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Wednesday, October 18, 2017

With Trump, even a call to an Army widow becomes a politicized fight

 
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The Short List
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Trump denies 'what he signed up for' comment

As Army Sgt. La David Johnson's family grieves after he was killed in an ambush attack in Niger by Islamic State-linked militants, President Trump became embroiled Wednesday in a "he said, she said" dispute over what he told Johnson's widow in a phone call. U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., said Trump told Myeshia Johnson that her husband knew "what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurts" during a call while the family and Wilson were traveling to meet Johnson's body in Miami. While the soldier's mother confirmed Wilson's account of the call, Trump blasted Wilson's statement. He tweeted that Wilson "totally fabricated" what he said and later told reporters that Wilson knew he was correct but didn't want to admit it. Adding to the controversy: A report later Wednesday said Trump promised the father of another soldier killed in Afghanistan a $25,000 check from his personal account.

'This is not just happening in Hollywood. This is happening everywhere.'

As the fallout from the Harvey Weinstein scandal spreads, more people both inside and outside Hollywood are coming forward with their stories of sexual harassment and assault. The latest: Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney , who said former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar sexually abused her over several years, starting at age 13. Nassar has been accused of assaulting at least 140 girls and women while working for USA Gymnastics. "It seemed whenever and wherever this man could find the chance, I was 'treated,'" Maroney said. As USA TODAY sports columnist Christine Brennan explains , Maroney's courage in sharing her story might be more valuable than any gold medal. Nassar is on trial in Michigan facing sexual assault charges and awaits sentencing on federal charges. 

Sessions: 'I conducted no improper discussions with Russians at any time'

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday strongly defended President Trump's firing of James Comey , linking the FBI director's abrupt dismissal to his handling of the Hillary Clinton email server investigation. But Sessions refused to discuss any private conversations he had with the president leading up to Comey's firing and would not say if he had discussed with the president an FBI investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. Sessions' testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee was his first this year. Here's what he said in his own words

Faced with national anthem protests, Roger Goodell punts

The commissioner of the National Football League doesn't want to punish players for taking a knee during the national anthem, yet he would prefer they remain standing . Goodell's comments Wednesday followed a series of meetings with owners and players to discuss how to handle protests over social injustice and police brutality taking place during the anthem. Goodell's goal: Make sure "zero" players take a knee. "We want our players to stand," he said. "Our focus is on the opportunity we have to make our communities better through these efforts with our players."  

An alligator's new favorite meal? Sharks

No, this is not the plot of a future Syfy movie (although it should be). Researchers discovered alligators living on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts have new favorite snacks: sharks and stingrays . Why is this weird? Alligators usually hang out in fresh water eating crustaceans, snails or fish, while sharks swim mostly in salt water. A study found alligators have been spotted eating three species of sharks. Now we're curious what an alligator would do against a sharktopus.

This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY. Contributing: The Associated Press




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