Nikki Haley Expresses Sliver of Olympic Doubt

Russia was banned this week from the 2018 Winter Games; will the US ban itself? UN Ambassador Nikki Haley on Wednesday called Team USA's participation in the Games an "open question" in an interview with Fox News. The Washington Post reports that the Games will take place in South Korea, roughly 50 miles from the DMZ, and with tensions high on the Korean Peninsula, Haley was asked if it was a "done deal" that the US would attend. Her reply in full, per CNN: "There's an open question. I have not heard anything about that, but I do know in the talks that we have—whether it's Jerusalem or North Korea—it's about, how do we protect the US citizens in the area?"

She added that the US would take "every precaution" to keep its athletes safe. As for whether their family members should accompany them to the Games, set for Feb. 9 to 25 in Pyeongchang, Haley said, "I think it depends on what’s going on at the time in the country." Her comments follow an anonymously sourced Page Six article that on Tuesday claimed NBC staffers are "afraid to get nuked," and it's causing some of them to decline to work what is usually a hot assignment. The International Olympic Committee's communications director tells the Korea Times the IOC still does not know if North Korea plans to participate; a figure skating pair has qualified. (More 2018 Olympics stories.)