Thursday morning news: October 25, 2018

Explosive devices sent to prominent Democrats » Federal investigators are working to determine who sent a series of explosive devices to prominent Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

CLINTON: We are fine thanks to the men and women of the Secret Service, who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it made its way to our home.

No one else was harmed either. The packages arrived Tuesday night and Wednesday at several locations. A crude bomb was also addressed to former Attorney General Eric Holder but that package wound up being forwarded to the return address on the envelope, which was the Florida office of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Someone also sent a bomb to the New York office of CNN. New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill told reporters…

O’NEILL: Responding officers found a device that appeared to be a live explosive device. NYPD bomb squad responded, secured the device and removed it for investigation. 

A similar explosive device was discovered Tuesday at the estate of billionaire Democratic donor George Soros.

Investigators described the devices as pipe bombs, adding that they appeared to come from the same source.

At the White House on Wednesday President Trump condemned the attempted attacks and said our nation’s leaders must send a clear, unified message…

TRUMP: That acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America.

Trump signs opioid bill / overdose deaths leveling off » Moments after addressing the bomb scares, President Trump signed into law a bipartisan bill aimed at fighting the opioid crisis. The president said his administration is determined to beat the scourge of drug addiction.

TRUMP: We are going to end it or we are going to at least make an extremely big dent in this terrible, terrible problem. 

Nearly 48,000 people died last year from overdoses involving opioids. Overall, U.S. drug overdose deaths have started to level off, but Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says it’s too soon to declare victory.

The legislation signed Wednesday covers not only opioids but any kind of substance abuse. It will add treatment options and get the U.S. Postal Service to screen overseas packages for a synthetic form of opioids called fentanyl, largely being shipped from China.

Saudi Crown Prince denounces Khashoggi’s killing » Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday called the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi a “heinous crime that cannot be justified.”

He made the remarks during the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh.

Turkish investigators believe the crown prince ordered Khashoggi’s murder inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. But bin Salman denies any involvement … and the prince—heard here through an interpreter—said many are trying to use the incident to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

SALMAN: I want to send them a message. They will not be able to do that as long as there is a king called King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

Meantime, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said once again on Wednesday that his country will not allow the perpetrators to escape justice. But in denouncing Khashoggi’s killing, Erdogan has not mentioned the crown prince by name

Virginia AG opens clergy sex abuse probe » Virginia’s attorney general has joined officials from around the country investigating possible clergy sexual abuse.

Attorney General Mark Herring said Wednesday that his office and the Virginia State Police are looking into whether sexual abuse of children took place in the state. They’re also investigating whether any Roman Catholic Church officials may have covered up any such crimes.

Herring said he has set up a hotline and online reporting form for any victims to report abuse.

Second caravan forming in Guatemala » As a caravan of more than 7,000 Central American migrants makes its way through Mexico en route to the U.S. border,  a second caravan of migrants has formed in its wake. WORLD Radio’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: As many as 2,500 people have gathered in Guatemala near the border with Honduras. They’re preparing to march north in the footsteps of another large migrant caravan in what may be a growing trend.  

Mexico’s government warns that those who break its immigration laws won’t reach the U.S. border. But Mexican officials were unable to stop the first caravan from overwhelming its border patrols.

Charity workers report that many migrants are banding together for safety and to avoid paying thousands of dollars to human traffickers, known as coyotes, for transport to the U.S. Some migrants say they also hope marching in large numbers will draw attention to dire conditions in their home countries.

But the caravans are also drawing the attention of the White House. President Trump has vowed that they will not be allowed to enter the U.S., saying he’ll deploy the military to the border if necessary.

Reporting for WORLD Radio, I’m Kristen Flavin.

I’m Kent Covington. Up next: a study on theological beliefs in America. Plus, commentary from Andrée Seu Peterson. This is The World and Everything in It.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon) A U.S. Postal Service mail box is seen at a checkpoint near the home of President Barack Obama, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, in Washington.

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