Sands of Time: President Trump admitted yesterday that he believes the missing Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead.

“Unless the miracle of all miracles happens, I would acknowledge that he’s dead,” Trump said. “That’s based on everything — intelligence coming from every side.”

Turkish investigators have been searching a forest for Khashoggi’s remains.

The world is waiting to see what kind of action Trump takes, if any, against one of America’s biggest allies in the Middle East. For starters, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has withdrawn from the Future Investment Initiative conference to be held in Riyadh next week.

Asked about punishing the Saudis Trump said, “It will have to be severe. It’s bad, bad stuff.”

The Saudis say they are investigating to find out what happened to Khashoggi, which is a little like OJ Simpson pledging to find the killer of his ex-wife and a restaurant waiter. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was probably the man who ordered up the murder, would also be in charge of the investigation.

Fifteen men, four of whom were members of bin Salman’s security detail, were waiting inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul when Khashoggi entered more than two weeks ago. An audio recording believed to be in the possession of Turkish investigators reveals that Khashoggi was tortured and killed within minutes of his arrival.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US would give the Saudis a few more days to complete their investigation. Keep in mind that they originally said Khashoggi left the consulate under his own power.

Caravan: Another caravan of  central American refugees is headed north and President Trump threatened to close the US-Mexico border and call out the military to stop it. About 4,000 people are part of the group Trump described on Twitter as an“assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in.”

He also said, “We have today informed the countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador that if they allow their citizens, or others, to journey through their borders and up to the United States, with the intention of entering our country illegally, all payments made to them will STOP (END)!”

Mexico has reinforced its police force at the border with Guatemala as the caravan gathers to cross.

Trump is considering reinstating his policy of separating parents and children who arrive in the US illegally. Since he ended the policy the number of families has surged. The Border Patrol detained a record 16,658 family members in September, an 80 percent jump from July.

Nothing to See Here: White House Chief of staff and National Security Adviser John Bolton got into an epithet-laced shouting match yesterday outside the Oval Office, leading political wags to speculate that Kelly is on the verge of resignation.

The argument was over the previously mentioned surge in illegal border crossings. President Trump is reported to be in a rage about it and Bolton told Kelly that  Homeland Security Secretary Kiersten Nielsen needs to start doing her job. Nielsen is Kelly’s hand-picked successor at DHS.

Trump is believed to have been present for the argument but later told reporters aboard Air Force One, “I’ve not heard about it. No.” By the description of the volume, if he had been anywhere in the building he would needed ear plugs.

The FBI Story: The NY Times published a story saying President Trump was personally involved with stopping the FBI from selling its building and moving to a Washington suburb, possibly to protect his hotel just a block away.

A plan has been in the offing for years for the FBI to sell its crumbling Brutalist architecture building and property for hundreds of millions of dollars. Trump was even interested before he became President. Then his administration put a stop to it only months after he took office.

The Times says at least one of Trump’s executives prior to the 2016 election had expressed concern that a major commercial development just a block away might hurt the business of the new Trump International in the old Post Office building.

Inside Job:A top Afghan general was killed in an insider attack that may have targeted American Gen. Austin Miller, the American commander in Afghanistan. A gunman dressed in an Afghan army uniform had opened fire on a meeting of military commanders. Miller was not hurt. Three other people were wounded.

Back Flip: Former USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny was arrested yesterday while on vacation with his family in Tennessee on charges that he tampered with evidence related to the crimes of the imprisoned gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. Penny evidently didn’t know he had been indicted in Texas and complained about being arrested in the presence of his family.

The indictment accuses Penny of ordering the removal of documents from the Karolyi Ranch near Huntsville after learning that authorities were investigating. The documents have not been recovered.

The Obit Page: Todd Bol, who was the founder of the non-profit Little Free Libraries, which has free library boxes on lawns in 88 countries, has died at age 62. Bol built his first little library in 2009 in the shape of a schoolhouse to honor his mother, who was a book lover and teacher.

Users are encouraged to borrow books and donate them at the mini-libraries installed by participating property owners. There are 75,000 of them around the world. Bol once said, “”I want to see a Little Free Library on every block and a book in every hand.”

The Boys of October: In what’s been described as the best game of his life, Boston pitcher David Price led the Red Sox to a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros in Game 5 to take the team’s 14th American League pennant and a bench in the World Series. “It’s one of the most special days I’ve ever had on the baseball field,” Price said.

Boston will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Milwaukee Brewers in the Series.

Body Slam: After bemoaning how terrible it is that the Saudis killed a journalist, at a rally in Montana last night President Trump praised Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte for physically attacking a news reporter during his run for Congress.  Trump said, “Any guy that can do a body slam, he’s my kind of — he’s my guy.”

But he draws the line at murder and dismemberment.

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