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—> A midday take on what's happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.*

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha— breaks down crying hysterically.

TALK OF THE MORNING



What, did I say something?:

Via The New York Times’s Mark Landler, “President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE defied the nation’s intelligence agencies and a growing body of evidence on Tuesday to declare his unswerving loyalty to Saudi Arabia, asserting that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s culpability for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi might never be known.”

What happened: The president released a stunning statement about the incident.

Read the full statement — and count the exclamation points: http://bit.ly/2qY0mev

The line that’s getting traction: “Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!”

Breakdown of Trump’s statement: https://nyti.ms/2Qbvm97

Reaction from Khashoggi’s editor at The Washington Post: Karen Attiah tweeted, “Trump’s statement on Saudi Arabia + Khashoggi is full of lies and a blatant disregard for his own intelligence agencies. It also shows an unforgivable disregard for the lives of Saudis who dare criticize the regime. This is a new low.” http://bit.ly/2zl8D0v

Reaction from Democrats: Senate Democrats were not pleased. http://bit.ly/2PIhZgZ

Reaction from Sen.-elect Mitt Romney Willard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power The Memo: Trump's strengths complicate election picture MORE (R-Utah): “The President’s and Secretary of State’s Khashoggi statements to date are inconsistent with an enduring foreign policy, with our national interest, with basic human rights, and with American greatness. Sanctions do not necessarily require ending the alliance; they do demand real and painful consequence.” http://bit.ly/2qXbl7N

It’s the “Friday” of the work week. ;) I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook.

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PROGRAMMING NOTE: The 12:30 Report will be off tomorrow and Friday for the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

NEWS THIS MORNING



Stay away from romaine lettuce (and *not* just because it’s Thanksgiving and you should be eating stuffing):

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning for people not to eat romaine lettuce in the U.S. Why: An E. coli contamination. How many people have been infected: 32 people in 11 states. Which states: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin. Keep in mind: No deaths have been reported. https://cnn.it/2KmC8TV

This feels like the equivalent of ‘random drug tests’ at companies:

Via The Washington Post’s Christian Davenport, NASA is launching a safety review of Elon Musk’s SpaceX after Musk smoked marijuana and drank whiskey on a livestreamed podcast. From NASA: “NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine James (Jim) Frederick BridenstineNASA publishes Artemis plan to land first woman, next man on moon NASA is in the market for moon rocks Overnight Defense: Trump hosts Israel, UAE, Bahrain for historic signing l Air Force reveals it secretly built and flew new fighter jet l Coronavirus creates delay in Pentagon research for alternative to 'forever chemicals' MORE said in an interview that the agency wants to make sure the public has confidence in its human-spaceflight program, especially as the companies are getting closer to their first flights, scheduled for next year.” https://wapo.st/2AaQSkl

IN OTHER NEWS



What to expect if you’re traveling for Thanksgiving:

AAA predicts that this Thanksgiving will be the busiest for travel since 2005. How many people are expected to travel: 54.3 Americans. http://bit.ly/2znaeTy

The worst times and places to travel: Early evening hours in San Francisco, New York City and Boston. Travel times could quadruple. http://bit.ly/2PERQ2G

Live updates for travel conditions: https://cnn.it/2TzRjgG

Latest with the House Speaker race — nah, just kidding

Rep. Marcia Fudge Marcia Louise FudgeThis week: House returns for pre-election sprint House to tackle funding, marijuana in September Honoring John Lewis's voting rights legacy MORE (D-Ohio), who had been considering challenging current House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiHoyer: House should vote on COVID-19 aid — with or without a bipartisan deal Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose at Supreme Court McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE (D-Calif.) for House Speaker, decided against running and endorsed Pelosi. What Fudge got instead: After meeting with Pelosi last week, Fudge said Pelosi offered to restore a defunct election subcommittee and offered Fudge the gavel. http://bit.ly/2TypxkI





HOW PELOSI IS COURTING DEMS:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she wants to expand the Democratic leadership team. In a letter to Democrats: Pelosi said she wants to create a new position — a chairman of the Democrats’ messaging arm. Excerpt of the letter from Pelosi: “This enhancement to the [Democratic Policy and Communications Committee] will position House Democrats to best take advantage of the new size and diversity of our Caucus, bringing greater resources and staffing to this vital Committee.” http://bit.ly/2DNfTpO

NEW DEVELOPMENT — PELOSI COURTS ANOTHER:

Rep. Brian Higgins Brian HigginsBiden slams Trump for promoting conspiracy theory about man shoved by police Trump claims 75-year-old man shoved by Buffalo police could be part of 'set up' NY, NJ lawmakers call for more aid to help fight coronavirus MORE (D-N.Y.), who has fiercely opposed House Minority Leader NancyPelosi’s (D-Calif.) bid for Speaker, changed his tune this morning and announced his support for her. Higgins told The Buffalo News: “I have an agreement in principle with the Democratic leader that those are going to be two priorities, and that I will be the lead person on the Medicare buy-in.” http://bit.ly/2DQbS4a

An American man killed on a remote Indian island:

Via India Today, “An American man was killed on an island inhabited by a tribe known to resist outside contact in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.” Who: 27-year-old John Allen Chau, who was reportedly a Christian missionary. What happened: “Chau was killed by members of this tribe, which is protected under Indian law, a senior police officer told India Today TV.” http://bit.ly/2DQT9FG

How he was killed: By tribesmen with bows and arrows. https://nyti.ms/2qZbAPL





NOTABLE TWEETS



These are pretty creative:





Full-size photos: http://bit.ly/2BnmLb8







(Not so) fun fact:





Reasoning: https://cnn.it/2qVwOy4

ON TAP





The House and Senate are out.

President Trump is at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., with no public events on his schedule.

Vice President Pence has no public events on his schedule.

Nov. 26–27: Congress returns for the lame-duck session. Op-ed: http://bit.ly/2TsupYN

Nov. 30: President Trump attends the Group of 20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires.

Dec. 12: Sentencing for President Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen. https://cnn.it/2QWv4Qz





WHAT TO WATCH





Nov. 28: The Hill is hosting the event "Preparing for a Treatment: Alzheimer's Diagnosis and Care." Featured speakers: The Hill's editor-in-chief, Bob Cusack, will interview Sens. Ed Markey Edward (Ed) John MarkeyDemocrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court Schumer: 'Nothing is off the table' if GOP moves forward with Ginsburg replacement Democrats see fundraising spike following Ginsburg death MORE (D-Mass.) and Thom Tillis Thomas (Thom) Roland TillisThe Hill's Campaign Report: GOP set to ask SCOTUS to limit mail-in voting OVERNIGHT ENERGY: EPA head questions connection of climate change to natural disasters | Pebble Mine executives eye future expansion in recorded conversations | EPA questions science linking widely used pesticide to brain damage in children Liberal super PAC launches ads targeting vulnerable GOP senators over SCOTUS fight MORE (R-N.C.). Details and how to RSVP: http://bit.ly/2qU9z7u





NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF ...





Today is National Stuffing Day. It’s also National Gingerbread Cookie Day.

It will be easy to get in the holiday spirit in D.C. this weekend:

Via The Washington Post’s Going Out Guide, here’s a list of 11 things to do in the Washington, D.C., area over Thanksgiving weekend. I’m looking at you, holiday markets. The list: https://wapo.st/2S91GH7

And to get your weekend off to a great start, here’s a dog who has the best reaction to finding a clam on the beach: http://bit.ly/2PJQZOq