The Morning Briefing: Weinstein, Vegas, NFL, Eminem and Much, Much More

Good Wednesday Morning.

Here is what’s on the President agenda today:

In the morning, President Donald J. Trump will receive his daily intelligence briefing.
In the afternoon, the President and First Lady Melania Trump will welcome Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mrs. Grégoire Trudeau of Canada.
The President will then meet with Prime Minister Trudeau.
Later in the afternoon, the President will depart the White House for Joint Base Andrews, en route to Harrisburg, PA.
In the evening, the President will arrive in Harrisburg, PA, and will give remarks on tax reform.
The President will then depart Harrisburg, PA, for Washington, D.C., en route to the White House.

Weinstein scandal continues to grow

The scandal surrounding allegations of sexual assault and rape continues to grow against powerful Hollywood mogul, degenerate and Democratic Party patron Harvey Weinstein. At this time, the list of women who have come forward with allegations reads like book two of The Iliad, where Homer catalogues the ships under Agamemnon’s command as he sails to battle Trojan forces.

First up, we have an update to the list of accusers, which now includes high-profile Hollywood stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie.

Matt Damon responded to allegations that he helped kill a story back in 2003 about Weinstein’s alleged proclivities. Ben Affleck also released a statement saying he was “saddened and angry” about the revelations and he was promptly excoriated on Twitter by Weinstein accuser Rose McGowan.

Ben Affleck fuck off

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017

@benaffleck “GODDAMNIT! I TOLD HIM TO STOP DOING THAT” you said that to my face. The press conf I was made to go to after assault. You lie.

— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 10, 2017

One of Weinstein’s victims recreated her alleged assault in a movie scene.

From the “better late than never” file, Weinstein largess beneficiaries Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton released statements yesterday. And while we are on the subject, here’s a fun flashback: Weinstein Was A Donor To Bill Clinton’s Legal Defense Fund In Sex Assault Case. No word on Obama daughter Malia’s internship with Weinstein. EEEK.

A report has surfaced that Weinstein’s wife, designer Georgina Chapman, is leaving him. USC has rejected a $5M donation from Weinstein. The DCCC says it will donate Weinstein’s money, $20k, to a nonprofit that helps women traumatized by violence.

Author of a bombshell story run in The New Yorker, Rowan Farrow, says he was personally threatened by Weinstein about the story.

“In the course of this reporting, I was threatened with a lawsuit personally by Mr. Weinstein,” Farrow said on MSNBC. In anticipation of the story, Weinstein had enlisted a crisis management team and several attorneys, including lawyer Lisa Bloom, who resigned from the film mogul’s team on Saturday.

When Maddow asked why Farrow’s feature ended up at The New Yorker rather than at NBC, where he is employed as a correspondent, he replied, “You would have to ask NBC and NBC executives about the details. I’m not going to comment on any news organization’s story that they did or did not run.”

Way to go, NBC.

Weinstein’s spokesperson, Sallie Hofmeister, responded to the allegations in The New Yorker: “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.”

So what’s Weinstein up to now? Reportedly, he’s on his way to a sex rehab clinic in Europe.

Las Vegas update

The timeline on the Vegas massacre is getting confused. MGM, owner of the Mandalay Bay, released a statement yesterday regarding the recent law enforcement revelation that hotel security guard Jesus Campos was shot before the gunman opened fire on the 20,000+ concertgoers down below. The company said it “cannot be certain about the most recent timeline that has been communicated publicly, and we believe what is currently being expressed may not be accurate.”

“This remains an ongoing investigation with a lot of moving parts,” the statement said. “As evidenced by law enforcement briefings over the past week, many facts are still unverified and continue to change as events are under review.”

Undersheriff Kevin McMahill appeared on Nevada public radio to talk about the investigation’s details but only added to the confusion when he mentioned the presence of a maintenance man. “As the maintenance man as well is arriving in the hallway, they have some communication and they are just riddled with hundreds of bullets at this particular point,” McMahill said. “We now know that he then went over and began shooting into the crowd.” Additionally, officials now say that the gunman checked into the hotel three days earlier than initially reported.

CBS News also reports the gunman may have used the freight elevator in the hotel.

