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Mornings on the Mall
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Host: Dan Mandis
5am – A Texas Rep. apologizes for not having ‘better judgment’ after anonymous tweet of graphic image (CNN) Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton on Wednesday apologized for not using “better judgment” while separated from his wife and in consensual relationships with women. The statement comes in response to an anonymous tweet that included a nude image of Barton. Sarah Dodd of Dodd Communications, who is helping Barton respond to the image, confirmed that the image is of him. “While separated from my second wife, prior to the divorce, I had sexual relationships with other mature adult women,” Barton said in a statement first reported by The Texas Tribune. “Each was consensual. Those relationships have ended. I am sorry I did not use better judgment during those days. I am sorry that I let my constituents down.”Dodd told CNN that Barton did not release the image himself and does not know who did.”It’s really a violation of his privacy,” she said. Barton, the longest serving member of the Texas House delegation, had announced plans to seek re-election to Congress earlier this month. Dodd said that Barton “is not resigning.”
5am – B/C Brooklyn College Reportedly ‘Preferring’ That NYPD Use Bathrooms Away From Student Areas (Fox News) A New York City college is urging NYPD officers to start using restrooms away from the main part of campus “rather than walking across either quad,” the New York Post reported. Students at Brooklyn College are also reportedly circulating a petition to keep cops “out of sight” of students when they customarily need to utilize the campus facilities. According to the Post, the school’s director of public safety Donald Wenz said cops are still allowed to be anywhere they desire, but that Brooklyn College would “prefer” that they use the reportedly decrepit bathrooms at the “West End Building.” 400 professors boycott University of Rochester, urging students not to attend (Washington Post) Hundreds of professors are urging their students not to apply to the University of Rochester, a private research university in western New York. The boycott comes after allegations that Florian Jaeger, a professor in the brain and cognitive science department, preyed on female students. Eight current and former Rochester researchers filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against the university in September for what they viewed as the administration’s failure to adequately protect its students. Signatories of the boycott letter, posted online last week, said they “cannot in good conscience encourage our students to pursue educational or employment opportunities at the University of Rochester.” More than 400 professors and instructors from around the world have signed the document. The letter’s authors delivered it to two board of trustees members Monday.
5am – D Ex-staffer: Conyers ‘harassed’ and ‘verbally abused’ me repeatedly (CNN) Former Capitol Hill staffer Melanie Sloan on Wednesday detailed her experiences working in the 1990s for Rep. John Conyers, whom she said had harassed and “verbally abused” her repeatedly. In a Washington Post report published earlier Wednesday, Sloan had accused Conyers of verbal abuse and harassment during her time working for him. Sloan said she didn’t think she was sexually harassed by Conyers, which she reiterated Wednesday night in an interview on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront” with Poppy Harlow, but The Washington Post reported that she described the congressman’s behavior as inappropriate. To the newspaper, and again to CNN, she recalled one instance where he had called her to his office when he was in his underwear. Ex-Conyers staffer says he was abusive to her “He was just not dressed,” Sloan also told Harlow. Even though your insurer might not be paying full price for your medicine, you still might be. Learn why. The Post also reported that Sloan had said Conyers “routinely yelled at and berated her.” Sloan told The Post that she had requested help from congressional leadership on the matter, but it was repeatedly ignored.
5am – E Don’t Force Young Girls to Hug Their Relatives, the Girl Scouts Say (NY Times) When relatives and guests make an appearance this holiday season, do not force your daughters to hug them. That’s the latest advice from the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.
“Have you ever insisted, ‘Uncle just got here — go give him a big hug!’ or ‘Auntie gave you that nice toy, go give her a kiss,’ when you were worried your child might not offer affection on her own?” the organization said in a post published this month that drew considerable reaction and, in some cases, backlash. “If yes, you might want to reconsider the urge to do that in the future.” “Think of it this way, telling your child that she owes someone a hug either just because she hasn’t seen this person in a while or because they gave her a gift can set the stage for her questioning whether she ‘owes’ another person any type of physical affection when they’ve bought her dinner or done something else seemingly nice for her later in life.”
