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After seemingly burying their head in the sand as calls for the investigation of NBC News honchos Noah Oppenheim and Andy Lack gained in volume, NBCUniversal finally came up for air Wednesday to defend their beleaguered execs, before yet another raft of calls were made for the Peacock Network to clean up its act.

Ronan Farrow’s book, “Catch and Kill,” details claims that NBC refused to expose movie mogul Harvey Weinstein as a sexual predator and wasn’t truthful regarding knowledge of alleged sexual misconduct by former “Today” co-host Matt Lauer.

WOMEN’S GROUP CALLS FOR DEMS TO PULL MSNBC DEBATE AMID ‘CULTURE OF SEXUAL ABUSE’ AT NBC NEWS

Oppenheim, the president of NBC News, has downplayed Farrow’s reporting, but the book’s release has put the scandal back in the national spotlight, adding pressure to NBCUniversal and its parent company Comcast.

Hilary Smith, NBCUniversal senior vice president of communications, responded to NPR’s David Folkenflik Wednesday after what he called “four days of corporate silence.”

“The top leaders of NBC News still have the confidence of senior leadership within the company,” Smith told NPR.

Smith and other NBCUniversal communications executives have not responded to a series of requests for comment from Fox News made this week.

However, Smith declaring that Lack, chairman of NBC News, and Oppenheim “still have the confidence” of NBCUniversal leaders didn’t silence critics.

NBC NEWS BOSS ANDY LACK TAKES AIM AT FARROW’S CLAIMS HE WAS BLOCKED FROM REPORTING ON ALLEGED WEINSTEIN CRIMES

On Thursday night alone, Farrow took his media blitz to Fox News and told Bret Baier that NBC News “didn’t behave journalistically,” while former NBC News host Megyn Kelly told “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that NBCUniversal should launch an independent investigation, as former NBC News correspondent Linda Vester continued to speak out about the culture of her former employer.

Vester accused NBC News legend Tom Brokaw – who denied all wrongdoing and remains at the network — of sexual misconduct in the spring of 2018 and founded Silence Breakers Alliance, a group aimed to help victims speak out.

“NBC was not honest when it conducted its own internal investigation of sexual misconduct… we don’t have the truth yet. It seems that the coverup continues at NBC News,” Vester told Fox News’ Shannon Bream.

NBC NEWS BOSS ANDY LACK’S LEADERSHIP SCRUTINIZED AS RONAN FARROW TELL-ALL APPROACHES

“Everybody knew, we all knew Matt [Lauer] was dangerous” Vester said. “He had to be avoided at all costs.”

UltraViolet Action, a leading national women’s organization, has called on the Democratic National Committee to pull its upcoming debate from MSNBC unless NBC News “cleans house” and launches an independent investigation into “allegations of a culture of sexual abuse” at the network.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI PUBLICLY SUPPORTED NEWS VET BROKAW AMID MISCONDUCT CLAIMS, PRIVATELY APOLOGIZED

“The DNC needs to make it clear that they support survivors of sexual abuse and cancel the upcoming 2020 Democratic presidential primary debate on MSNBC until Comcast and NBC News take clear steps to clean up the toxic culture that exists across their networks,” UltraViolet co-founder Shaunna Thomas said in a statement.

“Mounting reports show that NBC News executives – namely Noah Oppenheim – failed to hold sexual abusers accountable, failed to combat a toxic culture across newsrooms, and that the network’s so-called investigation into its culture was little more than a sham to provide cover for executives,” Thomas added. “The DNC must stand with survivors and pull the upcoming democratic presidential primary debate from MSNBC until Comcast takes clear steps to clean house at NBC News.”

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Oppenheim, who maintains that Farrow simply has “an axe to grind” against NBC, was recently mocked by his own staff when he attempted to field questions from concerned employees.

The continued calls for action came one day after MSNBC’s Chris Hayes admitted his news division was “embroiled in a very public controversy over its conduct” and appeared to side with Farrow’s reporting over the talking points that have been provided by Oppenheim.

“Ronan Farrow walked out of NBC News after working on the Weinstein story, and within two months published an incredible article at The New Yorker that not only won a Pulitzer, but helped trigger a massive social and cultural reckoning that continues to this day,” Hayes said. “The path of least resistance for those with power was not to cross Weinstein or his army of friends and lawyers.”

A 69-year-old woman is recovering from a leg injury Thursday after she inadvertently sat in sulfuric acid days before while onboard a public transit bus in New Jersey, officials say.

