INTEL REPORT-The latest issue of Time magazine depicts President Donald Trump painting himself into a corner — an artistic response to Trump asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to do him a favor. 

Artist Edel Rodriguez created the illustration on the cover of the Oct. 7 issue, a Time spokesperson told HuffPost. The cover story concerns Trump having asked Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden and allegedly threatening to withhold military aid if Zelensky did not comply.

INTEL REPORT--Are we on the road to another world war? I woke up to a lunatic President threatening Iran…again. This time, because (hold on, your eyes might glaze over) Yemeni rebels attacked the Saudi oilfields with cruise missiles and drones. (LOL, wait what?

Believing that Yemeni rebels have cruise missiles and drones is a little bit like believing Saddam had WMDs or that a bunch of dudes in Afghanistani caves were scarier than the combined armies of the world. It’s another lie. But I digress.) You’d be forgiven for shuddering. Deep down, I’d bet you’ve thought it at least a few times over the last year or several. World war. Is another one coming?

INTEL REPORT--A U.S. District Court judge yesterday rejected motions by attorneys representing Ed Buck and L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey to dismiss a civil lawsuit filed against them in the 2017 drug-related death of 26-year-old Gemmel Moore in Buck’s West Hollywood apartment.

INTEL REPORT--Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar once again clarified her remarks about 9/11 on Sunday, days after a family member of a 9/11 victim alluded to the Muslim congresswoman at a remembrance ceremony.

Appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation, Omar was asked by host Margaret Brennan if she knew why people would find remarks she made about 9/11—taken out of context in a speech about Muslim Americans’ civil liberties—offensive.

INTEL REPORT--When Genie Harrison talks, it’s hard not to sit up and pay attention. Harrison ― an employment attorney based in L.A. who represents survivors of discrimination, retaliation and sexual assault ― has a cool and commanding voice honed by years of addressing courtrooms. And when I bring up recent comments from Harvey Weinstein’s legal team that the disgraced media mogul feels “railroaded” by the accusations against him, her voice deepens almost to a growl.

“He is the victimizer. He is the perpetrator,” Harrison seethes, before taking a swipe at Weinstein’s legal team for co-opting the concept of victimization for their client’s benefit. “They’re trying to go with ‘up is down and down is up.’”

 INTEL REPORT--There should be a word to describe the thing that happens when you have a new favorite word for a month or so and you become so enamored with it that you inject it into as many conversations as you can. For instance, right now that word for me is zeitgeist. I’ve always had a deep affinity for words with prominent “Zs” and when I say zeitgeist it feels like my mouth is getting a foot massage. I even caught myself, during a conversation last night, referring to a thing as (sigh) zeitgeisty.