Michael Wolff And The Age-Old 'She's A Slut' Shaming Of Nikki Haley's Meteoric Rise

Michael Wolff And The Age-Old 'She's A Slut' Shaming Of Nikki Haley's Meteoric Rise

'Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski shut down an interview with 'Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House' author Michael Wolff on Thursday over her claim that Wolff insinuated strongly that he had accused U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley of having an affair with President Donald Trump. 

The conversation initially focused on the Russian investigation but then turned to remarks Wolff made last week on HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher.”  Wolff claimed to know that Trump was having an affair and pointed viewers to a passage located near "the end of the book" where her name would be found. 

Readers zoomed in on a passage in which Wolff wrote that Haley “had become a particular focus of Trump’s attention, and he of hers” and another in which he wrote “that [Haley], with requisite submission, could be his heir apparent.”  Egging them on, Wolff continued: “Now that I've told you, when you hit that paragraph, you're gonna say, 'Bingo.'”

Eye | Kate Upton Joins the #MeToo Convo, Accusing Guess Founder Paul Marciano Of Sexual Harassment

Eye | Kate Upton Joins the #MeToo Convo, Accusing Guess Founder Paul Marciano Of Sexual Harassment

Former GUESS model Kate Upton added her voice to the #MeToo convo Thursday morning, using social media to speak out against Paul Marciano, co-founder of the company. 

Upton doesn't say if she is among the harassed women, but the inference is clear, with Upton saying that Marciano  "shouldn't be allowed to use his power in the industry to sexually and emotionally harass women."

Her post brought responses from others about Marciano's alleged misconduct.

Eye | Edie Campbell Joins Tim Blanks, Talks 'Creative Genius' Sex Demands and New Age For Female Photographers

Edie Campbell Joins Tim Banks, Talks 'Creative Genius' Sex Demands and New Age For Female Photographers

Edie Campbell sits down with Tim Blanks at London's Dover Street Market, for a frank conversation on enabling behavior in the fashion industry. The convo is a follow-up to her open letter published on WWD in November 2017. 

First and foremost, Edie challenges the entire industry -- agents, publishers, designers -- about their protection of the 'creative geniuses' at the expense of young models. Campbell is so articulate in her observations and critical thinking that this interview is well worth the listen. 

In a closing statement that is music to my ears, Edie Campbell is asked by Tim Blanks if we are entering a golden age for female photographers in the fashion industry. Edie is very comfortable agreeing that this is a likely possibility and a clear way of ending the abuse, especially with so many talented women available without the sexual expectations and demands of male photographers. 

Jennifer Lopez Delivers Scalding Las Vegas Performance With A-Rod In Mind

Jennifer Lopez Delivers Scalding Las Vegas Performance With A-Rod In Mind

If you think 48-year-old goddess Jennifer Lopez looks hot in her just-released Guess Spring 2018 campaign, the images crumble in the face of her tribute to love Alex Rodriguez for her Calibash Las Vegas performance on Saturday night. 

Fine, the black leotard, fishnets, and thigh high boots helped, but Lopez was scalding -- and no black leather getup renders a woman this broiling. Lopez even added a custom New York Yankees hat to her ensemble. A-Rod flew to Vegas and stood stage-side, greeting his darling as she descended the steps after an electrifying performance. Check out the Daily Mail for more pics of Jennifer Lopez's memorable performance. 

Check out Jennifer Lopez and A-Rod's December 2017 Vanity Fair cover story and more J-Lo Love in her AOC Model Archives

Trump Will Be Greeted By A Sea of Black As Democratic Women Dress For A #Me Too Moment

The most visible protest at Tuesday night's State of the Union message by President Donald Trump will likely belong to female Democrats in Congress, who are wearing black -- the polar opposite of January's address (not an official State of the Union speech) when they wore white in honor of Hillary Clinton and all the suffragettes. 

Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, co-founder of the Caucus on Black Women and Girls, will honor Recy Taylor, a black Alabaman who was kidnapped and raped by six white men in 1944. Coleman has ordered 200 red pins with Taylor's name embossed for members of the Black Caucus to wear. The New Yorker writes that Rose Gunter, Taylor's niece and caregiver until her death in December will be Coleman's guest. 

“I’m going to tell you that I didn’t know about her until Oprah Winfrey mentioned her,“ Watson Coleman told the magazine. “But I think that speaks to the fact that our history, our suffering, isn’t captured in the same way that non-minorities have captured their history, their suffering, their experiences, their contributions.”

