It’s Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. Here’s what you need to start your day:
1. Kavanaugh’s accuser wants FBI investigation before testifying
Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her decades ago, will not testify before the FBI investigates the matter, according to a letter released Tuesday night by her lawyer to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The committee set a public hearing for Monday to give Ford and Kavanaugh an opportunity to answer questions from lawmakers about the allegations. Ford’s lawyer wrote in the letter that an investigation “will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the Committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions.”
Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegations.
ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl and ABC News’ Trish Turner take us through the late-night developments.
2. Football Hall of Famers seeking health insurance threaten boycott
Some of the biggest names in football are joining forces and threatening a boycott of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony. They’re calling on the NFL to agree to give them health insurance and an annual salary that includes a share of the league revenue.
Eric Dickerson, a Hall of Fame running back for the Los Angeles Rams, tells us about his campaign for basic benefits.
3. Doctor and woman accused of drugging, raping women
Dr. Grant Robicheaux, a well-known orthopedic surgeon in California, and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley are accused of drugging and sexually assaulting at least two women, but authorities claim the pair recorded hundreds of videos with women who were seemingly intoxicated and unable to consent.
“While authorities right now have two accounts of this from women, they think there could be hundreds more, if not upwards of 1,000,” ABC News’ Kayna Whitworth tells us.
In other news:
Investigation intrigue: Trump ‘dossier’ stuck in New York, didn’t trigger Russia investigation, sources say: President Donald Trump and his allies have long insisted that what he calls the “fake dirty dossier” was wholly “responsible for starting the totally and discredited witch hunt” by special counsel Robert Mueller. But, beginning in July 2016, that so-called “dossier” actually sat for several weeks inside an organized crime unit at the FBI’s New York field office, even as counterintelligence agents in Washington, D.C. — unaware of the new allegations — were already investigating Russian efforts to hijack American democracy.
Nuclear talks: Moon, Kim sign agreement for North Korea to take further steps to denuclearize: North and South Korea issued a joint statement Wednesday laying out more steps North Korea is prepared to take to denuclearize, but offering few details as to how they will get there. Kim Jong Un pledged to permanently shut down the Tongchang-ri missile launch and engine testing facilities. Kim also said he is prepared to permanently shut down his nuclear production facility at Yongbyon, but only if the U.S. takes “reciprocal steps.”
Patients drown: 2 mental health patients chained in the back of a sheriff’s van drown as cops saved: Two female mental patients chained in the back of a county sheriff’s van drowned when the vehicle in which they were traveling was overcome by floodwaters, police said. The deputies who were transporting the two women to a different facility in South Carolina were saved, local law enforcement officials told ABC News late Tuesday.
Toxic floods: Concern continues about overflowed animal waste pits, coal ash in Florence flooding: Millions of chickens have died and waste from pigs and coal ash has leaked into floodwaters in North Carolina as authorities work to control environmental threats and stop the spread of any contamination. But continued high water is keeping state and federal officials from knowing the full extent of the problem.
More Musk issues: Tesla confirms federal probe over Musk tweets, sending shares lower: The electric carmaker said it agreed to hand over documents to the Department of Justice in connection with CEO Elon Musk’s tweets about taking the publicly traded company private last month, according to a company statement. Tesla said it was cooperating with the government, but noted that it had not received a subpoena, a request for testimony or any other formal process.
From our partners at FiveThirtyEight:
Why Manafort’s Flip May Matter More Than 25 Russian Indictments
‘Nightline’ Rewind: Here’s what you missed last night:
Surgeon and woman accused of drugging, raping two women: Dr. Grant William Robicheaux and Cerissa Laura Riley were arrested last week and are facing multiple felony charges in California.
Kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart’s captor Wanda Barzee to be released from prison: Smart was 14 years old when she was kidnapped in 2002 from her Salt Lake City home and held as a prisoner by Barzee and her husband Brian David Mitchell.
On this day in history:
Sept. 19, 1995 — The Washington Post and The New York Times made an extraordinary decision to publish the Unabomber’s diatribe, which he sent three months prior. The so-called manifesto detailed a wide-ranging attack on what the terrorist found wrong with society. There was a large debate over both publications’ decisions to give into his demands.
Today’s must-see photo:
President Donald Trump listens to questions as he sits with first lady Melania Trump during a meeting with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda in the Oval Office. (Photo credit: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
For more great photos from around the world click HERE.
What’s hot on social:
Watch as this bear pummels its way out of a minivan window and climbs down the side of the car.
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