SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:20 P.M. ET: 

AND NOW SAUDI – FROM REUTERS:   Saudi security forces on Friday foiled a suicide attack on the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, cornering the would-be attacker in an apartment, where he blew himself up, the Interior Ministry said.  In a statement read on state television, the ministry said that three cells had planned the attack on worshippers and security forces at the mosque as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan nears its climax.  Historically, Saudi Arabia has been one of the great state sponsors of terrorism.  Some 15 of the 19 hijackers involved in our 9-11 attacks were Saudi.  But in recent years the Saudis seem to have moderated, and we hope they've now learned something about the madness they originally unleashed.

REAL POWER IN GEORGIA – FROM CONSERVATIVE TREEHOUSE:   […] John Anzalone, Ossoff’s pollster, said the Democrat’s campaign succeeded in turning out its voters — but they were swamped by Republicans who came out in numbers that ended up dwarfing previous high-profile special elections.  That’s a very interesting admission/statement for a Politico article.  That’s also an example of what happens when President Trump’s ‘Monster Vote‘ turns out...Pollsters say sky-high turnout drove Handel, the GOP nominee, to a nearly 4-point victory on Tuesday, despite most pre-election surveys showing Ossoff with a small-but-shrinking lead.  The pollsters continue to underpoll Trump and his supporters.  That's why I'm skeptical about the "presidential approval" numbers I see today.  Americans are still angry about what's been done to them by liberals.

UH, JUST A SEC – FROM CBS:   The tallest building west of the Mississippi River will celebrate its grand opening Friday in downtown Los Angeles.  The 73-story Wilshire Grand Center at 900 Wilshire Blvd. was developed by Korean Air, which is owned by Hanjin International Corp., at a cost of about $1.2 billion.  The high-rise is 1,100 feet tall, surpassing the height of the U.S. Bank Tower, which was previously the tallest building in Los Angeles at 1,018 feet...The tower includes a massive, stabilizing central core and braces designed to act as shock absorbers to withstand gusty Santa Ana winds and earthquakes. Southern California has dozens of faults and the building is designed to withstand about a 7.5 magnitude temblor.  I've been in two California earthquakes, and I don't care what they say.  I still wouldn't want to have an office on the 73rd floor when the ground starts trembling.  Include me out.

June 23,  2017