USA Gymnastics Doctor Larry Nassar Sentenced To 175 Years Max For Sexual Crimes Against Female Gymnasts

This despicable doctor, the former team doctor for USA Gymnastics and team doctor at Michigan State University,  Larry Nassar does not believe he did anything wrong. I couldn't even work when Wednesday's drama began. Many current and former gymnasts, including gold medalists McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Simone Biles, say they are among the girls and young women sexually abused by Nassar under the guise of medical treatment.

Nasser pleaded guilty in November to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Judge Rosemarie Aquilina ended the drama by sentencing Nassar to up to 175 years in prison, after 156 women and girls made victim-impact statements over seven days of court proceedings. The chief prosecutor, Michigan Assistant Attorney General Angela Povilaitis credited investigative reporters at The Indianapolis Star and former gymnast Rachael Denhollander for bringing Nasser's long-hidden crimes to light.

When Judge Aquilina read portions of Nasser's letter to the court, I gasped. Nasser made that classic comment about women "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." This criminal, sexual assaulter totally sees himself as a victim, agreeing he had child porn on his computers for years, but totally denying that he is a deviant, guilty of criminal behavior to these girls. 

Mary Alice Carter Leads New Equity Forward, Monitoring Women's Reproductive Health Care Rights At HHS

Mary Alice Carter Leads New Equity Forward, Monitoring Women's Reproductive Health Care Rights At HHS

Hearings opened for on Jan. 9 for HHS nominee Alex Azar to replace Tom Price as HHS Secretary. Women's health groups launched a full-scale confrontation around women's reproductive health -- clearly under assault by the Trump administration. The issues go far beyond abortion rights and into contraception. Trump has stacked HHS with women who don't believe in birth control. 

A new group Equity Forward will be acting as a watchdog focused on reproductive health care at the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Mary Alice Carter, the executive director of Equity Forward, which officially launched Friday, said the nonpartisan group will hold accountable organizations and individuals they argue limit access to reproductive health care.

Supporting Girls Worldwide Is A Top Priority For Toni Garrn & Plan International

Supporting Girls Worldwide Is A Top Priority For Toni Garrn & Plan International

Top model Toni Garrn is front and center this week with her sizzling campaign for Australian swimwear brand Seafolly.

That's great news for Toni, but even she will tell you that it's her philanthropic activism that sends her soaring. It wasn't Naomi Campbell who launched the first Super Model Flea Market but Toni Garrn, who made the move to auction off her model friends' unwanted clothing to raise funds for Zimbabwean girls. 

In 2017 Toni partnered with Vestiaire Collective, the online luxury resale website, in launching three Super Model Flea Markets in November in Berlin, London and Paris. 

Toni sponsored her first girl from Vietnam when she was 16 years old and became a global ambassador for Plan International's Because I am a Girl Campaign in 2014. The project led her to launch the Toni Garrn Foundation, a not-for-profit aimed at advancing the rights of girls and improving their education in 2016, with a specific focus on Zimbabwe. Of course, Toni is dedicated to improving the lives of all children but girls are known for generating greater positive impact on their families and communities.

The Big Women's March On American Politics | Rebecca Traister Digs Deep Into The Women Running

The Big Women's March On American Politics | Rebecca Traister Digs Deep Into The Women Running

There's another Women's March brewing, writes Rebecca Traister for New York Magazine. As marchers all over America celebrated the one year anniversary of The Women's March, the largest activist march in American history, on Saturday and Sunday, Traister writes an in-depth look about the unprecedented number of women running for political office across America. 

To date, 390 women are planning to run for the House of Representatives, a figure that’s higher than at any point in American history. Twenty-two of them are non-incumbent black women — for scale, there are only 18 black women in the House right now. Meanwhile, 49 women are likely to be running for the Senate, about 68 percent higher than the number who’d announced at the same point in 2014. 

Of the 49 women currently planning to run for the Senate (including incumbents, challengers, and those running for open spots), 31 are Democrats. Well over half of the 79 women slated to campaign for governor are Dems, as are 80 percent of the women setting their sights on the House.

These women candidates are eying political offices at every level of local, state and national government. But make no mistake: 29-year-old Republican Lindsay Brown calls herself a "qualified millennial woman running a progressive campaign" for a US House seat in New Jersey. Democratic women would be thrilled to see more 70's style Republicans be elected to political office. In fact the very best event that could happen to Republicans is forward-looking, moderate, millennial women winning political office.

