Here's a roundup of news trending across the nation and world today.
What to know now
1. Arkansas executions: Arkansas executed two inmates hours apart on Monday night after a U.S. district judge first issued a stay, then lifted it about an hour later. Jack Jones was executed first, then attorneys for Marcel Williams questioned whether Jones suffered unnecessarily during his execution. Williams was put to death just after 10 p.m. It's been 17 years since two men were executed on the same day at the same prison.
2. O'Reilly speaks: Bill O'Reilly said he was surprised to be fired from the Fox News Channel amid allegations he sexually harassed women and vowed that "the truth will come out." O'Reilly talked Monday about his firing on a podcast broadcast on his personal website. "I was very surprised how it all turned out." O'Reilly said. "… I can tell you that I'm very confident the truth will come out and when it does, I don't know if you're going to be surprised, but I think you're going to be shaken, as I am."
3. Dealing on border funds: President Donald Trump told a group of conservative media reporters on Monday that he would be willing to delay his demand that any government spending legislation includes funds to build a border wall. Trump said he would wait until the fall to press for the money to build the wall so a bipartisan deal on a bill to continue funding the government could go ahead this week. If a bill is not passed by Friday, some government services will shut down.
4. Senate to hear briefing: Every member of the U.S. Senate has been invited to the White House on Wednesday for a briefing on the situation in North Korea, according to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. The briefing will include updates from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, Spicer said. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, (R-Kentucky), convened the meeting.
5. Moran died from cancer: Former actress Erin Moran, who was found dead on Saturday in a small town in Indiana, "likely succumbed to complications of cancer," the Harrison County Coroner's Office said in a statement on Monday. Moran, 56, had suffered from stage four cancer, according to the statement. She starred in the sitcom "Happy Days."
And one more
A woman who claims Fox News host Sean Hannity invited her back to his hotel room when they were together at a book signing years ago said Monday that she had not intended to accuse the Fox News host of sexual harassment. Debbie Schlussel told LawNewz Network on Monday that she did not accuse Hannity of sexual harassment during a radio interview Friday, but simply meant she found his behavior "weird and creepy." Schlussel said Hannity's actions did not rise to the level of sexual harassment. Hannity threatened to sue Schlussel over comments she made in the radio interview.
Credit: Rick Scuteri
Credit: Rick Scuteri
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