Vanity Fair profiles the many guests -- at least 24 are Dreamers -- who will accompany House Democrats this evening. 

Angelina Jolie Talks Syrian Refugees, Education, Violence Against Women & More With Brigitte Macron

Angelina Jolie Talks Syrian Refugees, Education, Violence Against Women & More With Brigitte Macron

Director, activist and busy mother Angelina Jolie was in Paris today to film a commercial on the Champs-Elysées for perfume house Guerlain. Jolie has been an ambassador for the brand since 2016. After a trip to the Louvre museum with her six children, Jolie also met with French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron at a visit to the presidential  Elysées Palace. 

Jolie and Mrs. Macron met for an hour, discussing education, violence against women and [Jolie]’s activities as UNHCR Special Envoy and her recent visit to Jordan. On Sunday, Angelina took Zahara and Shiloh to the Zataari refugee camp, located less than an hour's drive from the Syrian border and a temporary home to 78.000 people fleeing Syrian violence.  

Lupita Nyong'o Talks 'Black Panther', Time's Up & 'Sulwe', Her New Children's Book For THR

Lupita Nyong'o Talks 'Black Panther', Time's Up & 'Sulwe', Her New Children's Book For THR

Actor Lupita Nyong'o covers the January 25, 2018 issue of The Hollywood Reporter, styled by Micaela Erlanger. Photographer Miller Mobley captures Lupita, an AOC favorite for her talent, work on behalf of elephants, and her determined efforts to stop the slaughter of elephants in Kenya. 

Lupita opens up about her globe-trotting childhood, exposure to political turmoil and why she went public on Weinstein: "I couldn't sleep. I needed to get it out." Then, we have Lupita's upcoming role in 'Black Panther', opening February 16.

Now the actress is planning to take an active role in the Time's Up anti-harassment initiative and is weighing how she can best serve it. She's as vocal in its defense as she is on subjects from colonialism to colorism, the prejudice against dark skin that is the subject of a new children's book she's writing, Sulwe, which Simon & Schuster will publish next year. "Sulwe is a young Kenyan girl who, though her name means star [in Luo], her skin is the color of midnight," she says. "And she's uncomfortable because she's the darkest in her family and goes about trying to change that, then she has this adventure that leads her to accept herself." The book came out of a 2013 speech Nyong'o gave "about my journey to accepting myself and seeing beauty in my complexion."

AOC is proud to say that we covered that speech and will post the link in a few.

Melania Trump Will Attend President's State of Union Address As A Marital Iceberg Chills White House

Melania Trump Will Attend President's State of Union Address As A Marital Iceberg Chills White House

America's first lady Melania Trump will attend Tuesday night's State of the Union address, reports White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “That is the plan,” her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said an email.

The New York Times writes tonight that Mrs. Trump is furious with her husband over his latest scandal, reported by the Wall Street Journal as a $130,000 payout to porn star Stormy Daniels just a month before the election. The story blindsided the first lady, leaving her absolutely furious with Trump, so angry that she cancelled her trip to Davos. 

This is the first time over the years that Melania Trump has not defended her husband. 

L’Oréal Paris Fires Amena Khan Over 2014 Anti-Israel Tweet, Requiring Yet Again That Models Not Have Opinions

L’Oréal Paris Fires Amena Khan Over 2014 Anti-Israel Tweet, Requiring Yet Again That Models Not Have Opinions

British beauty blogger Amena Khan's L'Oréal Paris campaign debuted in two parts. Khan made history as the first hijab-wearing model to star in a hair campaign for a major international media brand. L'Oreal flexed their global diversity muscles, explaining that hair care is of interest to every woman, whether she shows her hair in public or not. 

Khan, who first began wearing a headscarf in public during her twenties, also worked with the French brand on their 2017 collaboration with The Prince’s Trust, wrote on her Instagram that this was a “game changing” new project.

Lily Aldridge Loves 'Sakara Life's' Plant-Based Diet, Getting A Big Boost From 'The Game Changers' Documentary

Lily Aldridge Loves 'Sakara Life's' Plant-Based Diet, Getting A Big Boost From 'The Game Changers' Documentary

Victoria's Secret Angel Lily Aldridge is not new to a plant-based diet developed by vegetarian meal delivery service Sakara Life. Founded in 2011 by Danielle Duboise and Whitney Tingle, the GOOP-endorsed organic, vegetarian food delivery service was founded on the principle that food is medicine. Models Erin Heatherton, Hilary Rhoda and Karolina Kurkova also use Sakara. Note that Sakara does use honey, but will eliminate it from its dishes. The delivery service is expensive, but its testimonials ring true in 'The Game Changers' described by Vogue as "the shocking new documentary that will change the way you look at meat."

