| What Fredy Did Wrong. Going through my spam folder, I came across this very long note from Matt Ames, the chairman of the Fairfax County, Virginia Republican Party. It wasn't a fundraising appeal. It wasn't a GOTV appeal. And it wasn't an invite to an upcoming event. It was a three page missive explaining why he pushed for a member of the state GOP party apparatus to be kicked out. What did the accused, Fredy Burgos, do? (You know it involves social media by now, don't you?) He posted this statement suggesting his preference that Christians run the country. (Among the many, many, controversial and bad takes he's posted over the years...) Ames's defense of wanting Burgos kicked out is well written. But it's also a bit of a shame that a local party leader has to spend three whole pages explaining this decision to (presumably) members who would not agree. You shouldn't have to write a letter like this. The GOP needs more Matt Ameses and fewer Fredy Burgoses. Ames concludes his letter saying "This is no fun for anybody." A sad state of affairs for the GOP in Virginia. Immediate tragedy takes are usually a bad idea. The media never seems to learn that when reporting during or immediately after a tragedy, that you need to be extremely careful about reporting the truth. Mistakes happen, but most in our industry do a good job of striving for this goal. Except the folks like InfoWars and sites like it that relish the spreading of misinformation for profit. Here, Respectable Lawyer on Twitter, picks apart a woefully misreported story (if you can call it that) from InfoWars. Fake News and Trump Derangement Syndrome. My pal Andrew Heaton and his colleagues at Reason have put out this entertaining video on the obsession with 'Fake News' and 'Trump Derangement Syndrome.' Be careful, the language can be a bit spicy (you know these libertarians are so edgy!). The Daily Standard is back! We're excited to announce the return of our daily podcast with a new host: Charlie Sykes. Tune into today's episode with senior writer Michael Warren and yours truly. We talk about the future of gun control and the fate of DACA. Save the date! Join us at the 2018 Weekly Standard Summit. This May 17-20 at the historic Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs, join Stephen F. Hayes, Fred Barnes, and Michael Warren and special guests Bret Baier and A.B. Stoddard as they discuss the future of American politics. Book your tickets now. —Jim Swift, Deputy Online Editor Please feel free to send us comments, thoughts and links to dailystandard@weeklystandard.com. -30- | 