Author: Sophie Robinson

Sophie Robinson is a recent graduate from Clemson University and is a Digital Intern at UnmutedCo.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department moved to replace Trump’s private legal team with government lawyers to defend him against a defamation lawsuit brought froward by author E. Jean Carroll, who has accused Trump of raping her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s. What We Know: In this highly unusual legal move, Justice Department lawyers said in court papers that Trump was acting in his official capacity as President of the United States when he denied ever knowing Carroll and thus, could be defended by government lawyers. The department lawyers cited a law called the Federal Tort Claims Act which…

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Colin Kaepernick is making his return to the football field as a playable character on the sport’s biggest video game, Madden 21. What We Know: Game developer EA Sports announced that an update was released on Tuesday that allows players to add Kaepernick to any NFL lineup for the first time since 2016. “Colin Kaepernick is one of the top free agents in football and a starting-caliber quarterback,” EA Sports said in a statement on Tuesday. “We look forward to seeing Colin on Madden NFL teams everywhere.” Welcome Back, Kap! pic.twitter.com/fmq6SkMAVf — Madden NFL 21 (@EAMaddenNFL) September 8, 2020 In…

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In a White House memo, President Trump directed federal agencies to end diversity training programs, calling them “a sickness that cannot be allowed to continue” and “un-American.” What We Know: The directive was announced via a memo that was sent to the heads of federal agencies from Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought wrote that Trump ordered the sessions, which included teachings on critical race theory and discussions of white privilege, to be canceled after learning federal agencies are spending millions of dollars training employees in “divisive, anti-American propaganda.” According to the memo, these trainings…

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Novak Djokovic, a 17-time Grand Slam champion and the top seed in this year’s U.S. Open, was disqualified from the tournament over the weekend after hitting a line judge in the neck with a ball that he struck back onto the court in an act of frustration. What We Know: In a moment of frustration in a match against Pablo Carreno Busta, the Number 20 seed, Djokovic took aim at a loose ball, hitting it off the back of the court and ultimately hitting a linesperson in the neck. While the act was not intentional, it appeared that the linesperson…

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Six months after announcing they would no longer be working members of the British royal family, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex become Hollywood producers as they sign a megawatt deal with Netflix. What We Know: Prince Harry and Meghan, who have resettled in California, announced new Hollywood careers. The couple has founded a yet-to-be named production company and signed a multiyear deal with Netflix. Under the deal, Netflix will pay them to make documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows, and children’s programming. While Harry and Meghan may appear on camera during documentary programming, a representative said that Meghan has…

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Law enforcement officers killed Michael Forest Reinoehl on Thursday as they attempted to arrest him in connection to the fatal shooting of a right-wing activist in Portland, Oregon. What We Know: Reinoehl, 48, was shot by officers from a federally led fugitive task force during an encounter in Lacey, Washington. Lieutenant Ray Brady of the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said in an interview that the suspect had exited an apartment and got into a vehicle. “As they attempted to apprehend him, there was gunfire,” Brady said. He said four law enforcement officers fired their weapons. The officers at the scene…

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Career magician, illusionist, and endurance performer David Blaine completed his most ambitious feat yet on Wednesday: floating over the Arizona desert by holding onto about 50 helium balloons. What We Know: The professional daredevil survived his latest wild stunt, titled “Ascension,” on Wednesday afternoon in the Great Basin Desert in Page, Arizona. Blaine flew into the air strapped to 52 helium-filled weather balloons, which he later released to parachute down to his starting point. The entire event was live-streamed on YouTube. Is it a plane? Is it a bird? No, it’s David Blaine! #DavidBlaineAscension pic.twitter.com/H04agMkw2e — YouTube (@YouTube) September 2,…

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Tom Seaver, a Hall of Fame Pitcher and New York Mets legend, died on Monday at the age of 75 from complications of Lewy body dementia and Covid-19. What We Know: Seaver is known as one of baseball’s greatest right-handed power pitchers, a Hall of Famer who won 311 games for four major league teams, and a Mets legend who led the team from last place to first place with a surprise World Series in his first three seasons. Seaver was a truly powerful pitcher, striking out more than 200 hitters in 10 different seasons, a National League record. On…

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Two commercial airline pilots approaching LAX reported seeing a man in a jet pack flying alongside planes, prompting an FBI investigation. What We Know: On Sunday, two pilots reported a man flying a jet pack at 3,000 feet altitude as they approached Los Angeles International Airport. “Tower, American 1997 — we just passed a guy in a jet pack,” the pilot of American Airlines Flight 1997 from Philadelphia told air traffic control at about 6:35 p.m. on Sunday. The interaction was recorded and shared by LiveATC.net, which posts live and archived recordings of air-traffic-control radio transmissions. The controller asked where…

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New York City will delay the re-opening of the school system, with 1.1 million children not returning to classes until September 21. What We Know: As New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has been working to reopen the nation’s largest school system during the pandemic, the city’s powerful teacher’s union threatened an illegal strike as soon as next week. But after a series of negotiations, the mayor reached a deal early Tuesday with union representatives, clearing the way for NYC to become one of the only major school districts in America to welcome children back into classrooms this fall.…

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