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I believe sentencing him to 3-10 years is not necessary. They have no proof they he did it, just a woman's word. People are wrongfully convicted everyday and this could be one of those cases. Although I don't believe he did it, If he did, he needs to be punished.

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President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee and the woman who accused him of sexual assault at a high school party appeared separately before a Senate committee on Thursday to share emotional and contradictory accounts of what happened decades ago.

“I believed he was going to rape me,” the woman, Christine Blasey Ford, told the committee in discussing her harrowing account of assault.
I think that it is a setup if this happened 30 years ago they should have come forward sooner.i think that they are just trying to get him to not be able to get the job.

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Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh during the Senate confirmation hearing for his nomination to the Supreme Court in Washington on Sept. 4. Credit Credit Eric Thayer for The New York Times

Updated Sept. 27
President Trump's Supreme Court nominee and a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her decades ago are appearing before a Senate panel on Thursday, an extraordinary turn in a confirmation process that has dominated headlines for weeks.

Follow our updates during the hearing and watch it live here.

The nominee, Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, denied accusations from that woman, Christine Blasey Ford, and others on Wednesday, amid a flurry of new charges and countercharges.

Here's a guide to the latest coverage from The Times.

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From left, Julie Swetnick, Deborah Ramirez and Christine Blasey Ford. Credit Michael Avenatti, via Associated Press; Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence, via Associated Press

First, Dr. Blasey, a research psychologist, accused him ofpinning her down at a high school party, trying to take off her clothing and covering her mouth to keep her from screaming. (Read our profile of her.)

On Sunday, The New Yorker reported that Deborah Ramirez, who works for the Boulder County housing department in Colorado and sits on the board of a domestic violence organization, said that Judge Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a drunken college party. (Here's our profile of her.)

On Wednesday, Julie Swetnick, who has held a variety of public- and private-sector jobs over the years, including working for federal government agencies, said that he was "present" when she was raped at a high school party.

In an anonymous letter sent to a Republican senator, a woman said her daughter witnessed Judge Kavanaugh drunkenly push her friend, a woman he was dating, up against a wall after they left a Washington bar one night in 1998.

Although he admitted on Wednesday to having some regrets about his choices in high school, Judge Kavanaugh hasadamantly denied the allegations. He again denied all of the allegations on Wednesday night, in his third call with staff lawyers for the Judiciary Committee who have prepared him for the hearing.

During a Fox News interview on Sunday, the Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh rebutted claims of sexual abuse. But some are questioning his characterization of his high school and college years. Published On Credit Credit Image by Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press

Republicans were quick to suggest that the claims were part of a smear campaign, with President Trump accusing Democrats of being "con artists." Meanwhile, Judge Kavanaugh took the extraordinary measure on Monday of defending himself in a Fox News interview, the first time in memory that a Supreme Court nominee sat for a televised interview before a confirmation vote.

Still, conservatives are divided over how to proceed. The nomination rests on the votes of a few Senate Republicans - one of them, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, has warnednot to prejudge the allegations.

Some female candidates for the House of Representatives have calibrated responses to the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh to avoid alienating female voters.

For good reason, too. In battleground districts, voters are deeply divided on his nomination.

On Sept. 14, a group of 65 women signed a letter in support of Judge Kavanuagh's nomination. Recently, one of those women, Renate Schroeder Dolphin, learned Judge Kavanaugh had listed the phrase "Renate Alumnius" on his high school yearbook page.

Two of his classmates said that the references to "Renate" reflected unsubstantiated boasting by the school's football players about their conquests. Judge Kavanaugh's lawyer said the language referred to his client and Ms. Dolphin's attending a high school event together "and nothing else." For her part, Ms. Dolphin said, "I can't begin to comprehend what goes through the minds of 17-year-old boys who write such things, but the insinuation is horrible, hurtful and simply untrue."

As Judge Kavanaugh's high school and college years have come under scrutiny,a common theme has emerged with respect to the accusations:heavy drinking.

President Trump at a rally in Springfield, Mo., last week. Credit Tom Brenner for The New York Times

Meanwhile, a group of Mormon women called for a pause in the confirmation process, pressuring the four Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (its adherents lean heavily Republican).

The sensitivity of the situation, particularly in the #MeToo era, is not lost on the 11 Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, all of them white men. They have retained a female prosecutor to help question one of the accusers, Dr. Blasey, at a Thursday hearing. Here's what we know about that prosecutor, Rachel Mitchell.

____

Demonstrators protested Judge Kavanaugh's nomination in the atrium of the Hart Senate building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Monday. Credit Erin Schaff for The New York Times

The political stakes are very high, with some Democrats hoping that the derailment of Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation could buy them time to win back the Senate in the November midterm elections, and, consequently, gain control over the confirmation of Mr. Trump's next nominee.

____

In 1991, senators questioned Anita Hill about her accusation that Clarence Thomas, a nominee to the Supreme Court, had sexually harassed her. The questions and remarks that lawmakers made during the hearings are now viewed as a low point for the Senate. Published On Credit Credit Image by Jennifer Law/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images

In preparation for Thursday's testimony, both Dr. Blasey and Judge Kavanaugh have released their opening statements. You can read Dr. Blasey's statement here, and Judge Kavanaugh's statement here.

