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BREAKING NEWS: U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. and House Oversight Committee chairman, died early Thursday at age 68, according to his office. Cummings' office released a statement, saying, "At approximately 2:45 a.m. on Thursday Oct. 17, 2019, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (MD-07) passed away at Johns Hopkins Hospital due to complications concerning longstanding health challenges." Stay with Fox News for further developments

Pelosi, Trump accuse each other of 'meltdown' after Dems storm out of Syria meeting

One thing is clear after top Democrats stormed out of a White House meeting with President Trump on Wednesday: The tension between the president and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has reached a boiling point -- and now observers wonder if they’ll ever be able to work together.

Afterward, Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer held an impromptu news conference outside the White House, telling reporters they walked out of the meeting on Syria policy after Trump allegedly called Pelosi either a "third-rate politician" or "third-grade politician" and angrily suggested the Democrats probably appreciated communist Islamic State terrorists in the Middle East.

"What we witnessed on the part of the president was a meltdown, sad to say," Pelosi, D-Calif., said. She added later, at the Capitol: "I pray for the president all the time, and I tell him that -- I pray for his safety and that of his family. Now, we have to pray for his health -- because this was a very serious meltdown on the part of the president."

A senior Democratic aide told Fox News that Trump began the meeting by remarking that "someone wanted this meeting so I agreed to it." Trump also reportedly told Pelosi, "I hate ISIS more than you do," prompting Pelosi to respond, "You don't know that." The meeting devolved after that point, according to several sources. As the Democrats walked out, Trump reportedly remarked, "I'll see you at the polls."

Trump, for his part, tweeted photos from the meeting, including one showing Pelosi standing across the table from him and pointing her finger at the president. Trump captioned the photo, "Nervous Nancy's unhinged meltdown!" (Pelosi later used that photo on her official Twitter account.) Click here for more on this story.

Trump tells Turkey’s Erdogan, ‘Don’t be a tough guy,’ ahead of visit from Pence, Pompeo: Before the dramatic developments at the White House, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday he will speak to Vice President Mike Pence and a U.S. delegation heading to Ankara over a potential ceasefire deal in Syria after apparently snubbing the group earlier in the morning. Pence, heading a U.S. contingent that includes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien, was set to arrive in Turkey on Thursday. House lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan resolution opposing Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria. Fox Business' Trish Regan exclusively obtained a letter from Trump to Erdogan, urging him, “Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool,” and "work out a good deal!"

Biden ramps up attacks on Warren, dismisses her as a fellow front-runner

One day after arguably being overshadowed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren at the Democrats’ debate in Ohio, Joe Biden downplayed her recent gains in the polls and repeatedly criticized the progressive senator from Massachusetts. In Columbus, Ohio, Biden questioned Warren’s honesty and pushed back against the media’s labeling of her as a "co-front-runner." “I haven’t seen any polling showing that nationally, on average, that anybody else is a front-runner,” Biden said. “You guys keep talking about that.”

Biden's new attacks on Warren come as it appears every member of the "Squad" may not be "all in" on endorsing Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., just yet.

Rick Perry contacted Giuliani at Trump's direction on concerns about Ukraine corruption: Wall Street Journal

Energy Secretary Rick Perry, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, said President Trump directed him to seek out his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani this spring to address the president's concerns about alleged Ukrainian corruption. The Journal reported that Perry "said he contacted Mr. Giuliani in an effort to ease a path to a meeting between Mr. Trump and his new Ukrainian counterpart" and that there were concerns about Ukraine's alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Perry told the Journal he never heard Trump or Giuliani discuss the possibility of investigating Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Chicago teachers expected to strike after rejecting contract offer

The Chicago Teacher’s Union rejected a final contract offer from Chicago Public Schools on Wednesday, making it likely that more than 25,000 teachers and support personnel will strike beginning Thursday. Nearly 400,000 students and families stand to be affected. Classes were preemptively canceled Thursday due to the prospect of a job action, though school buildings were scheduled to remain open and meals will be served.

Megyn Kelly calls on NBC to have 'outside investigator' probe shocking sex allegations

In her first televised interview since leaving NBC News last year, Megyn Kelly told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson that the Peacock Network needs an "outside investigator" to probe the shocking sexual misconduct allegations made by some former NBC employees. "There needs to be an outside investigation into this company,” Kelly told Carlson. “They investigated themselves. That doesn't work.”

In his new book, "Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators," Pulitzer-winning journalist Ronan Farrow details the resistance he says he faced from his former bosses at NBC News while reporting on disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein. The book exposes several allegations against former “Today” anchor Matt Lauer. Farrow contends top executives knew about the accusations longer than they claimed and were intent on quashing allegations of sexual misconduct by Weinstein and simultaneously keeping a lid on claims against Lauer. Click here for more on this story.



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#TheFlashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."



SOME PARTING WORDS

Laura Ingraham says the biggest winner in the latest Democratic primary debate was, once again, President Trump. Democrats, she argues, didn't display any agenda except to oppose the president.

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Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Enjoy your day! We'll see you in your inbox first thing on Friday morning.

