Donald Trump

Happening Today: Don McGahn, Jamal Khashoggi, Measles, Salmonella, Fluoride, ‘The Conners,' ‘Sesame Street'

What to Know

  • Officials say White House Counsel Don McGahn left the Trump administration
  • Six children in Brooklyn have been diagnosed with measles after one of them apparently returned from Israel with the disease, officials say
  • An overdose of pain pills may be the explanation for Roseanne Barr's absence from the Conner dining table on 'The Conners'

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Don McGahn Departs as White House Counsel, Officials Say

Officials say White House Counsel Don McGahn left the Trump administration, NBC News reported. News of McGahn's departure from the White House was first reported by The New York Times, which cited two people close to him. Two White House officials confirmed to NBC News that it was McGahn's last day. McGahn's departure comes a day after President Donald Trump told The Associated Press in an interview that Washington lawyer Pat Cipollone to serve as his next White House counsel. Trump in August said McGahn would leave the White House in the fall.

Man Linked to Saudi Prince at Consulate When Writer Vanished

A man who previously traveled with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's entourage to the United States entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul just before writer Jamal Khashoggi vanished there, according to images published by a pro-government Turkish newspaper. The Sabah newspaper's report showed the man also later outside the Saudi consul general's home, checking out of a Turkish hotel as a large suitcase stood by his side, and leaving Turkey on Oct. 2. The report came as Turkish crime-scene investigators finished a search of both the consul general's residence and a second search of the consulate itself amid Ankara's fears that Saudi authorities had Khashoggi killed and dismembered inside the diplomatic mission in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia, which initially called the allegations "baseless," has not responded to repeated requests for comment from The Associated Press over recent days.

6 Children in Brooklyn Diagnosed With Measles, Health Officials Say

Six children in Brooklyn have been diagnosed with measles after one of them apparently returned from Israel with the highly contagious disease and exposed others to it, city health officials say. The New York City Health Department says the child had gone to Israel, where a large outbreak of the disease is occurring, and returned to the Orthodox Jewish community in Williamsburg, where five others have since been diagnosed with measles this month. The six children range in age from 11 months to 4 years old. Five of the kids were unvaccinated before being exposed, including four because vaccination was delayed and one who was too young to have gotten the vaccine. The sixth child had gotten one dose of the vaccine before exposure, but wasn't yet immune. Complications from the disease put one child in the hospital with pneumonia, and another with an ear infection, health officials say.

Salmonella in Raw Chicken Makes 92 People Sick, CDC Says

Salmonella from raw chicken has made 92 people sick across 29 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The CDC says 21 people are sick enough to be hospitalized, although no one has died, NBC News reported. The salmonella strain making people sick is resistant to several of the antibiotics usually used to treat infection. “The outbreak strain of Salmonella was found in live chickens and in many types of raw chicken products, indicating it might be widespread in the chicken industry,” the CDC said in a statement.

Despite the Science, Cities Are Removing Fluoride From Water

Fluoride prevents cavities and tooth decay, something confirmed by numerous studies, yet a small but vocal minority has gotten dozens of cities to remove the naturally occurring compound from the water supply, NBC News reported. "Anti-fluoridationists" blame fluoride for lower IQs and diseases, despite long-established science. The American Dental Association says that 74 cities have voted to remove fluoride from their drinking water in the last five years, and proposed bans are on the ballot in two more cities this November. "You cannot tailor public health to the whims of a small group of people," said Dr. Johnny Johnson, a retired pediatric dentist who leads the nonprofit American Fluoridation Society. "If you are doing that, you are harming a large group of people." While nearly 75 percent of the United States gets fluoridated water, more than 80 percent of New Jersey residents do not, and the Texas Republican Party now opposes water fluoridation as well.

A Roseanne Barr-less 'The Conners' Is a Triumph

Can there be a "Roseanne" without Roseanne? The answer is yes, indeed. There can even be a pretty good sitcom. And you might not miss her that much. The first episode of "The Conners," spinoff of "Roseanne" without Roseanne Barr, aired Tuesday night. An overdose of pain pills may be the explanation for the contentious comedian's absence from the Conner dining table, but she still haunts it, at least in the new show's pilot. The writers — Bruce Helford, Bruce Rasmussen and Dave Caplan — have done an absolutely masterful job of tackling a post-Barr world, confronting sadness, cynicism and hopefulness in just the right amount of proportions. The pilot begins three weeks after Roseanne's funeral, with the family still coming to grips with its loss.

Puppeteer Who Played Big Bird on 'Sesame Street' Retiring

The Connecticut-based puppeteer who has played Big Bird on “Sesame Street” is retiring after nearly 50 years on the show. Caroll Spinney, of Woodstock, Connecticut, told the New York Times Thursday will be his last day on the program, which he joined from the start in 1969. In addition to Big Bird, the 84-year-old was also Oscar the Grouch. Spinney said, “I always thought, how fortunate for me that I got to play the two best Muppets?” Spinney said the physical requirements of performing the characters had become difficult and he developed problems with his balance. He stopped doing the puppeteering for Big Bird in 2015 and now only provides the voices for him and Oscar.

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