Oxfam said today it was investigating 26 new cases of sexual misconduct which had been reported since a scandal broke earlier this month over its handling of a 2011 case in Haiti.

The British charity&#39;s chief executive Mark Goldring told a parliamentary committee in London that 16 of the cases related to its international operation.

&quot;There are 26 cases that have come forward... They range in the time frame from more recent events to long historic events where people did not report them at the time,&quot; Goldring said.

&quot;We really want people to come forward,&quot; he added.

Goldring apologised &quot;wholeheartedly&quot; on behalf of Oxfam to the committee, which said it would conduct its own inquiry into abuses in the foreign aid sector.

The chief executive said safeguards had been put in place following an internal investigation in 2011 into the behaviour of some Oxfam staff in Haiti but admitted that the charity had not gone far enough.

Last week, Oxfam unveiled an action plan to tackle sexual harassment and abuse, including creating a new vetting system for staff.

The charity formally apologised to Haiti yesterday over the prostitution scandal rocking the aid charity. It expressed its &quot;shame&quot; and vowed to do better as it handed over a damning internal report into the allegations.

Made public earlier in the day, Oxfam&#39;s 2011 report into the behaviour of aid workers sent to Haiti revealed that three staff had physically threatened a witness in the prostitution investigation.

Oxfam&#39;s 2011 report, compiled in the year after aid workers were deployed to Haiti, revealed that seven staff were accused of using prostitutes at an Oxfam-funded residence.

Four staff were fired for gross misconduct and three others, including then country director Roland Van Hauwermeiren, were allowed to quit.

 
&nbsp;

The British charity's chief executive Mark Goldring told a parliamentary committee in London that 16 of the cases related to its international operation

Oxfam said today it was investigating 26 new cases of sexual misconduct which had been reported since a scandal broke earlier this month over its handling of a 2011 case in Haiti. The British charity's chief executive Mark Goldring told a parliamentary committee in London that 16 of the cases related to its international operation. "There are 26 cases that have come forward... They range in the time frame from more recent events to long historic events where people did not report them at the time," Goldring said. "We really want people to come forward," he added. Goldring apologised "wholeheartedly" on behalf of Oxfam to the committee, which said it would conduct its own inquiry into abuses in the foreign aid sector. The chief executive said safeguards had been put in place following an internal investigation in 2011 into the behaviour of some Oxfam staff in Haiti but admitted that the charity had not gone far enough. Last week, Oxfam unveiled an action plan to tackle sexual harassment and abuse, including creating a new vetting system for staff. The charity formally apologised to Haiti yesterday over the prostitution scandal rocking the aid charity. It expressed its "shame" and vowed to do better as it handed over a damning internal report into the allegations. Made public earlier in the day, Oxfam's 2011 report into the behaviour of aid workers sent to Haiti revealed that three staff had physically threatened a witness in the prostitution investigation. Oxfam's 2011 report, compiled in the year after aid workers were deployed to Haiti, revealed that seven staff were accused of using prostitutes at an Oxfam-funded residence. Four staff were fired for gross misconduct and three others, including then country director Roland Van Hauwermeiren, were allowed to quit.

Oxfam probing 26 new cases of sexual misconduct: Chief

Indian-origin actor Aziz Ansari skipped the SAG Awards ceremony amid the allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against him by a woman with whom he went on a date last year. 
 
The 39-year-old actor, who was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in Master of None, did not receive any applause when his name was called out. 
 
It was the first award of the evening.

The show was presented by Kristen Bell, making The Good Place&nbsp;actor the first female host in the history of the SAG Awards. 
 
The honour, however, went to William H Macy for Shameless. Other nominees in the category were - Anthony Anderson (Black-ish), Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Sean Hayes (Will &amp; Grace) and Marc Maron (GLOW). 
 
Interestingly, Ansari had won the Golden Globe in the same category, in which Macy was snubbed. 
 
Actor James Franco, who has been accused of sexual harassment, attended the award ceremony, which marks his first public appearance since the allegations surfaced. 
 
Franco&#39;s representative had confirmed his attendance at the event. 
 
The actor, who recently won a Golden Globe and a Critic&#39;s Choice Award for his role in The Disaster Artist, was nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role category. 
 
Franco had skipped the CCA awards after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct in The Los Angeles Times article and on Twitter. 
 
Gary Oldman won in the category, his first SAG Award, for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour.&nbsp;

Aziz Ansari skipped the SAG Awards ceremony amid the allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against him.

Indian-origin actor Aziz Ansari skipped the SAG Awards ceremony amid the allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against him by a woman with whom he went on a date last year. The 39-year-old actor, who was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in Master of None, did not receive any applause when his name was called out. It was the first award of the evening. The show was presented by Kristen Bell, making The Good Place actor the first female host in the history of the SAG Awards. The honour, however, went to William H Macy for Shameless. Other nominees in the category were - Anthony Anderson (Black-ish), Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) and Marc Maron (GLOW). Interestingly, Ansari had won the Golden Globe in the same category, in which Macy was snubbed. Actor James Franco, who has been accused of sexual harassment, attended the award ceremony, which marks his first public appearance since the allegations surfaced. Franco's representative had confirmed his attendance at the event. The actor, who recently won a Golden Globe and a Critic's Choice Award for his role in The Disaster Artist, was nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role category. Franco had skipped the CCA awards after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct in The Los Angeles Times article and on Twitter. Gary Oldman won in the category, his first SAG Award, for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour.