Police told NJ.com that the woman boarded a New Jersey Transit bus in Lodi Sunday afternoon and immediately felt a pain in her leg after sitting down. The bus then was evacuated and a Bergen County Hazmat team was called to the scene to investigate.

4 DEAD IN UTAH TOUR BUS CRASH

The website reports that authorities described the substance the woman sat on as sulfuric acid, while transit officials called it a liquid.

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The woman was treated at a local hospital and no other passengers were injured.

An investigation is now underway to determine how the liquid got there.

Teresa Giudice’s lawyer is setting the record straight after she seemingly confessed to cheating on her husband, Joe, in a new “Real Housewives of New Jersey” teaser.

Teresa is seen in the clip for Season 10 showing off a picture of a shirtless man she says she “hooked up” with. However, her lawyer told Us Weekly that the big confession is nothing more than an editing misunderstanding.

“The clip in the newer supertease is Teresa, her brother and a lifelong friend named Tony talking about Teresa and Tony kissing when they were in high school more than 25 years ago,” James Leonard Jr. told the outlet.

JOE GIUDICE’S SHOCKING TRANSFORMATION REVEALED AFTER HE’S RELEASED FROM ICE CUSTODY

The 47-year-old “RHONJ” star shocked viewers when it seemed like she had cheated on her husband of more than 20 years while he was in jail and being held in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

However, just because the mother of four’s lawyer claims she didn’t cheat doesn’t mean that their marriage is in a good place. In the teaser, Teresa admitted to feeling like “drinking a bottle of tequila every night” and said to costar Danielle Staub that she feels like she’s “living the worst nightmare ever.”

When Jennifer Aydin asked her if she’s still in love with her husband, Teresa responded with a frank “I don’t know.”

“I haven’t been happy in so long,” Teresa said to sister-in-law Melissa Gorga. “And I just want to be happy again.”

JOE GIUDICE LEAVES US FOR ITALY AMID DEPORTATION APPEAL

Joe and Teresa have four daughters together: Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 14, and Audriana, 10.

All of this drama is occurring as Joe, 49, is awaiting his final appeal in his long battle against deportation from the United States.

Following his request to be released from the custody of ICE, Joe left the United States for his native Italy on Friday. He has been held by immigration officials since he completed his 41-month prison term last March after pleading guilty to multiple charges of fraud in 2014.

A judge ruled in October 2018 that he would be deported upon completion of his prison sentence.

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Leonard told Fox News the following in a statement last Friday: “Our system of justice has failed this family. These draconian immigration laws are destroying families, and the time for serious immigration reform is here. It’s absolutely gut-wrenching what is happening. Our country is so much better than this.”

Fox News’ Viktoria Ristanovic contributed to this report.

Archaeologists have discovered the fossilized remains of a chariot from Ancient Rome along with two horses, likely from an “extremely wealthy family.”

The discovery, estimated to be approximately 1,800 years old, was made in Croatia by archaeologists from the City Museum Vinkovci and Institute of Archaeology in Zagreb, Croatia, according to Croatian news outlet, Novosti.hr.

Curator Boris Kratofil told local media that the discovery stems from an ancient burial tradition, where burial was made under a mound known as tumuli, a practice associated with wealth.

MYSTERIOUS SCROLLS LINKED TO JULIUS CAESAR COULD BE READ FOR FIRST TIME EVER

“The custom is associated with extremely wealthy families who have played a prominent role in the administrative, social and economic life of the province of Pannonia,” Kratofil said in comments obtained by the Daily Mail.

Institute of Archaeology director Marko Dizdar said the discovery was unique to Croatia, but a remarkable find nonetheless.

“In a few years we will know a little more about the family whose members were buried in this area 1,800 years ago,” Dizdar said, according to the Mail. “We are more interested in the horses themselves, that is, whether they were bred here or came from other parts of the empire, which will tell us more about the importance and wealth of this family.”

Ancient Rome continues to reveal its secrets. Researchers, for example, recently discovered an ancient fast-food joint in the ruins of Pompeii near Naples.

ANCIENT ROMAN FORT FOUND IN ENGLAND: ‘VERY IMPORTANT AND COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED’

The Roman city of Pompeii was devastated following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Pompeii was quickly buried by volcanic ash, killing about 2,000 of the city’s residents, according to History.com.

