students' lives, including a football coach who died shielding kids from the gunfire.  They're also frustrated that warning signs about this shooter were abundant, including expulsion and a ban from campus, yet little was done by law enforcement to address the problem.  And they discuss the tiresome Twitter rage in the wake of tragedies like this, with David pointing out that Twitter often proves that the supposed experts on an issue are actually quite clueless in their supposed area of expertise.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome a new Politico/Morning Consult poll showing more Americans now plan to vote for a Republican congressional candidate than for a Democrat, which is a big swing since in recent weeks.  They also roll their eyes as Democrats and pundits fret that President Trump hasn't given specific orders for the FBI to thwart Russian attempts to meddle in the midterm elections, when FBI Director Christopher Wray says they are on the case because it is their job after all.  And they look at the Valentine's Day tradition of columns by liberal women blaming men for their own relationship frustrations and the decline of modern romance.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are appalled as the liberals on "The View" and elsewhere blast Vice President Pence for not standing as the joint Korean Olympic team entered the opening ceremonies, but they are grateful that many on the left are allowing America to see that they actually hate the Trump administration far more than they hate one of the most repressive and brutal Communist regimes the world has ever seen.  They also blast the liberal media for largely ignoring that President Trump's daughter-in-law had to go to the hospital after opening an envelope with white powder.  And they greatly enjoy learning that the Iranians are very worried that western nations are spying on their nuclear activities with lizards.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are leery in general that any infrastructure bill can avoid becoming a huge waste of money but they are glad to see President Trump asking states to play a major role in funding the plan.  They also unload on the mainstream media for writing glowing reviews of Kim Jong-Un's sister and how she is supposedly executing a diplomatic masterpiece at the Olympics.  And they rip the press for falling for the supposedly charming North Korean cheer squad, when they're really slaves of a regime that will punish them and their families if they make any mistakes.  And they roll their eyes at CNN for reporting that Sen. Bob Corker is thinking about reconsidering his retirement, even as Corker's office says there is nothing to the story.

Coconut oil and Alzheimers. Is breastfeeding important? Prostate health.

Opioid addiction and health reform.

Alexandra DeSanctis of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America cheer the family leave plan pushed by Sen. Marco Rubio and Ivanka Trump to allow parents to tap their future Social Security checks to cover the weeks surrounding the birth of a new baby in exchange for waiting extra weeks when they reach retirement.  In addition, Alexandra rebuts the liberal insistence that family leave must be a whole new entitlement.  They also slam Republicans for effectively surrendering the option to use budget reconciliation for the next two years as part of the horrific budget deal with Democrats.  And they fire back at Republican lawmakers who spent Thursday trashing Sen. Rand Paul's filibuster as a waste of time, when those GOP members are really just mad that Sen. Paul called them out for their blatant hypocrisy on deficit spending and not wanting to take a vote on restoring budget caps.

David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America pause to cheer the Falcon Heavy rocket launch by Space X this week and David hopes it sparks more aspirational innovation that our nation so sorely needs.  They also grimace as Republican majorities are preparing to jack up spending significantly over the next couple of years, even though some positive elements are included in the budget bill.  And they sigh as Nancy Pelosi uses part of her marathon floor speech on immigration policy to say her young grandson blew out his birthday candles and wished he could look like his friend from Guatemala.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America relish enjoy watching the credibility of the Steele dossier implode even further now that disreputable Clinton fixer Sid Blumenthal is being implicated for feeding information to Steele.  They also shake their heads as President Trump says he would love a government shutdown unless he gets his way on border security just weeks after Republicans successfully convinced Americans that funding the government should not be contingent upon passing an immigration bill.  And they have no problem honoring the U.S. military with a parade as President Trump wants to do, but Jim says there are more pressing national security concerns, including long-term funding and pay raises.

Happy Reagan's Birthday everyone!  Today, Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud Vice President Mike Pence for bringing Otto Warmbier's father as his guest to the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in South Korea and keeping the focus on North Korean repression in the midst of the communist regime's charm offensive during in the games.  They're also exasperated as President Trump gives his political opponents and the media new fodder for criticism as Trump flippantly suggests Democrats were treasonous for not applauding good news during his State of the Union address last week.  And they're deeply frustrated as an illegal immigrant previously deported for drunk driving is now charged with the death of Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver - once again while drunk and in the U.S. illegally.  They also slam the media for biased coverage of the immigration debate, dismissing stories like this and focusing almost exclusively on the success stories of young people in the nation illegally.