The News You Need To Read This Morning

Harvey Weinstein’s jury selection, Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi’s safe return home, and even more special salad dressing drama.

This is an excerpt from Incoming, BuzzFeed News’ morning newsletter dedicated to making sense of this chaotic world we live in. Join the club here.

A judge said Trump signed court documents that he knew included lies

A close up shot of trump's face as he speaks into a microphone and looks beyond the camera into the distance

Former president Donald Trump signed and filed court documents that he knew contained false information as part of his scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election, a federal judge wrote Wednesday.

US District Judge David Carter ordered conservative attorney John Eastman to turn in emails related to the Fulton County, Georgia, votes in the 2020 election. In the emails, Eastman specifically writes that Trump became aware that some alleged voter fraud numbers were inaccurate. However, Trump proceeded to file a federal complaint using these same statistics anyway.

"The emails show that President Trump knew that the specific numbers of voter fraud were wrong but continued to tout those numbers, both in court and to the public," Carter wrote. "The Court finds that these emails are sufficiently related to and in furtherance of a conspiracy to defraud the United States."

Last week, the Jan. 6 committee voted unanimously to subpoena Trump for testimony, although he is not expected to comply. Trump has not yet been charged with any state or federal crimes in connection with his attempts to overturn the election — a decision that will ultimately be made by prosecutors, not any judge or congressional committee.

Putin declares martial law

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a martial law order in the four areas of annexed Ukraine. As Andrew E. Kramer and Neil MacFarquhar explain for the New York Times, "the martial law order will allow the authorities to impose curfews, seize property, forcibly resettle residents, imprison undocumented immigrants, establish checkpoints and detain people for up to 30 days."

  • Russia has not declared martial law since World War II. Putin also announced that 26 regions of Russia are under new wartime restrictions, which could pivot the areas’ economies to focus more on military needs, the Washington Post reports.

SNAPSHOTS

Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi returned to Tehran, after days of reports of her going missing. Rekabi competed this weekend without a hijab, becoming a symbol of solidarity for women facing Iran’s mandatory hijab laws and hard-line conservative regime.

A Black former employee of Planned Parenthood is suing the organization for racial discrimination and wrongful termination. The lawsuit says the experiences of several former employees line up with reporting from BuzzFeed News in August 2020 that Black employees at Planned Parenthood faced microaggressions, tokenization, and racism at work.

eBay has banned the sale of Jeffrey Dahmer Halloween costumes for violating its policy on violence and violent criminals. A search for “Jeffrey Dahmer costume” on Amazon offers up a pair of glasses similar to the ones the serial killer wore during trial, as well as clothing appearing to make light of Dahmer’s cannibalism.

Olivia Wilde seemingly just shared her "special" salad dressing recipe and people cannot get over the "chaos" of this whole situation. In a Daily Mail interview with Wilde and Jason Sudeikis’s former nanny, the caregiver alleges that Wiilde’s pursuit of Harry Styles began while she and Sudeikis were still an item. What does this have to do with salad? Just you wait.

Potential jurors in Harvey Weinstein's rape trial say they have never heard of #MeToo

harvey weinstein in a suit grimacing and looking old and weary

Jury selection for Harvey Weinstein's second trial for rape and sexual assault began in Los Angeles on Oct. 10. Potential jurors were asked about their opinions on #MeToo this week, and at least five said they had been unfamiliar with it until they saw the term on the jury questionnaire.

“Never heard of it before," one man said after being asked about the movement. One woman said she didn't have much respect for those who say, “after 10 years, ‘Oh, this happened to me too.'"

Weinstein is currently facing 11 counts, including rape and sexual assault. The former producer is already serving a 23-year sentence after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault in New York. If convicted in Los Angeles, he could face up to an additional 140 years behind bars. Weinstein, 70, has pleaded not guilty in both criminal cases.

As of Tuesday evening, the jury pool stood at 124 people, who are still being questioned by the prosecution and defense. One juror who said he had never heard of the #MeToo movement has been excused, along with a juror who said they had no opinion on the movement. Opening statements are scheduled to begin on Oct. 24.

IMAGE OF THE DAY

Grammar quiz: The spooky season spectacular

a wolf-like dog with blue eyes lying down on a welcome mat, wearing a black vampire cape and with a jack o lantern pumpkin candy basket

Which sentence has correct grammar and spelling?
A. Blood and vescera clung to the beast’s teeth, a foul odour trickling from its gaping mouth.
B. With a foul odor trickling from its gaping mouth, blood and viscera clung to the beast’s teeth.
C. With a foul odour trickling from its gaping mouth, blood and vescera clung to their teeth.
D. Blood and viscera clung to the beast’s teeth, and a foul odor escaped from its gaping mouth.

Which sentence adheres to BuzzFeed style?

A. An old wives’s tale claimed illegitimate children were cursed, however I knew I was destined to save the world from that stupid warlock.
B. An old folktale claimed children of unmarried parents were cursed, but I knew I was destined to save the world from that asshole sorcerer.
C. An old wives’ tale claimed children of unmarried parents were cursed but I knew I was destined to save the world from that stupid warlock.
D. An old wives tale claimed bastard children were cursed, but I knew I was destined to save the world from that ass-hole warlock.

Which sentence would earn you a gold star from the BuzzFeed copy desk?
A. If one of those demons attacks, repel down from the raftures and use that sickle of yours to finish the job.
B. When one of those demons attack, repel down from the rafters and use that sickel of yours to finish the job.
C. If one of those demons attacks, rappel down from the rafters and use that sickle of yours to finish the job.
D. If one of those demons attack, rapple down from the rafters and use that sickel of yours to finish the job.

Get the correct answers and full quiz here, and stay spooky.

P.S. You read the whole article! As a thank-you, here's a cool lil’ newsletter alert: Suspicious Circumstances is an upcoming inside guide to the biggest unsolved cases, white-collar scandals, and grim mysteries of today. Don't miss out.

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