10 things you need to know today: September 23, 2018

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1. Ford agrees to testify on Kavanaugh allegation Thursday
2. Iran's Rouhani lashes out at U.S. after parade attack
3. Florence death toll hits 44 as flooding continues
4. Trump considers limits on visas for immigrants on public assistance
5. China cancels military talks with U.S.
6. Sexual assault survivors share #WhyIDidntReport
7. Comcast to acquire U.K.'s Sky broadcaster
8. Yale's Amy Chua denies grooming students for Kavanaugh
9. Senate aide working on Kavanaugh confirmation resigns in connection to harassment claim
10. GOP representative's siblings release campaign ad for his opponent

last updated 23 September 2018

1. Ford agrees to testify on Kavanaugh allegation Thursday

Christine Ford on Saturday agreed to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. "Dr. Ford accepts the Committee's request to provide her first-hand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh's sexual misconduct next week," said a statement from her attorneys. A meeting late Saturday between Ford's lawyers and both Democratic and Republican Judiciary Committee staff reportedly settled on Thursday as a tentative testimony date. The details of the testimony agreement will continue to be negotiated Sunday.

"America is acting like a bully toward the rest of the world," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani charged Sunday in the aftermath of Saturday's attack on an Iranian military parade that left 25 people dead. "But our people will resist, and the government is ready to confront America. We will overcome this situation," Rouhani continued, referring to U.S. sanctions on Iran, "and America will regret choosing the wrong path." Rouhani argued U.S.-allied Gulf states like Saudi Arabia support an Iranian separatist group, the Patriotic Arab Democratic Movement, and the Islamic State, both of which claimed the attack.

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At least 44 people have died since Hurricane Florence made landfall in the Carolinas more than a week ago, and though the catastrophic rains have finally ceased, flooding continues to hit North Carolina especially hard. Some rivers are still rising; tens of thousands remain without power; and many roads are still submerged or covered in debris. "I know we sound redundant, but it bears repeating," tweeted South Carolina's emergency management department. "Turn around, don't drown!" Floodwaters have receded from Interstate 40, leaving behind a glut of dead fish.

The Trump administration on Saturday proposed a rule change that would make it more difficult for immigrants to receive visas and green cards if they are deemed likely to use public assistance programs. "Under long-standing federal law, those seeking to immigrate to the United States must show they can support themselves financially," said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in a statement arguing the rule would "promote immigrant self-sufficiency and protect finite resources." Critics say the proposal is less about frugality than restricting immigration; legal challenge is expected.

One day after canceling trade negotiations in response to a new round of U.S. tariffs, China on Saturday canceled planned military talks with the United States as a protest of new American sanctions punishing Beijing for purchasing weapons from Russia. Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang summoned U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad to express "strong indignation and resolute opposition" to the sanctions, and Beijing announced plans to recall navy chief Shen Jinlong from a trip to America. An unnamed senior State Department official told Reuters the aim of the sanctions is discouraging future such purchases from Russia.

Social media users responded over the weekend to President Trump's tweeted claim that if Christine Ford's alleged assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh were "as bad as she says," she'd have reported it immediately. Using the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport, launched by actress Alyssa Milano, survivors explained why they kept silent after suffering sexual abuse. "I was sexually assaulted twice. Once when I was a teenager. I never filed a police report and it took me 30 years to tell my parents," wrote Milano. "I did, it didn't matter, I was dismissed, disparaged, & I still get blamed," tweeted fellow actress Daryl Hannah.

Comcast on Saturday outbid Twenty-First Century Fox to purchase British broadcast network Sky for about $40 billion, or around $2 more per share. Both companies wanted Sky to serve as a competitor to streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. Comcast already owns NBC and Universal; this purchase will make the company the largest pay-TV operator on the globe. "This is a great day for Comcast," said chief executive Brian Roberts. This acquisition will allow us to quickly, efficiently, and meaningfully increase our customer base and expand internationally."

Yale law professor and memoirist Amy Chua on Saturday vehemently denied allegations that she groomed female law students for clerkships with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexual assault. "Everything that is being said about the advice I give to students applying to Brett Kavanaugh — or any judge — is outrageous, 100 percent false, and the exact opposite of everything I have stood for and said for the last 15 years," Chua said. Reports earlier this week accused Chua of telling students to wear "outgoing" attire and suggesting Kavanaugh preferred female clerks who "looked like models."

A communications aide working with the Senate Judiciary Committee on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation process has resigned in connection to a past sexual harassment allegation, a committee representative confirmed Saturday. The aide, Garrett Ventry, denied all "allegations of misconduct," but a committee statement said despite the denial "he decided to resign to avoid causing any distraction." Ventry was in a temporary position on leave of absence from a public relations company; he resigned from that role as well.

Six siblings of Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) released a campaign ad Friday arguing their brother is "absolutely not working for his district" and encouraging Arizonans to support his Democratic challenger, David Brill. Gosar responded on Twitter Saturday, noting that these siblings (of 10 total) do not live in Arizona. In a less temperate message, he added that the siblings in the ad are "all liberal Democrats who hate President Trump. These disgruntled Hillary suppporters [sic] are related by blood to me but like leftists everywhere, they put political ideology before family. Stalin would be proud."

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Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.