The annual Time 100list debuted Wednesday with a shocking juxtaposition: The magazine recognized Christine Blasey Ford as an “icon” but also honored Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the man she said drunkenly assaulted her during high school, as a “leader.”
For those who believe Ford, seeing Kavanaugh on the same list as her is more than an insult — it’s a cruel reminder that even in the #MeToo era, men credibly accused of assault can nevertheless rise to power while being lauded and celebrated as one of the world’s most “influential” people (see also: Donald J. Trump).
Letting Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praise Kavanaugh’s character, citing his “resilience,” “loyal devotion to family and friends,” and “undeterred reverence for the law,” is akin to casting a long shadow on not just Ford’s claim, but also the profile Senator Kamala Harris, a Democrat, wrote on her behalf.
When read next to Kavanaugh’s entry, which describes the Congressional hearings as “unhinged partisanship,” it feels like the powerful have failed Ford once again. Harris writes that Ford made an “unfathomable sacrifice” by testifying, and Kavanaugh’s inclusion on the list is yet another example of how it surely cost Ford more than most can imagine.
Honoring Ford and Kavanaugh in practically the same breath also reveals how American culture makes it inconvenient and even difficult to fully believe survivors of sexual assault. There’s no splitting the difference here by recognizing Ford’s bravery and then casting Kavanaugh in the same heroic light. You either believe Ford, or you don’t.
Despite evidence that it happens with alarming frequency, the public still struggles to accept that accomplished, charming men who are trusted by their families, friends, and peers can also be capable of heinous acts. Putting Kavanaugh on the Time 100 reflects a collective, deep-seated resistance to admitting that predatory behavior has nothing to do with a man’s resume or social standing; it’s about his willingness to abuse the power he holds.
Perhaps Time‘s own editors struggled with this question. Perhaps they argue that the list is no endorsement of the individual featured, just an acknowledgment of their influence. Maybe they worried more that choosing between Ford or Kavanaugh would result in accusations of media bias. Instead, including both figures led somecritics to see Time‘s choice as a maddening example of the media’s obsession with offering “both sides” of an argument.
TIME magazine profiling Christine Blasey Ford alongside the man who sexually assaulted her is peak “both sides” and I’m so tired.
It’s also worth noting that neither entry actually names what happened: that Ford accused Kavanaugh and that Kavanaugh was accused. If you weren’t familiar with the news story, you wouldn’t know the Time list recognizes both a victim and her attacker. That Time couldn’t bring itself to print those details, or successfully insist that McConnell and Harris include them, suggests the magazine wanted to avoid controversy as much as possible.
Mashable reached out to Time for comment, but the publication has yet to offer an explanation for its decision.
Imagine making Time’s 100 Most Influential People list because you accused a prominent man of sexual assault, and then finding out he is on the same list.
Regardless of why Time chose to include Ford and Kavanaugh on the same list, the decision sends a disheartening message to survivors who see it’s now possible, even acceptable, to cheer on victims who stand up for justice while simultaneously hailing the accused as a leader for our time. That unexpected combination of encouragement and callousness may well convince some survivors that coming forward is not worth the resulting heartache, now rendered in newly agonizing ways.
In that regard, we can only hope that the Time 100list is far less influential than it aspires to be.
Kamala Harris has generated interest among many of the most wealthy and connected campaign supporters in the country, receiving donations from more than twice as many top Democratic fundraisers as her next closest competitor. | Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo
Harris got early support from 176 big Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama fundraisers, more than twice as many as the next 2020 candidate.
Hundreds of the biggest Democratic fundraisers in the last two presidential elections are already picking candidates for 2020 — and Kamala Harris has a significant early edge, while Pete Buttigieg and his from-scratch campaign has scrambled into the second tier.
Harris has already received donations from 176 people or couples who raised at least $100,000, and sometimes many multiples of that, for Hillary Clinton in 2016 or at least $50,000 for Barack Obama in 2012, according to a POLITICO analysis of new campaign finance disclosures and “bundler” data from the Center for Responsive Politics. While the Democratic presidential campaigns have been focused on building small-donor armies this year, bundlers mine their networks for checks to pass along to campaigns six- or seven-figures at a time, giving them a potentially massive role in a crowded primary.
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Donations from these key fundraisers signals the out-of-the-gate interest the candidates are generating among many of the most wealthy and connected campaign supporters in the country. And while candidates have taken a more muted approach to raising checks from wealthy supporters this cycle as they seek to prove they have grassroots support online, they still benefit greatly big-donor support — and most are pursuing it seriously. Clinton and Obama’s bundlers raised hundreds of millions of dollars for their presidential campaigns, helped rally supporters to their cause, and participated in campaigns as surrogates and volunteers.