“When I first saw the study that indicated Roman gladiators were eating almost exclusively plants, I thought it had to be bs,” says James Wilks, a special forces trainer, winner of The Ultimate Fighter, and the star of The Game Changers, a new documentary set out to debunk the myth that meat is necessary for protein, strength, and good health through an exhaustive—and persuasive—lineup of tests and interviews with pro athletes, soldiers, and scientists. “After thousands of hours of research, [I realized that] everything I thought about nutrition—eating meat and eggs and milk for your bones—was totally untrue . . . I was shocked.”

Eventually, Wilks called in the big guns.

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards Announces Search To Replace Her in 2018

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards Announces Search To Replace Her in 2018

Cecile Richards sent spasms of concern through the hearts of progressive women, announcing that she will leave her position as president of Planned Parenthood later this year. As The Trump Administration launches a full frontal assault against Planned Parenthood 45 years after the Supreme Court affirmed a woman's right to abortion, a new leader will step into the limelight. 

The New York Times writes that the move is well timed for her to promote a new memoir: "Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead — My Life Story" due out in April. 

Richards says she's not running for any office and plans on pouring herself into the midterm elections, fund-raising, campaigning for Democrats and advising the record number of women candidates. 

"She has really helped put a face on the position," explained Democratic Senator Patty Murray, adding that Richards is "unfazed by the horrendous, awful, negative attacks." Tapped to lead Planned Parenthood in 2006, Richards was then deputy chief of staff to Representative Nancy Pelosi from California. Under her leadership, Planned Parenthood's base of volunteers and suporters has grown from 2.5 million to 11 million. Since Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton, Planned Parenthood has added 700,000 new donors. 

Living in New York, Richards was also effective in winning over billionaire donors like Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York and a major supporter of Planned Parenthood. 

Wynn Resorts Stock Plunges 9% on WSJ Report On Serial Sexual Misconduct By Steve Wynn, RNC Finance Chair

RNC Finance Chairman Steve Wynn hosted Donald Trump's First Year Anniversary Party at Mar-a-Lago on Jan. 20, 2018

Wynn Resorts Stock Plunges 9% on WSJ Report On Serial Sexual Misconduct By Steve Wynn

Wynn Resorts stock plunged 9 percent Friday on a report by The Wall Street Journal that billionaire CEO Steve Wynn engaged in sexual misconduct for many years. The Journal reported, writes CNBC,  that dozens of current and former employees "told of behavior that cumulatively would amount to a decades-long pattern of sexual misconduct." Some described being pressured into performing sex acts with him.

In the case of a manicurist, the woman's supervisor filed a detailed report to the casino's human-resources department after the woman returned from Wynn's office sobbing, explaining that she said no and explained to Wynn that she was married. Ultimately she did disrobe and they had sex. People familiar with the incident told WSJ that Wynn paid the manicurist a $7.5 million settlement, and his lawyers have admitted that the payment was made.

{. . . }

Steve Wynn donated $729,217 to the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who has called him a "great friend." Wynn also serves as the Republican National Committee's finance chairman. 

The RNC skewered the DNC for taking campaign cash from Harvey Weinstein, demanding that the tainted contributions be returned.  Following this part of the story, The Daily Beast says that numerous Democrats ended up giving their Weinstein donations to either charities or "political groups who work to elect progressive female lawmakers. " Officials like GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said the actions were insufficient, writing on Twitter: If the DNC truly stands up for women like they say they do, then returning Weinstein's dirty money should be a no-brainer. The Daily Beast writes:

The RNC, which last year chose not to distance itself from another official credibly accused of sexual harassment—Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore—did not respond to a request for comment as to whether they would now do the same. Nor did Sean Spicer, the president’s former press secretary and the committee’s former top strategist, who was particularly aggressive in criticizing Democrats after the Weinstein revelations.

Cuban-American Pop Star Camila Cabello Is Lensed By An Le For The Edit January 25, 2018

Cuban-American Pop Star Camila Cabello Is Lensed By An Le For The Edit January 25, 2018

Cuban-American pop star Camila Cabello covers the January 25, 2018 issue of The Edit. Camilla is styled by Tracy Taylor in tropics-inspired looks from Versace, Zimmermann, Johanna Ortiz and more. An Le flashes Camila in 'Hot Right Now'. 

