Abu Wahib, as I've written before, is the most recognizable, telegenic and frightening looking ISIS fighter. He is the military commander for the Anbar province in Iraq. He has falsely been declared dead several times, including within the past year.

Yesterday, there were reports by pro-Kurdish tweeters saying he had been killed in Kobane. Others said he was killed in Ramadi.

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Opening arguments began today in the trial of Robel Phillipos, the third friend of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to be charged with a crime related to the removal of items from Tsarnaev's dorm room after Tsarnaev was identified as a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings.

He is charged with making false statements to the FBI. His defense: He was "stoned out of his mind."

Friend Azamat Tazhayakov was found guilty of obstruction of justice at a trial in July; Dias Kadyrbayev pleaded guilty to obstruction in August. Neither have been sentenced yet. A fourth friend, Steven Silva, is awaiting trial on gun charges.

I wonder if Joe Biden got any message from the complaints of his visit to Aspen. Today, freeways and other roads are closing in LA because he's attending private fundraisers.

The new season of Homeland begins now with a 1 hour and 45 minute episode.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Thanksgiving comes early for perennial gaffer Joe Biden. He has now apologized to the President of Turkey for his recent remarks that Turkey facilitated the growth of ISIS. Biden, speaking at an event, said:

"President Erdogan told me, he's an old friend, said, 'You were right. We let too many people through.' Now they are trying to seal their border,"

Turkish President Erdogan said Biden misquoted him and demanded an apology. Biden dutifully coughed one up. [More...]

Will the real liberal please stand up? An interesting and heated verbal battle between actor Ben Affleck and talk show host Bill Maher over Islam as a religion on Maher's show. Also chiming in: Nicholas Kristof, Michael Steele, and author Sam Harris.

My take: Maher and Harris should stay seated. They come off as total Islamophobes. Steele, the former chair of the Republican party expressed more progressive views than the two of them.

On October 1 and 2, 2014, ISIS attacked the Kurds at the south border entrance to Kobane, also called Ain al Arab. There are several buildings manned by Kurdish guards who fled. The empty station is littered with liquor bottles. (None of the following videos contain graphic images or dead bodies.)

The attack by ISIS is in this video. The fighters appear to be Chechen, and for a few seconds, starting at 1 min 04 sec in, I think you can see ISIS military commander Omar al Shishani, as he talks into a radio and barks commands, which the others then repeat and relay to the other fighters.[More...]

It's sundown here, the official start to Yom Kippur -- the Day of Atonement.

Yom Kippur is a day of reconciliation, when Jews strive to make amends with people and to draw closer to God through prayer and fasting. The ten days leading up to Yom Kippur are known as the Ten Days of Repentance. During this period Jews are encouraged to seek out anyone they may have offended and to sincerely request forgiveness so that the New Year can begin with a clean slate.

To those of you observing the holiday, G'mar Hatimah Tovah - May You Be Sealed for a Good Year (in the Book of Life).

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

ISIS, through al Furqan Media, released a video of the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning. The same black-clad executioner in the Foley, Sotloff and Haines videos appears with him. (Not a link to video, just to article describing it.)

The videos seem to be getting shorter. This one is only 1 minute and 11 seconds, and the first 30 seconds or so is a tv reporter announcing Britain's intent to conduct air strikes.

The video ends with American Peter Kassig, a former Army Ranger and aid worker in Lebanon, in the kneeling position and clad in orange. The killer says he is next. He says to Obama, since he keeps striking ISIS with airstrikes, ISIS will strike the necks of "your people." Here is a 2013 interview of Kassig by Time Magazine. CNN published this article in Kassig in 2012. From an article published in Sept. 2013:

SERA was founded in late 2012 by Peter Kassig, a 24-year-old Army Ranger and Indiana native who returned from Iraq intent on mitigating the carnage of war. Kassig, who’s an EMT, lives with Eliot in Gaziantep and frequently forays into war-torn Syrian towns like Deir Ezzor to lead training sessions, distribute supplies, and provide basic medical care.

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The U.S. has set up a webpage for the fight against ISIS. Here is the Defense Department's latest report.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Real Housewives of New Jersey co-star Teresa Giudiuce was sentenced to 15 months in prison yesterday, while her husband Joe received a 41 month sentence, in a federal fraud case. The Indictment included 41 counts of bank fraud, loan application fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and mail and wire fraud. Joe was also charged with tax offenses. Teresa pleaded guilty to four counts and Joe to five.

While I've never seen their TV show, I think the case has some interesting elements worth discussing.

Broadchurch is a really good English murder series that aired last year and will be back for Season 2. For some unfathomable reason, Fox has made a so-called "American" prime-time version of it called Gracepoint, which began airing tonight. Why bother? We didn't need translation, both were in English. It uses the screenshots from the English version and features the lead actor from Broadchurch(who now speaks with an American accent.) Even Ana Gunn can't save it. The actress playing her role in Broadchurch was much better. [More...]