6am – A Texas Rep. apologizes for not having ‘better judgment’ after anonymous tweet of graphic image (CNN) Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton on Wednesday apologized for not using “better judgment” while separated from his wife and in consensual relationships with women. The statement comes in response to an anonymous tweet that included a nude image of Barton. Sarah Dodd of Dodd Communications, who is helping Barton respond to the image, confirmed that the image is of him. “While separated from my second wife, prior to the divorce, I had sexual relationships with other mature adult women,” Barton said in a statement first reported by The Texas Tribune. “Each was consensual. Those relationships have ended. I am sorry I did not use better judgment during those days. I am sorry that I let my constituents down.”Dodd told CNN that Barton did not release the image himself and does not know who did.”It’s really a violation of his privacy,” she said. Barton, the longest serving member of the Texas House delegation, had announced plans to seek re-election to Congress earlier this month. Dodd said that Barton “is not resigning.”
6am –B/C U.S. Christmas Tree Shortage May Cause Price Hike This Year (CBS) Americans getting ready to pick out the perfect Christmas tree may want to bring a little extra cash with them this year. A shortage of local trees in several U.S. states is likely to make prices rise and the window to find a good tree much smaller.
According to reports, tree farms in North Carolina and Oregon have been hit the hardest by the nationwide shortfall this year. The smaller supply is expected to hike prices by as much as 10 percent during the holiday rush.
6am – D Uber Paid Hackers to Delete Stolen Data on 57 Million People (Bloomberg) Hackers stole the personal data of 57 million customers and drivers from Uber Technologies Inc., a massive breach that the company concealed for more than a year. This week, the ride-hailing firm ousted its chief security officer and one of his deputies for their roles in keeping the hack under wraps, which included a $100,000 payment to the attackers. Compromised data from the October 2016 attack included names, email addresses and phone numbers of 50 million Uber riders around the world, the company told Bloomberg on Tuesday. The personal information of about 7 million drivers was accessed as well, including some 600,000 U.S. driver’s license numbers. No Social Security numbers, credit card information, trip location details or other data were taken, Uber said.
6am – E/F David Cassidy, Singer And 1970s TV Heartthrob, Dies At 67 (NPR) One of the biggest music and television stars of the 1970s has died: David Cassidy, who played the adolescent, aspiring musician on the TV show “The Partridge Family” and who became a teen-dream pop idol in his own right, was 67 years old. Cassidy revealed to People Magazine in February 2017 that he had been diagnosed with dementia and would stop performing. He also shared that both his grandfather and mother had suffered from dementia before him. Cassidy was reported to be in critical condition on Nov. 19 with organ failure, and was hospitalized in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. area. He died Tuesday night of liver failure.
7am – A Ex-staffer: Conyers ‘harassed’ and ‘verbally abused’ me repeatedly (CNN) Former Capitol Hill staffer Melanie Sloan on Wednesday detailed her experiences working in the 1990s for Rep. John Conyers, whom she said had harassed and “verbally abused” her repeatedly. In a Washington Post report published earlier Wednesday, Sloan had accused Conyers of verbal abuse and harassment during her time working for him. Sloan said she didn’t think she was sexually harassed by Conyers, which she reiterated Wednesday night in an interview on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront” with Poppy Harlow, but The Washington Post reported that she described the congressman’s behavior as inappropriate. To the newspaper, and again to CNN, she recalled one instance where he had called her to his office when he was in his underwear. Ex-Conyers staffer says he was abusive to her “He was just not dressed,” Sloan also told Harlow. Even though your insurer might not be paying full price for your medicine, you still might be. Learn why. The Post also reported that Sloan had said Conyers “routinely yelled at and berated her.” Sloan told The Post that she had requested help from congressional leadership on the matter, but it was repeatedly ignored.
7am – B/C Ray Allen tells court of ‘catfishing’ by man who posed online as ‘attractive women’ (Washington Post) Ray Allen said in a court filing Tuesday that he was the victim of “catfishing” by a man who posed online as several different women. In an emergency motion, Allen was responding to a claim made by the man, Bryant Coleman, that he was being stalked by the 10-time NBA all-star.
“Ray wants nothing to do with [Coleman] and merely wants to be left alone,” the motion reportedly stated. According to the filing (via the Associated Press), “Coleman pretended to be a number of attractive women interested” in Allen. The alleged plan worked, as the two-time NBA champion “believed he was speaking with these women and communicated with them.” An attorney for Allen, David Oscar Markus, claimed that Coleman’s intention was to extort Allen by threatening to leak private information. The filing stated that the two men came to a confidentiality agreement, which Coleman subsequently violated, and that he has used social-media accounts to continue to harass Allen and his family.