10 Interviews Support Sexual Harassment Allegations Against PA (R) Rep. Patrick Meehan

10 Interviews Support Sexual Harassment Allegations Against PA (R) Rep. Patrick Meehan

Apparently, House Speaker Paul Ryan didn't ask Pennsylvania Republican Representative Patrick Meehan if there was any private reason outside of his position on the House Ethics committee that would prevent him from conducting an effective role in redefining how sexual misconduct claims are handled in Congress.  

Revelations that Congressman Meehan actually made a settlement with a decades younger aide in 2017 caught Speaker Ryan by surprise. AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for the said that “this is new information to us” when asked about the settlement in a brief interview on Friday.

The New York Times interviewed 10 people including friends and former colleagues of the former aide and others who worked around the office. The young woman is a family friend of the Meehan's and became so demoralized by the Congressman's antagonistic behavior when she became involved with a new boyfriend, that she filed a complaint with the congressional Office of Compliance in the summer of 2017, alleging sexual harassment. The events that followed underscore why women typically don't file complaints against members of Congress. Now Meehan is theoretically empowered to change those procedures with new ones much fairer to victims. The Times writes a Rep. Jackie Speier's playbook expose. Speier's is leading the charge in Congress to reform current procedures:

Jessica Chastain Talks Patriarchy & Boys Club In 'Molly's Game' In WSJ Magazine's Talents and Legends Issue

Jessica Chastain Talks Patriarchy & Boys Club In 'Molly's Game' In WSJ Magazine's Talents and Legends Issue

Actor Jessica Chastain covers the February 2018 issue of WSJ Magazine's annual Talents and Legends issue. Ludivine Poiblanc styles Chastain in elegant, draped looks from Proenza Schouler, Max Mara, Loewe and more, lensed by Annemarieke Van Drimmelen in a sepia-tone retro mood. 

Chastain is interviewed by Leslie Bennetts in 'How Jessica Chastain Is Changing the Hollywood Game'. One of Hollywood's most ardent feminists and a co-founder of the new 'Time's Up' campaign and foundation, the happily-married actor zeroes in on her incredible performance in 'Molly's Game'.

Libby Leist Becomes First Woman Executive Producer of NBC 'Today Show' 7-9am Time Slot

Libby Leist Becomes First Executive Producer of NBC 'Today Show' 7-9am Time Slot

NBC News announced Wednesday that Libby Leist will succeed Don Nash as executive producer at the 'Today' show, making her the first woman to lead the program's 7am and 8am hours. 

The move follows the November 2017 firing of former 'Today' co-host Matt Lauer and appointment in January of Hoda Kotb to replace Lauer, joining Savannah Guthrie at the anchor desk. 

“The TODAY show couldn’t be in a stronger position. Savannah and Hoda have seamlessly taken their seats and we’re off to a fantastic start in 2018,” Lack wrote to staff. “With this change in anchors, and having rethought some of his priorities, Don Nash has decided to step away from his Executive Producer role at TODAY.”

“Libby has spent her career at NBC News, starting as a desk assistant in DC in 2001, and later rising to become Andrea Mitchell’s State Department producer — a role for which she traveled the world — and then several senior producer roles in the bureau, including MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown and Capitol Hill producer,” Lack wrote.

Leist is also very close to Savannah Guthrie and led 'Today' coverage of candidate town halls in 2016 and a 2016 broadcast from 'The White House' in the Obama Administration. "Today' never replaced Natalie Morales, when she left in 2016 -- preferring to have the anchors handling solid news stories. With the avalanche of Democratic women running for office in 2018, bringing in an executive produce with a political background makes sense.

In Touch Publishing 2011, Pre-NDA Stormy Daniels Unpublished Details Of Trump Affair

In Touch Publishing 2011, Pre-NDA Stormy Daniels Unpublished Details Of Trump Affair

In Touch magazine ran today an excerpt from a 2011 interview with adult film star Stormy Daniels (née Stephanie Clifford), in  which she shares details of her 2006 affair with Melania's then-husband, Donald Trump. 

The Wall Street Journal reported a few days ago that Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet. And she is not. Given that this interview was given before Daniels signed an NDA, InTouch intends to publish the entire interview unedited -- all 5500 words of it. At the time the interview was conducted, Daniels took a polygraph test, and InTouch confirmed the story with two other sources -- her good friend Randy Spears and her ex-husband Mike Moz. 

