SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET: 

ANY INTEREST AT CNN? – FROM FOX:   New shocking images from Venezuela reveal the extent of the country's austerity: lacking cribs, newborn babies are placed in cardboard boxes.  The photos were taken at the Domingo Guzman Lander hospital in Barcelona, in the north-eastern state of Anzoategui, and leaked by a doctor who asked to remained anonymous to avoid possible retributions. The doctor reached out to an opposition lawmaker, Manuel Ferreira, who posted them on his Twitter account for the world to see.  "The babies spent all night in the cardboard boxes until the pictures were made public,” Congressman Manuel Ferreira told Fox News Latino on Thursday morning. “After that they discharged the babies to avoid further exposure."   Remember when movie stars like Sean Penn and Danny Glover would rush down to Venezuela to grovel before Hugo Chavez?  Haven't seen those chaps recently.

TULSA COP CHARGED – FROM ABC LOCAL:   TULSA, Okla. -- Prosecutors charged a white Oklahoma police officer with first-degree manslaughter Thursday, less than a week after she killed an unarmed black man on a city street and just days after police released graphic videos, saying in court documents the officer "reacted unreasonably."  Tulsa officer Betty Shelby fatally shot 40-year-old Terence Crutcher on Sept. 16.  The affidavit filed with the charge says Shelby "reacted unreasonably by escalating the situation from a confrontation with Mr. Crutcher, who was not responding to verbal commands and was walking away from her with his hands held up, becoming emotionally involved to the point that she over reacted."  I don't know.  The investigation lasts less than a week?  This looks like another rush to judgment, as in Baltimore, where six officers were charged in the death of Freddie Gray.  All six were exonerated.    This incident may well be the result of poor training rather than a criminal act on the part of a cop. 

I LOVE IT – FROM THE COLLEGE FIX:   Following CNN contributor Sally Kohn’s comments that advocacy for free speech is “really just an excuse for attacking multiculturalism and other progressive attitudes,” the University of Michigan had planned a debate between her and conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.  But, according to Breitbart.com, UM had to cancel the event — because the ardent progressive Kohn’s fees were just too high:  According to emails seen by Breitbart, Kohn initially quoted a fee of $11,000, “plus incidentals, travel, lodging, etc”, but later reduced and then finally dropped the fee upon discovering that Yiannopoulos doesn’t charge for speaking events at colleges.  Kohn did however stipulate that in exchange for dropping her fee, she must be allowed to interview Milo for her new book. Still, Kohn’s travel and accommodation bills were too high for students to accommodate and as a result, the event has been cancelled. Milo is however touring college campuses across the country.  The bottom line is still the bottom line, even among "progressives."

September 22,  2016