Saturday, October 3, 2020

Fox News quietly paid Guilfoyle accuser over sexual misconduct claims: Report

SANJANA KARANTH

Oct 2nd 2020 5:51PM

Fox News reportedly agreed to quietly pay upward of $4 million to a woman who accused former network host Kimberly Guilfoyle of sexual harassment.

A young woman, who was one of Guilfoyle’s assistants at Fox News, sent company executives a 42-page confidential draft complaint in 2018 that accused Guilfoyle of repeated sexual harassment, according to a New Yorker article published Thursday.

Jane Mayer, who wrote the article, reported in March 2019 that Fox News secretly paid an undisclosed sum to the assistant, who no longer works at the network. Mayer now says that Fox agreed to pay the woman about $4 million to avoid going to trial over a lawsuit.

Fox News did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment on The New Yorker report.

Guilfoyle was a prosecutor in Los Angeles and San Francisco before becoming co-host of the political talk show “The Five” on Fox News. The network forced her out mid-contract in July 2018, and she now serves as President Donald Trump’s campaign finance chair while dating Donald Trump Jr.

HuffPost first reported in 2018 that Guilfoyle’s departure from the network was not voluntary and that sources said she was terminated following an internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior, such as sexual misconduct. Six sources said that Guilfoyle would show colleagues personal photographs of male genitalia (and identify whose genitals they were), regularly discussed sexual matters at work and would be emotionally abusive toward hair and makeup artists and support staff.

Guilfoyle has maintained that her decision to move from television news to a political campaign was voluntary and that the allegations about her behavior were false. She later threatened HuffPost and other media companies with potential legal action following reports about the sexual harassment claims.

Mayer’s article detailing the former assistant’s draft complaint corroborates HuffPost’s earlier reporting, including that the woman was frequently subjected to degrading, abusive and sexually inappropriate behaviors, such as being shown lewd photographs of men with whom Guilfoyle had sexual relations.

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Kimberly Guilfoyle through the years

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Other instances Mayer cites from the draft complaint are that the assistant was required to work at Guilfoyle’s New York apartment while the network host walked around naked, was forced to listen to Guilfoyle speak incessantly about her sex life, was ordered to give Guilfoyle a thigh massage and was told to submit to a Fox employee’s sexual demands.

The Trump surrogate declined to be interviewed by Mayer but told The New Yorker that she has “never engaged in any workplace misconduct of any kind.” The former assistant has not been publicly identified, and the draft complaint, which was never filed in court, is allegedly covered by a nondisclosure agreement.

Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

Amid SCOTUS push, a key GOP senator tests positive Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee

Amid SCOTUS push, a key GOP senator tests positive

Yahoo News

DAVID KNOWLES

Oct 2nd 2020 7:36PM

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold hearings on President Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, announced Friday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and said he would self-isolate for the next 10 days. Lee said he has assured Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham that he would “be back to work in time to join my Judiciary Committee colleagues” in advancing the nomination.

Others who attended last Saturday’s Rose Garden announcement of Barrett as Trump’s pick to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg have since tested positive, including Trump himself, first lady Melania Trump, Hope Hicks and University of Notre Dame president the Rev. John Jenkins. Other Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, including Sens. Mike Crapo of Idaho, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Josh Hawley of Missouri, also attended the Rose Garden event. As of noon on Friday, they had not publicly disclosed information about their test status.

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amy coney barrett

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Video of the Rose Garden event showed Lee, who was not wearing a face mask, hugging fellow attendees.

The White House said Barrett herself is tested daily and that the results have come back negative. But the Washington Post said Friday that, based on three sources, Barrett had contracted the virus earlier this year but has since recovered.

There is some uncertainty about whether people who recover from COVID-19 can become infected again, and if so, how soon.

Republicans have little wiggle room with which to confirm Barrett’s nomination before a new Senate is sworn in on Jan. 1. Democrats are leading several key races and could take control of the body in next month’s elections. For now, Republicans control 53 seats. They need 51 votes to confirm Barrett (one of which could be supplied by Vice President Mike Pence if the Senate is tied), and two GOP senators — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — have said they will not vote to confirm her. If more than one Republican — and no Democrats — are incapacitated and unable to vote, Barrett’s nomination could be stalled.