“It’s about whether you’re willing to get your hands dirty,” said Rufus Gifford, former finance director for Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. “Writing the check is not good enough — [campaigns] need people to work their networks” to build a national machine of donors andvolunteers to give them life, Gifford said.
Harris has received donations from more than twice as many top Democratic fundraisers as her next closest competitor, Cory Booker, who got donations from 80 Obama and Clinton bundlers in the first quarter, according to POLITICO’s review of campaign finance reports. The network helped Harris post the second-best fundraising total of any Democratic presidential candidate in the first quarter, $12 million — most of which came from donors who gave at least $200 each. Larger donors also accounted for more than 80 percent of the $5 million Booker raised early this year.
Kirsten Gillibrand (67 bundlers) and Amy Klobuchar (61) also picked up pieces of the Obama and Clinton networks. But the longtime senators were closely followed by a rising candidate, Buttigieg, who got backing from 51 bundlers despite having few fundraising connections before his campaign caught fire in March — prompting a wave of small donors to flock to his campaign, too.
Mel Heifetz, a Philadelphia-based real estate developer and philanthropist who raised money for Clinton’s campaign and donated $1 million each to super PACs supporting Obama and Clinton, donated to several candidates with whom he had existing relationships this year. Then Buttegieg caught his attention.
Heifetz received a call from Buttegieg’s husband, Chasten, after donating to the campaign and has now met with Pete Buttegieg as well. And Heifetz told POLITICO that he would spend $5 million to aid Buttegieg if he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee.
“The fact that he’s gay and is being accepted is unbelievable,” said Heifetz, who is himself gay and supports LGBTQ causes. “If it had been a straight candidate with his credentials and his background I would have supported him anyway.”
The field of experienced bundlers is still wide open for every candidate: Almost four-in-five of the Obama and Clinton fundraisers have yet to give any significant donations in the 2020 presidential race, partially because of candidates’ hesitancy to go all-out courting big money and partially because many donors want to bide their time before picking a candidate out of a crowded field. Some donors — including powerful fundraisers for Obama — are waiting to see if former Vice President Joe Biden decides to run before deciding where their loyalties lie.
While Buttegieg had built relationships with Democrats during his run for national party chair in 2017, he was still largely unknown to most Democratic donors prior to his surge in popularity this spring. His campaign is taking an “inclusive” model of reaching out to new and old party donors, campaign spokesperson Lis Smith said, encouraging donors to do outreach and fundraising of their own even if they haven’t done it before.
The donor support “tells you that people not only believe this is worth supporting, but that it has the staying power and seriousness that deserves that kind of investment,” Buttegieg said in an interview.
Some early bundler money is going in multiple directions.Minnesota businessman Bob Pohlad, who with his wife Michelle bundled money for both Obama and Clinton, donated to both Amy Klobuchar and Beto O’Rourke’s campaigns before giving money to Buttigieg.
In an interview, Pohlad said he did not know who Buttegieg was prior to his 2019 campaign and was initially impressed by his CNN town hall. He now plans to hold a small fundraiser for him during an upcoming visit to St. Paul.
Pohlad said he’s clear-eyed that Buttegieg is a somewhat improbable nominee — but he said he’s been taken in by his “message of inclusivity and reasonableness.”
“I could be his dad. I have kids Pete’s age,” Pohlad said. “But if he continues to be the way he has shown himself to be in terms of character, in terms of ideas and in terms of tone of approach, I will support him for as long as he’s in the race.”
Unlike Pohlad, a majority of fundraisers have yet to give a donation to any candidate.
POLITICO analyzed 1,924 individuals and couples whose names were on bundler lists releasedby the Clinton campaign in 2016 and the Obama campaign in 2012. Only 425 had made a donation to one or more candidates thus far in this presidential election cycle. The analysis included itemized donations of $200 or more that are recorded by the Federal Election Commission.
Harris, who has won statewide elections three times in California, home to many of the country’s most prolific donors, was well-positioned to seize support from many top fundraisers. Her campaign worked overtime to court wealthy supporters this spring, especially in California, at a moment when many Democrats are hesitant to be seen with rich backers.
“I’ll do anything I can do to help her campaign. She’s my number one,” said Kelly Dermody, a San Francisco-based employment lawyer who, spurred by concerns about Trump’s rise, raised more than $100,000 for Clinton in 2016. “I like where she’s going and what she stands for. If I’m able to take weekends away to do retail politics and roll up my sleeves, I will do that too.”
And fewer than half of the bundlers who gave to Harris — 81 of 176 — were based in California, according to campaign finance records, a sign her support extended beyond her home state.
Of the leading candidates for president, Bernie Sanders drew the least support from Clinton and Obama’s elite fundraisers: He received donations from only two of them — one fewer than self-help guru Marianne Williamson. Elizabeth Warren, who has sworn off closed-door fundraisers in the presidential primary, received donations from 18 people who raised big money for Clinton or Obama.
