No Spin News Summary – September 17, 2018

Brett Kavanaugh Allegations

Just days before the Senate Judiciary Committee was set to vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation, Christine Blasey Ford publicly came forward to accuse the federal appeals judge of sexual assault decades ago.

Christine Ford alleged that Brett Kavanaugh, while he was in high school, “pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it. When she tried to scream, she said, he put his hand over her mouth.”

Brett Kavanaugh and a friend, both “stumbling drunk,” Christine Ford alleges, corralled her into a bedroom during a gathering of teenagers at a house party. According to the allegation, Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge, a friend and classmate of Brett Kavanaugh’s were both in the room. 

Ford says she did not tell anyone about the attack until a couples counseling session in 2012.

Brett Kavanaugh stated on Friday, "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time," he said.

Today, Kavanaugh in a released a new statement which the White House called the woman's accusation a "completely false allegation."

"This is a completely false allegation," Kavanaugh said in a statement. "I have never done anything like what the accuser describes -- to her or to anyone. Because this never happened, I had no idea who was making this accusation until she identified herself yesterday. I am willing to talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee in any way the committee deems appropriate to refute this false allegation, from 36 years ago, and defend my integrity." 

What did Christine Blasey Ford tell her Therapist?

According to her one-on-one, reported by the Washington Post, Ford said she told no one of the incident in any detail until 2012, when she was in couple’s therapy with her husband.

The therapist’s notes, portions of which were provided by Ford and reviewed by The Washington Post, do not mention Kavanaugh’s name but say she reported that she was attacked by students “from an elitist boys’ school” who went on to become “highly respected and high-ranking members of society in Washington.”

The notes say four boys were involved, a discrepancy Ford says was an error on the therapist’s part. Ford said there were four boys at the party but only two in the room.  

Notes from an individual therapy session the following year, 2013, when she was being treated for what she says have been long-term effects of the incident, show Ford described a “rape attempt” in her late teens.  

More than five dozen women came forward Friday to defend Supreme Court Nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh against an alleged high school incident, calling President Trump’s pick for the high court “a good person.”

The 65 women, who claim to have known Kavanaugh for more than 35 years, penned a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee to vouch for his character.

“We are women who have known Brett Kavanaugh for more than 35 years and knew him while he attended high school between 1979 and 1983. For the entire time we have known Brett Kavanaugh, he has behaved honorably and treated women with respect,” the letter read. “We strongly believe it is important to convey this information to the Committee at this time.” 

The women wrote that while Kavanaugh attended Georgetown Preparatory School, an all-boys high school in Bethesda, Maryland, they knew him through “social events, sports, church, and various other activities.”

“Many of us have remained close friends with him and his family over the years. Through the more than 35 years we have known him, Brett has stood out for his friendship, character, and integrity,” they wrote. “In particular, he has always treated women with decency and respect. That was true when he was in high school, and it has remained true to this day.” They added: “The signers of this letter hold a broad range of political views. Many of us are not lawyers, but we know Brett Kavanaugh as a person. And he has always been a good person.”

Midterm Elections

Fifty days out from the November elections, Democrats are widely seen as favored to retake the House majority and are increasingly seen as having a real chance at winning back the Senate if a series of close races break in their direction.

Democrats would need to gain a healthy 23 seats to take back the House. Midterm elections will take place on November 6, 2018. 

San Francisco Car Break-ins

San Francisco and Oakland are currently fighting a car break-in epidemic. In 2017, break-ins hit a historic high, with 31,122 reported incidents. Auto break-ins were up in every police district from the start of 2017 through the end of November 2017, accounting for a 26% increase in 2016, according to the most recent data provided by the San Francisco Police Department.

In 2017, only 2% of cases saw arrests (approximately 580 people). Of those taken into custody, most were never sentenced to jail time. However, statistics obtained from the San Francisco’s 911 center show it received 25,031 calls about auto break-ins during the first six months of 2017.

Car Break-Ins Reported to San Francisco Police

• 2014:   22,029
• 2015:   26,040
• 2016:   24,624
• 2017:   28,984

Law enforcement officials estimate that criminal street gangs are behind 70 to 80 percent of auto burglary incidents, according to a Civil Grand Jury report released in June 2016.  According to the same report, car break-ins throughout San Francisco cost victims at least $19 million per year.

Tropical Depression Florence and Looting

Tropical Depression Florence continues to dump rain on North and South Carolina in already-flooded areas, where 17 deaths have been reported. The death toll from Florence rose to at least 17 fatalities Sunday, according to the Associated Press. Eleven of those deaths were in North Carolina, and six were in South Carolina. Officials fear that with increased flooding many rivers are not expected to crest until Monday or later the death count may rise.

The city of Wilmington, NC, is completely cut off by floodwaters and officials are asking for additional help from state law enforcement and the National Guard, according to the Associated Press. They are looking to transport food into the city via air or high-water vehicles. More than 900 people in North Carolina were rescued from swift waters by Sunday afternoon, Gov. Roy Cooper said in a press conference. Further rescues are ongoing.

More than 25 inches of rain has already fallen in parts of North Carolina, and more than 15 inches of rain has fallen in parts of South Carolina. The mid-Atlantic states and southern New England are expected to receive more than 6 inches of rain, according to the NWS.

More than 400,000 households in North Carolina and 20,000 in South Carolina are without power, according to state officials. More than 15,000 people are at shelters in North Carolina.

Police in North Carolina on Sunday posted eight photos online of alleged thieves, many of whom appeared to be holding large black garbage bags to carry the stolen items. Five people were arrested Saturday in Wilmington, NC, after a looting incident at a Family Dollar store. Officers tweeted Sunday that they had a zero-tolerance policy in looting: "If you loot, you will be arrested."

Student Council Members: Ice Cream is Not 'Inclusive' Enough

Student council members at The University of Wisconsin-Madison are demanding the school change the ingredients in the official university ice cream, claiming that the current ingredients are discriminatory toward some minority students.

UW-M’s official ice cream, the Babcock, contains a beef gelatin additive, which according to the legislation, “renders certain communities such as the Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and vegetarian unable to enjoy it without violating their beliefs.”

Gelatin is a flavorless gelling agent used in foods that are made from animal by-products. Babcock ice cream uses beef gelatin specifically and because of the combination of dairy and animal by-products in the ice cream, religious students who have a strict diet in accordance to their beliefs cannot eat it.

Babcock Hall Dairy Store is a casual dairy shop run by the UW-Madison Agriculture Department, with ice cream, cheese & cafe eats.

The legislation, titled “Ice Cream for All,” is already has eight sponsors, including the Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary of the Associated Students of Madison Student Council. The ASM student council is comparable to a student government senate.  The “Ice Cream for All” legislation will be voted on next Wednesday. The ASM Student Council can only recommend changes to the university administration. Nothing that the ASM Student Council passes is a definitive change.

If the resolution passes, even though it may not convince the university to change the ingredients, the council intends to condemn university-sponsored events that feature the Babcock ice cream. If passed, the council will recommend that the school officially acknowledge that the university’s official ice cream marginalizes some students.

Mail Time!

Bill, your lucid, point by point detailing of the texts between Strzok and Paige clearly shows the degree of partisanship within the government agencies. How long is it going to take before some heads will roll for all these clearly illegal and immoral activities? So sad that our most trusted agencies have become part of the problem.

Dear Bill, is it possible that if the IG and releasing of paperwork by the President proves positive for the President, the Mueller investigation would be deemed null and void? We miss you on Fox very much. Thanks for your clear and concise information.

Bill, I'm really impressed with the people you interview on your show and the information I gain from them and from you. I no longer subscribe to cable, and your show is by far the best value on the web. Fox really put their foot in it when they let you walk. Member for life.

Word of the Day:Quisling