In an unusually revealing interview with Lynette Nylander, Camilla Cabello talks about being the weak link in Fifth Harmony, the hot girlband she left in 2016 to pursue a solo career. 

Camila explained that being in a group with four other girls - Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui - led to a sense of "healthy competition" between them and it had made her conscious of being the band's weakest link. 

Israel's Politics -- Not Religious Laws -- Put Women At Back Of Bus During Pence's Visit To Israel

Israel's Politics -- Not Religious Laws -- Put Women At Back Of Bus During Pence's Visit To Israel

Haaretz reports that the "last-minute public relations black eye" was avoidable. "It seemed that the American embassy in Israel, which set up the press arrangements in cooperation with the rabbinical authorities at the Wall had paid little attention to the grumbling of female journalists back in May, when U.S. President Donald Trump and his family visited the wall. During that visit, too, women and men, including journalists, were completely separated, the women restricted behind what is known as a “mechitza” - a barrier separating the sexes, intended to allow each gender to focus on praying undistracted."

When the Trump contingent visited the Western Wall, the group included Orthodox Jews Jared Kushner and Ivanka and the custom of separation was required. However, writes Haaretz, there was no need to separate the women journalists during the Mike Pence visit because the entire site had been cleared for the VIP visitors.  ". . . while Karen and Mike Pence may be religious and used the time at the Wall to pray - there are no strictures on Evangelical Christians requiring them to pray only in the company of their own sex.

It's pure politics, writes Haaretz, citing the ongoing battle between ultra-Orthodox Jews and the Jewish feminist group "Women of the Wall," together with the Reform and Conservative movements, locked in an ongoing battle over policy and procedures at the Western Wall. 

USA Gymnastics Doctor Larry Nassar Sentenced To 175 Years Max For Sexual Crimes Against Female Gymnasts

This despicable doctor, the former team doctor for USA Gymnastics and team doctor at Michigan State University,  Larry Nassar does not believe he did anything wrong. I couldn't even work when Wednesday's drama began. Many current and former gymnasts, including gold medalists McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Simone Biles, say they are among the girls and young women sexually abused by Nassar under the guise of medical treatment.

Nasser pleaded guilty in November to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Judge Rosemarie Aquilina ended the drama by sentencing Nassar to up to 175 years in prison, after 156 women and girls made victim-impact statements over seven days of court proceedings. The chief prosecutor, Michigan Assistant Attorney General Angela Povilaitis credited investigative reporters at The Indianapolis Star and former gymnast Rachael Denhollander for bringing Nasser's long-hidden crimes to light.

When Judge Aquilina read portions of Nasser's letter to the court, I gasped. Nasser made that classic comment about women "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." This criminal, sexual assaulter totally sees himself as a victim, agreeing he had child porn on his computers for years, but totally denying that he is a deviant, guilty of criminal behavior to these girls. 

Mary Alice Carter Leads New Equity Forward, Monitoring Women's Reproductive Health Care Rights At HHS

Mary Alice Carter Leads New Equity Forward, Monitoring Women's Reproductive Health Care Rights At HHS

Hearings opened for on Jan. 9 for HHS nominee Alex Azar to replace Tom Price as HHS Secretary. Women's health groups launched a full-scale confrontation around women's reproductive health -- clearly under assault by the Trump administration. The issues go far beyond abortion rights and into contraception. Trump has stacked HHS with women who don't believe in birth control. 

A new group Equity Forward will be acting as a watchdog focused on reproductive health care at the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Mary Alice Carter, the executive director of Equity Forward, which officially launched Friday, said the nonpartisan group will hold accountable organizations and individuals they argue limit access to reproductive health care.

Supporting Girls Worldwide Is A Top Priority For Toni Garrn & Plan International

Supporting Girls Worldwide Is A Top Priority For Toni Garrn & Plan International

Top model Toni Garrn is front and center this week with her sizzling campaign for Australian swimwear brand Seafolly.

That's great news for Toni, but even she will tell you that it's her philanthropic activism that sends her soaring. It wasn't Naomi Campbell who launched the first Super Model Flea Market but Toni Garrn, who made the move to auction off her model friends' unwanted clothing to raise funds for Zimbabwean girls. 

In 2017 Toni partnered with Vestiaire Collective, the online luxury resale website, in launching three Super Model Flea Markets in November in Berlin, London and Paris. 

