So far, I have had three stages of Trump news.
When he first beat Hillary I couldn’t watch the news.
After about a month of that, I was back to Lester Holt.
I am not ashamed that I am a sucker for his Inspired America stories.
Okay. A little ashamed.
Now 5:30 is my favorite TV watching time of the day if for no other reason then to find out if Sean Spicer is in the bushes or among the bushes.
Last night I turned to Anne and asked, “What ever happened to Steve Bannon?”
It seems as if he as has disappeared from the nightly news, the Times and Twitter.
I Googled his name.
Two of the top three stories involve Bannon at the Cannes film festival with the star of Duck Dynasty.
Then there is the story from the Israeli news source, Haaretz.
Bannon, according to Haaretz, is still in a fight with National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.
One of the main friction points between the two advisers, according to press reports, was the strike in Syria last month. McMaster has been credited for pushing Trump to go forward with the strike, which was the first American attack on the murderous Assad regime since the start of the Syrian civil war. Bannon was much less enthusiastic about it, and reminded Trump that he promised during the election campaign not to get dragged into new conflicts in the Middle East and to focus on defeating ISIS.
McMaster and Bannon’s war over influence seems to come on top an earlier power struggle between Bannon and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser. The conflict between these two men became so fierce that Trump himself at some point publicly warned Bannon to stop fighting with Kushner, or else he will have to take action. “Steve is a good guy,” Trump said, referring to Bannon, “but I told him to straighten it out or I will.”
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was asked about the recent reports at Tuesday’s daily press briefing, and said that Trump’s relationship with McMaster is “excellent.” Spicer added that Trump is spending more time with McMaster than with anyone except his family.
The Kushner-Bannon fight also had implications on the National Security Council. Around the same time that Bannon was kicked out, a close and trusted adviser to Kushner’s wife Ivanka was added: Dina Powell, a former Goldman Sachs executive and State Department official under the George W. Bush administration.
So, Steve Bannon, the most evil mind behind the scenes was against the Syria action and McMaster, the brilliant military tactician and strategist, was for it and convinced Trump to go ahead.
And Bannon is in Cannes with the star of Duck Dynasty.
Fred Klonsky 
Cable is all Trump all the time. The evening news still has some local and international highlights. We are in breaking news right now over the latest tweets. Bannon is there. Jared is missing.If you really want fun try the Louise Mensch Twitter feed. CNN compared him to a rat infestation just now…
OMG He just signed a trade deal with China that hosed us bigley.BBC
I worry that Bannon has been mostly invisible because he is busy secretly planning the Trump version of the Reichstag fire, some manufactured crisis to allow Trump to seize much more power.
Sometimes I’m glad Kushner is a presence: feuding with Steve Bannon, and banishing Chris Christie* (whose political career, I hope, is right out the window like “Bobby” {not his real first name; he chose to Americanize it}
Jindal). Both of these gubernatorial losers (to the nth degree) greatly hurt their states, and then had the nerve to run for president. I think Jindal is one and done, & I hope Christie rides off quietly into the sunset (yeah–probably not–we’ll be stuck w/him some way, just like Arne & Vallas–the REAL “dance of the lemons”**).
*Kushner has a grudge against Christie, I’ve heard, because Christie was the A.G. who successfully prosecuted Kushner’s father, who went to jail for some bad business.
**”The dance of the lemons”-an animation in the pro-charter, Rheeformer film, Waiting for Superman,” referring to “bad” public school teachers who never lose their jobs, but are merely sent from school to school.
Please note that I’d said SOMETIMES (not shouting, just can’t do boldface in comment boxes).