Den of Thieves: Paul Manafort’s former business partner Rick Gates testified yesterday in federal court that the two men engaged in a seven-year conspiracy in which Gates helped file false tax returns, hid multiple foreign bank accounts, and gave phony documents to banks to get millions of dollars in loans.

Asked by the prosecutor whether he committed crimes, Gates replied, “Yes.”

Gates pleaded guilty to financial crimes and perjury in exchange for his testimony against Manafort, who for a short time was President Trump’s presidential campaign chairman.

Gates testified that in some instances he described income as loans to lower Manafort’s tax liability and in other cases told accountants to categorize loans as income in order to qualify for more loans. In an admission that there’s no honor among thieves, Gates also said he even stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from Manafort’s accounts.

Manafort’s lawyers are expected to attack Gates with claims that he stole millions of dollars from Manafort and is getting off easy by blaming Manafort for crimes he committed himself.

Rugs and Pistachios: The US is reinstating the economic sanctions on Iran that were lifted as a result of the Iran nuclear deal under President Obama. President Trump pulled the US out of the multi-nation agreement and is once again punishing Iran.

President Trump tweeted this morning, “Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States. I am asking for WORLD PEACE, nothing less!”

The first round of sanctions include a ban on importing Iranian rugs, pistachio nuts, and other goods. Sanctions on Iran’s oil and energy industries will go into effect after Nov. 4^th.

Trump has always claimed that the agreement never did enough to curb Iran’s nuclear development programs, including weapons. He said in a statement yesterday that he urges “all nations to take such steps to make clear that the Iranian regime faces a choice: either change its threatening, destabilizing behavior and reintegrate with the global economy, or continue down a path of economic isolation.”

Trump has said he’s willing to meet with the Iranian leadership at any time.

Wildfire: The Mendocino Complex fire in Northern California has become the largest fire in the state’s history, burning more than 284,000 acres. Wildfires have burned thousands of structures and killed nine people so far.

President Trump weighed in on the situation with a mystifyingly ignorant tweet. He said, “California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amounts of readily available water to be properly utilized. It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Must also tree clear to stop fire from spreading!”

While it is true that snow that falls on the mountains melts and flows to the sea, firefighters report no shortages of water. The increase in wildfire over the past 25 years has been blamed on climate change and the development of homes in wooded areas.

Assassination: Syria’s preeminent rocket scientist was killed by a car bomb over the weekend, believed to have been set by the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency. Aziz Asbar worked on amassing an arsenal of precision-guided missiles that could be used to attack Israel. The Israelis have been thwarting the rocket program by killing Syria’s scientists.

Infowar: Several major streaming services have dumped conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, his Infowars  website, and podcasts, claiming he has violated policies prohibiting hate speech and glorifying violence. The services include YouTube, Apple, Facebook, and Spotify.

Apple said in a statement, “Apple does not tolerate hate speech. We believe in representing a wide range of views, so long as people are respectful to those with differing opinions.”

Jones is one of the wacknuts who claim the Sandy Hook School massacre was a hoax and the kids who spoke out for gun control after the Parkland, Fla. high school shooting are really actors. He claimed yesterday that he’s the victim of “communist style censorship.”

The Kingdom: Saudi Arabia kicked out the Canadian ambassador and halted business deals after the Canadian Foreign Minister expressed concern about  the Saudi arrest of a women’s rights activist with family ties in Canada. The Saudi press also reported that student exchange programs would be suspended, affecting 12,000 Saudi students studying in Canada. It’s an example of how Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been modernizing his country, also reacts swiftly when his authority and judgement are challenged.

Sleepless in Seattle: Mattress Firm, the country’s largest mattress retailer, is considering bankruptcy and closing some of the company’s 3,000 stores. They want to get out of a lot of expensive real estate leases. Mattress firm was sold to a South African investment company for $3.8 billion in 2016. Their 120-night guarantee has expired.

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