Condé Nast Leads Fashion Industry In Suspending All Work With Mario Testino and Bruce Weber, Based On NYT Sexual Harassment Investigation

Condé Nast Leads Fashion Industry In Suspending All Work With Mario Testino and Bruce Weber, Based On NYT Sexual Harassment Investigation

Hours after a Saturday morning report on The New York Times about the very significant and growing number of accusations against Bruce Weber and Mario Testino,  Condé Nast's Anna Wintour issued a statement that the magazines will not commission any new work with the two men  "for the foreseeable future." Terry Richardson was previously banned in October. 

The Telegraph wrote today that Mario Testino, the front runner to photograph the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle given his long and close relationship with the royal family, was no longer under consideration. 

"Today, allegations have been made against Bruce Weber and Mario Testino, stories that have been hard to hear and heartbreaking to confront," Wintour wrote. Fashion industry insiders described the industry icon as being deeply upset. 

"Both are personal friends of mine who have made extraordinary contributions to Vogue and many other titles at Condé Nast over the years, and both have issued objections or denials to what has emerged. I believe strongly in the value of remorse and forgiveness, but I take the allegations very seriously, and we at Condé Nast have decided to put our working relationship with both photographers on hold for the foreseeable future."

Brands Michael Kors, Stuart Weitzman issued statements confirming that they will not work with Testino in the future. Burberry made the same pledge, although it hasn't work with Testino for a year. A spokesperson for Ralph Lauren, which frequently uses Weber to shoot its ad campaigns, said, “The allegations reported in the recent New York Times article are completely contrary to our values, and to our commitment to creating an environment where our employees and outside partners feel welcome, safe and can perform at their best. We will not do business with anyone who behaves in a way that compromises this commitment.”

Condé Nast also issued new guidelines for working with models appearing in their publications, and we will publish those guidelines separately. It's noteworthy that the organization again raised the age of its editorial models from 16 to 18. 

Donald Trump Personally Handled Sale Of Trump Tower Condo To Haitian Dictator Baby Doc

Donald Trump Personally Handled Sale Of Trump Tower Condo To Haitian Dictator Baby Doc

There's a note of irony in Trump's haughty views about places like Haiti. While Trump's all cash sales of his condos to Russians is well-established amid accusations of money laundering, even I didn't know that America's president personally handled the sale of a Trump Tower condo to the despised Haitian dictator Baby Doc. 

Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier lead a reign of terror in Haiti, accused by Human Rights Watch in 2011 of selling dead Haitians' body parts to finance his high-flying lifestyle. The Daily Beast wrote about Trump personally handling the condo sale, noting that "the Stroock & Stroock & Lavan law firm—hired by the Haitian government to search out assets Duvalier had stolen from the Caribbean island-nation—only found out Duvalier owned Apartment 54-K because the dictator hadn’t paid his phone bill. The Haitian government put a lien on the property after he fled."

Serena Williams Shares Details Of Health Scares In Childbirth & History Of Blood Clots

Serena Williams Shares Details Of Health Scares In Childbirth & History Of Blood Clots

When Serena Williams withdrew from the Australian Open last week, after her loss in Abu Dhabi, some fans were concerned. Williams won the Australian Open last year, playing seven-months pregnant with her daughter Olympia. The Guardianreported:

“After competing in Abu Dhabi I realised that, although I am super close, I’m not where I personally want to be,” Williams said.

“My coach and team always said, ‘only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way’. I can compete – but I don’t want to just compete, I want to do far better than that and to do so, I will need a little more time. Even though I am disappointed about it, I’ve decided not to compete in the Australian Open this year.

Williams covers the February 2018 issue of Vogue, introducing us to daughter Olympia and an explanation of significant health issues associated with the birth of her daughter. It's totally clear now why healing time is a critical priority for this superstar athlete. 

Genesis 2.0 Documentary Inspires New GlamTribal Woolly Mammoth Pendants

Genesis 2.0 Documentary Inspires New GLAMTRIBAL Woolly Mammoth Pendants

Swiss filmmaker Christian Frei will premiere his documentary Genesis 2.0 in Sundance's World Documentary section. Frei co-directs the film focused on the efforts to bring the extinct woolly mammoth back to life with Maxim Arbugaev. The co-directors embed with a group of tusk hunters on the remote New Siberian Islands for an entire season, and the first trailer introduces these hunters who search for the ivory tusks of the animals that have been fully extinct for 10,000 years.

