*By Max Godnick*
The newly-crowned Miss USA said she stands with her "sisters" who had the courage to appear on camera and say "me too."
The national reckoning with toxic male behavior was part of this year's Miss USA competition, which included a pre-recorded montage of some contestants sharing their experiences with sexual assault.
"You have to be real and acknowledge what's going on in our world," said Sarah Rose Summers, the newly crowned Miss USA, in an interview with Cheddar on Thursday. "We're not in our own little bubble as Miss USA contestants."
The 23-year-old said she has never experienced any sexual misconduct but was supportive of her fellow contestants who did appear in the video.
Summers received two degrees from Texas Christian University and recently finished her clinical rotations to become a certified child life specialist. She said she and her fellow contestants handle uncomfortable interactions on social media and in person differently since the #MeToo movement took off.
"There's less of 'oh he's just creepy' and more of 'that's not acceptable," said Summers.
President Trump owned The Miss Universe Organization, operator of the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe pageants, from 1996 to 2015. Five former contestants have said they remember Trump visiting their dressing rooms during the 1997 Miss Teen USA competition, according to [a report by BuzzFeed News] (https://www.buzzfeed.com/kendalltaggart/teen-beauty-queens-say-trump-walked-in-on-them-changing?utm_term=.kjX2mPLpG#.byrm5eOLZ).
Summers said she never felt like her privacy was violated while taking part in the pageant.
"I felt very safe and we all have security that are with us all of the time so we cannot be approached by anyone," she said.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/miss-usa-on-pageants-in-the-metoo-era).
Uber and Lyft drivers are cruising in Washington State, the first U.S. state to set an earnings standard for drivers for the ride-hailing companies. Governor Jay Inslee signed the new minimum pay standard into law Thursday, which also gives drivers access to perks like paid sick time and family medical leave. John Logan, Director of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
A new NFT network claims it is disrupting the art market, and is doing so by following in the footsteps of art legends Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Tripsters says it is creating a new and revolutionary concept in the NFT space, by allowing users to combine two NFTs in order to create a new third NFT. Tripsters says the feature will be compatible with multiple NFT collections in the future, but the first Tripsters' airdrop will be compatible with the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection. Jayson Winer, co-founder of Tripsters, and Oskar Kowalski, a senior advisor for the startup, join Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Mark Steber, chief tax information officer at Jackson Hewitt, joins Cheddar News to talk about what you need to know before filing your taxes this year.
Actor, author, and entrepreneur Jane Seymour joined Cheddar News to talk about her new mystery series Harry Wild, streaming in the U.S. exclusively on Acorn TV. "It's really a wonderful independent woman who's changing her life. You know, she's been an academic, and now she's using her academia to solve crimes," she said about the title character, who uses her knowledge as an English professor to help her solve crimes being investigated by her police detective son.
The metaverse may be the next big thing in the music world. Cheddar News’ Michelle Castillo sat down with Jon Vlassopulos, VP and head of music at Roblox, to discuss virtual concerts and more.
A 60-year-old man allegedly had himself vaccinated against COVID-19 dozens of times in Germany in order to sell forged vaccination cards with real vaccine batch numbers.
The impact of the pandemic on people's wellbeing has shown a need for easier access to mental health care. Impact Suite is a digital platform that owns and operates a suite of self-care apps. Clay Olsen, founder and CEO of Impact Suite, joins Cheddar News to discuss the new updates to its 'Lift' app.