Many have seen parallels between the accusations facing Judge Kavanaugh today and the ones from Anita Hill, who accused Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual misconduct during his Supreme Court confirmation process more than a quarter-century ago. Read more about her testimony and key moments from Judge Thomas's hearings, and listen to an episode from The Daily that revisits it. Ms. Hill, now a professor at Brandeis University, has weighed in herself, writing in a New York Times Op-Ed that, this time around, the Senate Judiciary Committee can "do better.'

Advisers have said that Dr. Blasey and Judge Kavanaugh face different challenges on Thursday. For Dr. Blasey, an unknown figure, details will matter. For Judge Kavanaugh, he must defend himself, but not attack his accuser.

Melissa Gomez and Matthew Haag contributed reporting.

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Brett Kavanaugh, the Accusations and the Fallout: Catch Up on the News

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Updated Sept. 27 President Trump's Supreme Court nominee and a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her decades ago are appearing before a Senate panel on Thursday, an extraordinary turn in a confirmation process that has dominated headlines for weeks. Follow our updates during the hearing and watch it live here.

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Instagram's co founders' falling out with Mark Zuckerberg

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Instagram's co founders' falling out with Mark Zuckerberg

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I think that instagram co-founders should become independent from Facebook and work on their own.

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The sudden departure of Instagram's co-founders on Monday brought to an end one of the most successful tech pairings in Silicon Valley history.

Under Facebook, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom and Chief Technical Officer Mike Krieger, who met at Stanford University and sold the photo-sharing company to the social network for $1 billion in 2012, enjoyed a reasonable amount of independence while also benefitting from the social network's reach. In June, Instagram hit 1 billion monthly users.

But what had been a successful partnership began to sour recently after Systrom and Krieger grew frustrated with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's handling of their product, according to sources with knowledge of the matter who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

"Kevin [Systrom] has been super-pissed-off at Mark," one high-level Facebook source said.

Part of the disagreement stems from Zuckerberg's decision to stem the flow of traffic that Facebook was directing toward Instagram, the sources said. Instagram's rapid growth over the last year had been a bright spot for Facebook at a time when it was being scrutinized for its handling of user data and slow response to foreign actors that used Facebook to meddle in U.S. politics.

"Facebook had been funneling traffic to Instagram, then Zuckerberg decided he wanted to focus on keeping people inside Facebook," one source said.

That meant turning off features that allowed people to share Instagram posts through Facebook.

"There was a feeling that Instagram could stand on its own two feet," the source said.

Adam Mosseri, the head of product at Instagram and former head of Facebook's News Feed, will now take over Instagram, the sources said.

In a statement, Systrom said he and Krieger were "grateful for the last eight years at Instagram and six years with the Facebook team."

"We're planning on taking some time off to explore our curiosity and creativity again," Systrom said. "Building new things requires that we step back, understand what inspires us and match that with what the world needs; that's what we plan to do."

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Instagram co-founders' falling out with Zuckerberg led to departures, sources say

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The sudden departure of Instagram's co-founders on Monday brought to an end one of the most successful tech pairings in Silicon Valley history. Under Facebook, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom and Chief Technical Officer Mike Krieger, who met at Stanford University and sold the photo-sharing company to the social network for $1 billion in 2012, enjoyed a reasonable amount of independence while also benefitting from the social network's reach.

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I think Nike made the right decision by letting Colin be in their ads. Kneeling has spread worldwide because lots of people agree with why he does it.

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ike is no stranger to controversy. The sportswear firm has run advertising featuring Lance Armstrong after a doping scandal, Maria Sharapova following a failed drugs test and Tiger Woods in the midst of a sex scandal and after a drug driving accusation.

But selecting Colin Kaepernick, an outcast American football player and civil rights activist, as the face of its new global advertising campaign is its most divisive move.

Kaepernick has been a polarising figure since 2016, when, as a player for the San Francisco 49ers, he refused to stand during the national anthem. At first he sat as a protest, then later sank to his knee. The protest was intended to draw attention, he said, to police killings of African Americans and other injustices.

Nike's share price fell by 2% on Tuesday as the response ranged from people burning trainers and cutting the Nike logo from their socks to threatening a complete boycott of the brand. On the other side the campaign was lauded by figures including the basketball player LeBron James and Serena Williams.

Kaepernick said of his protest: "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour. To me this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

Soon, his teammates joined him and the protest spread to other players, lasting into the 2017 season. The NFL released a statement saying players were "encouraged to" but not required to stand during the national anthem as anger grew among members of the public. The former NFL great Jerry Rice accused Kaepernick of "disrespecting the flag," though he said he understood his stance.

Kaepernick, centre, and San Francisco 49ers teammates protesting in 2016. Photograph: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Donald Trump waded into the furore, using his stage at a political rally to launch a sensational attack on NFL players who chose to take the knee. "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He's fired. He's fired!'" The American president raged.

Team owners reacted to widespread condemnation by banding together and ruling that all players must stand during the national anthem. In 2017 when Kaepernick became a free agent, a player without a club, no team offered him a contract, and that October he filed a grievance against the NFL accusing team owners of colluding to keep him from being signed.

The new Nike advert nods to the 30-year-old's apparent exile from the league. It features a black and white close-up of Kaepernick's face overlaid with the caption: "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."

