NEWS OF THE DAY
Kimmel’s plea: Jimmy Kimmel held his baby son as he returned to his late-night show in Los Angeles after a week off for the boy’s heart surgery. Kimmel was crying from the first moment of his monologue Monday night as he pleaded with Congress to restore and improve children’s health coverage, a cause he has championed since his son Billy was born with a heart defect in April. Billy needed one surgery just after his birth and had a follow-up operation last week. Kimmel kept up his ardent advocacy Monday night, urging Congress to restore the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which has been left unfunded and stuck in a political stalemate since September. Kimmel said it’s “disgusting” that Congress is putting tax cuts for millionaires ahead of the lives of children.
_2 Assault claim: A Republican state representative in Kentucky says a woman’s claim that he sexually assaulted her in 2013 has no merit and he won’t resign. Dan Johnson made the announcement at his church on Tuesday, a day after the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting published a story quoting a woman as saying Johnson had sexually assaulted her in his basement on Jan. 1, 2013. The woman was a member of the church, where he is the pastor. She reported the alleged assault to police, but they closed the case without filing charges. Speaking to reporters at his church, Johnson said he also plans to run for re-election in 2019. Republican and Democratic leaders in the Kentucky House have both asked him to resign.
_3 Lewd behavior lawsuit: Five female kitchen workers in Massachusetts are suing an upscale restaurant chain, alleging they were subjected to constant groping and lewd behavior from male supervisors and co-workers. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, which represents the women, says Tuesday’s complaint against McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants details a “humiliating” and “toxic” work environment at the chain’s location near Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall. The committee says the lawsuit also highlights the plight of women in low-wage positions like prep cooks and dishwashers. It comes as allegations of sexual misconduct roil white-collar industries like politics, media and film. The women and their attorneys are expected to speak later Tuesday. Representatives for the Landry’s Inc., the Houston-based restaurant and hotel operator that owns McCormick & Schmick’s, didn’t immediately comment.
_4 Word of the year: Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2017 is “feminism.” In 2017, lookups for feminism increased 70 percent over 2016 on Merriam-Webster.com and spiked several times after key events, lexicographer Peter Sokolowski, the company’s editor at large said Tuesday at the company’s headquarters in Springfield, Mass. There was the Women’s March on Washington in January, along with sister demonstrations around the globe. And heading into the year was Democrat Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and references linking her to whiteclad suffragettes, along with her loss to President Trump, who once boasted about grabbing women. The “Me Too” movement rose out of Harvey Weinstein’s dust, and other “silence breakers” brought down rich and famous men of media, politics and the entertainment worlds. Feminism has been in Merriam-Webster’s annual Top 10 for the last few years, including sharing word-of-theyear honors with other “isms” in 2015. “Socialism,” “fascism,” “racism,” “communism,” “capitalism” and “terrorism” rounded out the bunch. “Surreal” was the word of the year last year.
_5 Animal cruelty: A judge has found a woman guilty of 10 animal cruelty charges after 84 Great Danes were seized from her New Hampshire home. The dogs were taken from Christina Fay in June. Authorities said the animals were living in filth and suffering from health problems. Fay pleaded not guilty. Fay initially was charged with 12 misdemeanor counts; Judge Charles Greenhalgh dismissed two last month. In his ruling Tuesday, he found the evidence showed Fay didn’t provide proper care or shelter for the dogs. Authorities alleged that Fay deprived the dogs of medical treatment and fed them maggot-infested food.
Chronicle News Services