Carolina Jaramillo Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Casting Call 2017 (VIDEO)

Lovely.

Iraqi Forces Engage in Largest Battle Yet Against Islamic State (VIDEO)

Following-up from yesterday, "Iraqi Special Forces Launch Ground Assault on Fallujah (VIDEO)."

Here's the update, from last night's CBS Evening News:

Why the Next President Will Inherit a Divided Country

From Ronald Brownstein, at great piece, at the Atlantic:

These three charts explain how each party's coalition has evolved-and diverged-since 1984. https://t.co/HbAZBvrI11

— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) May 31, 2016

Racial chasm: In '16 non-white voters could provide nearly 1/2 of all Democratic votes-but only 1/10 of GOP votes https://t.co/HbAZBvrI11

— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) May 31, 2016

Why "this election will widen the distance between the class and racial composition of each party’s core of support" https://t.co/HbAZBvrI11

— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) May 31, 2016

Global Financial Institutions Are in Retreat

At WSJ, "When Bigger Isn’t Better: Banks Retreat From Global Ambitions":

Eighteen years ago, Sanford Weill declared the dawn of a new era in banking.

Mr. Weill, then chief executive of Travelers Group Inc., had agreed to merge with John Reed’s Citicorp, forging what would become the first financial supermarket to the world.

“Our company will be so diversified and in so many different areas that we will be able to withstand” the inevitable downturns to come, Mr. Weill said in April 1998.

Citigroup Inc., as it was christened, is still intact. But confidence in the model Messrs. Weill and Reed espoused is in decline.

After nearly two decades of breakneck expansion into ever more countries and ever more businesses, global banks are in retreat. For most of them, it is no longer a viable strategy to try to be all things to all customers around the world.

A McKinsey & Co. review of 10 global banks, conducted for The Wall Street Journal, found that those lenders were present on average in 65 countries in 2008. By last year, the average footprint had shrunk to 55 countries. And the McKinsey research doesn’t include Citigroup, which has unveiled plans in recent years to exit retail-banking businesses in at least 20 nations.

The pace has quickened this year. Barclays PLC said it would sell much of its business in Africa, while HSBC Holdings PLC is pulling out of Brazil, one of about 83 businesses around the world it has shed since 2011.

Mr. Weill, who retired as CEO in 2003, still sees value in being global.

“The economy is a global village, and we need global financial institutions that bring it together,” he said in an interview. “What would happen if we had a telecommunications system that was locally based, and couldn’t connect? It wouldn’t be very good.”

That view is now out of favor. Analysts have called for J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup to break up, and the issue of whether banks are too big is a recurring topic on the presidential campaign trail.

Pressured by stricter regulations, banks including Citi aren't just shrinking their geographic footprint but also getting out of a range of businesses that require too much capital or make too little money, further eroding the model Mr. Weill helped create.

In Europe, new CEOs at Barclays, Credit Suisse Group AG and Deutsche Bank AG are putting in place restructuring plans that have already been criticized by some investors for not going far enough to slim down the banks.

The expansion of global banks was initially urged on by investors, tempted by the promise of rich returns. Banks built disparate franchises on the basis they could save money by offering a wide number of services. By diversifying, the model offered additional security and the impression that size alone would produce safety.

“The financial crisis laid waste to that theory,” said Fred Cannon, director of research and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, a boutique investment bank focused on financial companies.

Investors now complain that they can’t get their heads around huge opaque balance sheets. Large cross-border lenders have also been deemed “globally systemic” by regulators and forced to set aside billions of dollars more in capital.

Average precrisis return on equity of 14% has given way to the new normal of about 7% for big global banks.

Investors also worry chief executives can’t control franchises that stretch across multiple countries and business lines.

George Mathewson, who leading up to the crisis helped build Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC into the world’s biggest bank by assets, is among those who now believes the global diversified bank should become extinct...

More.

Twitter and Facebook Vow to Eliminate 'Hate Speech'

It'll be conservative "hate speech."

From Robert Spencer, at FrontPage Magazine, "Henceforth only far-Left and pro-jihad views will be allowed."

Suspect Charged in Horrific Murder in West Hollywood

I can't even...