7am – D Why You Should Never, Ever Listen to Anyone Telling You to Diet on Thanksgiving (GQ) Thanksgiving Day—the beloved holiday that effortlessly blends America’s proud tradition of periodic self-reflection with its undying love for simple carbohydrates—is nearly upon us, and come Thursday, dining room tables across this great nation will sag under the burden of spreads that make a mockery of the four-digit daily calorie intake figures typically recommended by medical professionals. What should I do? You, a reasonably svelte person who endeavors to live a fit lifestyle, are wondering with great concern.
7am – E Donald Trump calls LaVar Ball an ‘ungrateful fool’ (USA Today) President Donald Trump referred to LaVar Ball as an “ungrateful fool” and “just a poor man’s version of Don King, but without the hair” in a series of tweets Wednesday morning.
Trump waited more than 24 hours to retaliate against Ball, who appeared on CNN on Monday night and again downplayed the president’s role in bringing home three UCLA basketball players, including Ball’s son LiAngelo, after a shoplifting incident in China earlier this month. “It wasn’t the White House, it wasn’t the State Department, it wasn’t father LaVar’s so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence – IT WAS ME,” Trump wrote in a two-part tweet early Wednesday morning. “Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man’s version of Don King, but without the hair.
8am – A Next Round of ESPN Layoffs Will Cut Budget by $80 Million in Salary and Benefits (Breitbart) Another round of layoffs is set to cut about $80 million in salary and benefits from ESPN’s budget, sources say. The newest layoffs come after over 100 employees were let go in April. News broke three weeks ago that more layoffs were expected to hit the 38-year-old cable sports network sometime after the Thanksgiving holiday. But, new reports say that as many as 100 more employees will be cut, mirroring the number released in April. According to Sporting News, there is a sense of dread among the network’s employees with many assuming “it’s not if, but when” they are laid off. The industry is most especially wondering if SportsCenter Jemele Hill will be given her walking papers.
8am – B/C Bikini baristas turn men into Harvey Weinsteins, Washington city claims (Fox News) It’s a battle of shirts versus skins.Baristas, whose uniforms consist of bikinis, are heading to federal court on Tuesday to argue that their First Amendment rights have been violated by the suit-wearing officials in one Washington city who implemented two ordinances aimed at putting a lid on the coffee business.Two recent directives, which were passed in August but have a moratorium in place until the baristas’ lawsuit is settled, tighten the city’s regulations on what constitutes lewd behavior and institutes a dress code that bans employees from wearing bikinis or showing too much bare skin. The laws are just the final straw in a years-long battle against bikini baristas stands. “The Constitution doesn’t allow the government to regulate the content of speech because the government disagrees with it,” Derek Newman, an attorney representing one of the baristas, told the Seattle Times. “If the First Amendment was so limited, NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality would not be protected expression because the president interprets this as anti-American sentiment.”
8am – D Texas Rep. apologizes for not having ‘better judgment’ after anonymous tweet of graphic image (CNN) Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton on Wednesday apologized for not using “better judgment” while separated from his wife and in consensual relationships with women. The statement comes in response to an anonymous tweet that included a nude image of Barton. Sarah Dodd of Dodd Communications, who is helping Barton respond to the image, confirmed that the image is of him. “While separated from my second wife, prior to the divorce, I had sexual relationships with other mature adult women,” Barton said in a statement first reported by The Texas Tribune. “Each was consensual. Those relationships have ended. I am sorry I did not use better judgment during those days. I am sorry that I let my constituents down.” Dodd told CNN that Barton did not release the image himself and does not know who did. “It’s really a violation of his privacy,” she said. Barton, the longest serving member of the Texas House delegation, had announced plans to seek re-election to Congress earlier this month. Dodd said that Barton “is not resigning.”
8am – E Mother charged with felony after putting recorder in 9-year-old daughter’s backpack to catch bullying (Ny Daily News) A Virginia mother was charged with a felony and faces five years in prison for putting a recorder in her daughter’s backpack after the child complained she was being bullied. Sarah Sims said her 9-year-old daughter was being picked on at Ocean View Elementary School in Norfolk, so she called and emailed the school repeatedly to see how the situation could be handled. When the school supposedly ignored Sims messages, she placed a digital recorder in the 4th grader’s backpack. Sims told WAVY that she was hoping to get audio inside the classroom to prove that the school was doing nothing to stop the bullying. When the recorder was discovered, Sims said her daughter was kicked out of class and a month later she was arrested. “I was mortified. The next thing I know, I’m a felon. Felony charges and a misdemeanor when I’m trying to look out for my kid,” Sims told the outlet. “What do you do?”
