The Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has referred Michael Avenatti and Julie Swetnick to the Department of Justice for a criminal probe of their allegations that Swetnick observed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh acting inappropriately at high school parties. Grassley alleges both of them made false statements.

Swetnick's affidavit is here. Here is Grassly's letter.

Megyn Kelly's tearful apology about growing up in a different time when "blackface" was a character, worked about as well as Harvey Weinstein's apology for sexual harassment saying that's how life was in the 70's. She reportedly has been axed at N.B.C. From the Daily Mail:

This move comes just 48 hours after the embattled host made remarks in which she defended blackface on Today. Kelly tried to deal with the scandal by delivering a tearful apology on-air and welcoming two black panelists to discuss the fraught and horrifying history of the practice, but it did no good.

'Megyn Kelly is done. She is not ever coming back,' said an NBC executive with knowledge of the situation. 'We are just working out timing of the announcement but mark my word – she is gone and will never be seen on NBC live again.'

She's also parted ways with her talent agency, and may find it difficult to get another one. The Mail reports she may return to Fox News. [More...]

Jack Shafer at Politico writes today about the need for the media to stop publishing everything Trump says as news. Very little of what he says is news.

The threshold for what constitutes news from Trump’s mouth should be reset. Unless his statements are true or his proposals have some chance of advancing, Trump’s loose talk belongs in concise and dismissive stories in the middle pages of the newspaper where we can skim them and move on. The press corps’ new motto should read: “Just because the president said it doesn’t mean it’s news.” Put the president’s boombox on mute.

I'd go a step further. If his statements are neither true nor likely to advance realistic proposals, don't print them at all. Not only aren't his mumblings and musings news, just reading about them, seeing his face and hearing that miserable voice puts most of us in a bad mood -- just mute him and don't publish it at all.

Donald Trump continues his occasional and arbitrary support for the presumption of innocence. In an interview with the Washington Post, he acknowledges the Saudi's lied about journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death, but still says he supports Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman, because neither Trump nor anyone in his administration has personally heard any evidence (including the reported tapes) implicating him.

Trump does, however, wittingly or unwittingly, seem to implicate the Crown Prince in a Saudi effort to kidnap Khashoggi and bring him back to Saudi Arabia. [More...]

Saudi Arabia has issued a statement acknowledging that journalist Jamal Khashoggi died inside the Turkish consulate. But they claim he died as the result of a fist-fight.

"An argument erupted between him [Khashoggi] and others whom he met in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul leading to a fist fight which led to his death," SPA reported.

"The investigations are still under way and 18 Saudi nationals have been arrested," a statement from the Saudi public prosecutor said, adding royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani and deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Asiri were fired from their positions.

Here is the actual Saudi press release. The Saudis are firmly standing behind the Crown Prince. Here is a statement today from the Saudi Minister of Justice: [More...]

A border fence and gate did not prevent thousands in the Caravan of Immigrants from crossing the Mexican border despite the preventive efforts and large numbers of Mexican police. Here is the most compelling slideshow of images I've found, just scroll down the page to them as there is no independent link.

The Mexican police ultimately gave up. Here is a one minute video of the moment they succeeded into crossing the border.

Rep. Joaquin Castro , a member of the House Intelligence Committee, took to Twitter today to walk back his statements on CNN about Jared Kushner's possible providing of a hit list to the Saudi Crown Prince which included Jamal Kashoggi.

Castro, during a CNN appearance Friday morning, cited unspecified “reporting that Jared Kushner may have, with U.S. intelligence, delivered a hit list, an enemies list, to the crown prince, to MBS, in Saudi Arabia and that the prince may have acted on that, and one of the people he took action against is Mr. Khashoggi.”

While his statements on CNN yesterday were interpreted by many as a direct accusation against Jared Kushner, today Rep. Castro says he is only asking for an investigation based on media reporting. The reporting he cites today:

• NY Times: Khashoggi’s Disappearance Puts Kushner’s Bet on Saudi Crown Prince at Risk
• Washington Post: Crown prince sought to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and detain him, U.S. intercepts show
• The Guardian: A tale of two houses: how Jared Kushner fuelled the Trump-Saudi love-in

[More...]

Here's a new open thread, all topics welcome.

Donald Trump is threatening to cut aid money to Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala if the migrant caravan is not stopped. He's also threatening to send the military to the southern border with Mexico.

Vox reports the caravan is unlikely to make it across the Mexican border. [More...]

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is reported to be preparing a report on whether the Trump campaign was involved in Russian interference in the 2016 election after the midterm elections.

The report may not be public. (Will that stop Trump from tweeting out any statements that are favorable to him?)

I don't expect the report to find that Trump personally knew about or conspired with Russian attempts to sway the election. I doubt his aides took him seriously enough at that point to share such information with him.

What about obstruction of justice after the election? What about Don, Jr.?

I still wonder whether Kushner and the campaign's digital marketing director (hired by Kushner)who worked with the Facebook team to learn how to do microtargeting and ad placement on FB got immunity from Mueller.

Jamal Kashoggi was tortured for seven minutes before he was beheaded inside the Saudi embassy in Instabul. The Saudi kill squad played loud music as they cut off his fingers. This is according to Turkish sources who have obtained the tape.

Saudi Consul Mohammed al-Otaibi can be heard on one tape saying during Khashoggi’s torture: “Do this outside. You are going to get me in trouble,” according to the paper, which did not reveal how it obtained the tapes.

The Turkish report on the tapes is here.

The source said Khashoggi was “dragged from the Consul General’s office at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and onto the table of his study next door. The screaming stopped when Khashoggi was injected with an as yet unknown substance. Head of forensic evidence in the Saudi general security department Salah Muhammad al-Tubaigy began to cut Khashoggi’s body up on a table in the study while he was still alive. As he started to dismember the body, Tubaigy put on earphones and listened to music. He advised other members of the squad to do the same.”

A New York Times report is here. His body has not been found. One Turkish columnist thinks it may have been vaporized. He also writes that "some of the killers are personal guards of Prince Salman."

Apparently, the Prince had an "army of assassins", including contractors hired from a U.S. firm (former U.S. military). [More...]

Mexico is considering legalizing poppy growing. The outgoing Defense Minister advocates for it. He says the new President may be in favor of it also.

In August, the legislature in the state of Guerrero approved a measure to decriminalize poppies. [More...]