Denial Ain’t a River: President Trump is sticking with his friends in Saudi Arabia despite reports that the CIA has concluded that the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered on the orders of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

  “They have been a truly spectacular ally in terms of jobs and economic development,” Trump said yesterday before departing to view fire damage in California “As president, I have to take a lot of things into consideration.”

Trump said he hasn’t even been briefed on it yet. It looks like the President and his administration are willing to overlook the Khashoggi murder so the US can buy Saudi oil and sell them fighter jets. Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the Kingdom as “a stabilizing force in the region.”

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement,

“Recent reports indicating that the U.S. government has made a final conclusion are inaccurate.” That’s a dodge. The government has not made the conclusion but it appears that the CIA has.

There appears to be some internal disagreement — as least there was. Kirsten Fontenrose, a top White House official responsible for American policy toward Saudi Arabia resigned Friday night with no public explanation.

The Long Search:Searchers found more bodies in Northern California yesterday, raising the count of people killed in the Camp fire in and around the town of Paradise to 76. The number of missing and unaccounted for also rose by more than 250 to 1,276.

President Trump visited yesterday and once again talked about forest management and even raking leaves.“We’ve got to take care of the floors, you know the floors of the forest. It’s very important,” the president said.

He mentioned Finland, saying that country focuses “on raking and cleaning. They don’t have any problem and when it is … I know everyone is looking at that.”

Everyone. Who is “everyone?”

The Long Count:Democrat Andrew Gillum finally conceded the race for Florida governor to Ron DeSantis, a former Republican congressman who really likes President Trump. Gillum lost by only about 34,000 votes in an election with more than eight million votes cast.

Kids in Cages:As President Trump uses US troops to fortify the southern border against an immigrant invasion that isn’t coming, 14,000 children separated from the adults in their lives are being held in federal holding facilities. It’s an all-time record. Many are teenagers, but some are very young.

We came across this tweet posted a few days ago by Larry Sandigo, an immigration lawyer in Arizona:

“In court this morning, I asked the judge if my client could wait outside. She was being fussy. He said yes, and she was carried out. Even then, I could hear her whimpers and cries. She’s two years old. She had on a pink coat. Today was her #deportationhearing.”

Money on the Table:No one has claimed the $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot. A single winning ticket was sold in Simpsonville, South Carolina, last month. If no one claims it, the money goes back to the states that make up the pool.

Naval Maneuvers:One of Norway’s five naval frigates collided with an oil tanker in a fjord on Nov. 8^thand things got worse from there.

The collision tore a hole in the hull of the frigate and the captain decided to run it up on the rocks to keep it from sinking. The navy attached cables to the ship to keep it upright and in place. Then the cables snapped and the frigate tipped on its side. Now pretty much only the radar tower is above water.

Recovering the ship might cost more than building a new one. At least for now, Norway’s seagoing naval fleet is reduced by 20 percent and probably one captain.

The 90 Days of Christmas:The season of stuff is upon us. One of the biggest purveyors of luxury stuff is actress Gwyneth Paltrow through her website Goop. The company posts annual suggested gift lists and here are a few attractive items:

-Volcano helicopter adventure, four people, $39,500

-Christian Dior blanket $1,800

-Chanel gloves, $1,325

-Goop exclusive 15-pair sock collection, $260

-Leather wrapped small cooler, $385

-One-ounce White Alba truffle, $195

-King Size 24 karat gold rolling papers, $55

-Land Ark RV trailer, $139,900

-Village in Lugo, Spain, $172,910

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