Announcing the campaign, Gino Fisanotti, Nike's vice-president of brand, said: "We believe Colin is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has leveraged the power of sport to help move the world forward. We wanted to energise its meaning and introduce 'Just Do It' to a new generation of athletes."

Kaepernick, who grew up in California, has been compared to the boxer Muhammad Ali and Jesse Owens, the African American star of the 1936 "Nazi Olympics", in using his sporting prowess to draw attention to wider social issues.

He had a previous deal with Nike, the main clothing sponsors of the NFL, but had not appeared in their campaigns since 2011. A new agreement was negotiated and Kaepernick was made one of the faces of the brand's 30th anniversary of the "Just Do It" slogan. The move re-ignited a debate that has rumbled in the background for many months and was played out on talk shows across America on Monday.

John Brennan, a CIA director from 2013-2017, tweeted his support, saying the athlete was a successful social justice campaigner. "Colin Kaepernick drew our collective attention to the problem of continued racial injustice in America," Brennan wrote. "He did so not to disrespect our flag but to give meaning to the words of the preamble of our constitution - 'in order to form a more perfect union'. Well done, Colin."

But opponents took to social media, promising to destroy Nike products. On Twitter they hit out at the deal using the hashtag #JustBurnIt, which trended alongside #BoycottNike.

The country singer John Rich tweeted a photo of his sound engineer holding a pair of Nike socks with the brand's swoosh logo cut out. "Former marine. Get ready Nike, multiply that by millions," he wrote.

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Nike's controversial Colin Kaepernick ad campaign its most divisive yet

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Nike's advertising campaign featuring the former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the source of much controversy

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Nike's controversial 30th anniversary ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick but nike executives debated on dropping their sponsorship

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Bill Cosby was sentenced to 3-10 years in prison after he allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted Andrea Constand 14 years ago in his home. He was ordered to pay a fine of $25,000 plus the costs of persecution as a part of his sentence. They claim in 2003, Cosby gave Constand pills so he could take advantage of her. She filed charges in 2005 but the policed but they declined to press charges. After she spoke up, other women started chiming in and speaking about the horrific experiences they had with Bill Cosby too and the started a #metoo movement.

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bill cosby is ruled a sexually violent predator ahead of his sentencing - cnn

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Bill Cosby is ruled a sexually violent predator ahead of his sentencing

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A Pennsylvania judge ruled that Bill Cosby will be classified as a "sexually violent predator" on Tuesday in what could be his last day out of prison.

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its about time playstation did the cross-platform i can finally play fortnite with other people. i think its amazing

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https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/instagram-co-founders-falling-out-zuckerberg-led-departures-sources-say-n912936

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More than 60 woman have come forward to testify. But the big one was Andrea Constand who said that he drugged her and molested her in 2004 and it would convince, they caught him trying to slip in opinion
https://www.npr.org/2018/09/23/650962962/bill-cosbys-sentencing-how-we-got-here-what-his-punishment-could-be

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https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/27/nike-nearly-dropped-colin-kaepernick-before-putting-him-in-its-advert.html

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In my opinion it's a good thing that Bill Cosby is put behind bars. He has been known for several sexual assaults and with him behind bars there is no chance that he will do it again.

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Bill Cosby undid his crimson silk tie, removed the jacket of his navy pinstripe suit and rolled up his sleeves before being handcuffed and led slowly from the courtroom.

"This is it; this is the day," said Tamara Green, a 70-year-old Cosby accuser who had traveled from San Diego to Pennsylvania to watch the entertainer face justice.

Trembling, she raised her right fist in the air as a sheriff's deputy escorted Cosby through the courthouse.

"It's just unbelievable and such catharsis, really," said Victoria Valentino, 75, a former Playboy model who accused Cosby of drugging and raping her in Los Angeles in 1969, as tears trickled down her cheek. "He thought he could get away with it all."

Completing a spectacular fall from the heights of stardom, Cosby was sentenced Tuesday to three to 10 years in state prison, the first celebrity of the #MeToo era to be locked up.

Rejecting the defense argument that Cosby was too frail to handle time behind bars, Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill ordered the 81-year-old entertainer to serve no less than three years and no more than 10 years in prison and to register as a sex offender, a label that will follow him for the rest of his life.

"Mr. Cosby, this all circles back to you," the judge said as he imposed the sentence. "The day has come. The time has come."

Cosby, who sat motionless and appeared to show no reaction, declined the opportunity to address the court, waiving his right to have the last word before the sentence was handed down.

The entertainer, who proclaims his innocence and is likely to appeal, never took the witness stand during his two trials and never gave any outward indication of contrition for the crimes he was accused of committing.

Outside the courthouse, a Cosby spokesman seemed to put the blame on his accusers.

"They persecuted Jesus and look what happened," said his publicist, Andrew Wyatt. "Not saying that Mr. Cosby is Jesus, but we know what this country has done to black men for centuries."

The judge denied a request from Cosby's attorneys that their client remain free on $1-million bail while he pursues an appeal.

Prosecutors had called for Cosby to spend five to 10 years in prison and pay a $25,000 fine, arguing that he is a sexual predator who has shown no remorse. The defense team countered that Cosby, who walks with a cane and is legally blind, should be put under house arrest because he poses no risk to the community and is not self-sufficient.

Though the judge said he recognized Cosby's age and failing health, those were not the factors he put the most weight on.

