Wild West: Ammon Bundy, brother Ryan Bundy, and five of their followers were acquitted last night of federal conspiracy and weapons charges in last winter’s takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife refuge in Oregon. It’s a major blow to the Feds.

The self-styled “patriots” claimed they were striking a blow for freedom against federal land management. Their lawyer successfully argued that the government had not proved a conspiracy to prevent federal employees from doing their jobs.

Campaign Stop: Gov. Mike Pence’s campaign plane skidded off the runway in a cold rain last night at LaGuardia airport in New York. The 737 was slowed and stopped by a safety runway that breaks up under the weight of the jet. Otherwise, it might have gone into the East River. No one was reported injured.

E Minus 11:  The opposition keeps handing Donald Trump the football in the closing days of the election campaign. Emails posted on WikiLeaks show the blurring of lines between the Clinton Foundation and the personal appearance business of former President Bill Clinton, which one email described as, “Bill Clinton, Inc.” Clinton raked in tens of millions of dollars, much of it from businesses that also gave to the foundation.

Trump called the arrangement “outright corrupt.” He said, “Just imagine, if the Clintons were will to play this fast and loose with their ‘enterprise,’ just imagine what they’ll do, given the chance, to once again control the Oval Office.”

The leaked emails are a gift to Trump, allowing him to ignore accusations that he gropes women, and to just skip the whole subject of refusing to release his tax returns.

  Hillary Clinton campaigned yesterday in North Carolina with Michelle Obama, who’s more popular than both candidates running for president.

Channel Change: The Trump campaign this week rolled out a nightly Facebook newscast that some people think is the pilot program for launching “Trump TV” after the election. Trump and his people say their message — the “truth” — is not getting out in the mainstream media, and evidently, not even through Fox News anymore.

One of the Facebook hosts, Boris Epshteyn, told Wired that the show is not a preview of Trump TV. “We all know how strong the left wing media bias is. This is us delivering our message to voters,” Epshteyn said.

It’s also an end-run around Fox News. Jim Rutenberg writes in the NY Times that a clash this week between Fox host Megyn Kelly and Trump front man Newt Gingrich may have been a defining moment. In a conversation about the women who have accused Donald Trump of sexual groping, Gingrich told Kelly she was “fascinated with sex.” Kelly, in a steely moment, insisted that it’s legitimate to inquire whether Trump is a “sexual predator.” In the absence of the Fox News founder Roger Ailes, Kelly is stepping out to criticize both Democrats and Republicans. Trump may be thinking that his own news channel is the answer.

Pipeline Protesters: Riot police backed by Humvees and helicopters yesterday confronted Native American protesters trying to block construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline that would run through Indian territory. Part of it would be in a tunnel under the Missouri River. At least 24 protesters were arrested as police used bean-bag shot and pepper spray.

Silent Zoo: World populations of wildlife — everything from mammals to birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles — have plunged 58 percent since 1970 and continue in a steep slide, according to the World Wildlife Fund. It’s important to point out that these are not outright extinctions, but a dramatic drop in numbers. Marco Lambertini, director of the WWF, said, “We are feeling the impact of a sick planet — from social, economic and climate stability to energy, food and water security — all increasingly suffering from environmental degradation.”

Loss of Down: NFL officials are keeping a close eye on the ratings, which have dropped 12 percent since this time last year. Professional football is a billion-dollar industry, but not if Americans stop watching.

It’s possible there’s just too much football on television and it has lost its “must see” status, but younger viewers are also cutting off their expensive cable access for cheaper online streaming.

Six Seconds of Fame: Twitter announced that it is cancelling its 6-second video-sharing service, Vine. One man tweeted, “People are using vine more today than literally ever before Twitter should announce the cancellation of things more often.”

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