Last year, experts uncovered a scrawled piece of text on a wall in Pompeii that is rewriting the history of the famous ancient eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Earlier this month, a pair of 2,000-year-old scrolls believed to have belonged to the family of Julius Caesar were virtually “unwrapped” for the first time.

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Fox News’ James Rogers contributed to this story.

Two men are facing federal human smuggling charges after dozens of illegal immigrants were discovered locked in refrigerated semitrailer Monday night at an immigration checkpoint in southern Arizona, according to officials.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release that agents inspected the trailer after a trained dog alerted them. When agents opened up the trailer, they discovered 32 Mexican and Ecuadorian nationals, all in the country illegally, hidden in the produce cargo.

“People aren’t cargo, they’re not meant to be in the back of tractor-trailers and they’re not meant to be transported in this fashion,” Border Patrol agent Joe Curran told FOX10.

BRITISH FAMILY IN CANADA WHO SAY WRONG TURN LED TO BORDER CROSSING MISTAKE PREVIOUSLY DENIED ENTRY TO US: CBP

The immigrants discovered in the truck ranged in age from 16 to 53, and most were clad in long pants and short-sleeved T-shirts.

The trailer’s interior was 47 degrees, “potentially endangering the illegal immigrants locked inside,” according to CBP.

Curran told FOX10 the truck traveled up Interstate 19 until it reached the checkpoint where K-9’s detected suspicious activity.

“We refer vehicles to secondary where we get a better look and understanding of what is going on where we utilize this X-ray technology, which is a huge benefit,” Curran said.

BRITISH FAMILY DETAINED AFTER MAKING WRONG TURN ON VACATION IN CANADA, CROSSING BORDER INTO US

The 31-year-old driver and 30-year-old passenger, who are U.S. citizens but were not named, were arrested and charged with felony human smuggling violations.

The 32 people discovered in the trailer were being processed at the Nogales port of entry for immigration violations, according to CBP.

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Homeland Security officials said they’ve intercepted several human smuggling attempts involving semitrucks in the Tucson Sector so far this year. The White House commented on the incident Tuesday, saying on Twitter “Smuggling humans in commercial vehicles is not only unlawful: It places the passengers in extreme danger.”

Curran echoed the same concerns to FOX10.

“If there is an accident, these people are going to be violently thrown in the back of this trailer because there are no restraints or consideration for the people being smuggled,” he said.

Conor McGregor has plans to return to the UFC and the fighter he challenged also appears down.

On Wednesday, McGregor sent a happy birthday tweet to fellow fighter Frankie Edgar. McGregor teased that he would “see” Edgar in December though it doesn’t appear that either of them has a fight scheduled.

NIKO PRICE DELIVERS BRUTAL UPKICK TO JAMES VICK FOR FIRST-ROUND KNOCKOUT AT UFC FIGHT NIGHT 161

Edgar responded to McGregor the fight was on him because he already agreed to the bout. He added that it was up to UFC president Dana White to make the fight happen. McGregor appeared to be down for that and preliminarily agreed to give his purse to charity.

The UFC schedule contains three big events: UFC Fight Night in Washington on Dec. 7, UFC 245 in Las Vegas on Dec. 14, and UFC Fight Night in South Korea on Dec. 21.

UFC STAR JORGE MASVIDAL HELPS FEED THE HOMELESS AS BOUT WITH NATE DIAZ NEARS

The UFC 245 card appears to already have three major fights on it already: Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie, Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski and Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington as the headliner.

McGregor is also in hot water with the UFC again over an incident in an Ireland bar in which he was seen punching a patron in the face because the man wouldn’t take a shot of the McGregor-backed Proper Whiskey. It’s unclear whether a suspension would happen given White’s recent comments on McGregor.

White said in September he was looking at 2020 for McGregor’s next fight.

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McGregor hasn’t fought in UFC since losing to Khabib Nurmagovmedov via submission. The loss sparked a huge brawl between the fighters’ camps which led to suspensions from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Liberal policies in San Francisco are inflating California’s homeless crisis and driving longtime residents out of the city, former mayoral candidate Richie Greenberg said Thursday.

Appearing on “Fox & Friends” with co-hosts Brian Kilmeade and Ainsley Earhardt, Greenberg said that as the state government has moved farther and farther to the left over the years — adapting socialist ideals — the homeless population has only grown.

