News from the note…

A round up of the day’s news that might be of interest to you.

This is an OPEN THREAD,  folks. Chat about any of the stories listed, share links to stories that caught your eye today, and generally have a good time discussing whatever you want.

Trump calls Kavanaugh protesters ‘rude elevator screamers’

President Donald Trump on Friday accused the protesters demonstrating against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of being “paid professionals” and part of a smear campaign funded by left-leaning donors, after female activists confronted Sens. Orrin Hatch and Jeff Flake about sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh.

“The very rude elevator screamers are paid professionals only looking to make Senators look bad. Don’t fall for it! Also, look at all of the professionally made identical signs. Paid for by Soros and others. These are not signs made in the basement from love! #Troublemakers,” Trump tweeted.

Ana Maria Archila, one of the women who confronted Flake and a self-identified sexual assault survivor, said in a statement that Trump’s tweet followed a pattern of “discrediting individuals who dare to raise our voices and force elected officials to listen to our stories.”

Politico

French police probe Interpol president Meng Hongwei’s disappearance

Police in France have opened an investigation into the disappearanceof Interpol president Meng Hongwei, a police source with direct knowledge of the case told CNN Friday.

Meng was not on French soil when he was last seen, according a senior French law enforcement official, who declined to say if he was in China.
Meng’s wife went to Lyon police Thursday night to report his disappearance, the source said.

Meng’s wife last heard from him 10 days ago, a spokeswoman for Interpol told CNN. The spokeswoman, who declined to give her name, refused to say if Meng was on official business in China when he was last heard from.

“Interpol is aware of media reports in connection with the alleged disappearance of Interpol President Meng Hongwei. This is a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China,” Interpol said in a statement. “Interpol’s General Secretariat headquarters will not comment further.”

CNN

New York AG: Trump Foundation engaged in ‘persistent illegality’

The New York State attorney general’s office is suing the Trump Foundation for “persistent illegality,” according to a court filing on Thursday.

The original lawsuit, filed in June, alleged that the foundation had broken New York’s charities laws to support Donald Trump‘s 2016 presidential campaign. 

The Trump Foundation has been seeking to dismiss the lawsuit, but the attorney general’s office pushed back with the Thursday filing.

“Donald J. Trump used his control over the Donald J. Trump Foundation for his benefit to advance his personal, business, and political interests in violation of federal and state law governing charities,” it said.

The Hill

Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino sentenced to eight months in prison

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, best known for starring on MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” has been sentenced to prison for tax evasion.

The reality star appeared in New Jersey federal court on Friday and was given an eight month prison sentence, along with two years of supervised release.

He must also pay a fine of $10,000 within 30 days and complete 500 hours of community service.

Sorrentino starred on the MTV series from 2009 to 2012. More recently, he appeared on the show’s spinoff, “Jersey Shore Family Vacation.”

CNN

Officer in Laquan McDonald shooting found guilty of murder

Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke has been found guilty of second degree murder in the shooting of Chicago teenager Laquan McDonald.

Why it matters: McDonald’s shooting in 2014 was highlighted as part of a trend of a trend of black men being shot that sparked waves of protests throughout the country and also prompted an investigation from the Department of Justice, as well as new department initiatives.

Details: The prosecution argued that Van Dyke shooting McDonald 16 times was “completely unnecessary” and focused on the shots that hit McDonald as he laid on the ground.

Axios

Some see Christian First bias in Trump foreign policy

Evangelical Christians came out aggressively for Donald Trump in 2016. As president, Trump has returned the favor, delivering for the Christian right — not just at home, but also overseas.

Trump defied international opinion and recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The White House rattled relations with NATO ally Turkey by imposing sanctions over its detention of an American pastor. Trump’s initial travel ban included exemptions for Christians. Senior administration officials have eagerly taken up a cause that happens to be a favorite of the Christian right: global religious freedom. And the State Department was quick to call the Islamic State’s persecution of Christians a “genocide.”

But for human rights activists, Democrats and even some Republican staffers in Congress, these and other policies appear to have come at the expense of other religious groups — especially Muslims.

Politico

Pompeii excavation yields rich garden scene in home shrine

Archaeologists have uncovered a new treasure in the ruins of Pompeii: a richly painted garden scene in the shrine area of a home that had been buried following the explosion of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

The ANSA news agency said it was given exclusive access Friday to the site, known as a lararium. In ancient Roman times, lararia were altar spaces at the entrances of homes of the well-to-do where offerings and prayers were made to the gods.

AP