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A former model has accused Donald Trump of groping and sexually touching her after meeting the former president through the late sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein in the 1990s in what she believed was a “twisted game” between the two men.
Stacey Williams alleged the assault occurred in 1993 after Epstein suggested that he and Williams visit Trump at Trump Tower. Moments after they arrived, she alleges, Trump pulled her toward him and started groping her.
She said she froze because she was “deeply confused” about what was happening. At the same time, she said she believed she saw the two men smiling at each other.
Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary for Donald Trump’s campaign, provided a statement denying the allegations, which said in part: “These accusations, made by a former activist for Barack Obama and announced on a Harris campaign call two weeks before the election, are unequivocally false. It’s obvious this fake story was contrived by the Harris campaign.”
With less than two weeks left in the US election, Trump has escalated his personal insults against Kamala Harris, calling her “a low IQ individual”. Harris on Wednesday denounced Donald Trump as a “fascist” who wants “unchecked power”. At a CNN town hall in Pennsylvania, she praised Trump’s former chief of staff for sending a “911 call” to the nation about the former president’s unfitness to serve a second term.
Top news
Lidia Thorpe claims she misspoke on hairs/heirs pronunciation | The independent senator appears to have backtracked on the suggestion that she deliberately mispronounced “heirs” as “hairs” when she was sworn in as a senator, now insisting she misspoke because her “English grammar isn’t as good as others’”.
Alan Yazbek pleads guilty after displaying Nazi symbol | The prominent Sydney restaurateur has pleaded guilty to displaying a Nazi swastika at a pro-Palestine rally. The offence carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and a fine of $11,000 for individuals.
New iMessage feature allows children to report nudity to Apple | Apple is introducing a new feature to iMessage in Australia that will allow children to report nude images and video being sent to them directly to the company, which could then report the messages to police. The change comes as part of Thursday’s beta releases of the new versions of Apple’s operating systems for Australian users.
LA Times editor resigns after owner blocks presidential endorsement | Mariel Garza, who has worked for the Times’ editorial board for nearly a decade, resigned from the paper in protest after the publication’s billionaire owner refused to allow the editorial board to endorse Kamala Harris for president.
North Korean troops in Russia are ‘fair game’, US says | The US has said for the first time that it has seen evidence that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, a move that could mark a significant escalation in Russia’s war against its neighbour.
Hong Kong unearths its first ever dinosaur fossils | Hong Kong officials say they have discovered dinosaur fossils in the city for the first time, on a remote and uninhabited island. The fossils were part of a large dinosaur from the Cretaceous period, about 145m to 66m years ago, the government said in a statement. They will need to conduct further studies to confirm the species of the dinosaur.
Human brain can process certain sentences in ‘blink of an eye’ | Previous research suggested words were understood one by one, but new findings reveal we can detect certain sentence structures in as little as 125 milliseconds.
Rebel Sport the big winner as supporters pay high price for team jerseys | According to those in the industry speaking on the condition of anonymity, Rebel Sport – and its 159 stores in Australia – is the most important single outlet for exposure and merchandise revenue for clubs and sporting organisations.
In pictures
National Gallery of Australia’s $14m behemoth artwork unveiled – and it’s a showstopper
Lindy Lee’s 13-tonne sculpture, Ouroboros, the most expensive work in NGA history, is in place after three years of anticipation – and questions about cost.
What they said …
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“It is … a lazy policy idea that puts all the risk on the people who can least afford to manage it.”
Julia Davis, from the Financial Rights Legal Centre, told the financial regulatory framework and home ownership hearing in Canberra that allowing people to borrow more might keep the economy going but it would push people to the brink. The chief of policy at Australia Banking Association, Chris Taylor, told the same Senate inquiry that reducing the 3% serviceability buffer could help first home buyers enter the market.
In numbers
The Realising Access report by not-for-profit Women’s Health Victoria is the first time that data at this scale from abortion and sexual and reproductive health service seekers has been published in Australia.
Before bed read
Queensland is at a crossroads – but a Labor defeat won’t guarantee an easy run for the LNP
David Crisafulli’s (pictured right, with the premier, Steven Miles) frontbench may find government more challenging than expected, especially if voters expect crime, inflation, hospitals and housing to be quickly fixed, writes Paul Williams.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: HAVE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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