No Rush: As the evidence grows that Saudi agents murdered a dissident journalist in Istanbul, President Trump yesterday warned against a rush to judgement. Speaking to the Associated Press, Trump said, “Here we go again with you’re guilty until proven innocent,” comparing the situation to accusatons of sexual assault against the newly-seated Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to The Washington Post, entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul nearly two weeks ago and never came out. But President Trump appears to be accepting Saudi denials that they had anything to do with Khashoggi’s disappearance.

“It depends whether or not the king or the crown prince knew about it, in my opinion,” Trump told the AP.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the hard-nosed day-to-day ruler of the Kingdom and it’s doubtful anyone would have carried out such a well-planned operation without his knowing. The outspoken republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said, “This guy has got to go.” Graham said, “He had this guy murdered in the consulate in Turkey. Expect me to ignore it? I feel used and abused.”

Fifteen men flew in and out of Istanbul within 24 hours and some have been identified as closely associated with the crown prince. The New York Times reports that one of them carried a bone saw.

It’s turning into a diplomatic crisis. The Postreports that, “US officials expect the Saudi government to accept responsibility for the death of Khashoggi in an explanation that shields the powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman — the de facto Saudi ruler — from fault, said a diplomat familiar with the situation.”

If that happens, it would probably be an official whitewash in cooperation with the Trump administration.

Terror: An explosion today at a college in Crimea has killed at least 13 people. Another 50 people were reported wounded in a dining area at the school. Russian authorities describe it as a terrorist attack.

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Deep Water: After nearly a foot of rain has fallen in some areas of Texas, a bridge over the Llano River near the Colorado was swept away by high water.  The river rose by more than 30 feet in 24 hours. One person is reported dead and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency in 18 counties.

The death toll from Hurricane Michael that hit Florida and the Southeast is now at least 27. About 164,000 customers are still without power.

Written Out: Fans anticipating the revival of Roseanne Barr’s sitcom without Roseanne learned the fate of the primary character last night. “Roseanne” died of the working class plague, an opioid overdose.

The show was renamed “The Conners.” Barr was kicked off her own show  after posting  a racist tweet about former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett. Barr blamed her lack of judgement on the sleeping drug Ambien. Last night some viewers were in an uproar that the show chose to use a drug overdose as the device to get rid of her character.

Horseface: President Trump celebrated yesterday after the announcement that Stormy Daniels’ defamation suit had been thrown out. He tweeted, “Great, now I can go after Horseface and her 3rd rate lawyer in the Great State of Texas.”

The Obit Page: Dennis Hof, owner of the famous Bunny Ranch brothel and a candidate for the Nevada state assembly, died in his sleep at age 72 after a birthday party. Present at the  party at his Love Ranch were the porn actor Ron Jeremy, former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, and anti-tax activist Grover Norquist. Presumably some women were there as well.

The Social Pages: After a lightning-fast romance and engagement, “Saturday Night Live’s” Pete Davidson and singer Ariana Grande have proceeded to the breakup stage with equal speed. She returned a $93,000 engagement ring. Part of Davidson’s comedy act is to admit that he’s crazy.