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5 things for September 25: Rod Rosenstein, Brett Kavanaugh, South Korea, Florence flooding, Dallas police firing

Posted at 4:17 AM, Sep 25, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-25 08:40:08-04

Need some inspiration this morning? An Indonesian teen has been rescued after drifting at sea on a little fishing boat for 49 days.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.

1. ROD ROSENSTEIN

Is Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on his way out? If Monday’s White House drama is to be believed, then it’s a strong possibility. President Donald Trump said he will meet with Rosenstein on Thursday to “be determining what’s going on.” According to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, Rosenstein offered to resign last week after The New York Times and others reported he secretly suggested recording the President and discussed recruiting Cabinet members to remove Trump from office. Rosenstein has denied he ever sought to record Trump or weighed invoking the 25th Amendment. He reportedly believed he would be fired Monday — but that didn’t happen. Since talks about his exit have ramped up, there has been a lot of speculation about what will happen to the Robert Mueller investigation if there’s a shake-up at the Justice Department. Remember, the Mueller probe would usually be run under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but he recused himself from the Russia investigation last year.

2. BRETT KAVANAUGH

In a matter of days, the number of accusations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has gone from one to two, and possibly more. On Monday night, attorney Michael Avenatti said he has new information regarding another allegationhe will make public soon. This is in addition to the initial accusations made by Christine Blasey Ford, and a second one made by Deborah Ramirez, who alleges Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party while they were both attending Yale. Kavanaugh defended himself Monday in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee. “These are smears, pure and simple,” he wrote of the allegations against him. He also gave an unprecedented interview (for a high court nominee) to Fox News.

3. SOUTH KOREA

Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have put their signatures to a new US-South Korean trade deal. The signing happened after a bilateral meeting Monday afternoon at the United Nations. Trump said the deal was “fair and reciprocal,” and will both reduce the US trade deficit and expand opportunities to export American products to South Korea, including automobiles, medicine and agricultural products. All in all, it was an eventful day for US trade relations: The South Korean deal came through the same day the United States and China hit each other with their most expensive round of tariffs yet.

4. FLORENCE FLOODING

Yes, Florence is still making life hell for people in the Carolinas. Authorities in Georgetown County, South Carolina, are urging thousands to evacuate ahead of historic flooding in the area. The county is positioned at the intersection of three rivers, all swollen from Florence’s deluges. Parts of Georgetown County will see at least 10 feet of flooding, forecasters say. Key words: at least. The flooding is expected to begin today and will last through the weekend. Officials worry that, among other crippling infrastructural damage, the flooding could wash away portions of bridges connecting some of the rivers.

5. DALLAS POLICE FIRING

Amber Guyger, the police officer charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Botham Shem Jean inside his Dallas apartment,was fired from the department Monday. Dallas police reportedly told the Jean family attorney the termination took some time because the department had to consider the effects it would have on the criminal allegations against Guyger. In the criminal case, the Dallas County district attorney has said a grand jury could charge Guyger with a stiffer crime than manslaughter. Guyger, who is white, shot Jean, who is black, on September 6 after entering his apartment. She said she thought it was her apartment, and that Jean was an intruder.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“We often see an increase in calls when sexual assault stories are in the news.”

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network Sara McGovern, who said calls to its hotline on sexual assault increased 57% after the Kavanaugh allegations.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.

One contestant confessed her love for another contestant on “The Bachelor Vietnam,” and now they’ve gone viral
The American version could only wish for such drama.

Weight Watchers is changing its name to WW
Wonder Woman would like a word.

How Cheburashka, the iconic ‘Soviet Mickey Mouse,’ achieved international fame
Fun fact of the day: His name is derived from the archaic Russian verb cheburakhnutsya,which means “to topple.”

The world’s first Boeing 777 retires
At 24, nonetheless. Career goals.

Sears is in serious financial trouble, CEO says
Which is sad. Who doesn’t remember getting lost in a Sears and trying to find their moms among the 5,000 refrigerators? Ah, simpler times.

HAPPENING LATER

Bill Cosby sentencing 

The comedian, 81, will have a final opportunity to make his case to the courttoday before a Pennsylvania judge sentences him on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in the 2004 drugging and sexual assault of Andrea Constand. Prosecutors have asked the judge to sentence him to five to 10 years in prison.

TODAY’S NUMBER

45%

The percentage of Americans who say they have a favorable view of the Republican Party, according to a new Gallup Poll. That’s the highest favorable view of the party since January 2011.

AND FINALLY

It’s just a giant cat, guys

This cat’s been around for a while, but watching it once is never enough. Gotta watch it 100 times I guess. (Click here to view.)