promoearn: She's a face of Me Too. And she's been accused

Monday, August 20, 2018

She's a face of Me Too. And she's been accused

What do Asia Argento sexual assault allegations mean for #MeToo?

Italian actress Asia Argento at the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on May 19, 2018. ORIG FILE ID: AFP_18H171

Harvey Weinstein accuser Asia Argento accused of paying off her sexual assault accuser

Asia Argento was one of the first women to accuse disgraced movie moguel Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. Now the #MeToo advocate is facing her own sexual misconduct accusations. The actress paid off an ex-child actor who accused her of misconduct, according to legal documents obtained by The New York Times. Jimmy Bennett, who was 17 at the time of the encounter, alleges that he was assaulted by Argento in a California hotel in 2013, when the actress was 37. (The age of consent in California is 18.) Bennett, who played the Italian actress's son in a 2004 film, says Argento gave him alcohol and pulled his pants off for oral sex and intercourse in 2013, according to court documents. Bennett's lawyer notified Argento last November of his intention to sue for $3.5 million for emotional distress, lost wages, assault and battery – a month after she went public with her allegations against Weinstein. The Italian actress agreed to pay him $380,000. Many are wondering: What does this mean for the #MeToo movement?

Trump to ex-CIA chief: Go ahead and sue me

The gloves are officially off. President Trump essentially dared former CIA director John Brennan to sue him for revoking his national security clearance. Calling him "the worst CIA Director in our country's history," Trump tweeted Monday that he hopes Brennan files a lawsuit so that lawyers can "get all of his records, texts, emails and documents to show not only the poor job he did, but how he was involved with the Mueller Rigged Witch Hunt. He won't sue!" Trump announced that he revoked Brennan's clearance last week, saying Brennan, who accused Trump of seeking to shut up critics about the Russia investigation, used his status "to make a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations" about the administration. And the president said he's not stopping with Brennan. On Friday, Trump said he is ready to revoke security clearances for other current and past law enforcement officials over the Russia investigation. Who's next?

Pope speaks up on sexual abuse: 'We abandoned them'

Pope Francis condemned sexual abuse by priests as "atrocities" in a letter Monday to the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, acknowledging that church leaders "showed no care for the little ones ." The pope's apology comes less than a week after news that 301 "predator priests" in Pennsylvania were shielded by church leaders for decades, according to a grand jury report. "We abandoned them," the pope said of victims. His response drew mixed reviews; some critics claim the Vatican has yet to fully own up to complicity in the abuse.

Here's what to know on the scandal:

•	Calls to a clergy abuse hotline in Pennsylvania are surging since the report, bolstering the investigation.
•	The Vatican took two days to initially respond to the report. Here's what it said.
•	Why does the Catholic church still struggle with such abuse? The church has resisted letting victims seek compensation as adults, which may stifle further exposure of abuse.

Heading to Yellowstone? Seriously knock it off with the animal selfies

National park officials from across the country are employing a variety of campaigns to issue the warning: Stop taking selfies with the animals. Officials say the recent trend of "living in the moment" or as Drake would say "YOLO" (you only live once) is putting people and animals in danger. Park visitors testing their fate are especially apparent in Yellowstone National Park. With 4 million visitors sharing a space with thousands of bison, elk and grizzly bears — accidents are happening. Bison injure the most people. There is at least one injury every year, and there were five injuries in 2015 alone, though park officials say many run-ins go unreported. Along with physical costs, getting too close to a wild animal on purpose can result in six months jail time and a fine up to $5,000, depending on the park.

Serial sex abuser Larry Nassar is back in the headlines

Former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was removed from a federal prison in Arizona to a transfer facility in Oklahoma City. The move comes weeks after Nassar's lawyers said in court filings he was assaulted within a few hours of being placed in the general population. Nassar was transferred to the southern Arizona facility after being sentenced on sexual-assault charges in Michigan. It is the only high-security federal facility that also offers a sex-offender-management program. How did he get there? The Indianapolis Star first detailed the sexual-assault allegations against Nassar in September 2016. Since then, more than 260 women and girls told law enforcement he sexually abused them. Here's a look at what you need to know about Nassar's case:

•	Who is Larry Nassar? A timeline of his decades-long career, sexual assault convictions and prison sentence.
•	How the Indianapolis Star uncovered a monster: In March 2016, IndyStar began investigating USA Gymnastics – one of America's most prominent youth sports organizations and the governing body for the U.S. Olympic team.
•	A blind eye to sex abuse: How USA Gymnastics failed to report cases.