The Las Vegas Review Journal interviewed Las Vegas Sheriff Lombardo on Tuesday and he said the gunman’s autopsy had begun and his brain did not show any abnormalities. “All those things that you would expect to find, we have not found,” the sheriff said.

The victims of the Las Vegas massacre have filed a lawsuit, with the backing of the anti-Second Amendment Brady monsters, against the maker of the bumpstock used by the gunman.

The proposed class action lawsuit, filed in state court in Clark County, Nevada, over the weekend and announced on Tuesday, accuses Slide Fire Solutions and other unnamed manufacturers of negligence leading to the infliction of emotional distress on thousands of people who witnessed or were injured in the Oct. 1 shooting at a Las Vegas music festival.

The lawsuit by three Nevada residents who attended the festival does not involve the injuries that hundreds of people suffered as a result of the shooting, or the families of the 58 people who were killed.

“The only way the plaintiffs can survive is if the court accepts the idea that a bump stock accessory is not covered under the U.S. Congress’ components parts definition,” Timothy Lytton, a law professor at Georgia State University and author of a book on gun litigation, said.

A bipartisan gun control bill to ban bumpstocks was introduced by Florida Representative Carlos Curbelo. Twenty members, both Democrats and Republicans, have signed on. “For the first time in decades, there is growing bipartisan consensus for sensible gun policy, a polarizing issue that has deeply divided Republicans and Democrats,” Curbelo said a statement.

Since we are on the topic of gun control, You Tube has decided to ban all firearm videos they don’t like. A YouTube spokesman said: “We have long had a policy against harmful and dangerous content. In the wake of the recent tragedy in Las Vegas, we have taken a closer look at videos that demonstrate how to convert firearms to make them fire more quickly and we’ve expanded our existing policy to prohibit these videos.”

Trump ready to sign healthcare executive orders

Since the House and Senate can’t get their act together on the healthcare front, President Trump says he plans to sign some orders that will help roll back a few of the dreadful Obamacare regulations.

The expected order would allow small businesses and individuals to band together as associations to buy health insurance plans that would be exempt from some Obamacare requirements. These include mandatory coverage for 10 essential health benefits such as maternity and newborn care, prescription drugs and mental health treatment.

It would also expand the amount of time people can use short-term medical insurance plans, which are cheaper than traditional plans but cover a limited set of benefits. People could use those plans for up to a year, compared to three months under current law.

“I’ll also be signing something, probably this week, which is going to go a long way to take care of many of the people that have been so badly hurt on healthcare,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

“With Congress the way it is, I decided to take it upon myself,” Trump added, saying the plan is “largely worked out.”

NFL: too little too late?

Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, has sent a letter to the team owners, saying he would like players to stand for the national anthem but he did not mandate it. (Isn’t it mandated in the players’ contracts?)

“Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the national anthem,” Goodell wrote. “It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us.

“We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues,” he said. “The controversy over the anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players.”

Eminem performs anti-Trump rap at BET Hip Hop Awards

Prior to “performing,” rapper Eminem warned “any fan of mine who’s a supporter of (Trump).” Then he launched into his performance. Here’s a snippet:

Then who’s gonna pay for his extravagant trips back and forth with his family / His golf resorts and mansions / Same s— that he tormented Hillary for and he slandered / Then does it more from his endorsement of Bannon / Support for the Klansmen / Tiki torches in hand / For the soldier that’s black and comes home from Iraq and is still told to go back to Africa.

Historical picture of the day:

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton looks on as President George Bush speaks, Oct. 11, 1992 in St. Louis, during the first of three planned debates among the three major candidates. (AP Photo/Greg Gibson)

Other morsels:

Wildfires are endangering parts of California’s $2 billion marijuana industry

Less than 1% of EPA administrator’s meetings are with environmental groups

Farmer sets record with heaviest recorded pumpkin

US fails to reach 2018 World Cup

Twitter reverses decision, will allow Blackburn to promote Senate ad

Wendy Davis Tracking ‘Electoral Climate in Texas’ With Eye on Future Run

Washington judge limits scope of government warrant for data from anti-Trump site

Texas state rep silenced by university after Black Lives Matter disrupts event

Patient Dies After Waiting 6 Hours To See A Doctor In Canada

ACLU Silent On Gay Coffee Shop Owner Who Kicked Out Christians

Carter Page says he won’t testify before Senate Intelligence panel in Russia probe