Toni sponsored her first girl from Vietnam when she was 16 years old and became a global ambassador for Plan International's Because I am a Girl Campaign in 2014. The project led her to launch the Toni Garrn Foundation, a not-for-profit aimed at advancing the rights of girls and improving their education in 2016, with a specific focus on Zimbabwe. Of course, Toni is dedicated to improving the lives of all children but girls are known for generating greater positive impact on their families and communities.

The Big Women's March On American Politics | Rebecca Traister Digs Deep Into The Women Running

The Big Women's March On American Politics | Rebecca Traister Digs Deep Into The Women Running

There's another Women's March brewing, writes Rebecca Traister for New York Magazine. As marchers all over America celebrated the one year anniversary of The Women's March, the largest activist march in American history, on Saturday and Sunday, Traister writes an in-depth look about the unprecedented number of women running for political office across America. 

To date, 390 women are planning to run for the House of Representatives, a figure that’s higher than at any point in American history. Twenty-two of them are non-incumbent black women — for scale, there are only 18 black women in the House right now. Meanwhile, 49 women are likely to be running for the Senate, about 68 percent higher than the number who’d announced at the same point in 2014. 

Of the 49 women currently planning to run for the Senate (including incumbents, challengers, and those running for open spots), 31 are Democrats. Well over half of the 79 women slated to campaign for governor are Dems, as are 80 percent of the women setting their sights on the House.

These women candidates are eying political offices at every level of local, state and national government. But make no mistake: 29-year-old Republican Lindsay Brown calls herself a "qualified millennial woman running a progressive campaign" for a US House seat in New Jersey. Democratic women would be thrilled to see more 70's style Republicans be elected to political office. In fact the very best event that could happen to Republicans is forward-looking, moderate, millennial women winning political office.

10 Interviews Support Sexual Harassment Allegations Against PA (R) Rep. Patrick Meehan

10 Interviews Support Sexual Harassment Allegations Against PA (R) Rep. Patrick Meehan

Apparently, House Speaker Paul Ryan didn't ask Pennsylvania Republican Representative Patrick Meehan if there was any private reason outside of his position on the House Ethics committee that would prevent him from conducting an effective role in redefining how sexual misconduct claims are handled in Congress.  

Revelations that Congressman Meehan actually made a settlement with a decades younger aide in 2017 caught Speaker Ryan by surprise. AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for the said that “this is new information to us” when asked about the settlement in a brief interview on Friday.

The New York Times interviewed 10 people including friends and former colleagues of the former aide and others who worked around the office. The young woman is a family friend of the Meehan's and became so demoralized by the Congressman's antagonistic behavior when she became involved with a new boyfriend, that she filed a complaint with the congressional Office of Compliance in the summer of 2017, alleging sexual harassment. The events that followed underscore why women typically don't file complaints against members of Congress. Now Meehan is theoretically empowered to change those procedures with new ones much fairer to victims. The Times writes a Rep. Jackie Speier's playbook expose. Speier's is leading the charge in Congress to reform current procedures:

Libby Leist Becomes First Woman Executive Producer of NBC 'Today Show' 7-9am Time Slot

Libby Leist Becomes First Executive Producer of NBC 'Today Show' 7-9am Time Slot

NBC News announced Wednesday that Libby Leist will succeed Don Nash as executive producer at the 'Today' show, making her the first woman to lead the program's 7am and 8am hours. 

The move follows the November 2017 firing of former 'Today' co-host Matt Lauer and appointment in January of Hoda Kotb to replace Lauer, joining Savannah Guthrie at the anchor desk. 

“The TODAY show couldn’t be in a stronger position. Savannah and Hoda have seamlessly taken their seats and we’re off to a fantastic start in 2018,” Lack wrote to staff. “With this change in anchors, and having rethought some of his priorities, Don Nash has decided to step away from his Executive Producer role at TODAY.”

“Libby has spent her career at NBC News, starting as a desk assistant in DC in 2001, and later rising to become Andrea Mitchell’s State Department producer — a role for which she traveled the world — and then several senior producer roles in the bureau, including MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown and Capitol Hill producer,” Lack wrote.

Leist is also very close to Savannah Guthrie and led 'Today' coverage of candidate town halls in 2016 and a 2016 broadcast from 'The White House' in the Obama Administration. "Today' never replaced Natalie Morales, when she left in 2016 -- preferring to have the anchors handling solid news stories. With the avalanche of Democratic women running for office in 2018, bringing in an executive produce with a political background makes sense.