The Morning Briefing: A Fractional Native American and Much, Much More

Good Tuesday morning.

Here is what’s on the president’s agenda today:

The president has no public events today.

The Khashoggi situation

“Journalist” Jamal Khashoggi was seen entering the Saudi embassy in Turkey and has not been seen since. All sorts of fantastic stories surrounding his disappearance are showcased in the media: he was chopped up into little pieces by Saudi agents, “sources” say he was murdered in the embassy, there are video and audio of his murder, etc. But we have been given no evidence of any of these claims. None. They come from “sources” and we don’t know who they are and where they are getting their information. Really, the media has no credibility.

I think this whole situation is very suspicious: the Iran-friendly Turks and the aggrieved Qataris all have an interest in embarrassing Saudi Arabia and damaging the relationship between Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the U.S. against Iran. Why would we trust anything the Turks say? Of course the media is running with it because they have always aligned themselves with Iran and its satellites. We all remember what a great echo chamber they were for the Iran deal. Stay tuned as this story is developing. Secretary of State Pompeo has just landed in Saudi Arabia as of 5 a.m. EST.

Read Lee Smith’s latest: 10 Key Questions About The Khashoggi Affair To Answer Before Buying The Press Narrative

Saudis preparing to admit Jamal Khashoggi died during interrogation, sources say

Glover Park Group and BGR Group drop Saudi Arabia

Trump’s ‘rogue killers’ comment is latest echo of suspect foreign talking points

RUSSIA roundup

Lots of actors in the Trump-RUSSIA collusion tale are scheduled to testify before Congress this week. Glenn Simpson is scheduled to appear before the Judiciary committee today but he will take the fifth. Simpson is the co-founder of Fusion GPS, the firm hired to create the dossier used to obtain snooping authority on the Trump campaign. Simpson is keeping quiet because his previous testimony may not play well with other testimony from FBI agents about their relationship.

Former FBI lawyer James A. Baker will testify on Thursday.

Earlier this month, Baker testified about the genesis of the bureau’s Russia investigation, sources close to a congressional investigation told Fox News. He also testified that Perkins Coie lawyer Michael Sussmann gave him documents pertaining to the Russia probe, suggesting another connection between the early stages of the FBI’s Russia probe and those working with the DNC and the Clinton campaign, the sources said.

And then on Friday, Nellie Ohr, wife of FBI agent Bruce Ohr, will make an appearance. Mrs. Ohr worked at Fusion GPS on the salacious and unverified dossier bought and paid for by the DNC and Hillary Clinton campaign, all while her husband was an agent. No one thought this was a strange arrangement, I can’t wait to find out what she has to say under oath.

Judge ends GPS monitoring for Rick Gates

Senate intelligence staffer who dated reporter pleads guilty to lying to FBI about leaks

Carter Page suing DNC for defamation over Steele dossier

Elizabeth Warren proves she’s an Indian or something

Shortly after I published the Briefing yesterday, the story about Elizabeth Warren’s DNA “test” hit the news. What an exciting story! Senator Warren has taken a DNA test that shows she has some microscopic amount of Indian heritage in her. I guess, she is anywhere from 1/64 to 1/1024 Native American. I’m probably as much of a Native American as she is and I’m a Jewish lady with strong roots in Eastern Europe. What a disaster this entire story has become. Writes the Free Beacon:

Warren listed herself as Native American while teaching at the University of Pennsylvania Law School from 1987 to 1995 and then at Harvard Law School beginning in 1995, the Boston Globe reports. Fact-checkers had not been able to verify her claims because they were based on “family lore.”

So she was using her presumed status to help her land jobs at places that fetishize diversity. The real Native Americans, the Cherokee nation, were not amused by Warren’s DNA stunt.

“A DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship,” the Cherokee Nation said in a statement released Monday. “Sovereign tribal nations set their own legal requirements for citizenship, and while DNA tests can be used to determine lineage, such as paternity to an individual, it is not evidence for tribal affiliation.”

WOMP WOMP

Math is hard. Boston Globe Issues Second Correction On Liz Warren DNA Story

Warren’s DNA test mocked by GOP; Trump offers charity donation only ‘if I can test her personally’

Historical picture of the day:

President John F. Kennedy meets with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, center, in the White House, Oct. 18, 1962. At left is Soviet Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Dobrynin. (AP Photo/Harvey Georges)

Other morsels:

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen dead at 65

Beto O’Rourke will not share $38 million he raised with other Dem Senate candidates

These Are the Sexual Misconduct Claims Director Bryan Singer Says Esquire Could ‘Rehash’

Sessions vows ’emergency’ Supreme Court battles amid ‘outrageous’ discovery rulings by federal judges

U.S. to propose TV ads for drugs must include list prices

Harvard accused of bias against Asian-Americans at trial

Government spending millions to protect Confederate cemeteries: report

HAHAHAHA Poll shows Heller with 7-point lead in Nevada

Joe Biden headed to Nevada

At Least 90,000 Voters Purged From Nevada Voter Rolls, Voting Rights Group Claims

NYPD: Charges coming against nine ‘Proud Boys’ involved in clash