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Good evening. Here\u2019s the latest.
1. On the eve of hearings at which one of the Supreme Court nominee\u2019s accusers will testify, a theme has emerged as friends and acquaintances recall him as a youth: heavy drinking.
Extreme inebriation is also central in the account of a third accuser. Represented by Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels, she offered an account \u2014 but no witnesses \u2014 of alcohol-soaked parties when they were teenagers at which women were verbally abused, inappropriately touched and \u201cgang raped.\u201d
She said she saw him line up outside a bedroom where \u201cnumerous boys\u201d were \u201cwaiting for their \u2018turn\u2019 with a girl inside the room.\u201d
Judge Kavanaugh denied the claims, which set off another round of uncertainty about his chances of confirmation.
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2. The accusations have set Washington, and the nation, on edge. Above, a note in the Senate hearing room left for Christine Blasey Ford, the sole accuser testifying on Thursday.
President Trump commented on the case in a news conference at the end of his day at the U. N. \u201cI\u2019ve had a lot of false charges made against me,\u201d Mr. Trump said. \u201cPeople want fame, they want money, they want whatever.\u201d Mr. Trump was asked at the news conference whether he planned to fire the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein. \u201cI would certainly prefer not doing that,\u201d Mr. Trump said.
The sensitivity of the situation, particularly in the #MeToo era, is not lost on the 11 Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, all of them white men. Here\u2019s what we know about Rachel Mitchell, the Arizona prosecutor they hired to question Dr. Blasey.
And if you\u2019re a bit overwhelmed by the multitude of strands in this story, we pulled together all our coverage in a single article .
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3. Earlier, President Trump led a session of the U. N. Security Council. As expected, he was sharply critical of Iran and affirmed support for Israel.
But in a surprise move, he accused China of trying to meddle in the U. S. midterm elections, providing no evidence.
An administration official said Mr. Trump was not referring to Russian-style disinformation, but apparently to how China has targeted its retaliatory tariffs \u2014 aiming some of them at states and industries that the Republican Party needs to hold on to in the coming elections.
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4. As expected, the Fed raised its benchmark interest rate by one-quarter of a percentage point.
The chairman said that \u201cit\u2019s a particularly bright moment\u201d for the economy, but added that \u201cthe benefits of this strong economy have not reached all Americans.\u201d The Fed plans to raise rates again in December.
The increases, combined with tax cuts, will worsen the country\u2019s fast-growing budget deficit. The federal government could soon pay more in interest on its debt than it spends on the military, Medicaid or children\u2019s programs.
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5. Hurricane Florence has been blamed for 45 deaths across North Carolina and South Carolina last week. Thousands of people remain in shelters at schools and recreation centers or with relatives.
But the danger has not yet passed. Swollen rivers across a vast area are cresting at record heights. The authorities in one county urged 8,000 people to evacuate for a second time.
\u201cIt\u2019s almost like we have a silent assassin coming our way,\u201d one mayor said.
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6. Uber will pay $148 million to settle a nationwide investigation into a 2016 data breach.
After a hacker managed to gain access to information belonging to 57 million riders and drivers, the company was accused of covering up the breach rather than immediately notifying consumers \u2014 a decision that its new C. E. O. called a \u201cfailure.\u201d
Separately, Uber pledged to spend $10 million to help alleviate congestion in cities, a problem its cars have worsened. The money is to go toward developing more efficient transportation policies and reducing vehicle emissions.
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7. After Puerto Rico\u2019s entire power grid was zapped by two fierce hurricanes last year, utility companies from across the U. S. swept in to help.
Their costs were to be covered by the federal government, but some are still waiting for the money.
So company officials say they were shocked when they received tax bills from the island\u2019s financially struggling municipalities, which are also awaiting federal recovery money. When The Times asked several of the cities about the bills, some declined to comment. One dropped the tax.
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8. The Ros\u00e9 Mansion. The Museum of Ice Cream. Color Factory.
There\u2019s been no shortage of pop-up \u201cexperiences\u201d lately, all primed for Instagram (posing is one of the main activities) and offering room after room of interactive, brightly hued activities. Above, a scene from the Ros\u00e9 Mansion.
But the reality is relentlessly vapid, our critic Amanda Hess says.
She ventured to as many as she could this summer, and they almost broke her, she writes. \u201cWhat began as a kicky story idea became a masochistic march through voids of meaning.\u201d
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9. Off the rugged north coast of Scotland, there\u2019s a race to preserve the constructions of our distant ancestors \u2014 thousands of archaeological sites, including Norse halls, a Neolithic tomb, even a sturdy kitchen that has survived since 3180 B. C.
Rising water levels and heavy storms resulting from climate change and human activity have exposed these sites, and before long will destroy them. Some can be moved, but some can only be documented.
\u201cHeritage is falling into the sea,\u201d said a professor working on the project.
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10. Finally, when is a manta ray better than a Brita pitcher?
Scientists are studying the exceptionally efficient way manta rays filter their plankton food from seawater. Particles ricochet off slats in the ray\u2019s mouth and are bounced out before they can cause a clog. Nifty.
And the process, they say, holds surprising promise: a possible way to clear the oceans of microplastics.
Have a great night.
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