Oct 13, 2017

Weinstein fallout: "which power player might be the next"

Harvey Weinstein participates in the "War and Peace" panel at the A&E 2016 Winter TCA. Photo: Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP

The Harvey Weinstein news "shows sexual harassment is a wider problem ignored too long," L.A. Times' Josh Rottenberg and Amy Kaufman write in a front-pager:

"As painful as the Weinstein scandal has been for an industry that likes to project a loftier image of itself, some believe it could ultimately lead to a long-overdue shift in attitudes... [M]any are wondering which power player might be the next to face similar accusations."

More:

  • "'Man in the High Castle' executive producer Isa Hackett went public [yesterday] with allegations that she had been harassed by Amazon Studios programming chief Roy Price ... Within hours of Hackett's statement, Amazon put Price on a leave of absence."
  • "That same day, actress Rose McGowan took to Twitter to accuse Amazon of canceling a script she had in development there after she 'told the head of your studio that [Weinstein] raped me.'"

P.S. NYPD, Scotland Yard probe Weinstein: "In London, the Metropolitan police are assessing a sexual abuse allegation made against Weinstein, while ... New York police are carrying out a 'review' looking for new complaints." (The Guardian)

Go deeper

Alayna Treene, Sam Baker
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Amy Coney Barrett's immediate impact

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

In her first week on the job, Amy Coney Barrett may be deciding which votes to count in the presidential election. By her third week, she’ll be deciding the fate of the Affordable Care Act.

Where it stands: The Senate votes on Barrett’s nomination tomorrow. If she’s confirmed, Chief Justice John Roberts is expected to swear her in at the Supreme Court within hours, an administration official tells Axios.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Alexi McCammond, Hans Nichols
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Texas Democrats beg Biden to spend now

Photo: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

The Biden campaign is rebuffing persistent pleas from Texas Democrats to spend at least $10 million in the Lone Star state, several people familiar with the talks tell Axios.

Why it matters: If Texas — which has 38 electoral votes and is steadily getting more blue, but hasn't backed a Democrat for president since 1976 — flipped to the Biden column, it would be game over. But the RealClearPolitics polling average stubbornly hovers at +2.6 for Trump — and Team Biden appears more focused on closer targets.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Election night in Trumpworld

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Chris Carlson-Pool/Getty Images

A luxe election-night watch party at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue is being planned for President Trump's donors, friends and advisers — but Trump's hand in it is minimal because he's "very superstitious" — people familiar with the plans tell Axios.

The big picture: This "mecca for all things MAGA," as one adviser described it, is one of three hubs where they say Trumpworld will watch returns. The others are the war room at campaign HQ in Rosslyn, Virginia, and the White House residence, where Trump and the first lady will gather close family and advisers before heading to the hotel later that night, the sources said.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow