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.)
Omarosa Thinks She May Know Who Wrote the Anonymous NY Times Op-Ed
Omarosa Manigault Newman, who has recently been on a press tour for her new book and has shared multiple tapes from her time in the White House, has a theory of who the author behind the anonymous New York Times op-ed might be.
“I took some time and went back and looked through all of my emails, particularly emails out of the vice president’s office, because the first time I read the op-ed, it just seemed kind of familiar to me,” Manigault Newman told Yahoo Finance on Tuesday, discussing who the author might be. “After looking at memos and correspondence from the vice president’s office, I’m pretty convinced that it came from that way. Not just because of the term ‘lodestar,’ but because of the style and tone of it.”
via Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Not only did Newman say narrow it down to the Vice President’s office, she went even further as to name a particular person that could be the anonymous author: Nick Ayers.
Newman, a former White House aide, made the same suggestion earlier this week on ABC’s “The View,” but she elaborated on her comments, saying that Vice President Mike Pence’s Chief of Staff had the “most to gain” from this anonymous op-ed, which described an “active resistance” inside the Trump administration. Ayers has served as Pence’s Chief of Staff since July 2017, and is one of Pence’s most trusted aides, The Huffington Post reports.
“All of these guys work in these groups together and could see themselves as some sort of hero trying to save the country from Donald Trump, but to me Nick Ayers is the one who has the most to gain from writing this,” Newman said.
Pence, however, has denied that he or any of his staff members was affiliated with the op-ed piece.
“Let me be very clear. I’m 100 percent confident that no one on the vice president’s staff was involved in this anonymous editorial. I know my people,” Pence said in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “They get up every day and are dedicated, just as much as I am, to advancing the president’s agenda and supporting everything.”
Last week, President Donald Trump said he wants Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate, calling the article a breach of “national security.” At the time of the op-ed’s publication, Trump likened the story to treason.
FiveThirtyEight Forecasts Republicans As Likely to Keep the Senate
FiveThirtyEight has forecasted that Democrats have a one-in-three chance of winning the Senate majority this November, according to their just-launched 2018 Senate forecast. Republicans, on the other hand, have a two-in-three chance of keeping control of the chamber.
In the race for the House of Representatives, however, Democrats are favored; but they are fighting an uphill battle in the upper chamber of Congress.
The FiveThirtyEight Senate model produces these forecasts, as opposed to quick predictions of who will win or lose, by using a statistical model that analyzes the polls of each race, how the state has voted historically, fundraising, etc.
FiveThirtyEight’s model estimates the chances of each candidate winning in every Senate race on the ballot for the 2018 midterm election.
You can check out the full forecast for details about each race, and it will be continuously updated up until Election Day.
Apple Unveils Its New iPhones & Apple Watch
Each fall we get to take delight in sweater weather, indulge ourselves with pumpkin spice treats and get to see the unveiling of the new iPhone. This year, however, Apple is rolling out three new iPhones, and a new apple watch.
At its annual September press conference on Wednesday at the Steve Jobs Theater on its circular Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, Apple released three new versions of its signature phones, all with bigger screens and improved photo and video features.
The new phones — the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR — all have screens that extend to the edge, along with no home button. The XS Max will have the biggest display in the iPhone universe with a 6.5 inch screen. According to ABC News, the new phones will have the first 7-nanometer chip in a smartphone, and its face ID will be faster. There are even benefits for travelers, too, with dual SIM options available.
The new phones come in silver, black and a new gold finish and will be available for pre-order beginning Friday, September 14 and in stores on September 21.
There will also be an “affordable” iPhone XR, which will be available in black, white, red, yellow, coral and blue, and can be ordered starting October 19.
The Apple Watch Series 4 has moved the company further into the health world, with the latest smartwatch being able to take an electrocardiogram, or ECG, to monitor heart rate abnormalities, according to Jeff Williams, Apple’s Chief Operating Officer.
Apple, according to ABC News, said it has obtained two Food and Drug Administration approvals for the watch as a medical device, including the ECG feature and for the monitoring of irregular heart rate.
Ivor J. Benjamin, President of the American Heart Association, took to the stage at the Apple press conference to discuss how devices that offer real-time heart information are “changing the way we practice medicine.”
The new watch can also detect falls or slips, and if the wearer stay motionless for more than a minute, it will begin to call emergency contacts and services.
The smartwatch is thinner, has a larger screen and comes in stainless, gold and black. It can be ordered beginning September 14, and will be available on September 21.
What to look out for…
Here’s how you can help Hurricane Florence victims. And if you’re currently in the region, please stay safe.