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee each received support from 25 of the top Democratic fundraisers, while Beto O’Rourke — whose 2018 Texas Senate campaign was fueled by record online donations — had 38 bundlers on his first-quarter donor rolls.
In past years, some candidates publicized fundraisers and touted their bundlers alongside their grassroots supporters as signs they were running formidable campaigns. But fundraising among Democratic candidates for president has been muffled so far this year, as many Democrats try to prove their distance from special interests and wealthy donors, instead leaning on online small-dollar fundraising for support.
For many candidates, that approach may have its limits — which were reflected in the first-quarter fundraising reports, cautioned Gifford, Obama’s former finance director.
“The campaigns need to understand that email giving is not the be-all and end-all. And we’ve seen that in the campaign fundraising numbers. This is about working it, it’s about working relationships, it’s about talking to people,” Gifford said.
Obama raised $25 million from January through March of 2007, a bigger sum than any current candidate raised during the corresponding period this year. The money helped Obama gain status in the race as a serious contender. Sanders, who raised the most of any Democratic candidate in the field, still fell short of Obama’s total, raising $18 million during the first three months of 2019 — almost all of it from small donors giving online.
Michael Toner, former counsel to the Republican National Committee and multiple Republican presidential campaigns, predicted Democratic candidates will become more aggressive about big-dollar fundraising as they head into the summer primary debates and feel more pressure to prove they are top contenders — or to drop out.
“You have to raise enough money to compete in these caucuses, and you’ve got to have the resources to compete in a multi-front war,” Toner said. “It’s a necessary, but insufficient, condition in term of getting nominated.”
James Arkin, Scott Bland, Jesse Chase-Lubitz, Jordyn Hermani, Zach Montellaro, Steven Shepard, Michael Stratford and Daniel Strauss contributed to this report.
Six weeks after beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek informed fans he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer, he’s once again checked in with fans. He thanked everyone for all of their well-wishes and says he’s feeling pretty good.
The video was posted Wednesday afternoon in coordination with the wrap-up of filming on the game show’s 35th (!) season.
In the quick clip, Trebek says, “I wanted once again to thank you for your continuing messages of encouragement and support, particularly the many cards I’ve received from young people. I’m touched beyond words.”
He also address rumors regarding his health and promises to be back for the next season this fall: “Despite what you may have heard, I’m feeling good, I’m continuing with my therapy, and [the show’s staff] is already working on our next season… So I look forward to seeing you once again in September with all kinds of good stuff.”
The 78-year-old Trebek has hosted Jepoardy! since the show’s 1984 revival and signed a contract extension in October 2018 that has him staying on as the host through 2022.
After suspending operations midway through the league’s first season, the Alliance of American Football has filed a petition for bankruptcy, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
Based on Wednesday’s filings to a Texas court, the league has about $48.4 million in liabilities—including about $9.6 million owed to creditors—but only about $11.4 million in assets.
The league will file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which is the most common form in the United States, per Rothstein, giving it an opportunity to sell assets to pay creditors.
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
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Paris, France– As soon as clocks struck 6:50pm on Friday, more than 100 cathedrals across France rang their bells to mark the exact moment Notre Dame, one of the country’s most iconic buildings, erupted in flames.
Heard in the Sacre Coeur of Paris and Sainte-Marie-Majeure of Marseilles, it was a solemn but defiant tribute to a loss that brought temporary unity to a country struggling to reconcile its many political and social divisions.
But the panic that sent thousands of Parisians and visitors on Wednesday rushing to the banks of the Seine to watch the landmark burn, some bursting into tears or singing songs to keep spirits high, has gradually subsided.
Even as the fire consumed the centuries-old cathedral’s roof and spire, many are grateful that its stone structure stood firm and the loss was not much greater.
Rebuilding efforts
Authorities said the building was only minutes away from complete destruction but the daring response of 400 firemen made a vital difference, saving the cathedral’s famous bell towers, its ornate stained-glass rose windows and many irreplaceable artistic and religious treasures.
Since then, hundreds of millions of euros in pledges have flooded in from France’s wealthiest families and industrialists to finance the rebuilding efforts, while the government has said that returning the cathedral to its former glory will be a national priority.
However, the remarkable speed of the fundraising effort has left some questioning if the French society values stone and cement more than its vulnerable.
“Of course it’s a tragedy, it’s a wonderful cathedral and very old, but all this money that’s been given towards the rebuilding, would it not be better spent on people who are homeless?” Jacques, an enthusiastic supporter of France’s anti-establishment yellow-vest movement, told Al Jazeera.
“I think this money might be better spent, as a Catholic, helping people who need it. If all the cathedrals burn, I’ll still be able to practice my religion.”