Noted geneticist George Church, whose team at Harvard successfully modified elephant cells with DNA retrieved from a preserved mammoth, also assumes an important role in the documentary. While many ethicists are opposed to "playing God" with cloning, many scientists and conservationists see cloning the woolly mammoth as an important step in insuring that elephants -- considered to be descendants of the woolly mammoth -- do not become extinct. 

GlamTribal Design has a strong commitment to elephant conservation, earmarking 5% of our revenues to support elephants, as well as 5% of revenues for the Kibera School for Girls in Nairobi. 

GlamTribal Design uses both woolly mammoth bone beads and featherweight, balsa wood beads decoupaged with woolly mammoth images printed on vellum as key components in our collections. These new silk cord pendants with and without leaf and ladybug earrings are ready with FREE SHIPPING in North America. 

Mark Wahlberg Donates Entire $1.5 Million Reshoot Fee To Time's Up In Honor Of Michelle Williams

Mark Wahlberg Donates Entire $1.5 Million Reshoot Fee To Time's Up In Honor Of Michelle Williams

The 'Time's Up' movement got a kick in the gut after The Golden Globes, learning that pay inequity in Hollywood is so rampant that Mark Wahlberg received an additional $1.5 million for reshoots, compared to the per diem allowance of about $1000 a day for Michelle Williams, one of the founders of 'Time's Up'. USA Today reported on Tuesday that this pay gap was the result of Ridley Scott's decision to reshoot scenes of the thriller about J Paul Getty, without the disgraced Kevin Spacey, who was replaced with Christopher Plummer. 

On Saturday Wahlberg bowed to the public outcry, agreeing to donate his fee to the Time's Up fund. 

"Over the last few days my reshoot fee for 'All the Money in the World' has become an important topic of conversation," Wahlberg said Saturday in a statement. "I 100 percent support the fight for fair pay and I’m donating the $1.5 million to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in Michelle Williams’ name.”

WME also responded to the injustice and pr nightmare, announcing: "The current conversation is a reminder that those of us in a position of influence have a responsibility to challenge inequities, including the gender wage gap. In recognition of the pay discrepancy on the 'All the Money in the World' reshoots, WME is donating an additional $500,000 to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund in Michelle Williams’ name, following our $1 million pledge to the organization earlier this month. It’s crucial that this conversation continues within our community and we are committed to being part of the solution.” 

Artist Toyin Ojih Odutola Portrays Unconventional Visions Of Black Bodies

Artist Toyin Ojih Odutola Portrays Unconventional Visions Of Black Bodies

Karly Loyce Wears Off Duty Denim Lensed By Matthew Sprout For The Edit January 11, 2018

Karly Loyce Wears Off Duty Denim Lensed By Matthew Sprout For The Edit January 11, 2018

Serena Williams & Daughter Alexis Olympia Cover Vogue US February 2018, Lensed By Mario Testino

Serena Williams & Daughter Alexis Olympia Cover Vogue US February 2018, Lensed By Mario Testino

Super talent and athlete Serena Williams covers the February 2018 issue of Vogue US. Baby daughter Alexis Olympia -- called Junior by dad, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, -- debuts as the youngest Vogue cover girl ever. 

Determined to win 25 Grand Slam victories (she now has 23), Serena was forced to withdraw from the Australian open, due to a host of medical complications associated with her daughter's birth. Vogue covers those events in detail, and they were formidable. The Williams comeback is now scheduled for March, with Serena determined to best Margaret Court's all-time record.

The tennis superstar is instilling her well-documented determination in her four-month-old baby. “Women are sometimes taught not to dream as big as men. I’m so glad I had a daughter. I want to teach her that there are no limits.”

Mario Testino captures the entire Williams gang -- mother, sisters and new husband -- in a giant pajama party.

In Madagascar, Six Lemurs Are Among The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates

In Madagascar, Six Lemurs Are Among The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates

I met up with an old digital friend today, Dr. Patricia Wright who was featured on the Turkana Basin Institute website, referenced for her work in Madagascar on saving lemurs. Specifically, Dr. Wright was named a Natural World Hero by Natural World Safaris, organizing informed, wildlife adventures worldwide.

Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island, located in the Indian Ocean about 1400 miles southeast from Nairobi, or a 3 1/2 hr. plane flight. Having developed largely in isolation, Madagascar is known as one of the world's richest ecosystems. After gaining independence from France in 1960, Madagascar has fallen victim to repeated political instability, several coups including one in 2009, disputed elections and widespread violence.

