MERKEL'S PICKLE

   German chancellor Angela Merkel's goal for her White House this Friday would be humorous if it weren't so pathetically typical of what America often faces. Here's a brief background on the episode I reference.
   Ever since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and started encroaching on the Ukraine, Western Europe has been demanding that the U.S. sanction the Russians. Whatever was done, however, never seemed to be enough to satisfy the enlighten muckety-mucks in Europe. That brings us to today. President Trump – you know, the man who is said to be beholden to Putin – has recently issued strong sanctions on Russia for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election. So far, so good.
   But now Merkel and the rest of the German political establishment have flip-flopped. They want President Trump to exempt their country's companies from these tough new sanctions. Frau Merkel plans to bring this request up at her scheduled meeting with Trump at the White House this week on April 27, along with Germany's concerns about America's newfound attitude toward unbalanced trade, Iran, and Trump's withdrawal from the Paris accord.