Here is a snapshot of the most important stories of the day.

 

Senator Rubio Met Alex Jones Head On 

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and InfoWars host Alex Jones clashed Wednesday outside a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, with Rubio threatening to take care of Jones after the Infowars host touched his shoulder.

For nearly five minutes as Rubio answered questions from Hill.TV and other reporters, Jones taunted Rubio outside a hearing where Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg offered testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

“Who is this clown,” Rubio asked, “a heckler at a press gaggle?”

Jones made fun of Rubio’s answers and at one point touched the senator’s shoulder.

“Don’t touch me man,” Rubio warned as a member of his Capitol Hill police detail stepped in to shield the senator.

Social Media Gets Out On The Hit Seat

Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey told lawmakers on Wednesday that they are better prepared to combat foreign interference on their platforms, even as Democrats and Republicans alike expressed doubts that the social media giants had fully cleaned them up ahead of the midterm elections.

The Woodward Book Raises Fur

Fear: Trump in the White House is all the rage.  The President publicly fumes on Twitter, he’s privately on a mission to determine who did — and didn’t — talk to Woodward, CNN has learned. Two officials who have spoken directly to the President say he is pleased with the denials offered by chief of staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary James Mattis.
In Trump’s eyes, what makes or breaks aides who are reported to have made disparaging comments about him is how strongly they push back on the accusations.
But he is also taking note of the silence from several other former administration officials.There could also be political implications from the new Woodward blockbuster.

Plane was Grounded At JFK Airport

Federal health officials met a plane landing Wednesday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after passengers reported feeling ill, according to sources.

Emirates Flight 203, which originated in Dubai, was carrying more than 500 passengers and landed around 9:06 a.m. ET, a source with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.
All passengers were screened, the airline said, and three passengers and seven crew members were transported to a hospital for treatment and evaluation.

“I asked the (flight attendant) for a mask before we even took off, but there was none available,” passenger Erin Sykes told CNN from the plane. “It was so obvious that a large number of people were ill well before takeoff.”
The nonstop flight was a smooth one, Sykes said, so she didn’t believe the ailments were related to turbulence or air sickness.
“People were coughing the whole time. Now some people have fevers over 100,” she said. “They should never had been allowed to board.”
A photo from Larry Coben shows his fellow passengers exiting the plane in New York.
A photo from Larry Coben shows his fellow passengers exiting the plane in New York.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Port Authority source said as many as 100 passengers reported feeling sick, the airline said only about 10 passengers had “taken ill.”
“As a precaution, they were immediately checked by local health authorities and those needing medical attention will be attended to,” Emirates said in a statement shortly after the plane landed.
Passenger Larry Coben’s tweets documented ambulances converging on the tarmac, CDC forms that passengers were asked to complete, passengers disembarking and having their temperatures taken, and passengers then taking a bus to the terminal.
“Happy to report that I am through customs and on my way home,” Coben tweeted just after 11 a.m. ET.

The plane was taken to a “hard standing area,” where paramedics and officials from the CDC were responding to the scene, the Port Authority source said.
The CDC said passengers “complained of illness including (coughing) and some with fever,” and health officials worked with local authorities to take their temperatures and transport those who were sick to a hospital.
“Passengers who are not ill will be allowed to continue with their travel plans, and if necessary will be followed up with by health officials,” the agency said.
The return flight to Dubai will be delayed about three hours, the airline said.