The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to begin confirmation hearings on Oct. 12, the same date that Lee has promised to return to Washington after self-isolating. On its website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that people who test positive for COVID-19 should avoid contact with others “at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared” and “for at least 24 hours with no fever without fever-reducing medication.” On a separate page on its website, the CDC also recommends that people exposed to the virus should “stay home until 14 days after last exposure and maintain social distance (at least 6 feet) from others at all times.”

Lee met with Barrett on Tuesday in his Senate office. The two posed for a picture standing less than 6 feet apart, neither wearing a face mask.

That same day, Crapo touched elbows with Barrett in his office.

Graham, the Judiciary Committee chairman, vowed to press ahead with hearings for Barrett. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the ranking Democrat on the committee, put out a joint statement calling Graham’s commitment “premature.”

“The unfortunate news about the infection of our colleague Senator Mike Lee makes even more clear that health and safety must guide the schedule for all Senate activities, including hearings,” the two Democrats said, adding that holding the hearing remotely “is not an acceptable substitute.”

“All circuit court nominees have appeared in person during the pandemic,” they noted, “and there is far more at stake for the American people with this Supreme Court nomination, including the Affordable Care being struck down and more than 7 million COVID survivors being denied health coverage. It’s critical that Chairman Graham put the health of senators, the nominee, and staff first — and ensure a full and fair hearing that is not rushed, not truncated, and not virtual. Otherwise this already illegitimate process will become a dangerous one.”

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Kellyanne Conway tests positive For COVID-19

MARY PAPENFUSS

Oct 2nd 2020 11:20PM

Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway announced late Friday that she has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Conway is the latest in a cascade of people linked to the White House who have contracted COVID-19.

“My symptoms are mild (light cough) and I’m feeling fine,” she tweeted. “I have begun a quarantine process in consultation with physicians.”

She added: “As always, my heart is with everyone affected by this global pandemic.”

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Conway’s announcement follows similar news from President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

Conway left the White House at the end of August, saying she needed time to focus on her family.

This is a developing story. Please check back for more.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

Trump receives experimental antibody treatment for Covid-19 diagnosis

ERIKA EDWARDS

Oct 3rd 2020 7:15AM

President Donald Trump has received an experimental drug following his diagnosis of Covid-19, the White House said Friday.

"As a precautionary measure, he received a single 8 gram dose of Regeneron's polyclonal antibody cocktail. He completed the infusion without incident," Dr. Sean Conley, the president's physician, wrote in a memorandum.

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The drug cocktail is a combination of two so-called monoclonal antibodies. The treatment is meant to provide the body's immune system with a temporary, but immediate, boost to fight off the coronavirus.

Monoclonal antibodies (or, in this case, polyclonal because there are two in the cocktail) are made in a lab to mimic the body's natural antibodies. Antibodies act by recognizing specific germs — in this case, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 — and harnessing the immune system to fight them off.

The therapy, though still unproven, is considered by experts to be one of the most promising treatment options for the illness.

Regeneron confirmed it provided its drug to the president under what is called "compassionate use," through which the Food and Drug Administration allows access to experimental drugs outside of clinical trials for patients with a life-threatening condition or serious disease.

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The treatment is currently being studied in clinical trials as a potential treatment and possible prevention of illness in people who have been exposed. The drug company said Tuesday that early evidence from the trials suggest the treatment appears to be beneficial in patients with mild to moderate illness.

"It decreased viral load, and made symptoms resolve faster," Dr. Todd Rice, an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, said. Rice is not involved with Regeneron's clinical trials.

Trump is said to have mild symptoms, including fatigue and a low-grade fever. As a precautionary measure, the president has been taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

The letter from the president's physician also said Trump has been taking zinc, vitamin D, the heartburn drug famotidine, a daily aspirin and a sleep aid called melatonin. All of those are sold over the counter. There is no solid evidence any might help treat Covid-19.

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