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Happening Today: Terror in London, North Korea, Immigration, Medicare Cards, Bette Midler

What to Know

  • South Korea's military said North Korea fired a missile from its capital that flew over Japan before landing in the Pacific Ocean
  • Medicare cards are getting a makeover to fight identity theft; no more Social Security numbers plastered on the card
  • Grammy, Tony and Emmy winner Bette Midler took a spill after a set malfunctioned during a staging of "Hello, Dolly!" revival on Broadway

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18 Hurt After Reportedly Explosive “Terror” Incident on London Subway

A reported explosion at a train station sent commuters stampeding in panic at the height of the city's morning rush hour, sending 18 people to London hospitals as police said they were investigating it as a terrorist attack. Photos taken inside a District Line train show a white plastic bucket inside a supermarket shopping bag. Flames and what appear to be wires can be seen. London ambulance services said they had sent multiple crews to the Parsons Green station. Police advised people to avoid the area in southwest London. The Twitter user who posted the image, @rrigs, said an "explosion" occurred and that a "fireball flew down carriage and we just jumped out open door," NBC News reported. A commuter whose train had just stopped at the station, Richard Aylmer-Hall, said he saw several people injured, apparently trampled as they fled what he described as a packed train. At capacity, the train could hold more than 800 people.

South Korea Says North Korea Fired Another Unidentified Missile Over Japan

South Korea's military said North Korea fired an unidentified missile from its capital Pyongyang that flew over Japan before landing in the northern Pacific Ocean. It was the second aggressive test-flight over the territory of the close U.S. ally in less than a month and it followed the sixth and most powerful nuclear test by North Korea to date on Sept. 3. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile traveled about 2,300 miles while reaching a maximum height of 478 miles. The missile was launched from Sunan, the site of Pyongyang's international airport. President Trump has been briefed on the latest launch. North Korea last month used the airport to fire a Hwasong-12 intermediate range missile that flew over northern Japan. The North then declared it a "meaningful prelude" to containing the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam and the start of more ballistic missile launches toward the Pacific Ocean.

Trump Tests Loyal Base With Immigration Flirtation With Dems

Few issues have animated President Trump's ardent supporters more than his pledge to build a wall along the nation's Southern border. Now, Trump's decision to put that promise aside — at least temporarily — while he pursues a deal with Democrats to protect young immigrants brought to the country illegally may test the limits of that loyalty. Some avid Trump backers praised the president as a pragmatist trying to make deals with whomever he can. But others recoiled at the prospect of Trump joining forces with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on immigration, and seeming to get little in return. Amy Kremer, who founded the group Women Vote Trump, likened the president's deal-making with Democrats to one of history's most notorious political flip-flops: President George H.W. Bush's broken campaign-trail vow that he wouldn't raise taxes.

At Least 9 Arrested at UC Berkeley Amid Planned Conservative Event

Hundreds of demonstrators from the left and the right gathered at UC Berkeley amid a heavy police presence as conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, a former Breitbart editor, made a speech on campus. Berkeley police, clad in riot gear, made at least three arrests, all for banned weapons, before the Shapiro event started at 7 p.m. More arrests were reported after the event. Later Thursday night, Berkeley police put the total number arrested at nine. While Shapiro was still speaking inside Zellerbach Hall, demonstrators began marching down Bancroft Avenue, and tensions began to rise. Immediately after Shapiro finished his speech and a lengthy question-and-answer session, the crowd filling the street remained peaceful. Later, one woman was injured in a scuffle over a sign and had to be taken away by ambulance.

Medicare Cards Being Remade to Protect Seniors

Medicare cards are getting a makeover to fight identity theft. No more Social Security numbers plastered on the card. Next April, Medicare will begin mailing every beneficiary a new card with a unique new number to identify them. "Criminals are increasingly targeting people age 65 and older for medical identity theft," Medicare chief Seema Verma told The Associated Press. "We are committed to preventing fraud." Medicare is revealing the cards' new design as the government gears up for a massive transition that will involve coordination with 58 million beneficiaries and their family members, plus hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, pharmacies and state governments.

Bette Midler Takes a Spill in Set Mishap During “Hello, Dolly!”

Grammy, Tony and Emmy winner Bette Midler took a spill after a set malfunctioned during a staging of the hit "Hello, Dolly!" revival on Broadway, according to members of the audience. Audience members posted on Twitter that the 71-year-old peformer fell from a moving set sometime after the curtains rose at Shubert Theatre for the 8 p.m. showtime, leaving them in darkness. But the show, as they say, went on. Midler returned to the stage about 20 minutes later to a thunderous applause, and finished the show. In all, she got four standing ovations after the mishap. The "First Wives Club" and "Hocus Pocus" actress tweeted after the show that she fell after two set pieces collided, and that she was fine.

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