"I am not permitted to treat him any differently because of who he is or who he was," the judge said. "Of course, the higher the ascent, the sharper the fall. I recognize that impact on you, Mr. Cosby, and I am sorry for that."

Cosby was taken to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in nearby Eagleville, from where he will be taken to a 3,830-bed state correctional facility called Phoenix. From there, he will be assigned to a state institution in Pennsylvania.

The first major celebrity to go on trial since the #MeToo movement began, Cosby was convicted in April of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and molesting Andrea Constand, a former university basketball official, at his home in 2004.

Cosby, who has maintained his innocence, initially faced up to 30 years in prison, but on Monday, O'Neill said the defense and prosecution had agreed to merge the three counts of his conviction into one.

More than 50 women have come forward in recent years to accuse Cosby of sexual misconduct, but Constand, 45, is the only woman whose complaint has led to a criminal conviction. Many of the alleged incidents were beyond the statute of limitations, blocking the possibility of criminal charges.

The barrage of accusations against Cosby has shocked and unnerved a nation that grew up watching him on television in the role of a wholesome, exemplary family man.

In the public imagination, he was "America's Dad," synonymous with Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable, the kindly, respectable, upper-middle-class obstetrician he portrayed on "The Cosby Show," his popular and groundbreaking television sitcom that aired from 1984 until 1992.

The sentencing wraps up a long back-and-forth between Cosby and Constand. The onetime basketball official at Cosby's alma mater, Temple University, first reported an assault to police in 2005. However, the Montgomery County district attorney at the time did not press charges, so she brought a civil suit against Cosby. It was not until a decade later, when a series of women came forward with accusations against Cosby, that the new district attorney, Kevin Steele, reopened the case and filed charges in state court.

In 2017, the first trial ended with a hung jury.

In the April retrial, a jury of seven men and five women found Cosby guilty of assault with lack of consent, penetration while the victim was unconscious, and assault after impairing the victim with an intoxicant.

Cosby, who posted $1-million bail, had been confined to his home outside Philadelphia during the last five months, fitted with a GPS monitor and limited to travel only to visit his attorneys or for medical reasons.

Before the judge classified Cosby as a sexual predator, a final defense witness, psychologist Timothy Foley, said the actor did not present a significant risk to the community. "He's extraordinarily low risk," Foley said, noting that recidivism in sexual assault cases declines as a product of age and Cosby had no known instances of sexual misconduct over the last 14 years.

On Monday, a psychologist testifying for the prosecution said Cosby had used his "power and prestige" to meet and befriend women, whom he then drugged and assaulted. She said he remained a risk to the community and that it was likely he could offend again.

In a written victim impact statement given to the court, Constand reflected on her role in being the lone woman to take on Cosby in criminal court.

"I have often asked myself why the burden of being the sole witness in two criminal trials had to fall to me. The pressure was - enormous. I knew that how my testimony was perceived - that how I was perceived - would have an impact on every member of the jury and on the future mental and emotional well-being of every sexual assault victim who came before me," Constand wrote.

"But I had to testify. It was the right thing to do, and I wanted to do the right thing, even if it was the most difficult thing I've ever done. When the first trial ended in a mistrial, I didn't hesitate to step up again."

Many of Cosby's accusers who traveled to Pennsylvania for his sentencing were not given the opportunity to take the stand inside the courtroom. After Cosby was taken to jail, however, attorneys arranged for many of them to share their stories at a nearby banquet hall.

"I prayed every day that Mr. Bill Cosby would go to prison, do his time and finally pay his dues," said Chelan Lasha, a Cosby accuser who testified at the entertainer's second trial. "I prayed for him to get the maximum of 30 years.... I will find peace of mind as long as Mr. Cosby serves prison time for his actions."

Sunni Welles, a 70-year-old accuser who said Cosby drugged and raped her in Los Angeles in 1965 when she was a 17-year-old virgin, said she had hoped to tell her story directly to Cosby but never got the chance.

"You destroyed who I was and who I could have been," she said, recounting how Cosby had ruined her trust in men and left her unable to sustain deep relationships. Before she goes to sleep at night, she said she locks her legs together to make it harder for anyone to pry them apart.

"Upon your death, B.C., may God forgive you," she said. "I never can and I never will."

5:30 p.m.: The article was updated with reaction from additional Bill Cosby accusers.

2:10 p.m.: The article was updated with material from Andrea Constand's victim impact statement.

1:40 p.m.: The article was updated with Bill Cosby being handcuffed and taken to a correctional facility.

11:55 a.m.: The article was updated with the judge denying a request that Bill Cosby be freed on bail while appealing his conviction.

11:15 a.m.: This article was updated with Bill Cosby's sentence.

9:40 a.m.: The article was updated with Bill Cosby declining to address the court.

9 a.m.: The article was updated with the judge's ruling that Bill Cosby is a "sexually violent predator."
The article was originally published at 6:40 a.m.

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Led away in handcuffs, Bill Cosby will serve three to 10 years in prison for sexual assault - Los Angeles Times

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Bill Cosby undid his crimson silk tie, removed the jacket of his navy pinstripe suit and rolled up his sleeves before being handcuffed and led slowly from the courtroom. "This is it; this is the day," said Tamara Green, a 70-year-old Cosby accuser who had traveled from San Diego to Pennsylvania to watch the entertainer face justice.

