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Simone Biles Called Out USA Gymnastics President for an Anti-Kaepernick Tweet


Simone Biles, record-breaking champion of the vault, is fresh off selection camp in preparation for the Doha, Qatar world championships—but that doesn’t mean she’s not keeping an eye on what people in her sport are talking about. On Saturday, she took to Twitter to call out a tweet by Mary Bono, a former Republican congresswoman from California who had just named the interim president and CEO of USA Gymnastics the day prior, in which she criticized Nike for its affiliation to Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL player who famously knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racism.

Biles had apparently been scrolling through to see what her sport’s new leader was up to (or had been up to) and noticed a tweet from Bono dating back to September, right after Nike launched its “Just Do It” campaign featuring Kaepernick. It consisted of a photo, presumably of Bono, marking out the Nike swoosh on a pair of shoes, in protest of the ad. The champion gymnast wasn’t about to let that moment slide: Biles issued an epic tweet of her own that resurfaced Bono’s original social message.

“mouth drop,” Biles replied to the tweet. “don’t worry, it’s not like we needed a smarter usa gymnastics president or any sponsors or anything”

Biles was presumably referring to past USA Gymnastics leadership—specifically, past president Steve Penny, who was a key figure in the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal that rocked the gymnastics world earlier this year and was named in a damning ESPN report as one of the leaders who allegedly helped to cover up the rampant abuse. (She herself is one of the abuse survivors.) Plus, Biles has been sponsored by Nike.

A few hours after Biles’ response, Bono deleted the original tweet and issued an apology on the social media platform: “I regret the post and respect everyone’s views & fundamental right to express them. This doesn’t reflect how I will approach my position @USAGym I will do everything I can to help build, w/ the community, an open, safe & positive environment,” she wrote.

Bono also acknowledged that her Tweet—now a topic of conversation—wouldn’t exactly disappear: “Hey all, I know the Tweet will live on but have taken it down to move the focus to all I hope to accomplish on behalf of a great sport & those who are dedicated to it… I look forward to telling my gymnastics story, my vision for the future of the sport and why I wanted the job.”

Given that Bono’s tweet carried an implication of disdain toward people who have been victimized, it’s not a great look for a president coming in to carry forward an organization and team just recovering from sexual abuse scandal. A perfect 10 for Biles, though—as per usual.

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'A Simple Favor' Star Anna Kendrick Once Called President Obama an 'Asshole' (Yes, Really)


Anna Kendrick is just like the rest of us when it comes to meeting our idols. While making an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to promote her new movie A Simple Favor, Kendrick explained just how nerve-wracking it was to meet former President Barack Obama. In fact, she was so nervous she accidentally called him an “asshole” to his face.

As Kendrick explained to Colbert, back in 2012, “I got an email saying, ‘Hey do you want to meet the President?’ Naturally, I said, ‘Of what?'”

It took her more than a few moments to realize the person on the other end of the email meant the President of the United States. “I was very excited to have the opportunity to go to an event and meet him. I showed up, and I was the first person there.”

While standing around waiting for others to arrive, Kendrick explained how she began chatting with one of Obama’s secret service agents. The two soon realized they were both from Maine—a point Kendrick noted would be important to the story later.

Next, she said, Obama got up to make a small speech and was “doing that thing of making eye contact with everybody but not really. But then he’s actually looking right at me, which is very different.” Obama then pointed to her and said, “Actually, Anna, was in one of my favorite movies, Up in the Air, which talked about the economy and the recession.”

Following the speech, Kendrick was allowed to take a photo with Obama and shake his hand. The President then said to her. “I hope I didn’t embarrass you earlier?” The actress quickly replied in a sarcastic tone, “Yeah, you’re such an asshole.”

Kendrick then continue the awkwardness when Obama asked her “Oh, and you’re from Maine aren’t you?” Thinking back on her earlier conversation with the secret service agent she explained how she was the first one to arrive and chatted with her fellow Mainer, the agent. “Are people from Maine really punctual?” Obama asked, to which Kendrick replied, “You don’t know that? You’re the president.”

And that, she said, is how she made Obama go into a complete laughing fit. Which thankfully was captured on camera.

