What to Know
- With the country on edge over a widening pipe-bomb scare, talk of national unity quickly gave way to finger-pointing
- The NJ DOH is investigating a bacterial infection in the neonatal ICU at a hospital, which could have contributed in the death of an infant
- Megyn Kelly was absent from her morning show following a controversy over her comments about blackface and a source says an exit may be near
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Call for Unity Amid Bomb Scare Shelved for Political Barbs
It didn't last. With the country on edge over a widening pipe-bomb scare, talk of national unity quickly gave way to finger-pointing. President Trump cast blame on the media for fomenting anger in society, while candidates across the country traded partisan broadsides. Less than two weeks before midterm elections, the discovery of pipe bombs sent to prominent Democrats — an episode that might have prompted national reflection in another era — hardly made a ripple on the campaign trail. Attack ads remained on the air. Attack lines stayed in stump speeches. The president did not deliver a speech from the Oval Office or reach out to his predecessor, one of the targets of the threat. He did return to his favorite punching bag. "A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News," Trump wrote on Twitter Thursday. "It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!"
Trump May Halt Entry for Migrants Seeking Asylum on Southern Border
The Trump administration is drafting an executive action that would make it exceedingly difficult for Central American migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border to gain entry, three sources familiar with the proposed measures told NBC News. The exact details have not yet been finalized, the sources said. The news comes as President Trump and National Security Adviser John Bolton have grown increasingly frustrated with the rising number of undocumented immigrants crossing the southern border and the Honduran migrant caravan currently making its way to the U.S. "The administration is considering a wide range of administrative, legal and legislative options to address the Democrat-created crisis of mass illegal immigration," a White House official said. "No decisions have been made at this time. Nor will we forecast to smugglers or caravans what precise strategies will be employed." One piece of the action under consideration would use an authority similar to that invoked by the travel ban, which would block entry to unauthorized immigrants who are not yet in the U.S., said the three sources. However, if these immigrants cross the U.S.-Mexico border and claim asylum, they would have the ability to apply for asylum.
NJ DOH Investigates Outbreak at NJ Hospital; 1 Baby Dead
Local
The New Jersey Department of Health is investigating a bacterial infection in the neonatal intensive care unit at a New Jersey hospital, which could have contributed in the death of an infant. Health officials announced they first became aware of the Acinetobacter baumannii infection at University Hospital in Newark on Oct. 1. A premature baby who had been cared for at the hospital and had the bacteria was transferred to another facility and passed away toward the end of September, before the Department's notification of problems in the NICU, health officials say. Because of the other compounding medical conditions the baby had the exact cause of death is still being investigated.
Megyn Kelly in Talks to Exit NBC, Sources Say
Megyn Kelly was absent from her NBC News morning show following this week's controversy over her comments about blackface, amid indications that her time at the network could be ending after less than two years. "Conversations have already started about Megyn's exit from the network," said a source familiar with the situation. An NBC spokesperson said that "given the circumstances," the network was airing repeats of "Megyn Kelly Today." During a segment about Halloween costumes on Tuesday, Kelly defended the use of blackface while discussing a cast member of "Real Housewives of New York City" who darkened her face for a Diana Ross costume. She said it was acceptable when she was a kid when portraying a character.
Michael Phelps Recalls Depression Battle: 'I Just Didn't Want to Be Alive'
Michael Phelps is smiling more nowadays, as a married father of two and the recipient of a record 28 Olympic medals that make the retired swimming champion the most successful Olympian of all time. But amid his successes came moments of sheer darkness. In an interview on the "Today" show, the 33-year-old recalls his mental health struggles. At his lowest point, in October 2014, soon after a DUI arrest that led to a rehab stint, Phelps was so depressed he did not leave his room for several days and even contemplated suicidal. "I was so down on myself," he said. "I didn't have any self-love and quite honestly, I just didn't want to be alive. It was a really, really, really crazy time for me and I didn't want to see anybody, because for me, I saw myself as letting so many people down and me, myself in particular, and that's hard to carry. And I think over those three or four days, where I didn't want to leave my room, I didn't want to talk to anybody, I finally realized that I can ask for help and it's OK to not be OK and for me, that's what changed my life."
