Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Placido Domingo, among the most powerful stars in opera, was accused of decades of sexual harassment in an article published Tuesday by The Associated Press. Multiple women accused Domingo of pressuring them into sexual relationships with the offer of jobs and sometimes punished them professionally if they refused his advances. The article cited the anonymous accounts of eight singers who said they were harassed by Domingo in a series of encounters beginning in the late 1980s. Patricia Wulf, the only accuser named in the article, told The New York Times that her experiences with Domingo dated to 1998, when she rebuffed an advance, adding that she kept saying no to Domingo until he stopped, about 2½ years later. She said she did not report Domingo’s behavior because she felt that doing so would damage her career. After the story broke Tuesday, the Philadelphia Orchestra withdrew an invitation to Domingo to sing at its opening-night gala next month, and the San Francisco Opera canceled an October concert featuring Domingo. “We are committed to providing a safe, supportive, respectful and appropriate environment for the orchestra and staff, for collaborating artists and composers, and for our audiences and communities,” the Philadelphia Orchestra said in a statement. Domingo, 78, who has been married for more than 50 years, said in a statement that he believed all his encounters were consensual and that the allegations “are deeply troubling, and as presented, inaccurate,” but added that “it is painful to hear that I may have upset anyone or made them feel uncomfortable — no matter how long ago and despite my best intentions.”
■ CNN says it completely supports anchor Chris Cuomo after he was seen on video threatening to push a man down some stairs during a confrontation after the man apparently called him “Fredo,” in a seeming reference to the Godfather movies. The video appeared Monday on a conservative YouTube channel. Host Brandon Recor said the exchange happened Sunday at a bar in Shelter Island, N.Y., after a man approached Cuomo for a picture. The man made the video. It doesn’t show the “Fredo” reference but depicts Cuomo’s profanity-laced reaction as he characterizes the comment as an anti-Italian slur. The man says he thought “Fredo” was Cuomo’s name. CNN spokesman Matt Dornic tweeted that Cuomo “defended himself” after being slurred in what Dornic called “an orchestrated setup.” “I should be better than the guys baiting me,” Cuomo said in a tweet Tuesday. “I should be better than what I oppose.” On Tuesday, President Donald Trump added his voice to the fray, tweeting, “I thought Chris was Fredo also. The truth hurts. Totally lost it! Low ratings CNN.”