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

COLLEGE FASCISM – FROM DAILY CALLER:  A student government leader at the University of Houston was suspended for 50 days and ordered to attend a diversity seminar after she criticized the Black Lives Matter movement online.  Shortly after the July 7 shooting in Dallas that killed five officers, Rohini Sethi went on Facebook and opined “Forget #BlackLivesMatter; more like AllLivesMatter.” The statement was later deleted, but only after numerous UH students denounced it as incredibly offensive or even hateful.  “Just for her to say, ‘forget Black Lives Matter,’ is a punch in the stomach,” student Nala Hughes told a local press outlet at the time.  Sethi serves as the vice president of UH’s student government association (SGA), and several UH students demanded her immediate removal.  I guess that the concept of all lives mattering is now considered racist.  I doubt that Dr. King would agree.

NUKE CONCERN AT OLYMPICS – FROM BRITAIN'S SUN:   EXPERTS from the United Nations have sent state-of-the art detection equipment to Brazil over fears suicidal terror nuts will target the Olympics with a devastating ‘dirty bomb’.  The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has loaned hi-tech radiation monitors – including personal detectors and portable scanners – for use on the ground throughout the Games.  Brazil’s anti-terror chief has already admitted there is a ‘credible threat’ ISIS will target Rio next month and said ‘numerous measures’ are being taken to prevent any attack.  Counter terrorism director Luiz Alberto Sallaberry said the threat had increased dramatically in recent months due to attacks across Europe  Great way to begin the Olympics.  Combine this with reports that security preparations have been lax and we have a truckload of worries.

SUPPORT FOR THIRD PARTIES RISES – FROM THE HILL:   Voters now confronted with the choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are making something abundantly clear: they want another option.  Surveys over the last six weeks have found a steady but noticeable jump in support for third-party candidates. The biggest beneficiary has been Libertarian Gary Johnson, who has shot up from 4.5 percent to 7.2 percent in RealClearPolitics polling averages. Green Party candidate Jill Stein has also seen an uptick since June — from 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent.  The surge in support for a third-party candidate is adding a new element of unpredictability into the presidential race. Should voters opt for a third-party candidate in large numbers, it could potentially tip the scales in crucial battleground states.  Pollsters and political scientists say the deep malcontent with Clinton and Trump should give both candidates pause.  The third parties could hold the balance of power.  All they have to do is deny victory to either major-party candidate in a few states, and the election could be thrown into the House of Representatives.

July 31,  2016