Names and faces
Four more women have leveled allegations of sexual harassment against journalist Mark Halperin,
CNN reported. The news channel said
Friday that one woman claimed Halperin masturbated in her presence after she went to his ABC News office to seek advice about her career at the news division, where she was a desk assistant. CNN said a second woman alleged that the Game Change co-author threw her against a restaurant window and threatened to derail her career after she rebuffed his attempt to kiss her. The woman, who told CNN that she met Halperin when she was interning at the White House, said he called her shortly after the encounter and warned that she’d never be hired in media or politics. The four women, who were not identified in the CNN report, said the encounters took place between the late 1980s and 2006, during which time Halperin worked at ABC News in influential positions including political director. CNN said Halperin denied that he masturbated in front of anyone or physically assaulted or threatened anyone. The two other women included in CNN’s report: One who worked as a desk assistant at ABC News and who claimed Halperin forced her into a kiss, and an intern who said he squeezed into a small footage-reviewing booth with her and became visibly aroused. The latest allegations raise the number of women accusing him to about 12. Halperin issued a lengthy apology on Twitter, saying he was “profoundly sorry for the pain and anguish I have caused by my past actions. I apologize sincerely to the women I mistreated.” But counseling he sought after leaving the network changed his behavior, he said. “Those who have worked with me in the past decade know that my conduct in subsequent jobs at Time, Bloomberg, NBC News, and Showtime has not been what it was at ABC. I did not engage in improper behavior with colleagues or subordinates,” Halperin said.
Singer-songwriter John Legend returned to his hometown in Ohio for a night of high school football. The Springfield NewsSun reported that Legend was in Springfield on Friday night to see two local high schools, Kettering Fairmont and Springfield, play. His wife, model Chrissy Teigen, and young daughter, Luna, also were there. Legend is the winner of Grammy, Academy and Tony awards for his work.