KnowThis: What Do O.J. Simpson, Trump, And Weinstein Have In Common?

What Do O.J. Simpson, Trump, And Weinstein Have In Common?

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Trump’s Impeachment Lawyer(s) Have Defended O.J., Weinstein, And Epstein...

President Donald Trump's defense team for his impending impeachment trial in the Senate includes an attorney who has defended O.J. Simpson, Jeffrey Epstein, and Harvey Weinstein. You might have heard of him: Alan Dershowitz. The team also includes Ken Starr, who famously was the independent counsel leading the Bill Clinton impeachment investigation (and has also defended Epstein). And then there’s Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who dropped an investigation into Trump's fraudulent university scam after receiving campaign contributions (a $25,000 donation) from the Trump Foundation. There are more lawyers, but you get the point...

Know This: Trump has had a long list of high-profile, TV-ready lawyers on his team (some for longer than others), but his new additions have some people like (see that quote above). The Senate impeachment trial kicks off Tuesday.

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Evelyn Yang Alleges She Was Sexually Assaulted By Her Doctor

Evelyn Yang, who is married to presidential candidate Andrew Yang, said in an exclusive interview with CNN that she was sexually assaulted by her OB/GYN in 2012, when she was seven months pregnant. Evelyn alleges Dr. Robert Hadden began asking her inappropriate questions about her sexual activity and performed prolonged examinations — and then one day assaulted her in his office. Hadden has denied all allegations. She eventually testified before a grand jury, and he was indicted on multiple felony sex charges. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office agreed to a plea deal in 2016. Hadden’s license was revoked and he had to register as a low-level sex offender, but he avoided jail time.
 
She and more than 30 women are now suing Hadden and the Columbia University hospital system, alleging that they "actively concealed, conspired, and enabled" Hadden's exploitative behavior, which may have begun as early as 1992. Columbia and the hospital system have reportedly challenged the suit. Evelyn said she is telling her story now because of the warm support she and Andrew received when discussing their son’s autism. She hopes speaking out will encourage other survivors to share their stories. “Not everyone can tell their story,” she told CNN. “Not everyone has the audience or platform to tell their story, and I actually feel like I'm in this very privileged position to be able to do that.”

Know This: If you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual assault, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline by phone at 1-800-656-4673 or online at online.rainn.org.

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Recording Academy CEO On “Leave” 2 Weeks Before Grammys

The Grammys are less than 2 weeks away, and Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan has just been put on leave for “a formal allegation of misconduct.” Dugan was brought on to lead the team six months ago as the Academy’s first woman CEO. (The previous CEO didn’t renew his contract after he was criticized for saying women needed to “step up” in order to get ahead in the music industry.) Dugan took over with a plan to diversify the organization upon recommendations by a special task force. But less than a year later, the Academy announced Dugan was put on administrative leave, effective immediately, after a “formal allegation of misconduct by a senior female member of the Recording Academy team.” The details haven’t been released.

Know This: On Friday, Dugan shot back with her own statement through a lawyer. It said, “What has been reported is not nearly the story that needs to be told. When our ability to speak is not restrained by a 28-page contract and legal threats, we will expose what happens when you ‘step up’ at the Recording Academy, a public nonprofit.” To be continued… the Grammys are still scheduled to air on January 26.

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Tomorrow’s Women’s March Has New Leaders And A New Song

Tomorrow is the fourth iteration of the Women’s March on Washington, and leaders are hoping to turn a new leaf after controversy surrounding the national organization’s leadership leaked ahead of last year’s march. You can read more about that here. This year, 17 new leaders representing different races, religions, backgrounds, and gender identities are pushing for a more grassroots feel at the D.C. march, meaning there will no longer be a stage or formal schedule. Instead, the march will begin with a video featuring many of the Women’s March board members reading the articles of impeachment against President Trump and a song & dance routine of the international protest anthem “Un violador en tu camino” (“A Rapist in Your Path”), which was most recently demonstrated outside Harvey Weinstein’s trial (watch here). Creators of the song, Chilean women’s collective Las Tesis, will be joining marchers in Washington. As in years past, other cities will be holding their own marches, which you can get info on here.

Know This: This year’s march, which is themed “Women Rising,” is the culmination of a week of events in D.C. focused on reproductive rights, immigration, and climate change — the most important issues to Women’s March participants, based on a poll. Turnout is expected to be lower than the inaugural 1 million women who marched in 2017 (snow on the East Coast isn’t helping the cause), but organizers are optimistic about uniting women under a new inclusive message.

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“It’s About Self-Agency. It’s About Power. It’s About Acceptance.” - Rep. Ayanna Pressley

In a powerful video, freshman Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) revealed she has alopecia to Black news outlet The Root. Alopecia is a disease where the body attacks its own hair follicles and can cause hair loss anywhere on the body. For Pressley, it resulted in her losing all the hair on her head — which she revealed after removing her wig in the video. Pressley has most often been seen in long braids and Senegalease twists, which became a symbol of representation and inclusion for Black women. Black women are often subject to workplace discrimination and bias for their hairstyles and texture, given white eurocentric beauty standards. “My Black hair story is both personal and political,” Pressley said. This member of “The Squad” says her braids were previously characterized as “militant.” She lost the last of her hair the night before President Trump’s impeachment vote in the House and on the anniversary of her mother’s death. Pressley felt compelled to share her story because “I’m not here just to occupy space, I’m here to create it. I want to be free.”

Know This: It can be difficult navigating differences in the workplace. While every individual has their own preferences, *please* remember it’s not polite to touch a Black woman’s hair (or really...anyone!) without permission, and think twice before commenting on or drawing unnecessary attention to a person’s hairstyle, particularly in a public setting.
 
For those with a three-day weekend, enjoy. We’ll be back here Monday with a special edition of the newsletter for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
 
–Sari Soffer, Supervising Producer, and Zinhle Essamuah, KnowThis Correspondent

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