'Start Here': Bezos accuses AMI of extortion, more blackface revelations in Virginia, the 'Green New Deal.' What you need to know to start your day.
Amazon's founder said the National Enquirer attempted to extort him.
It's Friday, Feb. 8, 2019. Let's start here.
1. Bezos accuses National Enquirer of extortion
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has accused the National Enquirer of "extortion and blackmail" after the publication allegedly threatened to publish compromising texts and photos of him.
After Bezos and his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Bezos, announced last month they were divorcing, the Enquirer alleged he was having an affair and published personal text messages between him and former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez.
Bezos hired private investigators, he said, to determine how the publication got the texts and whether the article was politically motivated.
In a Medium post on Thursday, Bezos said he was approached with an offer from American Media Inc., which owns the National Enquirer, writing that "they had more of my text messages and photos that they would publish if we didn't stop our investigation."
Bezos claimed the Enquirer tried to get him to agree to a deal: If he released a public statement saying he "has no knowledge of bias" to suggest the publication's reporting was politically motivated, the Enquirer wouldn't publish the explicit photos.
ABC News' Mark Remillard and ABC News Legal Analyst Royal Oakes walk us through Bezos' accusations.
AMI hasn't responded to ABC News' request for comment.
2. More Virginia blackface
It was revealed on Thursday that Virginia state Republican Senate majority leader Tommy Norment edited a Virginia Military Institute yearbook in 1968 that contained racist photos and language.
He's the third lawmaker in Virginia over the last week to be linked to blackface photos.
"The use of blackface is abhorrent in our society and I emphatically condemn it. As one of seven working on a 359-page yearbook, I cannot endorse or associate myself with every photo, entry or word on each page," Norment said in a statement. "However, I am not in any of the photos referenced on pages 82 or 122, nor did I take any of the photos in question."
ABC News' Byron Pitts says these fraught racial issues are a "wound to America that just never seems to heal."
3. Whitaker to testify
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker is expected to appear before the House Judiciary Committee today after threatening to boycott the hearing if subpoenaed.
Democrats had authorized a subpoena over concerns that Whitaker would assert executive privilege and dodge questions about special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation and the acting attorney general's communications with President Donald Trump.
"This is not about Matt Whitaker," ABC News' Mike Levine, who covers the Department of Justice, tells us. "Matt Whitaker is just a conduit to information about what the president has or maybe was trying to do, and that's all that this is about."
4. Democrats unveil 'Green New Deal'
Progressive Democrats on Thursday unveiled a "Green New Deal" to tackle climate change and transform the U.S. economy.
Inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal to counter the Great Depression, the proposal calls for a massive overhaul of the nation's energy sector -- lowering greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero -- and investing in education, infrastructure and health care.
"Climate change and our environmental changes are one of the biggest existential threats to our way of life, not just as a nation but as a world," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who's spearheading the proposal along with Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass.
Democrats see climate change as a "defining issue of our time, ABC News' Stephanie Ebbs tells us, but the "Green New Deal" may face some opposition from the moderates in the party, according to ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett: "It's an idea, but it's something that could divide the Democratic Party."
Other news:
'I was eating my lunch inside the main building when the restaurant manager said everyone had to leave': An airport in Rome temporarily closes after three World War II-era bombs are discovered.
'Unable to consent to sexual intercourse based on her mental health': A 58-year-old employee at a Florida assisted-living facility is arrested after allegedly impregnating a disabled resident.
'One of the best students in his class': A veterinarian student gets six years in prison for implanting heroin in puppies' stomachs to smuggle into the U.S.
From our partners at FiveThirtyEight:
Trump is wrong. When the opposition party runs the House, the president gets investigated.: To some extent, Trump's frustration is understandable. ... But Trump is wrong to say what he's experiencing is unprecedented.
Last 'Nightline':
Doctors race to find out more about polio-like disease before next wave of illnesses: Acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, is a devastating illness compared to polio. It has no vaccine or cure.
This songwriter for Beyonce and Cardi B started out making beats in her dorm room: A few years ago, 21-year-old Nija Charles was just a fan going to concerts, and now she is one of today's most sought-after songwriters.
This day in history:
Feb. 8, 2010 -- Dr. Conrad Murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The must-see photo:
Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gather at Bolivar square in Caracas to take part in a signature campaign to urge the United States to put a halt to intervention threats against Maduro's government. (photo credit: Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images)
For more great photos from around the world CLICK HERE.
Socially acceptable:
A dust storm swept across Kerang, in southeastern Australia, blanketing the landscape.
All right, you're off and running. Get the latest news on ABCNews.com and on the ABC News app. Details on how to subscribe to the "Start Here" podcast are below.
Have a good weekend. See you Monday.
"Start Here" is the flagship daily news podcast from ABC News -- a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or the ABC News app. On Amazon Echo, ask Alexa to "Play 'Start Here'" or add the "Start Here" skill to your Flash Briefing. Follow @StartHereABC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for exclusive content, show updates and more.
Related Topics