At ABC 7 News Los Angeles:

Man allegedly tortured, mutilated GF & drained her blood in WeHo murder investigation https://t.co/cD6sr5EJnN pic.twitter.com/bUf86yBlrI

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) June 1, 2016

Jackie Johnson's Cool and Cloudy Forecast

But it's supposed be warming up by the end of the week. There's a high pressure system offshore.

I'm back at work tomorrow and Thursday, and then off again starting Friday.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

SiriusXM Announces Glenn Beck Suspended After Calling for Donald Trump's Assassination

It's Glenn Beck and Brad Thor. They had an exchange on Beck's program calling for death to Donald Trump.

At Breitbart:

BECK SUSPENDED FROM SIRIUSXM AFTER TRUMP CRACKUP... https://t.co/XAPFzVhY9U

— DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) May 31, 2016

Beck finally weighs in on SiriusXM suspension: https://t.co/pQk0t0um2K

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 31, 2016

These are terrible people:

.@GlennBeck's pal @BradThor on Trump's assassination: "I AM ABOUT TO SUGGEST SOMETHING VERY BAD..." @SecretService pic.twitter.com/53ise6Rh7z

— ViveLaFrance (@vivelafra) May 27, 2016

Deal of the Day: Insta-Bed Raised Air Mattress

At Amazon, Insta-Bed Raised Air Mattress with Never Flat Pump.

More, Save on Your Favorite Magazines: $5.00 or Less on Selected Bestsellers.

Also, Mac Software: Best Titles for Download.

Plus, SanDisk Extreme 900 Portable SSD 960GB SDSSDEX2-960G-G25.

BONUS: John Guy, Elizabeth: The Forgotten Years.

Many Have Blamed 4-Year-Old's Parents for Death of Gorilla at Cincinnati Zoo

Following-up, "Gorilla Shot Dead at Cincinnati Zoo After 4-Year-Old Climbs in Enclosure (VIDEO)."

Here's the boy, Isiah Dickerson, via London's Daily Mail:

This is the four-year-old boy who fell into Harambe's enclosure https://t.co/3iCslqbqSV pic.twitter.com/v1uQOt5wyn

— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) May 31, 2016

And probably the best bottom line you're going to get, from USA Today:

#JusticeForHarambe is a blame game that no one wins https://t.co/YqyEufkqAL Seriously over the top.

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) May 31, 2016

And from the Mad Jewess, I don't doubt it: "I could have given the boy a better life than his rotten parents."

Donald Trump Attacks ABC News Reporter Tom Llamas as 'Sleazy' During Press Conference (VIDEO)

Background report at LAT, "A testy Donald Trump lashes out at news media and says 'I'm not changing'."

And at the Washington Examiner, "Watch: Trump calls ABC reporter 'sleaze'":

Donald Trump on Tuesday pointed to a reporter and called him "a sleaze" at a press conference at Trump Tower in New York.

The conference was intended to clear up questions over where Trump had donated money he raised for veterans groups, but it also gave Trump a chance for him to strike at the press, which he repeatedly said should be "ashamed."

"I'm not looking for credit [for the donations] but what I don't want is when I raise millions of dollars, have people say — like this sleazy guy right over here from ABC," Trump said, pointing toward ABC News reporter Tom Llamas. "He's a sleaze in my book."

Llamas asked why Trump called him a sleaze.

"You're a sleaze because you know the facts and you know the facts well," said Trump.

After the confrontation, Llamas wrote on Twitter, "Trump just called me a 'sleaze.' Should be an interesting week."

More.

Llamas took to Twitter to defend himself:

The exchange that led Trump to call me a "sleaze." 👇 pic.twitter.com/dDwsjR4IlF

— Tom Llamas (@TomLlamasABC) May 31, 2016

And here's the video:



More at Memeorandum.

Iraqi Special Forces Launch Ground Assault on Fallujah (VIDEO)

At WSJ, "Iraqi Forces Begin Ground Assault on Fallujah":

BAGHDAD—Iraqi special forces advanced to the edge of Fallujah on Monday but struggled to enter the city, where Iraqi and U.S. officials said Islamic State extremists were amassing civilians to serve as human shields.

The offensive against Fallujah, Islamic State’s second-biggest urban stronghold in Iraq after Mosul, aims to dislodge the Sunni extremists from the Iraqi city they have occupied the longest.

