1. Republican lead in the Senate: An uncertainty about widening the Republicans' lead in the Senate has been settled. New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez has been on trial for corruption (accepting gifts and expensive vacations from his wealthy friend). If he were convicted, and if he had to resign from the senate before January, Gov. Chris Christy would appoint his successor, most likely a Republican and moving them from a two to a three vote advantage. But the trial just ended in a deadlocked jury and a mistrial. The prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will do a retrial. One juror has said that they were close to an outright acquittal but had a few holdouts. So they may not even retry the case. Even if they do, and even if Menendez is convicted, he could appeal. There's no way that could all happen before the new governor is sworn in in January -- and the Democrat is running well ahead in the polls. So it looks like that seat stays with the Dems, one way or another.
2, The online TripAdvisor released its list of top 25 tourist attractions in the U.S. #16 is the Atlanta Aquarium.
3. The Islamic State (aka ISIS) has been routed from the last spot it controlled in Iraq. They still control some areas in Syria but have been completely ousted from Iraq. That's some sort of a milestone; but it does not mean they are no longer a problem. They have dispersed into areas in North Africa; and their operation now depends on internet radicalization and encouraging individuals to carry out terrorist attacks in Europe and the U.S.
4. Record sale of da Vinci painting: Famed art auction house Christie's sold a painting thought to be by Leonardo da Vinci for $450 million, more than double the previous record for a painting sold at auction. Although its authenticity has been verified by experts, some critics still have doubts that it was primarily da Vinci's work. Once owned by an English king, it had long been lost. It was discovered at an estate sale in 2005 and bought for $10,000. Christie's advertised and sold it as "the only da Vinci" still privately owned. The other 15 existing paintings by the old master are all in museums. The buyer has not yet been identified.
5. Evidence has emerged in an email chain from May 2016 revealing another attempt by a Russian with Kremlin connections, and claiming to have dirt on Clinton, to set up a meeting with candidate Trump during the campaign. Jared Kushner was one to whom the request was forwarded, and he supposedly forwarded it to Hope Hicks, an aide to Trump who is now his Communications Director. Kushner supposedly nixed the idea -- but his reasoning, according to the wording of his response, was that many people make such claims just to get a meeting with Trump; and it usually doesn't turn out to be anything. What he didn't say was that this would be illegal and they wouldn't touch it even if it were a bona fide connection with Putin, It was apparently these emails that the Senate Judiciary Committee chided Kushner for not turning over to them as requested. They learned about it from other sources. We might also note that Hope Hicks is on the list to be interviewed by the Mueller team. So they'll get her version of this story. It's also worth noting that this email discussion among some of the Trump team was weeks before the email to Don, Jr. offering a meeting with the Russian lawyer offering dirt on Clinton. And Don, Jr. did have the meeting, and Jared attended. They must have decided it was more legit -- it came from someone they knew -- so they don't get any points for turning the other one down. Neither decision was based on whether it was legal.
6. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey will vote for Roy Moore. The Alabama establishment Republicans are rallying around their nominee, choosing to put party above Moore's accusations, which he continues to steadfastly deny. The governor indicated that it is the importance of having a Republican to vote on Supreme Court nominees and loyalty to party values that decided it for her. She said this: "I believe in the Republican Party, what we stand for, and, most important, we need to have a Republican in the United States Senate to vote on things like the Supreme Court justices . . . . So that's what I plan to do, vote for Re;publican nominee Roy Moore."
A Fox News poll released two days ago shows Democrat Doug Jones leading with 50% to Moore's 42%, with 9% undecided. That's a change from a Fox News poll on October 7th when they were tied at 42% each -- before the revelations about sexual assault.
7. Today, November 20th, is the 70th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. QE II has another distinction. She was crowned queen on June 2, 1953 upon the death of her father; and in 2015 she surpassed Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch in British history. And here's something I didn't know. Elizabeth is not alone in being related to Victoria. Both she and Prince Phillip are great-great grandchildren of Victoria, which makes them cousins, like 10th removed or something.
Ralph
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