*By Carlo Versano*
When asked by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) what she most remembers from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's alleged sexual assault, Prof. Christine Blasey Ford drew on her training as a psychologist.
"Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter, the uproarious laughter between the two ー and them having fun at my expense," Ford said, alluding to both Brett Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge, the other boy who she said was in the room at the time of the alleged assault. "I was underneath one of them while the two laughed."
Ford said she first spoke about the alleged assault to a therapist as part of a couple's therapy session with her husband. It was triggered, she said, by a discussion she and her husband had about adding a second front door to their home. Ford said later that she had wanted the second door because of claustrophobia she believes was caused by Kavanaugh's attack.
“For me personally, anxiety, phobia and PTSD-like symptoms are the types of things I’ve been coping with," she said.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
The two-sentence footnote raised serious concerns about accuracy and credibility.
Real estate software company RealPage has agreed to stop sharing nonpublic information between landlords as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice.
A legislative package to end the government shutdown appears on track. A handful of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to advance the bill after what's become a deepening disruption of federal programs and services. But hurdles remain. Senators are hopeful they can pass the package as soon as Monday and send it to the House. What’s in and out of the bipartisan deal has drawn criticism and leaves few senators fully satisfied. The legislation includes funding for SNAP food aid and other programs while ensuring backpay for furloughed federal workers. But it fails to fund expiring health care subsidies Democrats have been fighting for, pushing that debate off for a vote next month.
