Massacre: A former police officer today killed more than 30 people at a child-care facility in northeastern Thailand, at least 20 of them children. 

  Police said the killer, 34-yar-old Panya Kamrab, shot and stabbed children, some as young as 2.  One of the women killed was eight months pregnant. Kamrab then fatally shot his wife and child, and finally, himself, according to the police. 

  Kamrab had been under prosecution for selling drugs.

  It was the worst mass shooting in Thailand since 2020, when a soldier used an assault rifle to kill 29 people at a shopping mall. Ownership of guns is common in Thailand.

The War Zone:  Losing ground at the front, Russia today attacked the city of Zaporizhzhia, killing and wounding several people.

  Yesterday the Russians used Iranian-made drones to strike deep into Central Ukraine. What they hit of any importance was not immediately reported, but Russia in recent weeks has been bombing electrical and water infrastructure — civilian targets. 

  Yesterday’s attack was carried out by a dozen drones.

  On the economic front, Russia and OPEC, led by Saudi Arabia, have agreed to a two million barrel-a-day cut in oil production. It’s a move intended to raise prices just as the European Union is planning to put a punitive cap on the price its countries will pay for Russian oil.

  Gasoline prices in the US were already creeping back up before the announcement. 

  The cut is about two percent of global production.  Saudi energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, said OPEC was acting in advance of an economic downturn. “We would rather be pre-emptive than be sorry,” he said.

  The EU price cap was expected to be approved today, but its effect will be hindered by China and India refusing to go along with Europe. Even so, the US estimates that the price cap will deprive Russia of tens of billions of dollars a year

  As his troops make rapid retreats in some areas, Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday signed the official decrees annexing four regions of Ukraine to the Russian federation.

  The NY Times reports that US intelligence agencies now believe Ukraine was behind the car bombing in August that killed Daria Dugina, the daughter of Aleksandr Dugin, a fierce Russian nationalist and supporter of Vladimir Putin. The belief is that the pro-war Dugin was the intended target, but his daughter drove his car that day.

  The Times reports that the US was unaware of planning for the assassination and after the killing admonished Ukraine that such attacks inside Russia threaten to escalate the conflict. Ukraine still denies involvement.

The Aftermath: Appearing with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of his chief political antagonists, President Biden yesterday surveyed hurricane damage and said he and the governor  are in “complete lock step” when it comes to recovery.

  “Today, we have one job and only one job, and that’s to make sure that people in Florida get everything they need to fully, thoroughly recover,” Biden said. “We have a long road ahead of us.”

  After his prepared remarks Biden said of DeSantis, “We have very different political philosophies, but we’ve worked hand in glove.”

Serial Killer: Police in Stockton, California have linked seven gunshot murders and one wounding to the same shooter, who they so far have been unable to identify.

  Investigators have made the link to one killer through ballistics and surveillance video of a shadowy person.

  Last week authorities said the shootings have all happened between July 8^th and September 27^th. Police have previously said all the victims have been men in the city limits of Stockton, but have since linked the killer to a fatal shooting April 10^th in Oakland.

Political Babies: Control of the US Senate in the next two years hinges in part on the races in Pennsylvania and Georgia, where analysts are waiting to see the impact of the Herschel Walker scandal.

  After The Daily Beast reported that the Walker had paid for a girlfriend’s abortion, it remains to be seen whether die hard Republicans will remain loyal. 

  Walker said on Fox News that the signature on a get well card provide to The Daily Beast by the former girlfriend is not his. The signature is just a big loopy “H” and Walker said, “I never signed anything just as ‘H.’” It is, however, the same as the “H” in his signature.

  The Daily Beast now reports that the un-named woman is also the mother of one of Walker’s children had outside his marriage.

  Walker would not be the first pro-life Republican, including Donald Trump, to survive an abortion scandal, but this guy is a human rabbit.

  In Pennsylvania, Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has gone from a crushing lead in the polls over celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz to as little as two points in one poll. The FiveThirtyEight political website says Fetterman’s odds of being the next junior senator from Pennsylvania have dropped from 83 in 100 to 73 in 100 today.

  FiveThirtyEight says the Democrats are still favored to keep control of the Senate, but the odds have dropped from a high of 71 in 100 on September 20th to 67 in 100 today. 

The Spin Rack: — Ten climbers were killed and another 18 are missing after an avalanche struck an expedition in the northern Himalayas of India. The expedition consisted of 34 trainees, seven instructors, and a nursing assistant from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. — Actor Alec Baldwin and his movie production company have reached a wrongful death settlement with the family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed when the gun Baldwin was holding during a scene fired a live bullet. As part of the deal, Matthew Hutchins, Halyna’s husband will be executive producer of the movie “Rust,” which will resume filming in January. Hutchins said in a statement, “All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident.” 

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