If successful, it could significantly weaken them ahead of an advance on much-larger Mosul, long planned by the government and the U.S.-led coalition supporting its fight against Islamic State.

The Fallujah operation, led so far by Shiite militias and army and police forces, has almost completely cleared the city’s perimeter of Islamic State fighters since it was launched a week ago. But the next, crucial stage of that operation, led by Iraq’s U.S.-trained counterterrorism forces, got off to a fitful start Monday...

Continue reading.

Plus, an update, "Iraqi Forces in Fallujah Face Islamic State Counterattacks":

BAGHDAD—Iraqi special forces battling their way into Fallujah faced fierce counterattacks by Islamic State, with commanders of the operation warning that heavily booby-trapped streets in and around the city were hindering the advance.

A day after applauding the beginning of a risky ground assault into the militant-held city, commanders struck a more cautious public tone Tuesday.

The joint-operations center coordinating the government offensive warned about the mines and other explosive devices planted around the city—a tactic commonly used by Islamic State.

The counterattacks took place on Fallujah’s southern edge, Nuaimiya, where counterterrorism forces advanced Monday following a weeklong offensive to surround the city. The U.S.-trained units repelled the two attacks, which included suicide bombers and snipers, said Lt. Gen. Abdelwahab al-Saadi, commander of the operation.

Gen. Saadi said Islamic State was using every possible method it could to slow the government offensive, including flooding farmland.

Fallujah, where aid agencies and Iraqi officials estimate at least 50,000 civilians are trapped, is expected to be a tough and unpredictable urban battleground, even for the elite fighters leading the government push.

While counterterrorism units have battled Islamic State militants inside cities before, including in Ramadi last year, Fallujah is more complicated because of the large numbers of civilians who have been unable or unwilling to flee.

The Sunni city also has long been a stronghold for Sunni extremists, including al Qaeda in Iraq, the predecessor of Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL...

Keep reading.

Roosmarijn de Kok for Victoria's Secret

Hmm...

She's new.

Beautiful.

At Egotastic!, "Roosmarijn de Kok Thongtastic tor Victoria's Secret."

Also, from last summer at Sports Illustrated:

"@ignatiusjulius: #SI_Swimsuit: Next up f/t 2016 #SISwim: Casting Calls is Roosmarijn de Kok http://t.co/TRUrhv6BLW pic.twitter.com/jw6NvFTmOn"

— Ignatius Jacobs (@ignatiusjulius) July 24, 2015

The YouTube clip is here, "Roos Plays Never Have I Ever - Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Casting 2016."

'They are the reason people are able to go shopping at the mall today...'

Tributes to the fallen today in Los Angeles.

At the Los Angeles Times, "L.A. gathers for ceremony at National Cemetery, home to '80,000 stories of bravery'":

The weather was warm and sunny with a soft breeze, a perfect day to head to the beach, fire up the grill or hit the outlet sales. But for Rafael Vila, the only destination that made sense Monday was the flag-dappled lawn of Los Angeles National Cemetery.

 “I don’t know if there’s any place else I’d rather be than honoring people who served,” said Vila, a Vietnam-era Navy veteran from Long Beach. With graves stretching in perfect lines behind him, he said the sacrifice of the military made possible the freedoms Americans love.

“They are the reason people are able to go shopping at the mall today,” Vila said.

Vila and his wife, Angelica, were among hundreds who gathered at the cemetery Monday morning for a ceremony featuring music, prayer, reenactors on horseback and a salute to the Tuskegee Airmen, the all-African American World War II flying squadron that paved the way for military integration. Eight members of the group, including Walter Crenshaw, a 106-year-old believed to be the oldest living Tuskegee Airman, attended and received a standing ovation.

The crowd was enthusiastic, but many said it should have been larger, especially given the number of Americans currently deployed abroad. More than 88,000 veterans and family members are buried on the 114-acre Westwood property, which opened in 1889.

“God bless you for taking the time to be here,” the keynote speaker, retired Army Lt. General Rick Lynch, told the gathering. Lynch, whose four-decade military career included commanding 25,000 in the Iraqi surge, said he starts every morning in prayer for the 153 of his troops killed in that campaign...

More.

