*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).
February 20 marks what would have been Kurt Cobain’s 55th birthday, and NFT gateway Pop Legendz will be offering up a collection of rare images from a 1991 Nirvana show in Philadelphia that took places days before their monster hit album "Nevermind" was to be released. Faith West, the founder of Pop Legendz, music journalist, and the photographer who captured it on film joined Cheddar News to talk about the historic event and the NFT sales where half the proceeds will go to charities like the Trevor Project and GRID Alternatives. “I showed up at a small club, 150 people, not quite know what to expect, brought my camera, and halfway through the show I knew music history was being made," West said of the iconic evening.
In a thrilling overtime finish, 23-year old NASCAR driver Austin Cindric clinched the 64th annual Daytona 500 win. Narrowly beating out legendary race car driver Bubba Wallace, Cindric earned his very first NASCAR cup series victory, and became the second youngest driver to win The Great American Race. Daytona 500 Champ Austin Cindric joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss his historic victory.
More than two years into the pandemic, Americans are ready to go out and splurge. With Covid cases falling and restrictions rolling back, many companies are seeing a surge in demand for everything from hotels to restaurants to sports games. Lindsey Roeschke, travel & hospitality analyst at Morning Consult, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss trends going on in the industries right now.
To combat slumping ratings, the Academy Awards are undergoing a radical slimming down, with eight awards to be presented off-air during next month’s telecast.
Two Blackhawk helicopters crashed near a Utah ski resort Tuesday morning, forcing the closures on part of the mountain but leaving no crew members seriously hurt.
Equip is a virtual treatment platform for eating disorders, and recently raised $58 million in a Series B round led by The Chernin Group. The company aims to revolutionize treatment for eating disorders by delivering virtual care teams and clinical expertise directly to families' homes. Equip says the need for its platform has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Eating Disorder Association's helpline has had a 107% increase in contacts since the start of the pandemic. Kristina Saffran, CEO and co-founder of Equip, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
U.S. stocks ended today's session sharply lower on the heels of rising geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Melissa Brown, Managing Director of Applied Research at Qontigo, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Tonga's main internet connection to the rest of the world has finally been restored more than five weeks after a huge volcanic eruption and tsunami severed a crucial undersea cable.
As we celebrate Black History Month, Cheddar is highlighting prominent Black Americans who are carving their own historic paths and trailblazing in their fields. Today we feature athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick.
A just-released Harris Poll revealed that there are some differences of opinion among workers on returning to the office. The survey showed that 52 percent of women would still prefer to work from home versus 41 percent of men. The report also showed that 52 percent of black workers and 50 percent of women see it as being better when it comes to career advancement. Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts, professor of practice at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, joined Cheddar News to explain the report. "The first set of observations are about infrastructure and flexibility. The second are about inclusion," she said. "And so what we've learned from many non-white workers are that they appreciate the opportunity to focus more on their tasks and to be buffered in a sense from some of the hostilities and the exclusive environment and practice that they had to navigate for many years in their in-person offices."