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https://www.vox.com/2018/9/17/17869368/brett-kavanaugh-confirmation-sexual-assault-what-we-know
why was none of this reported when it happen, I think they need to get people from the party to tell the court weather they ever went anywhere by themselves or if either one was actually at that party. How did it happen at a high school party then get changed to freshman collage party? I don't think this should get brought up now when it happen a long time ago. I know if that ever happen to me I would report it when it happen.

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I thought our democracy was founded on the principle of "innocent until proven guilty," but these days it seems to be the opposite. All of Kavanaugh's accusers admit to having been drinking and to having gaps in their memory. Plus, just because someone did something in his/her teen years or college years doesn't mean he/she hasn't matured and grown over the years. It doesn't mean that person isn't a model citizen today. I know I am not the same person I was 30 years ago. This #metoo movement seems to be getting out of hand. As a mother of a teen-aged son, I fear for him and his future. His reputation could be ruined at any given moment with a simple accusation.

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As an extraordinary series of uncorroborated, lurid last-minute allegations threatens to derail his confirmation to the Supreme Court, nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Ford, the California professor accusing him of sexually assaulting her more than three decades ago, are set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday morning.

The proceedings may be upended by late-breaking developments: In a statement released Wednesday evening, Judiciary Committee Republicans revealed that on Monday, they conducted their "first interview with a man who believes he, not Judge Kavanaugh, had the encounter with Dr. Ford in 1982 that is the basis of his [sic] complaint." They conducted a second interview the next day.

On Wednesday, Republicans said in the statement, they received a "more in-depth written statement from the man interviewed twice previously who believes he, not Judge Kavanuagh, had the encounter in question with Dr. Ford." GOP investigators also spoke on the phone with another man making a similar claim.

Those claims, too, are a matter of dispute. On Thursday morning, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told "Fox & Friends" that one of those individuals is "crazy as a loon ... the one that I've heard about, I think, is not reliable." He did not name the individual, and the committee would not release further details about either person when reached for comment by Fox News. Another source, though, said "there's no reason to doubt they're both of sound mind and are both sincere in their claims."

Ford has previously said there is "zero chance" she would have confused Kavanaugh for anyone else.

In response, an aide to Democrats on the Judiciary Committee reportedly unloaded on Senate Republicans: "Republicans are flailing," the aide said, according to NBC News. "They are desperately trying to muddy the waters. ... Twelve hours before the hearing they suggest two anonymous men claimed to have assaulted her. Democrats were never informed of these assertions in interviews, in violation of Senate rules."

The aide, before again calling for an FBI probe into Ford's accusations, added, "This is shameful and the height of irresponsibility."

But Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, shot back on Twitter late Wednesday, writing, "Some might find it exceedingly difficult to imagine Judiciary Committee Democrats expressing this complaint with straight faces."

Ford first brought her allegations to the attention of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., in July, but Feinstein didn't disclose the allegations to her Senate colleagues or federal authorities until days before a crucial Judiciary Committee vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation earlier this month. Republicans have accused Feinstein's office of compromising Ford's anonymity by sitting on the allegations until she could deploy them for maximum political gain.

The stakes for Kavanaugh could not be higher: Key swing-vote senators have said Thursday's hearing, which will begin at 10:00 a.m. ET, presents a pivotal opportunity to assess Ford's credibility and determine whether to advance Kavanaugh to the nation's highest court.

The hearing, which for days had been in doubt, will be a chance for the public to see Ford, in person, explain in detail what she claims happened at the Maryland house party in 1982 where Kavanaugh allegedly jumped on top of her and tried to muffle her screams -- and why she didn't tell anyone about the episode until 2012.

The proceedings will commence with opening statements from Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking committee member Feinstein. After taking an oath, Ford will deliver the prepared remarks she has already provided publicly, according to a schedule provided by the committee. Each senator on the committee will then be afforded a single five-minute round of questions, with the opportunity to ask questions alternating between Democrats and Republicans.

Republicans have retained Rachel Mitchell, an experienced sex-crimes prosecutor, to handle some of their questioning, saying it will help avoid an overtly political atmosphere. Grassley has hammered Democrats, including Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., for "grandstanding" during the confirmation hearings earlier this month.
WATCH: CORY BOOKER COMPARES HIMSELF TO GLADIATOR 'SPARTACUS,' CLAIMS HE'S RISKING EXPULSION BY RELEASING CONFIDENTIAL KAVANAUGH DOCS
Democrats have indicated they intend to ask their own questions. After Ford's testimony is completed, the process will repeat for Kavanaugh.

"It's bad -- it's doing damage to the Supreme Court."
- Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh

In her prepared remarks, which Ford's attorney's released in advance on Wednesday, Ford will tell senators that she "thought that Brett [Kavanaugh] was accidentally going to kill me," and "I believed he was going to rape me."

She will explain that she remembers "four boys" being at the party, including one "whose name I cannot recall." The people she did name -- Kavanaugh and his classmates Mark Judge and P.J. Smyth -- have denied under penalty of felony knowing anything about the alleged episode.

Ford will also describe one girl, "my friend Leland Ingham," as also in attendance. Ingham, in a previously released statement, has also denied knowing Kavanaugh or having information about the alleged assault.
POLYGRAPH REPORT REVEALS APPARENT INCONSISTENCIES IN FORD'S CLAIMS

Ford's letter to Feinstein in July, however, gave a different tally, saying that the gathering "included me and 4 others."