That's a lot of veterans buried there, along with family members. And the cemetery's right across the street from the Wilshire Federal Building, where the hard-left anti-American radicals routinely hold protests. The clash of values has never escaped me. Frankly, it's always front and center in my consciousness whenever I'm there. (Remember, from 2014: "Communists, Hamas Solidarity Protesters Demand Israel's Extermination in Los Angeles — #ANSWERLA.")

Former Marine in Defaced Venice Beach Mural Works to Restore it After Vandalism (VIDEO)

Here's more on the story I've been blogging, "Volunteers Work to Clean Up Memorial Wall in Venice Beach Defaced with Graffiti (VIDEO)."

Watch, at ABC News 10 San Diego, "Marine in defaced veterans mural talks to 10 News: The Marine modeled for the mural 24 years ago and is now working to restore it after it was vandalized."

Amber Lee's Sunny and Warming Forecast

It was very nice today. I've been enjoying baseball, and some "Band of Brothers" on HBO.

I'm taking the day off tomorrow as well, to spend with my wife. Back to school on Wednesday and Thursday, and then just one more week until summer vacation. Yay!

Here's Ms. Amber, via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Volunteers Work to Clean Up Memorial Wall in Venice Beach Defaced with Graffiti (VIDEO)

Following-up from yesterday, "Graffiti Vandals Deface Vietnam War Memorial in Venice Beach (VIDEO)."

More, via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Deal of the Day: 25% Off Philips Norelco Electric Shaver

I used to have one of these Norelco shavers. They're pretty convenient.

At Amazon, Philips Norelco Electric Shaver 8950/90, Special Wet & Dry Edition.

And, Callaway Men's Fusion Pro Golf Glove. Also, Save on Callaway Golf Products.

More, U.S. Polo Assn. Men's Taylor Wingtip Oxford.

BONUS: Bruce Cumings, Origins of the Korean War, Vol. 1: Liberation and the Emergence of Separate Regimes, 1945-1947, and Origins of the Korean War, Vol. 2: The Roaring of the Cataract, 1947-1950.

The Reason 35,000 Americans Died in Korea

Here's VDH, for Prager University (via Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit).

A great video!

Dodgers Rally for 4-2 Win Over Mets After Blowing Lead in Eighth (VIDEO)

The Dodgers have been on ESPN a couple of times in the last couple of weeks, and then Fox Sports West had the Angels/Dodgers freeway series on the air recently as well.

The Angels might not be contending for a playoff spot this year. They're struggling. Hopefully I'll be able to see a lot of Dodgers games then. They definitely have a shot, especially with ace starter Clayton Kershaw.

Here's the Los Angeles Times on last night's come-from-behind win:

Adrian Gonzalez stopped a few feet from first base, turned toward the Dodgers dugout and pumped his fist. With one swing, he had rescued his manager.

Standing on the steps in the ninth inning of a 4-2 victory, Dave Roberts saluted his first baseman. He would not wear the weight of a defeat. His team flew to Chicago late Sunday evening with six victories in the last seven games after capturing this series over the Mets.

“These guys are resilient,” Roberts said. “There’s been some adversity earlier. They’re banding together. They’re not letting a lot of things affect them.”

The offense provided a swift answer after a pitching change by Roberts backfired. In the eighth inning of the 51st game of the season, Roberts visited Clayton Kershaw on the mound for the first time in his managerial career. The two men did not have a conversation.

Kershaw fumed into his glove as Roberts informed the umpire about his call to the bullpen. Kershaw clutched the baseball in his left hand, aware that his ownership of the evening would soon end. He looked away from Roberts as he bequeathed control. The Dodgers (27-24) would soon pay for his departure.

With two outs and left-handed hitter Curtis Granderson batting, Roberts took the baseball away from Kershaw, the sport’s finest pitcher. He did not hand it to closer Kenley Jansen, who was warmed up in the bullpen. Roberts chose left-hander Adam Liberatore.

Liberatore surrendered a game-tying triple. The hit diminished the line on Kershaw, who went 72/3 innings, gave up two runs, struck out 10 and walked none. But Mets closer Jeurys Familia stumbled for the second time this weekend in the top of the ninth inning. With the bases loaded, Gonzalez stroked a 99-mph fastball into center field to reclaim the lead.

“There was no emotional letdown,” Gonzalez said...

More.