Seventeen days after U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, never to be seen or heard from again, Saudi Arabia finally admitted what the rest of the world—with the notable exception of President @realDonaldTrump—had known, or at least suspected, all along—he is no more.
According to the Saudis' cover story, after entering the consulate, the 59-year-old journalist got in a fist fight with the 15-man hit squad that had, purely by coincidence, arrived in Turkey that very same day with a bone saw—ultimately resulting in his death and dismemberment.
It's a tale so ridiculous that you'd have to be a complete idiot to believe it.
Fortunately for the Saudis, Trump just so happens to be a complete idiot.
And, the fact that that Trump has a soft spot for authoritarian strongmen certainly doesn't hurt the Saudis' case.
Morning lineup:
Meet the Press: Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL); Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC); Roundtable: TBA.
Face The Nation: Pre-empted by NFL coverage.
This Week: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX); Rep.Beto O'Rourke (D-TX); Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA); Rep.Peter King (R-NY); Karen Attiah (Washington Post); Nate Silver (FiveThirtyEight); Roundtable: Republican Strategist Alex Castellanos, Democratic Strategist Karen Finney, Kim Strassel (Wall Street Journal), Juan Williams(Fox News) & Mary Bruce (ABC News).
Fox News Sunday: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY); Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ); Roundtable: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R), Former White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short, Former Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) & Charles Lane (Washington Post).
State of the Union: Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN); Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE); Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D); Roundtable: Democratic Strategist Symone Sanders, Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) & Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Evening lineup:
60 Minutes will feature: a report on the NYC subway system's infrastructure problems (preview); a report on a new tool that uses a mixture of DNA analysis and family genealogy which been helping law enforcement crack cold cases (preview); and, a report on hunters partnering with golden eagles to catch game (preview).
Late night shows:
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Monday: Actress/Comedian Sarah Silverman; Actor Scott Bakula; Musical Group Transviolet.
Tuesday: Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett & Tommy Vietor (Crooked Media); Radio Personality Charlamagne Tha God.
Wednesday: Actor Gerard Butler; Actor Rowan Atkinson; TV Host/Author Ina Garten.
Thursday: TV Host Dr. Phil McGraw; Actress Kayli Carter; Singer-Songwriter Andrea Bocelli.
Friday: Actor Liev Schreiber.
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Monday: Pre-empted; Tuesday: "Big Little Allies" Special; Wednesday: "A 100% Trump-Free Show, Vol. 2" Special; Thursday: "Filling the Swamp" Special.
Elsewhere...
Rep. Dave Brat compared hardships with a drug-addicted prisoner.
While meeting with an addiction support group of inmates at the Chesterfield County Jail, Rep. David Brat (R-VA) downplayed an inmate's addiction worries in comparison to his own trials being the subject of attack ads.
According to a Thursday ThinkProgress report, his comments came as a response to a female inmate's concern about issues she would face when she left prison.
"You think you’re having a hard time. I've got $5 million of negative ads against me. How do you think I’m feeling?" he said.
"Nothing's easy for anyone. You think I'm a congressman. Oh, life's easy, this guy's off having steaks," he continued. "I got a daughter, she's gotta deal with this crap on TV every day. No one out there's got some easy life. And you've got it hard, I'm not dismissing that. You've got some fears, real anxiety coming up with a job, and whatever. And what you've got to find is a support system."
Meanwhile...
Heidi Cruz lamented how hard it is getting by on her husband's meager $174,000 salary.
Heidi Cruz has opened up about her marriage to Ted Cruz, lamenting that they can't afford a second home on his Senate salary.
"Yeah, we're seven years into this, and we're not buying a second home anytime soon," Heidi Cruz said in an interview with the Atlantic that ran on Thursday, as her husband faces a tough re-election.
With Ted Cruz pulling down a mere $174,000 salary as a senator, his wife said that she has been forced to work 70-hour weeks as an investment manager at Goldman Sachs.
"It does take some supportiveness, you know," she told the magazine. "With me being the primary breadwinner—it's like, 'Uh, yeah, this is when people say thank you. I'll now take that appreciation.'"
Womp womp.
– Trix
