NATIONAL

“The odds that Donald Trump wins the Republican presidential nomination are going up.” – Politico

“Forecasters say Hurricane Patricia has grown into the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western hemisphere, packing 200 mile per hour winds, and expected to dump up to a foot of rain likely to cause flash floods and mudslides when it makes landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast late Friday.” – Fox News

“Back in August, a pro-abort Obama-appointed federal judge in California, William Orrick, took to the field to protect the National Abortion Federation from public exposure as a truly evil and unethical organization. David Daleiden’s group, Center for Medical Progress, had video of a conclave of the baby-killing industry and the group didn’t want to be exposed so they got a federal judge to impose what can only be seen as prior-restraint.” – Red State

“Yesterday was slightly heavy on the breaking news front, so this (not unexpected) development went largely overlooked.  President Obama held a photo-op to highlight his decision to veto the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act, which appropriates $612 billion in defense spending — a figure that matches Obama’s military budget request.  Among other things, the legislation pays the troops and gives them a raise.  It sailed through the Senate with 70 votes, attracting dozens of Democratic votes at both ends of Capitol Hill.  But in an escalation of partisan politics, Obama has refused to sign the measure into law in an effort to coerce Republicans into caving into his domestic spending demands:” – Town Hall

“Presidential contender Ben Carson told Glenn Beck that he wants to ‘intensify’ the war on drugs.” – Reason.com

“If you haven’t heard of the screamingly unconstitutional John Doe raids here in Wisconsin, let me walk you through it: prosecutors sent teams of police to raid conservative’s homes in the early morning hours. The families were not allowed to call a lawyer or family, they were bound by gag orders, unable to defend themselves against the ludicrous political assault because they weren’t even told what the ‘investigation’ was about. Home and personal computers were seized, files and untold items taken but even at the end of the raid, the nightmare wasn’t over. You weren’t allowed to speak of it: at all. Not even to tell your inquiring neighbors, family, friends, or employer that you’re innocent.” – Hot Air

“Thursday on Fox News Channel’s ‘The Kelly File,’ host Megyn Kelly pressed Republican presidential hopeful former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) on his lagging poll numbers, particularly compared to his opponent, GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump.” – Breitbart

“Hillary Clinton broke out in laughter Thursday evening when asked by Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) if she was home alone on the night of the 2012 Benghazi attacks.” –The Blaze

“Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday celebrated her successful performance in front of House Select Committee on Benghazi in remarks delivered to a friendly crowed at that Democratic National Committee Women’s Leadership Forum.” –Washington Times

“The U.S. soldier killed during yesterday’s raid in Iraq to free hostages captured by ISIS has been identified as Delta Force Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler, 39, from Oklahoma:” –Twitchy

LOUISIANA

“LSU’s Les Miles took time out of preparing for this week’s game against Western Kentucky to talk running backs and eternity with a Mountain Brook teen who is now home from the hospital and under hospice care.” – NOLA.com

“Officials said a student at Golden Meadow Upper Elementary School discovered it in his bag and reported it to a teacher immediately.” –WDSU.com

“Some five million students in grades 3-8 took the PARCC exam in 12 jurisdictions. Louisiana was among them. Those results are now in.” – KPLCTV.com

“The Zachary Community School District led the state on Common Core-aligned tests given last spring, with 59 percent of its students achieving ‘mastery’ of subject matter, according to figures released by the state Department of Education.” – KATC.com

“In the numerous gubernatorial debates that have taken place over the past year, candidates have been asked time and time again what they will do about the massive state debt that continues to grow. How will they fill the financial hole that some say will approach two billion dollars in the coming year?” – Jim Brown 

“The news was shocking — a plane crash near my hometown of McComb, Miss. These things don’t happen here. But as my wife and I watched the news bulletins flash on TV, it was a big deal. It wasn’t a Cessna; it was a Convair CV 240, a twin engine, 40-passenger plane that was down in heavy woods near Gillsburg.” –NOLA.com

“About 300 people are waiting to get to Dallas Friday morning at Shreveport Regional Airport after weather delays caused more than a dozen planes to be diverted from the DFW Airport.” – KSLA.com

“The trial verdict that absolved Jefferson Parish and its then-president, Aaron Broussard, of blame for flooding thousands of homes and businesses during Hurricane Katrina has been upheld by the Louisiana’s 4^thCircuit Court of Appeal. The court, in a ruling issued Wednesday (Oct. 21), rejected all six arguments raised by the plaintiffs.” – NOLA.com

“Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon is blaming Gov. Bobby Jindal for the Office of Motor Vehicle’s decision to send out 1.2 million debt collection notices for fines on insurance-related violations.” – NOLA.com

“A tip led authorities Thursday afternoon to scour the woods off Nicholson Drive near a barn owned by a slain Baton Rouge couple, searching for possible human remains, but all they found were what’s believed to be animal bones.” – The Baton Rouge Advocate