People gather along the banks of the Seine on Friday [Charles Platiau/Reuters]
On the south bank of the Seine, hordes of tourists on Friday vied for space to take photos of the Gothic masterpiece, prevented by a police cordon from getting any closer. The city’s most popular destination for foreign visitors, drawing more than 12 million per year, has clearly not lost its charm.
Gazing from the Pont Saint-Michel at the cathedral’s almost untouched facade, its bell towers gleaming in the spring sunshine, Marina Ressa said she regrets missing the opportunity to visit the Notre Dame before disaster struck.
“We took a hop-on, hop-off bus and so we could see it, just the day before,” said Ressa, visitor from Ravensburg in Germany. “No we didn’t [go inside], that’s a big pity.”
“I was shocked. I couldn’t really believe that it was happening at first,” said Grace Ryan, whose hopes to visit Notre Dame were dashed as she watched the conflagration on TV shortly before flying from Chicago to Paris.
“It was crazy to see the fire falling into the building and just being worried the whole time that the whole thing was going to fall down.”
‘It was overwhelming’
Few countries in the world are more observant in their separation of church and state than France, where the concept of “laicite” – the strict French secular separation of church and state – is foundational to public life.
But Notre Dame holds an important place in the Catholic faith, to which almost a half of the French population subscribes, though many are not practising.
The devastating fire took place just days before Easter Sunday, the most holy day in the Catholic calendar.
Just a few minutes walk from Notre Dame, worshippers came and went from the 17th century church of Saint-Paul Saint-Louis, which like Notre Dame, has seen its share of war and revolution.
“It was overwhelming. I saw it from my own house I could see the flames and the smoke coming out,” Alain, a practising Catholic, told Al Jazeera on his way out from prayer.
“Especially during Easter, at this time of the year, for Catholics it could be a little harder and I thinks that its possible that this incident could reunite people … it could increase faith among Catholics to see such an event,” he told Al Jazeera.
Alain said he often prayed in Notre Dame and hoped it would open to worshippers during the renovations.
“[But] for me, there are so many churches in Paris, I can go elsewhere to practice my faith, so it’s not the end of the world.”
It looks like Tile is about to get some competition.
Apple is working on its own Tile competitor, which will utilize iPhones to help people track their personal items, according to a new report in 9to5Mac.
The new gadget, which Apple could show off this fall, is similar to Tile’s popular Bluetooth tracker. It’s a “tag that can be attached to any item,” according to 9to5Mac, and is tied to your iCloud account. Apple’s trackers will rely on your iPhone for location data, and you can receive push notifications if you become separated from the item.
Other features sound much more advanced than what you get with Tile. Apple’s trackers will save your contact information, and if you put the tag in “lost mode,” anyone who finds it can use an iPhone to get your info.
You’ll also be able to share location data for specific tags with friends and family members. “Apple wants to leverage the vast amount of active Apple devices to create a crowdsourced network that helps its users find any lost item, by using this new hardware product,” 9to5 reports.
Additionally, Apple is planning a new app that combines “Find My Friends” and “Find My iPhone,” which will be able to help track your devices even if you’re not using the new Bluetooth tags.
If Apple does end up launching such a product, it could spell bad news for Tile, which makes popular Bluetooth trackers. Though the company has a significant head start on Apple, the Cupertino giant would likely be significant competition for Tile. Tile didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
As Kawhi Leonard leads the Toronto Raptors through the postseason, questions about his long-term future with the organization remain a significant topic of conversation.
During Wednesday’s episode of The Jump on ESPN, Brian Windhorst explained the difficult position Toronto is in as it prepares to negotiate with Leonard this summer.
“Kawhi kind of wants to be on the West Coast,” Windhorst said. “The difficulty is that he doesn’t really articulate his feelings to people.”
One of the worst-kept secrets leading into NBA free agency is Leonard could be swayed by a west-coast team.
After the dust settled on Leonard’s trade to Toronto last summer, ESPN.com’sAdrian Wojnarowski reported the Clippers were “emerging as a front-runner” to sign the three-time All-Star with their two max slots available.
The Clippers were one of the NBA’s most pleasant surprises in 2018-19. They are in the playoffs after going 48-34 in the regular season. Their 31-point comeback win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals was thelargest postseason deficit overcome in NBA history.
All of this speculation will be contingent on Leonard opting out of his $21.3 million salary for next season, perSpotrac.
In the meantime, Leonard will lead the Raptors into Game 3 of their playoff series against the Orlando Magic Friday. He was dominant in a 111-82 Game 2 victory with 37 points.
![The bus was reported to be carrying tourists, including many from Germany [Homem Gouveia/EPA]](https://i0.wp.com/www.aljazeera.com/mritems/imagecache/mbdxxlarge/mritems/Images/2019/4/17/aa8e93862c1b404ca74778fda6897738_18.jpg "Portugal bus crash: Dozens killed on Madeira island")
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