Additionally, in a handwritten statement she provided the former FBI agent who administered her polygraph exam in August, Ford wrote "there were 4 boys and a couple of girls" at the party -- again apparently contradicting her letter to Feinstein.

Republicans, through Mitchell, are expected to question Ford on the apparent discrepancies.

Ford is also expected to tell senators that she finally decided to disclose the alleged assault during a therapy session in 2012 because during a remodeling of her house that year, she insisted on installing a "second front door" -- leaving her husband and others wondering why.

Additionally, questions have surfaced concerning the credibility of some of Kavanaugh's other accusers, who will not be present Thursday because they have not responded to overtures from committee Republicans.
KAVANAUGH FIGHTS BACK, TELLS INVESTIGATORS ALLEGATIONS ARE A 'DISGRACE' THAT WILL KEEP GOOD PEOPLE OUT OF PUBLIC SERVICE
For example, Julie Swetnick, who emerged Wednesday to accuse Kavanaugh of participating in "gang rapes" and rape "trains" in the 1980s, had a restraining order filed against her by an ex-boyfriend, Politico reported.

"Right after I broke up with her, she was threatening my family, threatening my wife and threatening to do harm to my baby at that time," Richard Vinneccy told Politico. "I know a lot about her. ... She's not credible at all. Not at all."

Swetnick is represented by anti-Trump lawyer Michael Avenatti, who has refused multiple requests by the Senate Judiciary Committee to interview her in the past week. On Wednesday afternoon, 60 men and women who attended Kavanaugh's high school or sister schools signed a letter saying they had never heard of Swetnick or anything like the overt, systemic gang raping that she described.

According to The Washington Post, both the state of Maryland and the federal government have filed since-resolved liens on her property in recent years for unpaid taxes totalling tens of thousands of dollars. It was not immediately clear exactly how Swetnick, who has held multiple security clearances relating to her work with the government, resolved both liens.

Republicans, i ncluding President Trump, have repeatedly pointed out that none of the sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh has first-hand corroboration. In The New Yorker on Sunday, former Kavanaugh classmate Deborah Ramirez claimed that Kavanaugh had exposed his penis to her at a party decades ago, even as her close college friend denied ever hearing about the episode and suggested she was making the claim for political reasons.

Ramirez, who also did not immediately respond to GOP Judiciary Committee inquiries, has acknowledged not being sure whether Kavanaugh had assaulted her until last week, after she spent days consulting with her attorney.

Several other allegations emerged this week. On Tuesday, a constituent told the office of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., that in 1985, two "heavily inebriated men" referred to as "Brett and Mark" had sexually assaulted a "close friend" on a boat.

The constituent, whose name was redacted in a document release by the Judiciary Committee but uncovered through tweets cited by the committee, recanted the claim Wednesday night on Twitter -- but several media outlets continued to report the allegations for hours afterwards.

In Twitter posts, the person making the accusation had also evidently advocated removing President Trump from the White House by means of military coup. On Wednesday, a post on the accuser's Twitter account read, "Do everyone who is going crazy about what I had said I have recanted because I have made a mistake and apologize for such mistake."

In a separate case, Kavanaugh was asked by GOP investigators this week specifically about a new claim in a letter received by Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., from an anonymous individual apparently in Denver, alleging that Kavanaugh "shoved" someone up against a wall "very aggressively and sexually" during an outing in front of four witnesses in 1998. Gardner's office received the letter on Sept. 22.

"We're dealing with an anonymous letter about an anonymous person and an anonymous friend," Kavanaugh told committee investigators asking about the alleged episode. "It's ridiculous. Total Twilight Zone. And no, I've never done anything like that.
Fox News' Brooke Singman and Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.
"It's bad -- it's doing damage to the Supreme Court," Kavanaugh added. "It's doing damage to the country. It's doing damage to this process. It's become a total feeding frenzy, you know? Every -- just unbelievable."

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Ahead of pivotal Senate hearing, witnesses surface to say Christine Ford may have mistaken them for Kavanaugh

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As an extraordinary series of uncorroborated, lurid last-minute allegations threatens to derail his confirmation to the Supreme Court, nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Ford, the California professor accusing him of sexually assaulting her more than three decades ago, are set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday morning.

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Nike made the right choice creating an ad that included famous and infamous people, tackling worldwide problems and creating diversity.

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he shouldn't get the job unless hes proven innocent

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i think it's a set up from the beginning because a lot of people were against him and then whenever he gets the nominee position that's when people start to come foward and accuse him about something that happened 30 or so years ago. Then when someone figures out that the case is going no where another person accuses him. They are just trying to ruin his reputation in the Supreme Court. They don't want him in the ''law system'' but he might actually be the best thing for the Supreme Court.

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Instagram co-founders' falling out with Facebook CEO 

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Instagram co-founders' falling out with Facebook CEO 

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What had been a successful partnership began to sour recently after Systrom and Krieger grew frustrated with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's handling of their product.Part of the disagreement stems from Zuckerberg's decision to stem the flow of traffic that Facebook was directing toward Instagram. That meant  turning off features that allowed people to share Instagram posts through Facebook. I hope that Facebook and Instagram do not split because then I can't share something on Instagram to someone on Facebook.

