31 dead in raging California wildfires

Trump panned for tweet blaming the disaster on “forest management.” No Images? Click here   By Paul Vale     Monday, November 12 31 DEAD IN WILDFIRES Crews searching the smoking ruins of Paradise and outlying areas found six more bodies, raising the death toll to 31, matching the deadliest wildfire in California’s history. Donald Trump weighed in over the weekend, blaming “forest management” for the disaster. Experts quickly pointed out that places like Thousand Oaks, Malibu and Paradise were not “forests.” [AP] [Tweet | Share on Facebook] FLORIDA GOVERNOR: DON’T COUNT THESE BALLOTS Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s Senate campaign filed a handful of lawsuits seeking to give law enforcement custody of election equipment and prevent certain ballots from being included in Florida’s official election results. His opponent, Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, accused Scott of trying to stop valid votes from being counted. [HuffPost] CONWAY CONTRADICTS TRUMP: HE DOES KNOW WHITAKER White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said Trump has met several times over the last year with Matt Whitaker — contradicting the president, who said last week he “didn’t know” the newly appointed acting attorney general. Conway also defended the administration’s widely criticized decision to share a misleadingly edited video of CNN reporter Jim Acosta refusing to give up the microphone at a recent Trump press conference. “That’s not altered,” she said of the altered video. “That’s sped up.” [HuffPost] NYT: SAUDIS FLOATED POLITICAL ASSASSINATIONS A YEAR AGO Top Saudi intelligence officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked a small group of businessmen last year about using private companies to assassinate Iranian enemies of the kingdom. [New York Times] TRUMP TO CUT OFF PUERTO RICO DISASTER RELIEF Trump doesn't want to give Puerto Rico any more federal money for its recovery from Hurricane Maria after claiming, without evidence, that the island’s government is using federal disaster relief money to pay off debt. [Axios] LAWYER: CNN SHOULD SUE WHITE HOUSE OVER PRESS PASS First Amendment expert Floyd Abrams said CNN “should sue” the White House for revoking the press credentials of correspondent Jim Acosta. It would be a “really strong lawsuit,” the attorney said. Here’s a brief history of the administration’s attacks against Acosta. [HuffPost]           DEMS TO PROBE TRUMP FIGHT WITH AMAZON Democrats plan to investigate the Trump administration’s attempt to block AT&T from acquiring Time Warner, and whether the government sought to punish Amazon.com by prodding the U.S. Post Office to hike shipping prices for the world’s largest e-commerce company. [Reuters] U.S. WARPLANE GOES DOWN OFF PHILIPPINES Two aviators were rescued after a warplane from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan crashed into the sea northeast of the Philippines. [AP] HOW KING ALMOST LOST White supremacist Rep. Steve King usually wins re-election in Iowa by more than 20 percentage points. This time he won by 3. This is what changed. [HuffPost] GILLUM WITHDRAWS FLORIDA CONCESSION Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum withdrew his election night concession in Florida’s gubernatorial race after the margin of victory between him and former Rep. Ron DeSantis narrowed to 0.41 percentage points — enough to trigger a statewide machine recount. [HuffPost] FATALITIES AFTER COVERT ISRAELI GAZA MISSION Seven Palestinians were killed during a covert Israeli operation in Gaza, Palestinian officials claim. An Israeli soldier also was killed and another was wounded, the Israeli military said. [BBC] REPUBLICAN FACING BLACK OPPONENT JOKES ABOUT LYNCHING Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a white Republican, joked about going to a “public hanging” during a campaign event this weekend — a comment her Democratic challenger, who is black, called “reprehensible.” The pair will fight in a runoff election later this month. [HuffPost]       Douglas Rain, the Canadian actor who was the voice of HAL 9000 in the Stanley Kubrick classic film “2001: A Space Odyssey,” died Sunday in Stratford, Ontario. He was 90. The historic Western town area at Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, California, where productions including HBO’s “Westworld” have been shot, burned down in the Woolsey fire. West Virginia Democrat Richard Ojeda is running for president. This Air Force mom pumped breast milk while running an Ironman triathlon. Australian police charged a 50-year-old woman with contaminating strawberries with sewing needles, the latest chapter in a public health scare that has gripped the country since mid-September. This topless protester got within feet of Trump’s motorcade in Paris. “The Grinch” stole the U.S. weekend box office this weekend with a spectacular $66 million haul. “Venom” carried the global box office, with a massive $111 million debut in China. Former first lady Michelle Obama revealed that she “stopped even trying to smile” during the 2017 inauguration of Trump. Here are eight personalized gifts that are neither cheesy nor expensive. There was a secret “Star Wars” cameo on “The Walking Dead.” A jury has ordered Aetna to pay more than $25 million to the family of an Oklahoma City woman who died a year after the insurance company refused to cover a type of radiation therapy. Most of the American public is content with the outcome of the midterms, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov survey. How to channel old Hollywood style icons this winter. Laurence H. Tribe explains how to challenge the unconstitutional appointment of Matthew Whitaker as Trump’s acting attorney general. This is what experts want you to know if you’re ever in an active shooter situation. Love this newsletter? Share it with a friend!      HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. Start your workday the right way with the news that matters most — all with a dash of signature Morning Email snark. Does somebody keep forwarding you this email? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Check out HuffPost Politics for more of the good stuff. ©2018 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe     - - Preferences  |  Unsubscribe