On Thursday Sean Spicer claimed that British intelligence had helped Obama spy on Trump. His source? Judge Andrew Napolitano, a Fox News pundit. The British were understandably peeved. To salve the wounds caused by Spicer’s intemperate remarks an administration official announced that Spicer and National Security Adviser, H.R. McMaster, had offered an apology to the aggrieved British. And that tempest in a teacup was absorbed.

Just kidding. Spicer, during his afternoon ‘gaggle’, denied that any apology had been made – and offered the ignoble defense that he was just passing along things he had heard in the media. Which raises the question, what kind of dimwit relies on a truth-challenged cable news network when he has access to the fruits of well-funded intelligence services?

Even Fox News knows that their man is a liar. As Shep Smith put it this afternoon “Fox News cannot confirm Judge Napolitano’s commentary. Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind that the president of the United States was surveilled at any time in any way, full stop.”

But that hasn’t stemmed Spicer’s disassociation with reality. He insists that there was no apology offered. – saying, “I don’t think we regret anything.” Adding “No, we were just passing on news reports.”  The first claim is no doubt true. As for the latter, it’s absurd. Napolitano’s contributions to Fox are strictly for entertainment; they didn’t hire him for his journalistic abilities.

Meanwhile in other news:

Donald Trump refused to shake hands with Angela Merkel. Because strong women make him nervous? Or he is just sexist? (h/t HuffPost)

US Attorney, Preet Bharara, was apparently investigating HHS Secretary Tom Price’s dubious stock trades when Trump fired him. Coincidence? We’ll have to see. (h/t ProPublica)

After a Hawaiian judge, Derrick K. Watson, put the kibosh on Trump latest exercise in xenophobia by shooting down Muslim Ban 2.0 there was a predictable boycott threat by Trump zealots. Some complained that Hawaii was unqualified to speak because “what does Hawaii know about being attacked, anyway”. (h/t BuzzFeed)

This week in hypocrisy: Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey has been charged with engaging in child prostitution with a boy. He is a married father of four with a devotion to the Baptist Church. He once wrote a bill that would have banned “the manufacture or sale of food or products which use aborted human fetuses”. (Look it up) (h/t KFOR.com)

Let this cartoon shed shine some light on the mental flexibility needed to be a Trump voter.

To pass a healthcare measure the Trump administration has to seduce the conservative zealots. To do that the administration has to kick Trump’s base in the ass. If the bill doesn’t pass Trump’s entire agenda is on the rocks. If it does the Republican voter may stay home in 2018. Can Steve Bannon square the circle? Full story at The New Yorker.