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The sudden departure of Instagram's co-founders on Monday brought to an end one of the most successful tech pairings in Silicon Valley history.

Under Facebook, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom and Chief Technical Officer Mike Krieger, who met at Stanford University and sold the photo-sharing company to the social network for $1 billion in 2012, enjoyed a reasonable amount of independence while also benefitting from the social network's reach. In June, Instagram hit 1 billion monthly users.

But what had been a successful partnership began to sour recently after Systrom and Krieger grew frustrated with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's handling of their product, according to sources with knowledge of the matter who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

"Kevin [Systrom] has been super-pissed-off at Mark," one high-level Facebook source said.

Part of the disagreement stems from Zuckerberg's decision to stem the flow of traffic that Facebook was directing toward Instagram, the sources said. Instagram's rapid growth over the last year had been a bright spot for Facebook at a time when it was being scrutinized for its handling of user data and slow response to foreign actors that used Facebook to meddle in U.S. politics.

"Facebook had been funneling traffic to Instagram, then Zuckerberg decided he wanted to focus on keeping people inside Facebook," one source said.

That meant turning off features that allowed people to share Instagram posts through Facebook.

"There was a feeling that Instagram could stand on its own two feet," the source said.

Adam Mosseri, the head of product at Instagram and former head of Facebook's News Feed, will now take over Instagram, the sources said.

In a statement, Systrom said he and Krieger were "grateful for the last eight years at Instagram and six years with the Facebook team."

"We're planning on taking some time off to explore our curiosity and creativity again," Systrom said. "Building new things requires that we step back, understand what inspires us and match that with what the world needs; that's what we plan to do."

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Instagram co-founders' falling out with Zuckerberg led to departures, sources say

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The sudden departure of Instagram's co-founders on Monday brought to an end one of the most successful tech pairings in Silicon Valley history. Under Facebook, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom and Chief Technical Officer Mike Krieger, who met at Stanford University and sold the photo-sharing company to the social network for $1 billion in 2012, enjoyed a reasonable amount of independence while also benefitting from the social network's reach.

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I think this is a very emotional story and a very emotional win for Tiger Woods. He went through so much and still managed to come back and win a Championship. I think he deserved to win and I'm happy that he won.

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Here's what we're Sifting today

Associated Press/Photo by John Amis

by Mickey McLean
Posted 9/24/18, 11:04 am

After a slew of physical and personal problems, Tiger Woods returned to professional golf's spotlight Sunday, winning the Tour Championship at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. It was the 42-year-old Woods' first victory since the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational and his 80th win on the PGA Tour, two short of the career record set by Sam Snead.

"I can't believe I pulled this off," said Woods at the trophy presentation, after shooting a final round 71 to win by two strokes over Billy Horschel. Justin Rose, who finished in a three-way tie for fourth, captured the FedEx Cup, the PGA Tour's season-ending playoffs, and its $10 million bonus.

In the past four years, Woods has endured four surgeries on his back, the most recent last year, and it appeared he would never be able to return to play the game at a level anywhere close to his former domineering self. Off the golf course, Woods was arrested in May 2017 for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was placed on probation for a year, fined $250, and ordered to take part in 50 hours of community service. Beginning in late 2009, after he was injured in a car accident in his own driveway, reports of his marital infidelity began circulating, and his wife, Elin Nordegren, the mother of his two children, later divorced him and several of his prominent sponsors dropped him.

Read more from The Sift Share this article with friends.

Mickey McLean

Mickey is executive editor of WORLD Digital.

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Tiger Woods wins first tournament in five years

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After a slew of physical and personal problems, Tiger Woods returned to professional golf's spotlight Sunday, winning the Tour Championship at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. It was the 42-year-old Woods' first victory since the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational and his 80th win on the PGA Tour, two short of the career record set by Sam Snead.

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On his way to the 18th green people were chanting his name approaching his 80th PGA tour win. He was overwhelmed with emotion
http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/24775273/tiger-woods-wins-tour-championship-first-tour-win-5-year

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Players on Playstation will now be able to play with friends on every other major platform.

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Gamers rejoiced on Wednesday at the news that PlayStation, the last major holdout that prevented players on various platforms from playing together, gave in.

"Fortnite" players on PlayStation will now be able to play with friends on every other major platform.

"I actually can't believe it, said pro-gamer Jack Dunlop on Twitter. "Fortnite has done something that has NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF GAMING. Cross-platform between everything. Absolutely brilliant. PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Mobile. THANK YOU to all who helped make this happen."

PlayStation announced on Wednesday that it had begun testing a feature that will allow people to play with gamers on other systems, such as Microsoft's Xbox One and Nintendo's Switch.

The celebration underscored how much the video game industry has evolved in recent years, as social gaming has pushed companies to allow players on various consoles and systems to play their favorite games together over the internet.

"Today, the communities around some games have evolved to the point where cross-platform experiences add significant value to players," wrote John Koder, president and global CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, in a post announcing the test. " In recognition of this, we have completed a thorough analysis of the business mechanics required to ensure that the PlayStation experience for our users remains intact today, and in the future, as we look to open up the platform."

