Nation Glance
NORRISTOWN, Pa. — The judge in Bill Cosby’s retrial rejected demands from the comedian’s defense lawyers to step aside during a Thursday hearing in which they made clear they plan to attack his accuser as a greedy liar who falsely accused him of sexually assaulting her to collect a payoff.
Judge Steven O’Neill shot down what amounted to a last-ditch effort to postpone the trial by defense lawyers who lost their bid to overturn his ruling allowing up to five additional accusers to testify against Cosby.
Lawyers argued the judge should remove himself because his wife is a social worker and advocate for assault victims, pointing to a $100 donation made in her name to an organization that gave money to a group planning a protest outside the retrial.
The judge said the donation was made 13 months ago by the department where his wife works at the University of Pennsylvania and he’s “not biased or prejudiced” by her work.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday as the 80-year-old Cosby faces charges he drugged and molested former Temple University athletics administrator Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.
U.S. Border Patrol agent struck by vehicle in southern Arizona
DOUGLAS, Ariz. — A U.S. Border Patrol agent remains hospitalized after being struck by a vehicle on a southern Arizona road.
Cochise County Sheriff’s officials say the agent was airlifted to a Tucson hospital for treatment of his injuries after last Saturday’s accident and remained in stable condition Thursday.
The name of the agent hasn’t been released.
Sheriff’s officials say the agent was on an ATV when approaching a cattleguard at Highway 80 west of Douglas and apparently crashed into a marker sign.
The agent was thrown into the roadway and was then struck by a passing vehicle as he was standing up.
Authorities didn’t release details about the other vehicle other than it was travelling at the speed limit.
Sheriff’s officials say their accident reconstruction team is continuing to investigate the accident.