2020 DEMOCRATS AREN’T GOING FAR ENOUGH TO ADDRESS THE HOMELESS CRISIS IN CALIFORNIA, ADVOCATES CLAIM

“It’s just a tragedy now,” said Greenberg. “But this is San Francisco. This is not anything new. This is classic San Francisco, where the downtrodden are celebrated and coddled.”

“Little by little, we see the whittling away of law enforcement, and the norm now is having the homeless, the drug addicts, and mentally ill roaming the streets,” he told the “Friends” hosts.

In the latest effort to combat the growing homelessness in San Francisco, a city resident recently used a plywood wall to block an alleyway known to be used for drug deals and defecation by the homeless. After a few days, the blockade to what’s known as the “Ingleside Path” was removed after several complaints.

City records show the neighbor had permission from the San Francisco Public Works to build the wall, the San Francisco Examiner reported.

Greenberg says that a major culprit is the non-profits — in tandem with government funding — that are based in the city who are “getting hundreds of millions collectively” to cater to the homeless community.

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“I believe, and many of us believe here, that they are [all] enabling…homeless to move here, actually,” he said.

“So, how could it be that year after year — even after throwing hundreds of billions into the budget — that the population of homeless is going up? And that’s clearly because others are moving…from other states, other cities, to take advantage of the liberal policies here,” he concluded.

“It looks like California is doomed,” Kilmeade observed.

Fox News’  Barnini Chakraborty and Brie Stimson contributed to this report. 

The passing of House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings leaves a vacancy in the leadership of the congressional impeachment inquiry, as the powerful Democrat was spearheading the efforts alongside Adam Schiff and Eliot Engel.

Cummings, of Maryland, passed away early Thursday “due to complications concerning longstanding health challenges,” his office said in a statement. The late congressman had been in poor health over the past few years, navigating the Capitol in a motorized cart and with a walker.

At this point, it is unclear who will fill the late congressman’s powerful shoes, but Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., is next in seniority to take over the gavel of the committee.

Cummings was tasked with the House impeachment inquiry into President Trump last month, when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced the formal process following revelations surrounding the president’s phone call with the Ukrainian president over the summer.

Cummings, along with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., was leading the inquiry—sending subpoenas, document requests, and conducting interviews with Trump administration officials who could hold information pertinent to the effort.

Each official House impeachment inquiry statement or update was issued on behalf of all three committee chairs, despite the fact that Cummings had not been seen on Capitol Hill in the last several weeks during some of those prominent closed-door interviews with officials.

Meanwhile, as news spread of Cummings’ passing on Thursday, the Oversight Committee postponed a planned hearing, and House Republicans canceled a press conference where they planned to lambast Democrats over the impeachment inquiry and said it would be rescheduled.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Elijah Cummings, a man of great consequence and significance on the Oversight Committee for the last twenty years,” Committee Ranking Member Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a statement Thursday. “He injected an unyielding passion and purpose into his work on the Committee.”

Jordan added that his prayers were with the Cummings family and his staff.

“Their loyalty and affinity for him speaks volumes about his character,” Jordan said.

Meanwhile, President Trump, who was the subject of not only the impeachment inquiry but other investigations led by Cummings and his committee, sent his condolences to the Cummings family and friends.

“I got to see first hand the strength, passion, and wisdom of this highly respected political leader,” Trump tweeted Thursday morning. “His work and voice on so many fronts will be very hard, if not impossible, to replace!”

He clashed with Trump after the president criticized his district as a “rodent-infested mess” where “no human being would want to live.”

Cummings replied that government officials must stop making “hateful, incendiary comments” that only serve to divide and distract the nation from its real problems, including mass shootings and white supremacy.

“Those in the highest levels of the government must stop invoking fear, using racist language and encouraging reprehensible behavior,” Cummings said in a speech in August at the National Press Club.

Fox News’  Chad Pergram, Alex Pappas and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Don’t mess with Londoners’ morning commute.

Climate activists who crippled rush hour across London on Thursday by climbing onto the roofs of trains were met with angry commuters who took it upon themselves to drag some of them back to platforms.

British Transport Police said officers were called to three stations in east London early Thursday after protesters climbed onto the roofs of trains or glued themselves to the carriages.

The demonstrations on Thursday were part of the second week of protests organized by Extinction Rebellion that have previously targeted government buildings, London City Airport, and financial institutions in the British capital.

PARALYMPIC ATHLETE GLUES HIMSELF TO A BRITISH AIRWAYS JET AT LONDON CITY AIRPORT

Robin Boardman, a spokesman for the protesters, said that if such action is necessary to make the government take notice of their climate change demands, “then this is what we must do.”

