Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the co-founders of Instagram, are leaving the company, saying they plan on "taking some time off to explore our curiosity and creativity again."

They founded the photo-sharing app in 2010 and sold it to Facebook for $1 billion in 2012. Systrom is the company's CEO and Krieger the chief technology officer, and in a blog post Monday night, Systrom said in order to build something new, they need to "step back, understand what inspires us, and match that with what the world needs."

People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Systrom and Krieger were clashing with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the direction of Instagram, frustrated that he was spending more and more time in the day-to-day operations of the brand. In a statement, Zuckerberg called Systrom and Krieger "extraordinary product leaders" with "creative talents. I've learned a lot working with them for the past six years and have really enjoyed it." Catherine Garcia

In an interview Monday on Fox News, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh portrayed his high school days at Georgetown Prep as focused on sports, service, church, and academics, said he's "always treated women with dignity and respect," and suggested he never drank to excess. His senior high school yearbook page paints a different picture, including naming himself the "treasurer" of the "Keg City Club" — "100 Kegs or Bust" — and "Beach Week Ralph Club — Biggest Contributor."

Kavanaugh also named himself a "Renate Alumnius" [sic], one of 14 references to "Renate" in Georgetown Prep's 1983 yearbook. Those references, including a "Renate Alumni" tag under a photo of nine football players including Kavanaugh, are to Renate Schroeder, a student a nearby Catholic girls' school, The New York Times reports. Renate Schroeder Dolphin, who was one of 65 women who signed a letter attesting to Kavanaugh's respectful behavior toward women, wasn't aware of the suggestive references to her in the yearbook until now, and she isn't happy.

"I learned about these yearbook pages only a few days ago," Dolphin told the Times. "I don't know what 'Renate Alumnus' actually means. I can't begin to comprehend what goes through the minds of 17-year-old boys who write such things, but the insinuation is horrible, hurtful, and simply untrue. I pray their daughters are never treated this way."

Four of the men in the "Renate Alumni" photo said in a statement from a PR representative that the Renate references "were intended to allude to innocent dates or dance partners." Kavanaugh's lawyer said "Judge Kavanaugh and Ms. Dolphin attended one high school event together and shared a brief kiss good night following that event," and that's what he referred to in his yearbook, "nothing else." Dolphin told the Times, "I think Brett must have me confused with someone else, because I never kissed him."

Classmates of Kavanaugh said his "fratty" clique bragged about sexual conquests, real or imagined, and the Renate references were in that vein. Read more, and see the yearbook pages in question, at The New York Times. Peter Weber

In a letter sent to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Monday night, an attorney for Christine Blasey Ford asked how his client could expect to receive "fair and respectful treatment" when she testifies in front of the committee Thursday, considering what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had to say about her earlier in the day.

Ford has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were teenagers. Attorney Michael Bromwich said that while speaking on the Senate floor Monday afternoon, McConnell claimed Ford was part of a "smear campaign" against Kavanaugh, and implied, falsely, that there had been an investigation and there was a lack of evidence proving the assault took place. Grassley had told Ford she would be provided "a fair and credible process," Bromwich said, but McConnell's statements "are flatly inconsistent" with Grassley's promise.

Bromwich also wanted to know more about the "experienced sex crimes prosecutor" who is being hired to question Ford. "This is not a criminal trial for which the involvement of an experienced sex crimes prosecutor would be appropriate," he said. "Neither Dr. Blasey Ford nor Judge Kavanaugh is on trial. The goal should be to develop the relevant facts, not try a case." This is not on par with Watergate or Iran-Contra, and it is "disingenuous" for Republicans to state otherwise, he said, later adding. "The central point is that there is no precedent for this committee to bring in outside counsel for the sole purpose of shielding the members of the Committee from performing their responsibility to question witnesses." Catherine Garcia

President Trump heaped praise on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh Monday night on Twitter, while blasting Democrats for their "False Acquisitions" that are keeping him from the bench.

"The Democrats are working hard to destroy a wonderful man, and a man who has the potential to be one of our greatest Supreme Court Justices ever, with an array of False Acquisitions the likes of which have never been seen before!" Trump tweeted. He followed up with a simple message: "REMEMBER THE MIDTERMS!"

Trump either noticed or was told that "Acquisitions" is not how you spell "accusations," as he later posted his first message again — this time with the right word, albeit still unnecessarily capitalized. Catherine Garcia

Researchers have found that after only 10 minutes of light exercise, there is enhanced communication between the regions of the brain that store and recall memories.

Scientists from the University of California, Irvine, had 36 healthy volunteers in their early 20s exercise for 10 minutes, doing light activity like yoga or walking. The volunteers then took a memory test, which was repeated later without exercise. The researchers asked 16 of the volunteers to take the test again, with some exercising first and others resting. While studying their brain activity, it was discovered that those who exercised had increased activity between the hippocampus and cortical brain regions, which are all associated with memory.

The results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, with the researchers writing that volunteers who exercised had an easier time distinguishing between different memories. Michael Yassa, a neuroscientist at UCI and project co-leader, told The Guardian that the amount of exercise is dependent on a person's age, mobility level, and other lifestyle factors, and for many, taking a leisurely stroll is enough. Catherine Garcia

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has been working overtime defending Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh against allegations of sexual assault, and on Monday called the latest accusation "phony."

Earlier this month, Christine Blasey Ford went public with her accusation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both teenagers, and on Sunday night, The New Yorker published the account of Deborah Ramirez, who said when they were freshman at Yale University, Kavanaugh exposed himself during a party and thrust his penis in her face.

Hatch, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters Monday that he is sure Ramirez is "sincere" in believing Kavanaugh exposed himself to her, but "I also think she's sincerely wrong." He also said it's "amazing to me that these allegations come out of nowhere at the last minute and they weren't brought up earlier in this process and it's not untypical for our friends on the other side to pull that kind of crap."

Hatch, who has also called Ford "mixed-up," released a lengthy statement earlier in the day where he claimed to believe that "every accuser deserves to be heard." His statement included a long paragraph where he tried to discredit The New Yorker article, and accused Democrats of conducting "a smear campaign" against Kavanaugh.

He's also supporting Kavanaugh online — the Twitter page run by Hatch's office resembles a shrine to the judge, with a photo of the senator, Kavanaugh, and girls on the basketball team Kavanaugh coaches as the header. The account's tweets from the last week are all devoted to Kavanaugh, with some praising him and others slamming Hatch's Democratic colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Catherine Garcia