The test will begin with the popular game "Fortnite," which has dominated the video game industry since the launch of its 100-person "Battle Royale" mode in September of 2017. Since then, analysts have estimated that the free-to-play game has brought its maker Epic Games more than $1 billion in revenue.

The test will support play between "PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Mac operating systems," Koder wrote.

The move is a reversal of Sony's previously held idea that cross-platform play wouldn't be the best experience for PlayStation gamers.

"On cross-platform, our way of thinking is always that PlayStation is the best place to play," Sony chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida said to the Press Association in August. "'Fortnite,' I believe, partnered with PlayStation 4 is the best experience for users, that's our belief."

Previously, "Fortnite" cross-platform play for PlayStation was only supported with players on smartphones and computers, while on all other consoles, such as Xbox One, cross-platform play was supported with all available platforms.

Although the beta test for the cross-platform play will begin only with "Fortnite," PlayStation said in the statement that they will be updating their gaming community on what cross-platform play could look like for other titles.

The news of this change generated a positive response from the gaming community:

Richard Tyler Belvin, a pro-gamer that goes by the alias "Ninja," also tweeted his support of the move.

"Proud of you @PlayStation," he wrote in his post.

Tony Polanco, a writer for Geek.com, tweeted that the notion of people on Sony and Nintendo systems playing together seemed impossible not long ago.

"The most shocking part is crossplay between Sony and Nintendo," Polanco wrote. "Considering their history, I thought that'd never happen. Guess times are really changing."

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'Fortnite' fans rejoice as PlayStation opens its platform

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Gamers rejoiced on Wednesday at the news that PlayStation, the last major holdout that prevented players on various platforms from playing together, gave in. "Fortnite" players on PlayStation will now be able to play with friends on every other major platform. "I actually can't believe it, said pro-gamer Jack Dunlop on Twitter.

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Nike used Colin Kaepernick along with other well-known athletes, disabled people, and people that have faced adversity. Colin Kapernick is the face of the ad and even narrates it, not mentioning anything of his football career or national anthem protest. The ad digs much deeper than presenting Kaepernick as the face of their campaign. Nike pursued the fight for equality and racial issues, making it a priority despite the backlash they would face.

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Dennis Green, provided by

Denis Poroy/AP

Nike's new "Just Do It" ad featuring Colin Kaepernick has polarized viewers, with some celebrating it and others calling for a boycott.

The ad's most prominent detractor, President Donald Trump, tweeted on Wednesday that Nike was "getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts."

In fact, the boycott movement seems to already be losing steam, according to data from Tickertags, which tracks discussions on social media.

Evidence has cast doubt on President Donald Trump's Wednesday suggestion that Nike was being hurt by its polarizing new ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick.

"Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts," he tweeted. "I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way?"

After Kaepernick on Monday was revealed to be part of Nike's newest "Just Do It" campaign, a commercial narrated by Kaepernick on Wednesday showcased various sports-related stories, including professional athletes like Serena Williams and LeBron James.

Kaepernick in 2016 was the first athlete to kneel during the national anthem before games as a way of protesting police brutality and racial injustice. The method of protest was highlighted last season when Trump began taking issue with it, saying it disrespected the US flag and military and calling for players who protested during the anthem to be fired. Kaepernick has been unsigned in the NFL since the end of the 2016 season.

Yet despite Trump's characterization on Wednesday, Apex Marketing Group data reported by Bloomberg found that the overall social-media sentiment in the 24 hours after the new Nike campaign's unveiling was much more positive than negative.

Even better news for Nike is that as the dust has settled, the boycott threats have died down faster than past comparable calls, according to Tickertags, a firm that analyzes social media for frequency of keywords.

"From a broader perspective, mention frequency of the tag [boycott] is showing a noticeable spike in the near term, but falls short of other recent boycott movements," Tickertag analysts wrote in a note.

"Fewer relative conversations about boycotting are taking place now than in the past, which doesn't support a strong negative call against Nike."

In fact, mention of the word "boycott" in conjunction with Nike on social media was only the sixth-highest that Tickertags had seen in the past six years. The mention frequency was notably beat by two recent Starbucks-related boycott calls and a call to boycott the NFL.

Since the two calls to boycott Starbucks - one that arose after two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia store and one that was related to the company's pledge to hire refugees - did not materially affect sales, Tickertags has concluded that calls for a Nike boycott are unlikely to affect sales either.

Mentions of the term "boycott" on social media have already fallen significantly in relation to mentions of Nike, further supporting that conclusion.

So even though some people have made a show out of burning their Nike shoes on social media, it seems the company isn't likely to see a drop in sales.

Read more about Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad:
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See Also: SEE ALSO: Nike ignited a firestorm of fury with its new Colin Kaepernick ad, but it's still a brilliant strategy

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Trump says Nike is 'getting absolutely killed' over its Colin Kaepernick ad, but the boycott movement may already be dying (NKE)

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Denis Poroy/AP Nike's new "Just Do It" ad featuring Colin Kaepernick has polarized viewers, with some celebrating it and others calling for a boycott. The ad's most prominent detractor, President Donald Trump, tweeted on Wednesday that Nike was "getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts."

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I think this is a good change for the PlayStation. It is a better way for friends to join together on the internet.

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PlayStation 4 opens up cross-platform play, starting with Fortnite

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Sony finally ditches policy that prevented gamers on different devices from playing together