It’s good to know Barry still has the best sense of humor in politics. Watch Kendrick’s full confession here:

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Miss Michigan Called Out the Flint Water Crisis During the Miss America Pageant


Last night, Nia Franklin of New York was crowned the latest Miss America, but it is Miss Michigan, Emily Sioma, who is making headlines thanks to her short introduction during the broadcast.

Instead of using the moment to highlight her achievements or qualifications—she graduated with a degree in women’s studies and works to support survivors of sexual violence—Sioma instead chose to call attention to the continuing water crisis in Flint, MI. “From the state with 84% of the United States’ fresh water but none for its residents to drink, I am Miss Michigan Emily Sioma,” she said.

The city’s water problems have been ongoing since 2014 when it was found that the water in the city’s pipes was contaminated with high levels of lead and other toxins.

Social media users were quick to praise Sioma for her bold move with one writing this was “clearly not your mother’s Miss America pageant.”

Another said, “Been rolling my eyes all weekend that Miss America is still a thing but MISS MICHIGAN FOR PRESIDENT.”

This is surely the type of positive attention that the Miss America organization is looking for as it continues to rebrand and attempts to focus more on the intellect of its contestants. Back in June, board of trustees chairwoman Gretchen Carlson announced that the pageant would no longer include its famous swimsuit competition. “We are no longer a pageant,” Carlson told Good Morning America at the time. “We are a competition. We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance. That’s huge.”

“Who doesn’t want to be empowered, learn leadership skills, and pay for college and be able to show the world who you are as a person from the inside of your soul,” she continued. “That’s what we’re judging them on now.”

While Sioma didn’t even make the final 15 in the competition, her message was most definitely heard.





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Brett Kavanaugh Called Birth Control "Abortion-Inducing Drugs" At Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing


On the third day of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Democratic senators continued their probe to get the conservative judge’s stance on women’s reproductive rights—and a clue in one of his answers may say it all.

In an exchange with Senator Ted Cruz (D-Tex.), Kavanaugh referred to birth control as “abortion-inducing drugs,” a term many women’s rights advocates say is dog-whistle politics and a clear nod to pro-lifers who oppose abortion.

Kavanaugh’s calculated answer came when Cruz asked the judge about his dissent in the case Priests for Life v. the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which involved an Affordable Care Act mandate that required employers to cover contraception for workers. Kavanaugh explained why he ultimately sided with the plaintiffs, who are an anti-abortion Catholic group.

“The question was first, was this a substantial burden on their religious exercise? And it seemed to me, quite clearly, it was,” Kavanaugh said. “They said filling out the form would make them complicit in the abortion-inducing drugs that they were, as a religious matter, objected to.”

For pro-choice supporters, the phrase “abortion-inducing drugs” is an alarm bell. Organizations such as the Center for Reproductive Rights pointed out that the verbiage is what many anti-abortion groups use to talk about contraception. “Saying ‘abortion-inducing drugs’ to describe contraception is straight out of the anti-choice, anti-science phrase book used to restrict women’s access to essential health care,” the Center for Reproductive Rights wrote on Twitter.

The wording is also just plain wrong. Contraception, which includes birth control and Plan B, does not cause abortions, despite the assertion of some organizations. Using contraceptive methods like birth control and IUDs can prevent fertilization from occurring, but it does not end existing pregnancies. But despite the facts, the concepts are often conflated among anti-abortion groups. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) reminded the public of the misconception by tweeting, “Newsflash, Brett Kavanaugh: Contraception is NOT abortion. Anyone who says so is peddling extremist ideology – not science –and has no business sitting on the Supreme Court.”

Kavanaugh’s stance on reproductive rights has been questioned by many pro-choice supporters since President Donald Trump announced his nomination. Although Kavanaugh has stated he will abide by precedent set in Roe v. Wade, his record suggests anti-choice leanings. In addition to his defense in Priests for Life v. the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Kavanaugh also dissented in Garza v. Hargan and argued that an undocumented minor in U.S. detention could not receive an abortion. More evidence mounted late Wednesday, when leaked emails showed that while serving as a lawyer in the Bush administration, Kavanaugh had offered advice about changing a description that said Roe v. Wade was “the settled law of the land.”

