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

START OF A MOVEMENT? – FROM COLLEGE FIX:  BOSTON — Hundreds of demonstrators converged in Boston’s Copley Square on Sunday to show support for Students for Fair Admissions just as the organization begins its battle in federal court against the Ivy League institution.  Students for Fair Admissions has sued Harvard, alleging discrimination in admissions practices, specifically against Asian Americans. The rally, hosted by the Asian American Coalition for Education, along with other organizations, was titled “Rally for the American Dream — Equal Education Rights for All.”  As the demonstration unfolded, dozens of American flags waved in the air. Appeals to famous Martin Luther King Jr. expressions peppered speeches. A giant banner thanking President Trump for advocating for meritocracy was unfurled nearby, although no speakers mentioned the president directly in speeches.  “Harvard is an American gem,” said Edward Blum, founder of Students for Fair Admissions. “We are not here to bash Harvard. We are here specifically because their admissions practices are discriminatory. Your race shouldn’t help you or hurt you.”  Do not underestimate the importance of this case.  Asian Americans are rightly fed up with admissions practices that discriminate against them because they are so damned good.  Diversity, you know, trumps all.  This case is bringing Asian Americans alive politically.  It may reach the Supreme Court, with dramatic consequences.

SOME PEOPLE STAY TOO LONG – FROM FOX:  Hillary Clinton vehemently denied in a recent interview that her husband’s extramarital affair with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky was an abuse of power and added that former President Bill Clinton was right not to resign amid a scandal that led to his impeachment on perjury and obstruction charges.  “Absolutely not,” the former first lady said during a CBS "Sunday Morning" interview when asked if Bill Clinton should have stepped down.  “It wasn't an abuse of power?” CBS News correspondent Tony Dokoupil asked.  Clinton responded: “No. No.”  Hillary Clinton, who went on to be elected to the Senate and served as President Obama’s secretary of state, said the relationship was not an abuse of power because Lewinsky “was an adult.” At the time of the affair, Lewinsky was 22.  And the outrage is that the political left will buy that argument.

SO SAD – FROM CNBC:   Sears Holdings plans to file for bankruptcy protection after midnight in the East Coast, culminating the collapse of what was once America's largest retailer, people familiar with the situation tell CNBC.  As part of the bankruptcy plan, Sears will immediately close roughly 150 of its stores, people familiar with the matter have said. It has approximately 700 stores.  It is unclear how the closures would impact Sears's workers, who totaled roughly 90,000 in February 2018.  Sears will aim to stay in operations through the holidays, during which it will seek a buyer. That buyer could include its CEO, Eddie Lampert, or others who wish to make a higher bid.  An American institution.  At one time you could find a Sears catalogue in almost every American home.  And guys love buying Craftsman tools.  I can see a Sears sign from my window.  I guess it will soon go dark.

October 14, 2018