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1. Pompeo listened to recording of Khashoggi’s alleged murder, Turkish source claims
President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday that “it certainly looks like” Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and he hinted there could be severe consequences if the Saudi government was responsible.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the president to give the Saudis, who Turkish officials accuse of killing Khashoggi, “a few more days” to complete their investigation, which he was promised would be “complete and thorough” during meetings in Riyadh this week.
A senior Turkish source told ABC News when Pompeo met with authorities in Ankara, he was allegedly played an audio recording of the journalist’s murder and given a transcript.
State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert denied the claim in a statement: “Secretary Pompeo has neither heard a tape nor has he seen a transcript related to Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance.”
The White House has withheld judgment on Khashoggi’s alleged murder, but as mounting evidence points to the Saudi royal family’s involvement, there’s now a “shift in tone,” according to ABC News Senior Foreign Correspondent Ian Pannell: “They’re still saying though they’re going to await the results of the Saudi investigation and the investigation here in Turkey.”
2. Migrant caravan moves north, Trump threatens to close border
The president is threatening to close the southern U.S. border and eliminate foreign aid as a caravan of more than 2,000 Honduran migrants approaches Mexico.
Mexico is sending planes full of federal police to the border with Guatemala to intercept the caravan, while also calling for assistance from the United Nations. Officials urge they are in favor of legal migration and the human rights of migrants.
“At this point they don’t want people who don’t have authority to cross the border,” ABC News’ Conor Finnegan, who covers the U.S. State Department, tells us. “What they will do, however, is process asylum seekers. Those are people who … could qualify as refugees who are fleeing the violence, the poverty, the corruption.”
3. The other side of the #MeToo movement
As women have come forward in the last year to tell their stories of sexual assault, a number of groups are now advocating for the rights of college men accused. ABC News’ Kyra Phillips investigates the other side of the #MeToo movement on campuses: “They believe male students accused of sexual misconduct don’t receive fair treatment from their schools.”
4. Facebook builds ‘war room’ to fight fake news
Between data privacy scandals and its role in spreading false information during the 2016 election, Facebook is working on earning back the trust of its users. The social media site unveiled a “war room” this week built in its Menlo Park, California, headquarters to protect the integrity of the midterms.
ABC News’ Zunaira Zaki, who covers technology and business, tells us Facebook is fighting an “existential threat.”
“While the company has come under a lot of criticism for not doing enough right away, at the moment they really have to show that they’re doing something in a tangible way to try and keep ‘fake news’ off of their platform.”
In other news:
Scoop slam: At Montana rally, Trump praises candidate who body-slammed reporter: Donald Trump kicked off a western tour in Montana on Thursday ostensibly to support Matt Rosendale as he attempts to unseat Sen. Jon Tester, but it was his praise for Congressman Greg Gianforte’s physical assault on a reporter that stole the show. Gianforte is running for re-election as the state’s lone seat in the House of Representatives, and made national headlines during a special election for assaulting a reporter in a moment caught on audio tape.
Sports scandal: Former Olympian says she was ‘manipulated’ into supporting USA Gymnastics: A former Olympic gymnast said in an exclusive interview with ABC News that she was sexually abused by former team doctor Larry Nassar for years, and claimed that in 2017, USA Gymnastics’ then-president manipulated her into agreeing to a statement of support for the organization. Tasha Schwikert told ABC News that, shortly before a February 2017 “60 Minutes” interview where three former gymnasts alleged sexual abuse by Nassar, Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics at the time, called her unexpectedly, saying, “We’re in some trouble.”
Rule breaker: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke violated travel policies: Watchdog: The Interior Department allowed Secretary Ryan Zinke to violate travel policies so his wife could travel with him, according to a report from the department’s internal watchdog. “We determined that, despite a DOI policy prohibiting non-Government employees from riding in Government vehicles, the DOI Office of the Solicitor’s Division of General Law approved Lolita Zinke and other individuals to ride in Government vehicles with Secretary Zinke,” according to the report obtained by ABC News.
A day at the beach: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle hit the beach for mental health awareness in Australia: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hit the beach Friday in Australia, where they donned floral leis and met with representatives of a mental health advocacy group — a key theme in their royal foundation’s work. The royal couple visited the iconic Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, during day three of their royal Down Under tour.
Comedian for a day: Outgoing UN Ambassador Nikki Haley jokes about Trump, Sen. Warren in speech: Outgoing U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley poked fun at President Donald Trump, his longtime rival Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other high-profile politicians in a lighthearted speech on Thursday. Haley showed off her aptitude for keeping a secret last week with a shocking resignation announcement, but she displayed a new talent during her speech in New York City on Thursday as she assumed the role of a comedian for the night.
From our partners at FiveThirtyEight:
Election Update: How The Latest Fundraising Numbers Shifted Our House Forecasts
‘Nightline’ Rewind: Here’s what you missed last night:
The accuser and the accused: The debate over sexual misconduct allegations on campus: Joseph Roberts, who said he was falsely accused of sexual harassment, said he and others like him have been denied due process on campus.
How David Guetta helped bring house music to the US and made his rise to the top: Guetta, dubbed the “grandfather of electronic dance music,” has worked with some of today’s most popular artists, including his favorite, Sia.
On this day in history:
Oct. 18, 1983 — Martin Luther King Day is established as a federal holiday.
Today’s must-see photo:
Students at Bryant Elementary School take cover under their desks during an earthquake drill as part of the Great ShakeOut event, Oct. 18, 2018, in San Francisco. Millions of people around the world participated in Great ShakeOut Earthquake drills to practice how to drop, cover and hold on in the event of an earthquake. (Photo credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
For more great photos from around the world click HERE.
What’s hot on social:
Surveillance footage from a doorbell security camera captured the heartbreaking moment a toddler was left abandoned outside a stranger’s home in the middle of the night in a suburb of Houston.
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