Once a great source of paddy rice, coffee, vanilla and cloves -- and tourism -- Madagascar is among the poorest countries in the world and is highly dependent on foreign aid. Young girls on the island are pressed into having sex with men young and old, and their lives are severely impacted by the Trump administration's abandonment of US AID support for birth control. 

As for the lemurs and Dr. Patricia Wright, who we last wrote about in 2014, their fortunes seem worse than ever. A new report released in November 2017 by the world's greatest experts on primates focused on the plight of 25 of the Earth's most endangered primate species.

Women Directors Again Snubbed As London's BAFTA Announces 2018 Nominees

Women Directors Again Snubbed As London's BAFTA Announces 2018 Nominees

Minutes after Oprah delivered her earth-shaking speech at the Jan. 7, 2018 Golden Globes, Natalie Portman and Ron Howard arrived at the podium to announce the winner of Best Director.  

Howard thanked the Globes for asking them to ‘be here to present the award for Best Director’ before long-time activist Portman added: ‘And here are all the male nominees.’

The male nominees wore deer-caught-in-the-headlights looks on their faces as the TV cameras panned their faces. But Twitter went to bat for Portman, incredulous that she had the moxie to mimic and build on Oprah's momentum -- an act that few could follow. 

Two days after 'Time's Up' made history at the Golden Globes, the BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards) nominations were announced. One again, nominees in the best-director category are all-male. 

Oprah Winfrey Sends Spirits Soaring In 2018 Golden Globes Speech On 'Time's Up' and #MeToo

Oprah Winfrey Sends Spirits Soaring In 2018 Golden Globes Speech On 'Time's Up' and #MeToo

Oprah Winfrey brought down the house last night at the 75th Golden Globes telecast, delivering the most motivating and inspiring words we've heard in one of the longest, harshest, most vulgar 12 months of an American presidency ever. Oprah gave us reason to hope -- which is probably why Oprah for President in 2020 Tweet flocks were flying in strict formation. Oprah was passionate and articulate, and not self-flattering in that obnoxious Trumpian way that so many of us loathe. She was confident in her wisdom, with no need to prove her credentials --  in contrast to a man who appears to be one of America's most insecure presidents ever and devotes every day of his life trying to convince us that he is a true genius and a great American progeny. 

Oprah delivered complete, focused sentences with nouns and verbs. She did not say "very, very" -- only "Amen, amen, amen." Read the entire transcript of her speech at the LA Times. We've highlighted the core themes from her rousing words. As for all the Oprah for president conversation, talk to us after the 2018 elections. It is clear that Oprah can do a lot for Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections, as she did in getting Barack Obama elected president. 

Eye: Bethany Williams Presents Sustainable, Socially-Conscious, Thoughtful Collection At LFWM

Eye: Bethany Williams Presents Sustainable, Socially-Conscious, Thoughtful Collection At LFWM

Bethany Williams believes that social and environmental issues go hand in hand and through exploring the connection between these issues we may find innovative design solutions to sustainability. The goal is not to just comment on a community, but work in their social spaces to try to create a change through furthering economic gain for charity.

Williams brought these core principles to her appearance at Day 1 of London Fashion Week Men's. introducing a global public to the considerable moral and environmentally responsible activism embedded in her small collection. According to her press release:

For her Spring/Summer 2018 collection, “Attenzione” electrical tape and wine bottle packaging were woven into practical and durable new textiles at San Patrignano and used to create outerwear, and the inspiring stories of the women she met were woven into a printed textile collage. Jersey pieces from the collection were also produced collaboratively with the women at Making for Change. The collection also funnels money back into the enterprises – 10% of the profit from each garment sold is donated to San Patrignano, and a further 10% is donated to LCF’s Making for Change to purchase new machinery. As well as integrating socially conscious design into her collection Bethany is equally committed to sustainability and sourcing. The knitwear from ‘Women of Change’ has been created through taking recycled wool and denim from Kent and then hand knitting them through cottage industry on the Isle of Man where she grew up. Raw materials are sourced from Chris Carney Collections, a recycling and sorting facility where it goes on to be washed, cut and unraveled before the hand knitting process. Other denim elements within the collection are sourced alongside this and unpicked before being reconstituted into new garments. – from Bethany Williams