'Start Here': Migrant caravan moves through Mexico, Saudi Arabia shifts Khashoggi explanation and talking to Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke. What you need to know to start your day.

Thousands of migrants fleeing Honduras are on the move through Mexico.

October 22, 2018, 6:13 AM

It's Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Here's what you need to start your day:

1. Migrant caravan marches through Mexico

A migrant caravan is on the move in Mexico as thousands of asylum-seekers from Honduras face sweltering temperatures with the hope of eventually reaching the U.S.

The Mexican government has offered the migrants asylum status, but ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman -- who's embedded with the caravan in Tapachula, Mexico -- tells us they're convinced it's a ruse to deport them back to Honduras.

"People have been collapsing all along the way through the entirety of this journey," Gutman said, "and what's perhaps most stunning about it is that they continue to push on."

2. Saudi official: Chokehold led to Khashoggi's death

It's now been nearly three weeks since Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi walked into Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul and never walked out.

ABC News' Rym Momtaz spoke to a Saudi official who claims Khashoggi's death occurred as the result of an accident during an altercation.

The Saudi government continues to deny it was a targeted killing or something ordered by the Saudi royal family.

In this Dec. 15, 2014 file photo, Jamal Khashoggi, then general manager of a new Arabic news channel speaks during a press conference, in Manama, Bahrain.
Hasan Jamali/AP, FILE

3. Texas two-step

The midterms are just over two weeks away and President Donald Trump is headed to Houston tonight to a rally with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who's battling Democratic challenger Rep. Beto O'Rourke.

Cruz and Trump were bitter rivals in 2016, and in an interview with ABC News Senior National Correspondent Paula Faris, Cruz declined to say whether Trump was his friend or foe: "He's the president. ... I work with the president in delivering on our promises."

Faris also sat down with O'Rourke, who pulled in a record haul of $38 million in donations last quarter.

"This is a guy that has not only captured Texas' imagination, but really the country’s imagination," Faris said.

Rep. Beto O'Rourke speaks as Senator Ted Cruz looks on, during a debate in San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 16, 2018.
Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News/Reuters

In other news:

'Republicans have never lacked for chutzpah, which is what it takes to file a lawsuit intended to take away protections for pre-existing conditions, and then run a soft-focus ad about how committed you are to protecting those with pre-existing conditions': As the midterms approach, Democrats are accusing Republicans of misleading claims on health care.

'I'm nervous just about how I'll be received by the public': Former NFL wide receiver Rae Carruth is set to be released after spending almost 20 years in prison for conspiring to murder his pregnant girlfriend.

'Before they could even get to the vehicle the shots rang out': A manhunt continues for a suspect accused of killing a cop near Atlanta.

'General Smiley is recovering from a gunshot wound': An Army brigadier general was wounded Thursday in an attack in Kandahar that killed two Afghan officials.

More than $2 billion: Lottery jackpots continue to rise.

From our partners at FiveThirtyEight:

Election Update: Republicans’ Overall Senate Chances Are Holding Steady

Last 'Nightline':

Pregnant woman found murdered, police suspect her fiance's 11-year-old son: Twenty-six-year-old Kenzie Houk was shot in the back of the head, and police arrested Jordan Brown, the son of Houk's fiance.

Twenty-six-year-old Kenzie Houk had been shot in the back of the head, and police arrested Jordan Brown, the son of Houk's fiance, for her murder.
11:23

Pregnant woman found murdered, police suspect her fiance's 11-year-old son

Twenty-six-year-old Kenzie Houk had been shot in the back of the head, and police arrested Jordan Brown, the son of Houk's fiance, for her murder.
ABCNews.com

Man accused of murder at age 11 has conviction overturned at age 20: Jordan Brown is now in college and wants the world to know that he is innocent of Kenzie Houk's murder.

Jordan Brown is now in college and wants the world to know that he is innocent of Kenzie Houk's murder.
4:35

Man accused of murder at age 11 has conviction overturned at age 20

Jordan Brown is now in college and wants the world to know that he is innocent of Kenzie Houk's murder.
ABCNews.com

On this day in history:

Oct. 22, 1983 -- A 45-year-old Georgia man is charged with making threats against President Ronald Reagan.

A 45-year-old Georgia man is charged with making threats against President Reagan.
2:37

This day in history: Oct. 22, 1983

A 45-year-old Georgia man is charged with making threats against President Reagan.
ABCNews.com

Today's must-see photo:

People survey the scene of a roadside bomb blast in Achin district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Oct. 21, 2018. At least 11 people, including children and women, from the same family were killed in the incident. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the blast, which comes on the second day of parliamentary elections in the country. (photo credit: Ghulamullah Habibi/EPA/Rex/Shutterstock)

PHOTO: People survey the scene of a road side bomb blast in Achin district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Oct. 21, 2018
People survey the scene of a road side bomb blast in Achin district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Oct. 21, 2018. At least 11 people, including children and women, from the same family were killed in the incident. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the blast, which comes on the second day of parliamentary elections in the country.
Ghulamullah Habibi/EPA/Rex/Shutterstock

For more great photos from around the world click HERE.

What's hot on social:

Dashcam footage shows a sheriff's deputy repeatedly punching a DUI suspect.

An Orange County sheriff's deputy was seen punching a man who fell asleep in his car in footage released this week and filmed in Stanton, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018.
3:05

Sheriff's deputy repeatedly punches DUI suspect in dash-cam footage

An Orange County sheriff's deputy was seen punching a man who fell asleep in his car in footage released this week and filmed in Stanton, Calif., on Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018.
ABCNews.com

All right, you're off and running. You can always get the latest news on ABCNews.com and on the ABC News app. Details on how to subscribe to the "Start Here" podcast are below. See you tomorrow!

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