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.)
Brett Kavanaugh Says He’s “Not Going Anywhere” in an Interview with Fox News
In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says he is “not going anywhere” despite the sexual assault allegations that plague and threaten his Supreme Court confirmation.
“I’m not going to let false accusations drive us out of this process and we’re looking for a fair process where I can be heard and defend my integrity my lifelong record. My lifelong record of promoting dignity and equality for women starting with the women who knew me when I was 14 years old. I’m not going anywhere,” Kavanaugh said in his interview with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum, with his wife, Ashley Kavanaugh, by his side.
“I’m not going to let false accusations drive us out of this process.” —Brett Kavanaugh
Watch @MarthaMacCallum‘s full interview with Judge Kavanaugh and his wife Ashley tonight on Fox News Channel at 7p ET. https://t.co/QFmLfIwW4R pic.twitter.com/r8J2TUYQDj
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 24, 2018
“I am a good person. I have led a good life. I tried to do a lot of good for a lot of people. I am not perfect. None of us is perfect. I am not perfect, but I’ve never, never done anything like this,” Kavanaugh later said.
Kavanaugh told MacCallum that President Donald Trump called him on Monday to tell him that he is standing his nominee, CNN reports.
“I know he’s gonna stand by me,” Kavanaugh said. “He called me this afternoon and said he’s standing by me.”
His nomination has spiraled into a public affair after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward earlier this month to allege that Kavanaugh pinned her down and groped her at a high school party in 1982. On Sunday, the New Yorker detailed an allegation from another woman, Deborah Ramirez, who alleged that Kavanaugh exposed himself and thrust his genitals in her face at a college party in the 1980s.
When asked about Ford’s allegations, Kavanaugh said, “The truth is I’ve never sexually assaulted anyone in high school or otherwise. I am not questioning, and have not questioned, that perhaps Dr. Ford at some point in her life was sexually assaulted by someone in some place.” He added that he “may have met” Ford, adding that she “was not a friend, not someone I knew.”
When asked about Ramirez’s accusations, Kavanaugh said, “If such a thing had happened, it would have been the talk of campus.”
Kavanaugh has insisted that he is not “going to let false accusations” force him to drop out of his nomination.
“I want a fair process where I can defend my integrity,” he said. “I know I’m telling the truth. I know my lifelong record. I’m not going to let false accusations drive me out of this process. I have faith in God and I have faith in the fairness of the American people.”
In the interview, Kavanaugh insisted that during the years in question he was a virgin; although, neither of the allegations accuse Kavanaugh of nonconsensual intercourse.
Kavanaugh’s wife also spoke during the interview, saying that she believed that they were in the right.
“This process is incredibly difficult, harder than we imagined, and we imagined it might be hard, but at the end of the day, our faith is strong, and we know that we’re on the right path,” she said.
President Trump is Preparing for Second Summit With Kim Jong Un
During a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday, President Donald Trump said he is preparing for his second summit with Kim Jong Un.
Critics have warned against having another summit with the North Korean leader since the country has taken no significant steps towards dismantling its nuclear arsenal.
According to ABC News, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the potential meeting as something of “enormous value” but only “if we can continue to make progress and have conversations.”
Trump said the meeting would take place “in the not too distant future,” adding that it would not take place in Singapore a “location to be determined.” He said that Kim had shown “tremendous enthusiasm … toward making a deal” and called his relationship with Kim “very good. In fact, in some ways it’s extraordinary.”
“We are in no rush. There’s no hurry. … We’ve made more progress than anybody’s made ever, frankly, with regard to North Korea,” Trump said.
Pompeo said on Monday that he will be heading to Pyongyang soon for conversations to determine if the two sides are on the same page, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told ABC News on Sunday.
Kim still remains committed to denuclearization, according to Moon, who said he would debrief Trump on his own meetings with Kim.
Moon continued to flatter Trump, telling him through a translator, “Chairman Kim also repeatedly conveyed his unwavering trust and expectations for you, while expressing his hope to meet you soon to swiftly complete a denuclearization process with you because you are indeed the only person who can solve this problem.”
Moon’s meetings last week in Pyongyang resulted in a joint declaration that Kim and Moon signed, with both leaders committing to shutting down a missile-engine test site with inspectors present at the site. The joint resolution also offered to take other steps towards denuclearization, but only if the United States takes “corresponding measures.”
President Trump Won’t Support Puerto Rican Statehood Bid As Long As San Juan Mayor Stays
President Donald Trump said Sunday that he would not support a Puerto Rican statehood bid if San Juan Mayor Carmen YulĂn Cruz continued to hold office in the U.S. territory.
During an interview on Geraldo Rivera’s radio show, Trump called YulĂn Cruz “grossly incompetent” and a “horror show” who could completely stand in the way of Puerto Rico being granted statehood.
“I will tell you this, with the mayor of San Juan as bad as she is and as incompetent as she is, Puerto Rico shouldn’t be talking about statehood until they get some people that really know what they’re doing,” Trump told Rivera.
“When you do have good leadership, that certainly could be something they talk about,” the president continued. “But with people like that involved in Puerto Rico, I would be an absolute no.”
YulĂn Cruz, who has been a vocal critic of Trump, fired back at the president on Twitter on Monday, saying that she felt he attacked her for “telling the truth.” She added that most Puerto Ricans aren’t in favor of statehood anyway, The Huffington Post reports.
Trump vuelve a acusarme por decir la verdad. Ahora dice que la estadidad no llega por mi. pic.twitter.com/hOwwdlt3n7
— Carmen YulĂn Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) September 24, 2018
Earlier this month, Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo RossellĂł reiterated his call for statehood while addressing the aftermath of recent hurricanes that impacted the U.S. territory.
“We are second-class U.S. citizens,” Rosselló told CBS News. “We live in a colonial territory. It is time to eliminate that. I implore all of the elected officials, particularly now with midterm elections, to have a firm stance: You’re either for colonial territories or against it. You’re either for giving equal rights to the U.S. citizens that live in Puerto Rico or you’re against it.”
Since hurricanes Irma and Maria ravaged Puerto Rico last year, Trump and YulĂn Cruz have repeatedly shared hostile words over the federal government’s response to the hurricanes, HuffPost reports. Trump downplayed the severity of the damage caused by the hurricanes, and YulĂn Cruz consistently pleaded with the government to send more aid to the U.S. territory.
Trump has insisted that the federal government’s response to the hurricanes has been “under-appreciated” and was an “unsung success.”
“The truth is you have incompetent leadership and the mayor of San Juan is a grossly incompetent person,” Trump said on Sunday. “I love the people of Puerto Rico. And I did a great job. I got things to Puerto Rico that nobody could have gotten. … And instead of getting thank you, we got nothing but bad publicity.”
What to look out for…
“This is Us” season three premieres tonight, Tuesday, Sept. 25 on NBC!