Good morning, Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
Fourth Sexual Assault Allegation Against Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh answered questions about another sexual assault allegation during a call with Senate staff on Tuesday.
Sen. Cory Gardner received an anonymous letter from a constituent accusing Kavanaugh of assaulting an unnamed woman that he was dating 20 years ago, NBC first reported Wednesday.
via Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse
According to a redacted transcript released by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Senate staffers asked Kavanaugh about the allegations via phone.
In the letter, dated Saturday, September 22, the constituent alleged that in 1998, while Kavanaugh was assisting with the Kenneth Starr report, which laid the grounds for impeaching President Bill Clinton, the Supreme Court nominee was socializing with the constituent’s daughter and four friends at a Washington D.C. bar.
“Her friend was dating him, and they left the bar under the influence of alcohol. They were all shocked when Brett Kavanaugh shoved her friend up against the wall very aggressively and sexually. There were at least four witnesses, including my daughter. Her friend, still traumatized, called my daughter yesterday, September 21, 2018, wondering what to do about it. They decided to remain anonymous,” the constituent recounted her daughter’s version of the event.
Kavanaugh denied the latest allegation.
“We’re dealing with an anonymous letter about an anonymous person and an anonymous friend,” Kavanaugh told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “It’s ridiculous. Total twilight zone. And no, I’ve never done anything like that.”
In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the Senate Judiciary Committee told The Huffington Post that the committee “regularly receives anonymous letters, some of which are viewed with credibility, but many of which are not.”
“To make sure no stone was left unturned, the committee asked Judge Kavanaugh yesterday about this anonymous letter. Judge Kavanaugh flatly denied any such event ever happened,” the spokesperson said.
President Trump Says He Would Prefer Not to Fire Deputy AG Rosenstein
President Donald Trump said that he would “much prefer keeping” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, despite recent reports that the Deputy AG suggested invoking the 25th Amendment last year to attempt to remove Trump from office.
During a press conference following the gathering of the United Nations General Assembly, Trump told reporters that he may postpone his scheduled Thursday meeting with Rosenstein to discuss his tenure, so as to not interfere with the Senate hearing in which Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is to testify about sexual misconduct allegations brought forth by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Â
“I may call Rod tonight or tomorrow and ask for a little bit of a delay to the meeting, because I don’t want to do anything that gets in the way of this very important Supreme Court pick,” Trump said.
via Associated Press
Trump had scheduled the meeting with Rosenstein to discuss his professional fate, as well as the future of the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, USA Today reports.
Appearing to offer support of the Justice Department official, Trump told reporters that Rosenstein told him he did not discuss invoking the 25th Amendment, while offering to wear a wire to gather evidence of the president’s erratic behavior following the sudden dismissal of former FBI Director James Comey.
“He said he never said it, he said he doesn’t believe it,” Trump said. “He said he has a lot of respect for me, and he was very nice and we’ll see.”
Trump added that he “would certainly prefer” not to fire Rosenstein, but did not make a commitment one way or another before having a face-to-face meeting with Rosenstein.
Amidst questions about Kavanaugh and Rosenstein, Trump again denied any involvement in Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election and denied claims by numerous women that he has committed sexual assault, USA Today reports.
“I’ve had a lot of false charges made against me,” Trump remarked.
You Can Now Register to Vote Through Snapchat
With the 2018 midterm elections quickly approaching, the deadline for voter registration is also upon us. While registering to vote can seem confusing, the process is getting increasingly easier with technology, and this year, you can now register to vote through Snapchat.
On September 25th, Snapchat celebrated Voter Registration Day by connecting its users to a nonprofit voter registration group called TurboVote. In a news release, Snapchat announced that users who are at least 18-years-old will have an access to a link in their profiles that will allow them to register to vote.
Snapchat’s voter registration initiative might actually reach new voters https://t.co/5WhRtGSgVF pic.twitter.com/y7NXRnbnmY
— Mashable (@mashable) September 25, 2018
According to Hello Giggles, if you are eligible to vote in the United States, you will see a little yellow dot next to your profile icon when you open the Snapchat app. If you go to your profile, you will find a banner asking you to register to vote. When you click on the banner, Snapchat will redirect you to TurboVote where you can complete the registration process. TurboVote, who partnered with Snapchat for the new feature, will also send reminders of upcoming elections, registration deadlines and polling locations, Democracy Works reports.
Snapchat also added special filters so you can share that you have voted and encourage your friends to vote, too.
Snapchat’s partnership with TurboVote is so important since it will help encourage young individuals to register and actually vote.
Regardless of your political ideology, it’s important to make your voice heard. So make sure to cast your vote on November 6th!
What to look out for…
The Kavanaugh hearings will take place today. Here’s how you can watch Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimonies.