SEND IN THE TROOPS: President Trump may deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon following a decision by a federal appeals panel to overturn a lower court judge’s decision to block sending troops to the city.

  “Some of these protests have been peaceful, but many have turned violent, and protesters have threatened federal law enforcement officers and the building,” according to the two-judge majority, both of whom were appointed by Trump. 

  The judges cited instances in which demonstrators attempted to set fires, threw rocks and sticks, threatened officers with knives, shined lights in officers’ eyes, and shot paintballs. 

  The sole dissent came from Judge Susan Graber, a Clinton appointee who wrote that the government’s description of the situation is overblown and Trump’s order to send in the National Guard violates state control.

THE WAR ROOM: With the Gaza cease-fire deal threatened by an outbreak of violence over the weekend, President Trump  threatened to “eradicate” Hamas if it continues to violate the agreement for which he takes credit.

  “We made a deal with Hamas that they’re going to be very good, they’re going to behave, they’re going to be nice,” Trump told the press. “And if they’re not, we’re going to go and we’re going to eradicate them if we have to. They’ll be eradicated. And they know that.”

  Israel has been trying to eradicate Hamas for two years and Trump was quick to say he would not send in American troops.  “We don’t need to because we have many countries, as you know, signed on to this deal,” he said. In one of those moments when he sounds like he’s just whistling a tune, Trump said, “We’ve had countries calling me when they saw some of the killing with Hamas, saying, ‘We’d love to go and take care of the situation ourselves.'”

TOPKAPI French authorities are on a treasure hunt to get back the royal jewels and treasures taken in a brazen daylight burglary at the Louvre museum in Paris on Sunday.

  The thieves got away with a tiara, necklaces, and earrings that belonged to French queens and empresses, among other items. They grabbed a crown belonging to Empress Eugénie, but they dropped it outside the museum damaging it.

  Investigators assume that the thieves have no interest in art or the intrinsic value of the items. They believe the thieves will break up the jewelry for the stones and valuable metals to be sold separately, making the hunt extremely urgent.  The tiara they stole that once belonged to Queen Hortense, for example, contained 24 Ceylon sapphires and 1,083 diamonds.

  Many of the jewels would likely be re-cut to make them unrecognizable and easier to sell.

  Investigators say the crown of Empress Eugénie that was dropped and left behind has eight gold eagles, 2,490 diamonds and 56 emeralds.

THE REGIME:

— The Immigration and Naturalization Service is about to make the oral citizenship test more difficult.

  After October 20^th applicants will have to answer correctly 12 questions out of 20 rather than the current 6 out of 10.

  The INS is also increasing the number of possible questions from 100 to 128. Among them, “Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War?” (Answer: “To force the Iraqi military from Kuwait.”) Also, “Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War?” (Answer: “To stop the spread of communism.”)

  How many natural born Americans would get it right? Who among us could name five of the first 13 states?

  There will also be a moral character component. Applicants will have to submit evidence of their “positive contributions to American society.” 

— Lawyers for FBI Director James Comey opened his defense yesterday arguing before a court that he is the subject of vindictive prosecution and that the US Attorney who brought the indictment was not legally appointed.

  The lawyers noted President Trump’s repeated public statements claiming Comey is a criminal. “Bedrock principles of due process and equal protection have long ensured that government officials may not use courts to punish and imprison their perceived personal and political enemies,” they wrote in the motions. “But that is exactly what happened here.”

— Seven of the nine universities asked by the White House to sign a “compact” that would get them more federal money while agreeing to align themselves with Trump’s social and political priorities have declined. Only the University of Texas has indicated the possibility of signing.

— Demolition began yesterday on the façade of the White House East Wing to make way for President Trump’s massive new ballroom. The 90,000 square foot ballroom modeled after Trump’s gilded Mar-a-Lago party room will dwarf the rest of the White House. And you just know it will be named the “Trump Ballroom.”

HOME PLATE: The Toronto Blue Jays beat Seattle 4-3 last night to get into the World Series for the first time in 32 years. They’ll face the Los Angeles Dodgers and their astounding power hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani. You just have to hope there’s some kind of karma at work here and the team from Canada wins. 

THE SPIN RACK: Police at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport thwarted what may have become a mass shooting, arresting a man whose family said he was a threat. Billy Joe Cagle was stopped while walking around the departure hall, possibly scouting for an attack. Police found an assault rifle and ammunition in his truck. —  American chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, who started as a child prodigy, died yesterday at age 29. The circumstances have not been revealed.  

BELOW THE FOLD: A restaurant in the Boston neighborhood Savin Hill is getting bad reviews for decorating its walls with photos and mugshots of infamous mobsters, notably the notorious Whitey Bulger, who once ruled and terrorized the locals.

  One woman told The NY Times, “There are people still living here who are the daughters and sisters of people Whitey Bulger killed.” 

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