What to Know
- The lion's share of attention at the U.N. General Assembly will be down the hall where Trump will be chairing the Security Council
- The number of babies born with syphilis has doubled since 2013 and is at a 20-year high, federal health officials said
- Doughnuts will still be on the menu, but Dunkin' Donuts is renaming itself 'Dunkin' to reflect its emphasis on coffee and other drinks
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Are They Ready? Kavanaugh, Ford Prep for High-Stakes Hearing
On Thursday morning, a psychology professor from California will sit before lawmakers to accuse a Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault — while all of Washington, and much of the nation, watches it live. It's a high-stakes, high-drama moment with the power to sink Judge Brett Kavanaugh's chances of winning a seat on the high court and to shift the dynamic in the upcoming midterm elections. How will Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford prepare for the make-or-break event? Here's a look at what it takes to get ready for a public grilling. First, they will practice. Both Kavanaugh and Ford have undoubtedly spent time with lawyers and other experts in the art of mounting a strong public defense. These sessions can be nasty, merciless and rough — often called murder boards. Justices John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor all underwent this grilling before their confirmation hearings.
With Bated Breath, UN Awaits Another First for Trump
More world leaders step up to the podium at the U.N. General Assembly but the lion's share of attention will be down the hall where U.S. President Trump will be chairing the Security Council. It'll be Trump's first experience in leading a session of the U.N.'s most powerful body, where the U.S. currently holds the rotating presidency — a perch it is using to double down on its criticism of Iran. While the meeting of the council will be addressing the issue of nonproliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, Trump himself has left little doubt that it'll be another chance to target Tehran. On Tuesday, during an unabashedly "America First" speech, Trump said Iranian leaders "sow chaos, death and destruction" and "spread mayhem across the Middle East and far beyond." His national security adviser, John Bolton, warned that there would be "hell to pay" if Tehran crossed the U.S., its allies or their partners.
Number of Babies Born With Syphilis Hits 20-Year High, CDC Says
The number of babies born with syphilis has doubled since 2013 and is at a 20-year high, federal health officials said. More than 900 U.S. babies were born infected with syphilis in 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. It’s easy to cure a syphilis infection with antibiotics, but the sexually transmitted infection often does not cause immediate symptoms and people may not know they have it, NBC News reported. It can kill babies, however. The CDC says 40 percent of babies infected with syphilis are stillborn or die soon after they are born. Others are born prematurely. Those who survive can develop deformed bones, severe anemia, meningitis, blindness and deafness.
Pills for Appendicitis? Surgery Often Not Needed, Study Says
When emergency tests showed the telltale right-sided pain in Heather VanDusen's abdomen was appendicitis, she figured she'd be quickly wheeled into surgery. But doctors offered her the option of antibiotics instead. A new study from Finland shows her choice is a reasonable alternative for most patients with appendicitis. Five years after treatment with antibiotics, almost two-thirds of patients hadn't had another attack. It's a substantial change in thinking about how to treat an inflamed appendix. For decades, appendicitis has been considered a medical emergency requiring immediate surgery to remove the appendix because of fears it could burst, which can be life-threatening. But advances in imaging tests, mainly CT scans, have made it easier to determine if an appendix might burst, or if patients could be safely treated without surgery.
Just Dunkin': Dunkin' Donuts to Change Its Name
Dunkin' is dropping the donuts - from its name, anyway. Doughnuts are still on the menu, but the company is renaming itself "Dunkin'" to reflect its increasing emphasis on coffee and other drinks. The change will officially take place in January, when the new name will start appearing on napkins, boxes and signs at its U.S. stores. The name change will eventually be adopted by international stores. Dunkin' has more than 12,500 restaurants globally. The 68-year-old chain says its new logo will still have the familiar rounded font and orange-and-pink color scheme that the company has used since 1973. Canton, Massachusetts-based Dunkin' says the name change is one of several things it's doing to stay relevant to younger customers.
'This Is Us' Season 3 Premiere Sneak Peek: Why Is Beth Swearing on Oprah Winfrey?
Would you swear on Oprah Winfrey? That's something Randall (Sterling K. Brown) asks his wife, Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) to do in the exclusive sneak peek of the "This Is Us" season three premiere. It's the Big Three's birthdays yet again and the Pearson family is all coming together under Randall's roof. It's a full house, Deja (Lyric Ross) is back with them, as is Zoe (Melanie Liburd), Beth's cousin, who is working on a documentary and staying with the family. As viewers know, Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Zoe eventually head to Vietnam, those events were witnessed in the season two finale flashforward, but what they don't know is Beth isn't on board with the new couple.
Will Smith Marks 50th Birthday With a Leap Near Grand Canyon
Like a scene out of a high-octane action movie that he would star in, Will Smith celebrated his 50th birthday by successfully bungee jumping from a helicopter near the Grand Canyon. Cameras, which captured the stunt for a livestream on YouTube, showed the actor hooked to a harness and bungee cords dangling over a gorge in northeastern Arizona. "This is some of the most beautiful stuff I've ever seen in my life," Smith said while still swinging over the chasm. He described the experience as going "from pure terror to absolute bliss." The entire event had the feel of a polished episode of reality TV. Camera crews showed Smith, wife Jada Pinkett Smith and his three children being greeted by dozens of relatives and friends on a platform.
