*By Carlo Versano*
When asked by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) what she most remembers from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's alleged sexual assault, Prof. Christine Blasey Ford drew on her training as a psychologist.
"Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter, the uproarious laughter between the two ー and them having fun at my expense," Ford said, alluding to both Brett Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge, the other boy who she said was in the room at the time of the alleged assault. "I was underneath one of them while the two laughed."
Ford said she first spoke about the alleged assault to a therapist as part of a couple's therapy session with her husband. It was triggered, she said, by a discussion she and her husband had about adding a second front door to their home. Ford said later that she had wanted the second door because of claustrophobia she believes was caused by Kavanaugh's attack.
“For me personally, anxiety, phobia and PTSD-like symptoms are the types of things I’ve been coping with," she said.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif. 20th District) gained some momentum on Friday afternoon in his bid to become the House speaker, flipping more than a dozen votes in his favor.
The United Nations' global index for tracking food prices fell 1.9 percent in December after hitting an all-time high in 2022 amid drought, war, pandemic, and supply chain challenges.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed a rule that would ban the practice of companies forcing workers to sign non-compete clauses in their contracts.
Just ahead of the second anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, the FBI announced a $500,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the Capitol Hill pipe bomber.
