US President Donald Trump's embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh faced a second accusation of sexual misconduct on Sunday, leaving Republicans scrambling to save a confirmation that until recently had seemed all but certain.
The latest claims of impropriety during Mr Kavanaugh's youth came as he was already facing a dramatic hearing where his testimony was to be weighed against that of a university professor who has separately accused him of assault.
Senate Democrats are now investigating a bombshell claim by Deborah Ramirez, 53, who says Mr Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a 1980s college party at Yale University, thrust his genitals in her face and caused her to touch them without her consent, according to The New Yorker.
The story was denied by Mr Kavanaugh, who called it "a smear, plain and simple".
"The people who knew me then know that this did not happen, and have said so," the conservative judge said in a statement.
Like Christine Ford, the professor accusing him of assaulting her when they were teenagers, Ms Ramirez is calling for an FBI investigation into the incident, and Democratic lawmakers are backing their demand.
Ms Ford agreed to testify this Thursday after an increasingly ugly week long standoff that saw her forced to leave her California home as she faced death threats and the president openly attacked her credibility.
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Trump casts doubt on sexual assault claims against Kavanaugh
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Mr Kavanaugh, who strongly denies the assault allegation, has said he wishes to testify as soon as possible to clear his name from Ms Ford's claims that he attacked her at a high school party in the 1980s.
The federal judge has calendars from the summer of 1982 he plans to share with senators showing he was out of town most of that time with no indication of the party of concern, The New York Times reported.
The two parties will testify separately - first Ms Ford, followed by Mr Kavanaugh, who will respond - the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the judiciary committee, urged the panel to halt proceedings in light of the latest allegation.
"I am writing to request an immediate postponement of any further proceedings related to the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh," she said in a statement.
"I also ask that the newest allegations of sexual misconduct be referred to the FBI for investigation, and that you join our request for the White House to direct the FBI to investigate the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford as well as these new claims."
At stake is not only the fate of Mr Trump's hand-picked Supreme Court nominee, but also Republican chances in November's midterm elections that face increased risk if the polarising confirmation battle drags on.
Lindsey Graham - a member of the panel that must approve Mr Kavanaugh's nomination before it goes to the full chamber - summed up the position of many Republicans by saying he did not expect Mr Ford's testimony to change his mind.
"What am I supposed to do? Go ahead and ruin this guy's life based on an accusation?" he told "Fox News Sunday." "Unless there's something more, no, I'm not going to ruin Judge Kavanaugh's life over this."
According to a YouGov poll conducted for CBS, more than half of Americans want an FBI investigation before a vote on Mr Kavanaugh, but more than two thirds of Republicans want a vote within days.
Republicans, who hold a paper-thin majority in the Senate, can ill afford defections if Mr Kavanaugh is to be approved.
"If one Republican senator should decide that Dr Ford's allegations, assertions, are true, and that they are serious, it could make a big difference in the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh," Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said on ABC's "This Week."
After days of relative restraint, Mr Trump lashed at Ms Ford on Friday, questioning the credibility of her allegations, and in doing so may already have hurt his nominee's chances with a senator from his own party.
President Trump contended that Ms Ford's decision to wait so late before going public shows the incident probably was not "as bad as she says" - even if this runs counter to what experts say is the typical reaction of sexual assault victims afraid or embarrassed to report.
Susan Collins - a Republican who sits on the Judiciary Committee - said she was "appalled" by Mr Trump's tweet, stressing that incidents of sexual assault were known to be chronically under-reported.
Mr Trump's outburst saw an outpouring of sympathy for Ms Ford - and outrage at the president - as thousands of women, and men too, shared why they had kept silent after being assaulted, under the Twitter hashtag #WhyIDidntReport.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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