Scandal

The New York Times reports: After two years of legal wrangling, Harvey Weinstein and the board of his bankrupt film studio have reached a tentative $25 million settlement agreement with dozens of his alleged sexual misconduct victims, a deal that would not require the Hollywood producer to admit wrongdoing or pay anything to his accusers himself, according to lawyers involved …

The Buffalo News reports: The press office for Pope Francis early Wednesday announced that Buffalo Bishop Richard J. Malone has stepped down. The Vatican press office described the departure as “renunciation of the pastoral government of the Diocese of Buffalo.” Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger of the Albany Diocese will take over as apostolic administrator of the Buffalo Diocese until Malone’s …

Courthouse News reports: Prince Andrew suffered fresh scrutiny Monday night when the woman who says she was a trafficking victim made to have sex with him when she was 17 asked the British public to support her quest for justice. Virginia Roberts Giuffre told BBC Panorama that people “should not accept this as being OK.” Giuffre’s first UK television interview …

The military site Task & Purpose reports: A plan to boost the number of elite Navy SEAL platoons that could deploy across the globe remains in limbo months after the effort was halted by a string of high-profile scandals. The plan was viewed as a positive step toward meeting the demands placed on the highly trained community. More platoons could …

Reuters reports: Britain’s Prince Andrew stepped down from public duties on Wednesday, saying the controversy surrounding his ill-judged association with late U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein had caused major disruption to the royal family’s work. Andrew, Queen Elizabeth’s second son, denies an allegation that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl procured for him by his friend Epstein, who killed himself …

The Baltimore Sun reports: Federal prosecutors have charged former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh with 11 counts of fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy in what they allege was a corrupt scheme involving her sales of a self-published children’s book series. In a grand jury indictment made public Wednesday, prosecutors allege Pugh defrauded area businesses and nonprofit organizations with nearly $800,000 in …

Politico reports: Mina Chang, a high-ranking State Department staffer who vaulted into the public spotlight after NBC reported she had inflated her resume, has resigned from her position. NBC reported last week that Chang had misleadingly claimed in her official bio that she was an “alumna” of Harvard Business School when in fact she only attended a seven-week course there. …

The Hill reports: The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating Rep. Ross Spano (R-Fla.) over allegations of campaign finance violations, the House Ethics Committee announced Thursday.The committee said it had agreed to defer the review of the allegations to the DOJ at the DOJ’s request. The Ethics Committee had been reviewing the allegations since September. “The Department of Justice has …

The Lima News reports: “I’ve stood up against the Speaker of the House from own party in my own state. I’ve stood up against the IRS, stood up against the FBI, stood up against Adam Schiff, fought the Justice Department when the whole Trump-Russia thing — what they had done. The idea I’m not going to defend our athletes when …

Religion News Service reports: John Crist’s upcoming Netflix holiday special and new book are on hold after allegations the popular comedian has used his celebrity status and Christian reputation to sexually harass women. A Netflix spokesperson confirmed to Religion News Service on Thursday (Nov. 7) that the status of Crist’s special, entitled “I Ain’t Prayin’ for That,” is now up …

NBC News reports: A professional referee says in a lawsuit filed Thursday that disgraced doctor Richard Strauss masturbated in front of him in a shower after a wrestling match at Ohio State University, and he reported the encounter directly to Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who was then the assistant coach. “Yeah, that’s Strauss,” Jordan and then-head coach Russ Hellickson replied, …

The Associated Press reports: McDonald’s chief executive officer has been pushed out of the company after violating company policy by engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee, the corporation said Sunday. The fast food giant said former president and CEO Steve Easterbrook demonstrated poor judgment, and that McDonald’s forbids managers from having romantic relationships with direct or indirect subordinates. …

Politico reports: Freshman Rep. Katie Hill is resigning from Congress after facing allegations of inappropriate sexual relationships with staffers in her office and on her congressional campaign. “It is with a broken heart that today I announce my resignation from Congress. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I believe it is the best thing …

The Texas Tribune reports: First-term Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen on Tuesday announced he will not seek reelection to the lower chamber in 2020 — completing a stunning fall for the Angleton Republican who enjoyed near unanimous support in the House just months earlier. Bonnen’s political future was first called into question in late July, when hardline conservative activist Michael …

CNN reports: According to Ronan Farrow’s new book, The National Enquirer‘s top editor directed staffers to shred documents when the Wall Street Journal called for comment before publishing the first story about the Enquirer‘s “catch and kill” relationship with Donald Trump. Farrow cites editor Dylan Howard [photo] as saying he needed to empty the safe and that the editor expressed …

Talking Points Memo reports: Jerry Falwell Jr has settled the lawsuit tied to the “pool boy”/Miami dive hostel story. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the terms of the settlement are not being disclosed. To remind everyone, the suit was brought by yet another guy, Gordon Bello, a high school friend of Giancarlo Granda, the pool boy. He claimed that he’d been promised 25% …

The Charlotte Observer reports: Former North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes faces up to six months in prison after agreeing to plead guilty to lying to the FBI in a sweeping federal bribery case. Hayes, a former member of Congress, is scheduled to formally enter his guilty plea Wednesday in federal court. Hayes, 74, is one of four men …

The Associated Press reports: The accrediting body that oversees Liberty University has asked the college for more information about recent news reports that have questioned President Jerry Falwell Jr.’s leadership style and personal business interests, a spokeswoman told The Associated Press. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges recently sent the Lynchburg university a letter asking it …

The Washington Post reports: Republican state Sen. Mike Folmer was charged with possession of child pornography on Tuesday night after authorities said they discovered images of child pornography on his cellphone. The charges against Folmer include sexual abuse of children, possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility. The married grandfather of seven was caught as the …

The Washington Post reports: It was billed as a holy journey, a pilgrimage with West Virginia Bishop Michael J. Bransfield to “pray, sing and worship” at the National Shrine in Washington. Catholics from remote areas of one of the nation’s poorest states paid up to $190 for hotel rooms and overnight bus rides to the nation’s capital. Unknown to the …