London Bridge isn’t falling down. Mississippi’s spans are.
The Wall Street Journal reported today that Gov. Phil Bryant ordered 102 bridges in The Magnolia State closed because they “create extreme peril to the safety of persons and property.” Ferry boat operators, rejoice.
Mississippi though isn’t the only state with crumbling bridges, tunnels, roads and airports. The American Society of Civil Engineers’ latest “Infrastructure Report Card” grades the US network a D+. It estimates $125B is needed to fix the nation’s bridges.
President Trump is juggling a lot of balls these days (e.g., Stormy Daniels, FBI “raids” on his personal lawyer’s office/hotel room, Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, Syrian missile strikes, China trade war).
Infrastructure isn’t high on his “must-do” list, though Trump promised on the campaign trail that he would strap on his builder’s hat and create a network of roads, tunnels, bridges and airports that was second to none.
The president did propose a $200B infrastructure program that was loaded with federal incentives (rather than cash) to encourage states to raise their own funds for programs. That proposal was DOA.
National infrastructure czar DJ Gribbin exited the White House April 3 to pursue other opportunities.
That departure gives the president the chance to start from scratch. Democrats have long supported public works projects. They would join with Republicans to support a program proposed by Trump that put federal dollars to work.
Leadership from the White House is all that is needed. The president needs to put down his cellphone, stay away from Twitter and get to work on fixing the country’s infrastructure.
It would help to rebuild the his approval rating.
It’s evident to all that our 80-year-old president is a man stuck in the past but did he really have to invoke the spirit of disgraced FBI director J. Edgar Hoover?... NYC probes prediction markets. Kalshi Polymarket, Coinbase and Gemini Titan... Does anybody want Karoline Leavitt's job? It's no fun playing second fiddle to Trump, who serves as his own press spokesperson.
Kudos to the American Academy of Pediatrics for pulling no punches in blasting Trump's new childhood vaccine recommendations as "dangerous."... Billionaire Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is tired of hearing about people struggling with the economy... Trump delivers priceless gift to Iran's propaganda machine.
Understatement of the Year: FIFA president Gianni Infantino concedes mistakes were made in his scheme to sell-out the World Cup... Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch charges Israel with deliberately targeting and attacking journalists in Lebanon... It will take images of US soldiers throwing rocks at the People's Liberation Army as it invades Taiwan before Trump admits the munitions shortage.
Donald Trump, who earned more than $2B last year, accuses oil companies of making too much money... Rocket science isn't easy, according to SpaceX chief Elon Musk... The volatile Jeanine Pirro has the edge over smarmy Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in the battle over blame for The Reflecting Pool mess... Omnicom CEO John Wren credits clients for adjusting pretty well to the disruptions caused by the Middle East, Ukraine and tariff chaos. 
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino’s audacious scheme to sell stakes in a new subsidiary that will manage the World Cup is the payoff for his obnoxious pandering to Donald Trump... PwC's "thought leadership" pieces on AI and electric vehicles are riddled with "hallucinations."... 
