First, a primer on the term “American exceptionalism”. OK, now that you’re familiar with the concept, wouldn’t you agree we have a remarkably unexceptional person in the White House?

Susan B. Glasser speculates in The New Yorker (paywall):

The President appears to have no agenda for his desired summit [with Putin] beyond the wish that it take place…

Glasser notes Trump’s affinity for despots and general disdain for our nation’s former allies, wondering why few Republicans are willing to challenge the vitriol being pedaled by the president*.

New York Times (paywall) columnist Maureen Dowd laments the preponderance of psychopaths in Washington, a claim now backed up by a recent study conducted by Southern Methodist University. Yikes!

Orange with envy – The Guardian (looming paywall) on why “…haters gonna hate…”

And I’ll close with what inspired today’s title – an article from the Washington Post (paywall), describing what one physician observed at an immigrant detention center in Texas, where children are being forcibly separated from their parents, sigh…

“America is better than this.”

Well, we used to be better than this. Not any more. America has entered an entirely unexceptional era, fueled by the misguided judgement – and policies – of an entirely unexceptional president*.

A link to .PDF version of today’s poster here.