What to Know
- Trump ignited a crowd at a rally by mocking a woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh
- What if treatment could target the earliest brain changes while memory and thinking skills are intact, in hope of preventing Alzheimer's
- Chinese authorities have ordered actress Fan Bingbing to pay taxes and penalties totaling $130 million but would spare criminal prosecution
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Trump Mocks Kavanaugh Accuser at Campaign Rally
President Trump ignited a crowd at a campaign rally in Mississippi by mocking a woman who has claimed she was sexually assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh decades ago. The audience laughed as Trump ran through a list of what he described as holes in Christine Blasey Ford's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She testified Kavanaugh pinned her on a bed, tried to take off her clothes and covered her mouth in the early 1980s, when the two were teenagers. Kavanaugh has denied Ford's allegations. "How did you get home? 'I don't remember,'" Trump said at the rally Tuesday in Southaven. "How did you get there? 'I don't remember.' Where is the place? 'I don't remember.' How many years ago was it? 'I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.'" Imitating Ford, he added, "But I had one beer — that's the only thing I remember."
Emergency Alert Test Going Out to Mobile Phones Nationwide
About 225 million mobile devices across the U.S. will receive a test emergency alert Wednesday. It's the first nationwide test for a wireless phone emergency alert. It will be sent at 2:18 p.m. EDT. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it'll sound like an Amber Alert or flood warning. The subject will read: "Presidential Alert." The text will say: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed." A test of broadcast systems will happen at 2:20 p.m. EDT. FEMA officials say the test will last about a half-hour so some people may get it at different times. They expect about 75 percent of all wireless users to get the alert. The alert would be used in the event of a major nationwide emergency.
Tax Department Reviewing Fraud Allegations Involving Trump in NYT Article
Local
New York state tax officials are investigating allegations detailed in an exhaustive New York Times investigation into Donald Trump and his family's business dealings. The Times reported Trump and his family committed "instances of outright fraud" in order to transfer millions of dollars from the real estate empire of the president's father, Fred Trump, to his children without paying the appropriate taxes. "The Tax Department is reviewing the allegations in the NYT article and is vigorously pursuing all appropriate avenues of investigation," a spokesman from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance said in an email to CNBC. Representatives from the White House and the Trump Organization did not return requests for comment.
Studies in Healthy Older People Aim to Prevent Alzheimer's
It may be too late to stop Alzheimer's in people who already have some mental decline. But what if a treatment could target the very earliest brain changes while memory and thinking skills are still intact, in hope of preventing the disease? Two big studies are going all out to try. Clinics throughout the United States and some other countries are signing up participants — the only studies of this type enrolling healthy older people. "The excitement in the Alzheimer's field right now is prevention," said Dr. Eric Reiman, executive director of the Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix, which is leading the work. Science so far has failed to find a drug that can alter the progression of Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia; 146 attempts have failed over the last decade, a recent industry report found. Even drugs that help remove the sticky plaques that clog the brains of people with the disease have not yet proved able to stave off mental decline. The goal is to try to block the earliest steps of plaque formation.
FDA Makes Surprise Inspection of E-Cigarette Maker Juul
The Food and Drug Administration seized "thousands of pages of documents" in a surprise inspection of e-cigarette maker Juul's San Francisco headquarters last week, the agency said. The FDA is looking into the company's marketing practices as Commissioner Scott Gottlieb calls teen use of nicotine vaping devices an "epidemic." It builds on the agency's request in April for company materials related to how Juul products appeal to kids. The most recent inspection "sought further documentation related to Juul's sales and marketing practices, among other things," FDA said in a statement. Juul did not immediately have comment.
China Orders Actress Fan Bingbing to Pay Massive Tax Fine
Chinese tax authorities have ordered "X-Men" star Fan Bingbing and companies she represents to pay taxes and penalties totaling $130 million but would spare her from criminal prosecution, state media said. The announcement ended months of speculation over one of China's highest-profile entertainers since she disappeared from public view three months ago amid reports she was being investigated for tax fraud. Of the total amount, Fan is being personally fined around $70 million for tax evasion. The official Xinhua News Agency cited tax authorities as saying Fan would not be held criminally accountable for tax evasion as the taxes, fines and late fees amounting to nearly 900 million yuan ($130 million) were paid on time. The announcement, carried by Xinhua, gave no indication as to Fan's whereabouts but indicated her agent was being held by police for allegedly obstructing the investigation.
List of Celeb Homes to Be Burgled Found Amid Stolen Goods
As detectives made arrests in connection with recent burglaries at the homes of Los Angeles celebrities, a list of celebrities and athletes - plus their addresses - was discovered amid stolen purses, cash, firearms and more, police said. A small specialized group of gang members with a "bling ring" type of scheme were accused of burgling several Tinseltown celebrities' homes, Capt. Lillian Carranza, commanding officer of the Los Angeles Police Department's Commercial Crimes Division, confirmed at a news conference. While at first police believed the suspected thieves were targeting homes at random, they discovered that the crew was actually reviewing social media posts, touring and travel schedules to determine the best time to hit the home. The group would allegedly dress in button-down shirts and dress clothes, riding in luxury cars, to enter the neighborhoods where the rich and famous reside in order to scout potential homes, Carranza said.
