Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
The Latest On Robert Mueller’s Russia Probe
President Trump called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russia’s election intervention just as Mueller’s prosecutors prepared for their second day in federal court with Trump’s ex-campaign chief Paul Manafort. “Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now,” the president tweeted on Wednesday morning. “Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!”
According to Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the tweet was not an official order, but the president simply “expressing his opinion.” Plus, Sessions already recused himself from the Russia investigation last March.
Later on Wednesday, news broke that Mueller wanted to interview Trump specifically about obstruction of justice. “According to sources, the president learned within the last day that the special counsel will limit the scope of questioning and would like to ask questions both orally and written for the President to respond to,” reported ABC News. This is what reportedly prompted Trump’s angry Wednesday morning tweet.
Mueller has sought an interview with Trump for months. Giuliani said on Wednesday that the entire legal team is currently reviewing a proposal from the special counsel; however, the team declined to comment on the specific report from ABC News.
Ohio State University’s Head Football Coach Placed On Leave
Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes was placed on paid administrative leave on Wednesday so the university could investigate whether or not he knew about the domestic violence allegations against former assistant coach Zach Smith, who was fired a week ago. Meyer released a statement shortly after the university announced the news: “Gene (Smith, the AD) and I agree that being on leave during this inquiry will facilitate its completion. This allows the team to conduct training camp with minimal distraction. I eagerly look forward to the resolution of this matter.”
Breaking: Ohio State has placed Urban Meyer on paid administrative leave. Ryan Day will be the team’s acting head coach. pic.twitter.com/I3u5eXjOtT
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 1, 2018
Smith was accused of abuse by his ex-wife on numerous occasions from 2009 to 2015. College football reporter Brett McMurphy published a detailed history of Smith’s domestic violence allegations on Facebook, which included “aggravated battery on a pregnant victim,” “assault,” and “criminal trespassing.” CNN reported that the former wide receivers’ coach was fired on July 23, the same day he was served a civil protection order on behalf of his ex-wife. He cannot go within 500 feet of her, effective until 2023.
During an appearance at Big Ten Conference media days, Meyer denied knowledge of Smith’s most recent allegation (in 2015). He did, however, say he was aware of something that happened between Smith and his ex-wife in 2009 when they were still married. The university said its “focused on supporting” the football players and “on getting to the truth as expeditiously as possible.”
Barack Obama Endorsed 81 Candidates For Midterm Elections
On Wednesday, former President Barack Obama endorsed 81 candidates for federal and state offices ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. According to NPR, all of his endorsements were for states that have already had their primaries — meaning he didn’t have to choose between numerous Democrat candidates. He did, however, endorse California’s Senator Dianne Feinstein earlier this year. She’s currently being challenged by a more progressive candidate, Kevin de León.
“I’m proud to endorse such a wide and impressive array of Democratic candidates – leaders as diverse, patriotic, and big-hearted as the America they’re running to represent,” Obama said in a statement. “”I’m confident that, together, they’ll strengthen this country we love by restoring opportunity that’s broadly shared, repairing our alliances and standing in the world, and upholding our fundamental commitment to justice, fairness, responsibility, and the rule of law. But first, they need our votes — and I’m eager to make the case for why Democratic candidates deserve our votes this fall.”
Check out the complete list here.
What to look for…
Whatever’s happening today is sort of irrelevant. We’re still thinking about that Bachelorette: Men Tell All. Check out 5 Moments From ‘The Bachelorette: Men Tell All’ Special We Still Can’t Get Over.