| President Trump criticized Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation of sexual assault against Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh once again on Wednesday, telling reporters outside the White House that it’s “very hard for me to imagine anything happened” between the pair. If Ford does make a “credible” showing in front of the Senate, he said, according to CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller, “that’ll be very interesting.” But he also expressed his doubt and frustration toward the senators debating Kavanaugh’s nomination: “Really, they’re hurting somebody’s life,” he said, according to the New York Times. “I think it’s a very unfair thing what’s going on.” Trump also announced he would like to meet with Ford, the California professor who has accused Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh of attempted rape in 1982. “I really want to see her. I really would want to see what she has to say,” Trump said, according to McClatchy News reporter Anita Kumar. “If she shows up, that would be wonderful; if she doesn’t show up, that would be unfortunate.” He then pivoted to attack Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), noting that “what I don’t like” was that Feinstein had Ford’s letter since July. “Why didn’t Sen Feinstein bring this up in her meeting with Judge Kavanaugh,” he continued, according to another tweet from Knoller. “That doesn’t look very good.” |
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| While President Trump was briefed on the deadly, devastating aftermath of Hurricane Florence, he took a moment to ask an official about the condition of one particular lake—where he has a golf course nestled on the shore—according to a tweet from Los Angeles Times editor Jackie Calmes. After asking a Duke Energy representative about Lake Norman, and hearing that it was fine, Trump responded: “I love that area. I can’t tell you why, but I love that area.” He neglected to mention that Trump National Golf Club is on its shores. Hurricane Florence continues to terrorize the mid-Atlantic region, causing devastating floods and leading to at least 37 deaths. View this cheat in a browser to see this embedded tweet. |
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| New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady reportedly considered “divorcing” the only NFL coach he ever has had, Bill Belichick, during this past off-season. A new book on Belichick’s life claims Brady had had enough of his coach and wanted out after the 2017 season, after five Super Bowl wins together. “If you’re married 18 years to a grouchy person who gets under your skin and never compliments you, after a while you want to divorce him,” a source with knowledge of the Brady-Belichick relationship told the book’s author last year. “Tom knows Bill is the best coach in the league, but he’s had enough of him. If Tom could, I think he would divorce him.” Brady was reportedly so disillusioned with his coach that he still wasn’t certain in late March if he would return to the Patriots, but he felt “locked in” after Belichick moved backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to San Francisco. “But in the end, even if he wanted to, Brady could not walk away from the game, and he could not ask for a trade,” author Ian O'Connor wrote. |
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| Mark Cuban will donate $10 million to organizations that promote female leadership in the sports industry and combat domestic violence after an investigation found evidence of misconduct within the Dallas Mavericks. The independent probe revealed that the team’s former CEO, Terdema Ussery, harassed 15 female employees, with behavior including “inappropriate comments, touching, and forcible kissing.” While investigators found “no evidence” that indicated Cuban was aware of Ussery’s behavior, Cuban has acknowledged that he is “ultimately responsible” for the behavior of his employees. The report also alleges that a former ticket-sales employee, Chris Hyde, made “inappropriate comments to women of a sexual nature,” and that former Mavs.com reporter Earl Sneed committed two acts of domestic violence—including one involving a team employee. The report claims Mavs executive leadership made “significant” errors in allowing Sneed and Hyde to remain employed. The investigation involved interviews with 215 former and current employees and a review of 1.6 million documents. The report comes after a Sports Illustrated investigation was published earlier this year that characterized the Mavericks as having a “corrosive workplace culture.” View this cheat in a browser to see this embedded tweet. |
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| My first pair of Blundstone boots saw me through late summer thunderstorms, freak autumn snow falls, and standing in sub-zero temperatures on New Years' Eve. And while I love to wear them to tromp around the city, they're not the most...professional-looking shoes. But now, the Tasmania-based brand launched a heeled version of their women's boots and they're honestly, incredibly good-looking. The sleek design of their classic women's style has been amped up with an easy-to-wear 2 1/4" heel, but still features a steel shank to keep your foot stable, weatherproof uppers, and a heat-resistant sole. At $190, these are boots that will last you from autumn, into winter, and through early spring, for many years to come. Scouted is here to surface products that you might like. Follow us on Flipboard. Please note that if you buy something featured in one of our posts, The Daily Beast may collect a share of sales. |
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| Ohio State University’s investigation into football coach Urban Meyer’s handling of domestic-abuse allegations against his longtime assistant did not include a crucial element, The Wall Street Journal reports. Meyer’s phone was never tested to determine if he destroyed evidence, despite the fact that investigators believe Meyer asked a colleague how to delete old text messages from his work phone. The investigation’s findings were released last month. According to the Journal, the team of investigators also did not try to extract deleted messages from the phone of Gene Smith, athletic director at Ohio State. His device allegedly contained no text messages. |
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| Ian Baruma, a top editor at The New York Review of Books, left the magazine Wednesday amid backlash over Jian Ghomeshi’s essay published online last week. “I can confirm that Ian Buruma is no longer the editor of The New York Review of Books,” Nicholas During, a publicist for the magazine, told The New York Times. It was not confirmed whether Baruma resigned or was fired. Ghomeshi, a former Canadian radio broadcaster, was acquitted of sexual-assault charges in 2016 despite allegations of abuse brought by over 20 women. Critics of Ghomeshi’s essay accused the disgraced broadcaster of downplaying the assault accusations against him and attempting to elicit sympathy. Following the essay’s publication, Baruma told Slate: “I’m no judge of the rights and wrongs of every allegation. How can I be?” Ghomeshi’s essay, along with two others under the headline “The Fall of Men,” is set to appear in the magazine’s October 11 print issue. |
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| Maroon 5 will headline the 2019 Super Bowl Halftime show, joining the ranks of Bruno Mars and Beyoncé as performers who have taken the stage during football’s biggest night, Variety reported Wednesday. Based on recent successful collaborations, Variety speculated that rappers Cardi B or Kendrick Lamar could join the band during the Super Bowl set, but fans will have to wait until February to find out. The 53rd Super Bowl will be held at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz stadium on February 3, 2019. |
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| Air pollution has been linked to dementia, according to a study published Wednesday in BMJ Open. The study looked at the addresses of 130,978 people in London ages 50 to 79 years old who were healthy at the start of the study. Researchers tracked addresses with estimated yearly exposures to pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter over seven years. In that time, 1.7 percent of patients were diagnosed with dementia. In polluted areas, patients were 40 percent more likely to develop dementia. The study found that car exhaust was the leading correlate between dementia and pollution, and that the link remained even after controlling for other factors like heavy drinking and smoking. The study is the latest linking air pollution with dementia: In April, a study found that even babies less than a year old showed signs of Alzheimers in Mexico City. |
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| The Trump administration reportedly lost track of nearly 1,500 migrant children who entered the country illegally this year and were subsequently placed with sponsors. The figure was cited in data released by Senate investigators Tuesday and adds to the 1,475 migrant children the Department of Health and Human Services previously admitted to having lost track of last year, The New York Times reports. Out of 11,254 children the agency placed with sponsors this year, the department has been unable to determine the whereabouts of 1,488 children, according to the report. HHS has previously said it does not consider itself legally responsible for children once they leave government shelters, but the latest figure has renewed concerns of children winding up in the hands of human traffickers or being used as laborers. Caitlin Oakley, an HHS spokeswoman, told the Times that the children are “not ‘lost.’” “Their sponsors—who are usually parents or family members and in all cases have been vetted for criminality and ability to provide for them—simply did not respond or could not be reached when this voluntary call was made,” she said. |
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