“None of us want to inconvenience ordinary people,” he said. “That’s why we’re doing this in the morning when it will impact business as usual, and not in the evening when people want to get home to be with their loved ones.”

Videos have shown protestors using a ladder to climb on top of the roof of one train, sparking an immediate reaction from commuters on the platform. Some tossed food and drinks at protestors, which one person could be heard shouting, “I need to get to work, I have to feed my kids.”

Another video showed at least one man reaching up and grabbing the leg of a protester on top of a Tube train, dragging him onto the platform where he was quickly surrounded as he lay on the ground.

Officials told Sky News that four people were arrested at one station after gluing themselves to the doors.

One of the protesters told Reuters he glued himself to a Docklands Light Railway train “for my grandchildren.”

“I’m just here to ring an alarm bell, to wake people up and say please open your eyes,” Phil Kingston, 83, told the news agency.

CLIMATE PROTESTS IN EUROPE RESULT IN MORE THAN 250 ARRESTS, CRITICISM FROM GERMAN OFFICIAL

Police said they have arrested a total of 8 people and urged protesters not to target London’s underground rail network.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the protesters, saying it was an “unfair burden on our already overstretched police officers.”

“This illegal action is extremely dangerous, counterproductive and is causing unacceptable disruption to Londoners who use public transport to get to work,” he said.

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More than 1,400 people have been arrested since the group began blocking roads, bridges and airports in London over a week ago to demand faster action on climate change. Most have been released without being charged.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Two American citizens have been detained in China on “bogus” charges of illegally moving people across country borders — and they could end up imprisoned there “for the next few months or years,” a U.S.-based educational organization is warning.

Jacob Harlan and Alyssa Petersen of China Horizons were arrested in the eastern province of Jiangsu in late September, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang announced Thursday. They are suspected of organizing others to illegally cross the border, a crime the Associated Press says carries a minimum sentence of two years, with punishment as severe as life imprisonment under certain circumstances.

“Because of the changes that are taking place in China right now, [China Horizons’] owner, Jacob Harlan, and the director, Alyssa Petersen, have been detained in China for 13 days now and may be so for the next few months or years,” the Idaho-based organization – which helps place English teachers in Chinese schools – posted on its Facebook page last Friday.

“They are being charged for bogus crimes and their families are working on getting them international lawyers to help them get back home to the states,” it added.

FEDEX PILOT DETAINED IN CHINA BEFORE COMMERCIAL FLIGHT

China Horizons also announced in the post that they are shutting down after being in business for 17 years, because of “increasing political and economic problems” between the two world superpowers.

Both Harlan and Petersen were released on bail Thursday, Reuters reported, yet they are awaiting trial. It was not immediately clear which country the pair are accused of trying to move people in or out of.

“The department handling the case has informed the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai in a timely manner, arranged U.S. diplomats to conduct consular visits and protected the legitimate rights and interests of the two,” Geng said at a press briefing.

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing confirmed that it’s aware of the detentions and the charges brought against the two but gave no further details.

“We take seriously our responsibility to assist U.S. citizens abroad and are monitoring the situation,” an embassy spokesman told the Associated Press.

CALIFORNIA MAN ACCUSED OF SPYING FOR CHINA, OFFICIALS SAY

A pair of GoFundMe sites set up for the two has raised nearly $40,000 toward their legal defense and other expenses.

Harlan’s site says he is a father of five from Utah who was taken from his hotel room on the morning of Sept. 28, along with his 8-year-old daughter, Viara.

It said Viara Harlan was allowed to make a brief call to her mother in Utah after 48 hours, but not permitted to disclose her location or say anything about what had happened. Police later allowed her to fly home to the U.S. accompanied by a family friend, according to the site.

Petersen’s page says she was held incommunicado for two weeks after being taken away by police and was located only after her family went to the State Department for assistance.

“We received information that she is doing OK. She wakes up when told, she goes to sleep when told. She spends her day in a jail cell or walking in a circle counting steps,” the site said.

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While the charge of illegally moving people across country borders generally applies to human traffickers, it has also been used in the past against those accused of conducting missionary work in China, which the officially atheist communist government strictly forbids, the Associated Press reports.

Last year, a U.S. missionary, the Rev. John Sanqiang Cao, was sentenced to seven years in prison on the same charge.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.