Happening Today: Brett Kavanaugh, UN, West Nile, Bill Cosby, Celine Dion

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Faced With Another Accuser, Republicans Fight for Brett Kavanaugh

The first allegation against Brett Kavanaugh left Republicans rattled and nervous. The second left them angry and ready to fight back. The GOP punched back hard, seeming to cast aside — for now — worries that President Trump's Supreme Court nominee could turn off female voters and sink their hopes of holding complete control of Congress following the November midterms. Rather than peel away from Kavanaugh, many GOP senators seemed to stiffen their resolve. The decision was in part based on the details of a new allegation. Many Republicans dismissed a report published late Sunday in The New Yorker magazine as weak and unsubstantiated — allowing them to turn their aim on the media, a well-worn and effective tactic. And some Republicans worried that not doing enough to push Kavanaugh across the finish line would hurt their standing with the GOP base heading into the midterms. Kavanaugh has vehemently denied both allegations.

Messy Domestic Politics Overshadow Trump's Address to UN

President Donald Trump charged into office on the resonance of his aggressive "America First" agenda, but now, as he returns to the pinnacle of global diplomacy, he can't escape the growing shadows of domestic political troubles. Between promoting the wisdom of his rapprochement with North Korea's Kim Jong Un and railing against Iran's malign influence across the Middle East, Trump is finding himself forced to confront the salacious and embarrassing as he participates in the U.N. General Assembly. White House aides had cast Trump's visit to New York in triumphal terms: an opportunity to assert American sovereignty before the multinational body. He was set to be unapologetic about his decisions to engage with the erstwhile pariah North Korea, remove the U.S. from the Iran nuclear accord and object to U.N. aid programs he believes are contrary to American interests. Trump is to address the General Assembly on Tuesday morning and will chair a meeting Wednesday of the U.N. Security Council on the topic of counterproliferation. The four days of choreographed foreign affairs were to stand in contrast to a presidency largely defined by disorder.

Embattled Rod Rosenstein, Future in Doubt, to Meet With Trump Thurs.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will meet on Thursday with President Trump, the White House said, amid conflicting reports about Rosenstein's fate in the administration. Trump has been weighing whether to fire him, and a report that Rosenstein, who has been overseeing the special counsel's Russia investigation, was resigning set off hours of speculation in media reports. But press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' statement on the meeting appeared to demonstrate that Rosenstein would remain secure in his role for at least a few days. Sanders indicated that Rosenstein, who was at the White House for hours, talked to Trump. The president is in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly. NBC News worked to confirm multiple reports that Rosenstein was being fired or resigning. Sources close to Rosenstein and the president offered contradictory claims about the deputy attorney general's position in the administration.

2 Die as Human Cases of West Nile Virus Reach Record Highs in NJ

Nearly three dozen human cases of West Nile virus, two of them fatal, have been reported in New Jersey so far this year, authorities said. Both victims who died -- a 62-year-old man and an elderly woman -- were from Bergen County and died this month. New Jersey reported two West Nile-related deaths in 2017, two in 2016 and three in 2015. None of those were in Bergen County. In total, the state has seen 31 cases in 2018, up from just eight human cases in 2017 -- a spike health officials attribute at least in part to the hot and wet summer weather being prime conditions for mosquitoes. West Nile is most commonly spread to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes. The most common times for transmission to humans are the summer through fall, and there are no vaccines or medications to treat it when contracted by humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about one in five people who are infected develop a fever or mild symptoms like body aches and headache.

Bill Cosby Prosecutor Asks for 5 to 10 Years in Prison

Declaring Bill Cosby doesn't deserve a free pass because of his advanced age, prosecutors asked a judge to sentence the comedian to five to 10 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman, while the defense argued that he is too old and helpless to do time behind bars. "What does an 81-year-old man do in prison?" defense attorney Joseph Green asked on Day 1 of the sentencing hearing for Cosby, who is legally blind and dependent on others. "How does he fight off the people who are trying to extort him, or walk to the mess hall?" Green suggested that Cosby instead receive something akin to house arrest. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said that he has no doubt Cosby would commit another such offense if given the opportunity, warning that the TV star seemingly gets a sexual thrill out of slipping women drugs and assaulting them. Judge Steven O'Neill is expected to sentence Cosby on Tuesday.

Celine Dion's Las Vegas Residency Won't Go On After Next Year

Celine Dion is saying au revoir to her Las Vegas residency next year. The singer announced on social media she will leave Caesars Palace in June 2019. Dion wrote in a Facebook post that the decision brings mixed emotions as the Colosseum venue has been a big part of her life for the past 20 years. "Las Vegas has become my home and performing at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace has been a big part of my life for the past two decades," Dion wrote. "It's been an amazing experience and I'm so grateful to all the fans who have come to see us throughout the years." This will mark the end of her second long-running residency at Caesars Palace.