Names and faces
Former President Jimmy Carter is backing Democrat Stacey Abrams in the race for Georgia governor, becoming the third U.S. president to weigh in on the race. Carter’s statement says Abrams is “the right leader for our changing state.” The endorsement from the former Georgia governor comes after former President Barack Obama endorsed Abrams and President Donald Trump endorsed her Republican opponent, Brian Kemp. Obama’s endorsement praises Abrams for, in his words, “not running a campaign built on division or distraction.” Trump tipped the scales for Kemp in the contentious Republican primary runoff, praising his tough stance on immigration and support for gun rights. Kemp spokesman Ryan Mahoney, meanwhile, slammed Carter, saying he is a “good man but was a terrible president.” “Like Carter, [Abrams is] incredibly bright, incredibly liberal and would be an absolutely horrible governor,” Mahoney said.
A New York judge has ruled that an aspiring actress can sue Harvey Weinstein for violating sex-trafficking laws because the proverbial casting couch, in which women are asked to trade sex for Hollywood opportunities, could be considered a “commercial sex act.” U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet said the lawsuit filed by Kadian Noble last fall was fairly filed under sex-trafficking laws Congress passed that had an “expansive” definition of what could be considered a commercial sex act. His ruling, dated Monday, was filed publicly Tuesday. He rejected arguments by Weinstein’s lawyers that nothing of value was exchanged between Noble and Weinstein in 2014 when they watched her demonstration reel in a Cannes, France, hotel room before Weinstein allegedly molested her and forced her into a bathroom to watch him masturbate. Weinstein denies wrongdoing. His lawyers did not immediately return a request for comment. “For an aspiring actress, meeting a world-renowned film producer carries value, in and of itself,” Sweet wrote. “The opportunity, moreover, for the actress to sit down with that producer in a private meeting to review her film reel and discuss a promised film role carries value that is career-making and life-changing. He included a footnote at the word “reality,” citing sources that explain that the concept of the “‘casting couch’ — in which aspiring actors and actresses are promised valuable professional opportunities in exchange for sexual favors — has been in the American lexicon for nearly a century.” Weinstein claimed through his lawyers that letting the lawsuit proceed to trial means sex-trafficking laws now cover all sexual activity between adults when one person holds power and influence over the other.