Trump visits U.S.-Mexico border, Kathie Lee Gifford leaves 'Today': 5 things to know Friday
Trump to tour U.S.-Mexico border in California
President Donald Trump is expected to push on the issue of border security Friday with a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border at Calexico, California. Trump will tour a 30-foot section of replacement border fence installed last year and meet with local law enforcement officers, according to the White House. Amid a reported surge in migrant families at the border, Trump recently threatened to seal off the border and halt all aid to Central American countries where migrants come from. But on Tuesday, Trump seemed to back down, saying he would close the border in a year if Mexico doesn't make progress on apprehending migrants and cutting the flow of illegal drugs.
Biden gives speech after complaints about interactions with women
Joe Biden's speech Friday to a labor union will be the prospective presidential candidate's first following allegations of unwanted touching by women and his social-media video response. Few expect the former vice president will spend a lot of time on the issue. But political science professor Dante Scala said that if he wants to address the claims, "he'll find the proper opportunity to do it and it'll be one and done." His expected entry as a leading Democratic candidate has been complicated by allegations of seven women who said interactions with him made them feel uncomfortable. Biden will address the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Washington.
Timmothy Pitzen remains missing after ex-con's attempted hoax
Many questions remain unanswered, but we know Timmothy Pitzen, the six-year-old Illinois boy who disappeared in 2011 under strange circumstances, is still missing. DNA tests showed the person found in Newport, Kentucky, claiming to be Pitzen is not the missing boy, the FBI said Thursday. Officials confirmed the person claiming to be Pitzen actually is Brian Michael Rini, a 23-year-old convicted felon who was released from prison last month. It is unclear what Rini will be charged with, why he attempted to perpetuate this hoax or even where he is now. But answers to those questions, along with many others, may be revealed Friday. What is clear is Pitzen's grandmother and aunt told the media they're exhausted and "back to ground zero."
Women's basketball Final Four tips off
Four NCAA teams converge in Tampa to determine the women's college basketball national championship. The Final Four semifinals on Friday night see No. 1 overall seed Baylor face first-timer Oregon before Connecticut and Notre Dame — two of the sport's superpowers — collide in the nightcap. Notre Dame is the defending champion, while Connecticut has won six of the previous 10 titles.
Kathie Lee Gifford says goodbye to 'Today'
Kathie Lee Gifford on Friday does her final broadcast on NBC's "Today," after more than 10 years co-hosting the show's fourth hour with Hoda Kotb. Gifford, 65, says the decision to leave wasn't easy. "It's not that I wanted to leave the 'Today' show," she tells USA TODAY. "I just had to leave if I wanted to actually fulfill lifetime dreams I have that I'm running out of time for." Those dreams include making movies, which she says she has wanted to do since she was a girl, "when I wrote a letter to Walt Disney and said, 'I want to make movies with you.'" After their final show, Gifford, Kotb and others plan to fly to Gifford's new home in Nashville for "a girls' weekend."
