Loud Silence: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today that the killing of dissident Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi  and the ensuing coverup were planned by the Saudis. “It is clear that this savage murder did not happen at the drop of a dime but was a planned affair,” Erdogan said.

Despite a promise to reveal “the naked truth,” Erdogan revealed few new details beyond what has already been leaked to the press. He did not mention a recording of the killing that has been mentioned in news reports.

Pressing for a full Saudi admission of responsibility, Erdogan asked, “When the murder was so clear, why were there so many different statements given by Saudis? Why has the body of someone, the killing of whom has been officially admitted, not been found?”

The Trump administration has still taken no action. Asked if he believed Saudi Arabia’s explanation, Trump said, “I am not satisfied with what I’ve heard.”

“We’re going to get to the bottom of it. We have people over in Saudi Arabia now. We have top intelligence people in Turkey. They’re coming back either tonight or tomorrow,” Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before leaving for a rally in Texas.

CIA Director Gina Haspel has flown to Turkey and Treasury Secy. Steve Mnuchin met yesterday in Saudi Arabia with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who likely ordered the killing.

Trump has said he may take action against Saudi Arabia but has said repeatedly that he will not do anything to jeopardize the $110 billion arms deal with the Kingdom because that would only harm the US. He initially said it was worth 40,000 American jobs and as the situation has escalated, so has the number of jobs, according to Trump. On Oct. 13 it was 450,000 jobs; Oct. 16, 500,000; Oct. 19, 600,000; and later on Oct. 19 he said, “You’re talking about over a million jobs. You know, I’d rather keep the million jobs, and I’d rather find another solution.”

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail: Stepping up his campaign to whip up fear about race, immigration, and terrorism, President Trump is claiming without evidence that the march of more than 7,000 refugees travelling north through Mexico is infiltrated by MS-13 gang members and potential Middle Eastern terrorists. He wrote on Twitter that, “Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in. I have alerted Border Patrol and Military that this is a National Emergy. Must change laws!”

Trump has threatened to close the US border and cut aid to the countries the refugees have left.

The Caravan is largely made up of women, children, and men desperate for work.

The President is also accusing the Democrats of practically organizing the so-called “caravan” of refugees. He wrote, “Every time you see a Caravan, or people illegally coming, or attempting to come, into our Country illegally, think of and blame the Democrats for not giving us the votes to change our pathetic Immigration Laws!”

Trump says this even though his own Republican party controls the White House and both houses of Congress.  The Democrats don’t have the votes to stop anything.

Paired with his fear mongering is Trump’s “America First” campaign, last night at a rally in Houston he denounced “globalists” because “a globalist is a person that wants the globe to do well, frankly not caring about the country so much.” To thundering cheers and applause, he said, “You know what I am, I’m a nationalist!”

Freedom Song:Former South Carolina Pantherswide receiver Rae Carruth walked free yesterday after spending 17 years in prison for conspiring to murder his pregnant girlfriend. Carruth used his own car to block Cherica Adams’ vehicle while his accomplices shot and fatally wounded her. Carruth’s son, now 18, was born with brain damage and multiple sclerosis before she died.

Carruth told an interviewer, “I still have to work. I still have to live. I have to exist out there and it just seems like there is so much hate and negativity toward me. I’m actually somewhat frightened.”

Super Bridge: The world’s longest sea bridge opened yesterday linking Hong Kong to mainland China. The combination bridge and tunnel is 34 miles long and a marvel of physical and social engineering. The bridge is designed to withstand earthquakes, typhoons,  and ships accidentally plowing into it. To allow ships to pass freely, the bridge dives into a tunnel for four miles.

But for the most part Chinese citizens won’t be able to drive across it. The bridge is reserved for commercial vehicles and passenger buses. People travelling between Hong Kong and the mainland must pass through border controls.

The Obit Page: Joachim Roenneberg, the Norwegian who headed a daring five-man team that daringly blew up a plant producing heavy water for the Nazi nuclear development program, has died at age 99. He was a Norwegian national hero.

His exploits were the subject of books, movies, documentaries and television shows.

Roenneberg, then 23, was tapped by the British Special Operations Executive, to destroy the heart of the heavily guarded plant in Telemark,  southern Norway  in February 1943.

The team parachuted into snow-covered mountains where they were joined by a supporting team of commandos. He said later, “We very often thought that this was a one way trip,” but they managed to slip in and out of the fortress-like heavy-water plant without firing a shot.

Roenneberg said he made a last-minute decision to cut the length of his fuse from several minutes to seconds, ensuring that the explosion would take place but narrowing his chances for escape. The group got away by skiing hundreds of  miles across the mountains. Roenneberg skied over the border into neutral Sweden.

Don’t Quit Your Day Job: The drawing is tonight for the world-record $1.6 billion Mega Millions lottery. Your chances of winning are 1 in 303 million.

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