On Thursday, Kavanaugh was also grilled by Senator Kamala Harris (D–Calif.), who asked him about the reproductive freedom of men compared to women. Kavanaugh stumbled while answering some of the questions—marking just another example of why Kavanaugh may be a threat to Roe v. Wade and other important principles of women’s rights.

MORE: Watch Kamala Harris Expertly Question Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Reproductive Rights





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Meghan McCain's Powerful Eulogy to John McCain Honored His Legacy—and Called Out Donald Trump


Meghan McCain gave the first remarks at a memorial service on Saturday honoring the life of her late father John McCain, who died of brain cancer on August 25. In an emotional eulogy delivered in Washington D.C.’s National Cathedral, Meghan lauded McCain as a “great man” and hit directly at President Donald Trump, who had previously mocked McCain’s reputation as a war hero.

“We gather here to mourn the passing of American greatness,” Meghan said. “The real thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly, nor the opportunistic appropriation of those who lived lives of comfort and privilege while he suffered and served.”

The comment refers to the four draft deferments that Trump used to avoid serving in the Vietnam War, as well as his popular “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan. Meghan recalled the slogan later in the speech by saying, “The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great.”

McCain, a two-time presidential candidate who served as Republican senator of Arizona from 1987 until his death, spent more than five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Trump had feuded publicly with McCain, and in 2015, he attacked his status as a decorated war hero, claiming, “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”

According to reports, McCain explicitly asked that the President not attend his funeral services, which spanned several days. Although Trump was not there, Saturday’s service included many members of Congress and former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, who also eulogized McCain at the late senator’s request.

His memory has been honored by several other politicians, among them Hillary Clinton and Paul Ryan. In Washington, McCain’s life was commemorated by an elaborate memorial service that included a procession with a stop in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. On Saturday, his casket was escorted into the National Cathedral by military bearers.

Meghan has publicly spoken of her close-knit relationship to her father, and she recalled their moments together during her eulogy. She invoked both his leadership skills and family values, calling him an “exception.”

“We live in an era where we knock down old American heroes for all their imperfections. When no leader wants to admit to fault or failure,” she said. “You were an exception, and you gave us an ideal to strive for. Look, I know you can see this gathering here in this cathedral. The nation is here to remember you.”

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Ivanka Trump Just Called Karlie Kloss Her 'Sister' on Instagram


Karlie Kloss revealed on Instagram earlier this week that she and her longtime boyfriend, Joshua Kushner, are engaged, and fans have been celebrating in their comments sections ever since. Both Karlie and Joshua’s engagement posts are flooded with messages from well-wishers, friends, and family members—including Ivanka Trump, who’s married to Joshua’s brother, Jared.

Ivanka posted not one but two Instagram comments congratulating Joshua and Karlie on their engagement. The one she left on Joshua’s page is pretty standard: “So incredibly happy for you Josh,” she wrote. “You and Karlie are blessed to have found one another. Here’s to a lifetime of love, laughter + adventure for you both!”

PHOTO: Instagram/Joshua Kushner

But the comment she left on Karlie’s page has the Internet buzzing. “So, so happy for you and Josh,” she wrote. “I feel blessed to have you as a sister (!!!) Karlie and look forward to the decades of happy memories we will create together as a family!” Yes, you’re reading that second sentence correctly: Ivanka calls Karlie her sister.

Check out the comment for yourself, below:

PHOTO: Instagram/Karlie Kloss

Ivanka isn’t technically wrong; after Karlie marries Joshua, they will, in fact, be sister-in-laws. Even still, people have mixed emotions about her declaration. Below, just a few reactions from Twitter:

“I love you more than I have words to express. Josh, you’re my best friend and my soulmate. I can’t wait for forever together. Yes a million times over,” Karlie wrote in her original Instagram post announcing her engagement to Joshua.

She opened up about their relationship in W magazine earlier this year, too, saying, “I’m incredibly busy, but I love what I do, and my boyfriend’s incredibly busy, but he loves what he does too. I think it’s important to make time to be with your loved ones—to work hard, play hard. That’s the way I live my life.”

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