SAG awards: Aziz Ansari gives it a skip; James Franco attends

James Franco may have given an interview to Vanity Fair for their latest Hollywood edition and posed for their cover even, but the magazine decided to digitally remove him from the cover owing to the various allegations that have been levied on him of sexual misconduct.&nbsp; 
 
The allegations against the actor cropped up soon after he won the Best Actor award at Golden Globes recently. The allegations prompted Vanity Fair to drop his interview from their latest issue which celebrates Hollywood stars talking about Me Too and Times Up Movement.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;We made a decision not to include James Franco on the Hollywood cover once we learned of the misconduct allegations against him,&rdquo; a Vanity Fair spokesperson was quoted as saying in The Hollywood Reporter.&nbsp;

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Hollywood stars grace the cover of Vanity Fair magazine for the current issue. (Twitter)
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Among those <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-reese-witherspoon-has-3-legs-while-oprah-has-three-hands-in-latest-cover-of-vanity-fair-30808">who feature on the cover of the magazine are Oprah Winfrey</a>, Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Gal Gadot and Claire Foy.&nbsp;

The allegations against the actor cropped up soon after he won the Best Actor award at Golden Globes recently.

James Franco may have given an interview to Vanity Fair for their latest Hollywood edition and posed for their cover even, but the magazine decided to digitally remove him from the cover owing to the various allegations that have been levied on him of sexual misconduct. The allegations against the actor cropped up soon after he won the Best Actor award at Golden Globes recently. The allegations prompted Vanity Fair to drop his interview from their latest issue which celebrates Hollywood stars talking about Me Too and Times Up Movement. “We made a decision not to include James Franco on the Hollywood cover once we learned of the misconduct allegations against him,” a Vanity Fair spokesperson was quoted as saying in The Hollywood Reporter. Hollywood stars grace the cover of Vanity Fair magazine for the current issue. (Twitter) × Among those who feature on the cover of the magazine are Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Gal Gadot and Claire Foy.

James Franco digitally removed from Vanity Fair's cover over allegations of sexual misconduct

New York state sued Harvey Weinstein, his brother and their production company on Sunday for failing to protect employees from years of his alleged sexual misconduct despite multiple complaints from staff.

The lawsuit comes four months after the Hollywood mogul&#39;s downfall over allegations of sexual harassment, assault and rape now leveled against the producer by more than 100 women over 40 years.

State prosecutors said the legal action, the result of an ongoing four-month investigation, was filed Sunday out of fear that an imminent sale of The Weinstein Company, now on the verge of bankruptcy, could leave victims without adequate redress.

The lawsuit, which could delay the sale, accuses the company&#39;s board and executives of repeatedly failing to take adequate steps to protect staff or curb Weinstein&#39;s behavior, despite multiple complaints to human resources.

It alleges that female assistants were required to facilitate Weinstein&#39;s sex life as a condition of employment and had copies of a manual, known as a &quot;Bible,&quot; that included directions on how to do so.

Prosecutors said Weinstein made verbal threats to &quot;kill&quot; several staff or their families and touted his connection to political figures and alleged Secret Service contacts that could &quot;take care of problems.&quot;

They said one employee was flown from London to New York to teach his assistants &quot;how to dress and smell more attractive&quot; to Weinstein.

They also alleged that Weinstein&#39;s drivers in New York and Los Angeles were required to keep condoms and erectile dysfunction injections in the car at all times.

Prosecutors said Weinstein made a female employee take dictation while leering at her as he lay naked on his bed in 2014-15. He also put his hand on her upper thigh and buttocks near her genitalia to rub her without consent in the back of cars.

Largely female assistants allegedly contacted prospective sexual partners via text message or phone at his direction, and maintained space on his calendar for sexual activity.

Vicious mistreatment

Female executives also allegedly had to meet prospective sexual conquests and follow through on promised job offers, which prosecutors said demeaned and humiliated them, fueling a hostile work environment.

The New York state attorney&#39;s office said that despite multiple complaints to the human resources department, there was no meaningful investigation or relief for victims, or consequences for Weinstein.

It said the company&#39;s toxic work environment was shrouded in secrecy because of a practice of reaching non-disclosure agreements -- a policy that has come under renewed scrutiny in the wake of the sexual harassment watershed that has followed Weinstein&#39;s downfall.

State attorney general Eric Schneiderman said the lawsuit, filed in the State Supreme Court in New York, included new allegations about Weinstein&#39;s &quot;vicious and exploitative mistreatment&quot; of employees.

&quot;As alleged in our complaint, The Weinstein Company repeatedly broke New York law by failing to protect its employees from pervasive sexual harassment, intimidation and discrimination,&quot; said Schneiderman.

&quot;Any sale of The Weinstein Company must ensure that victims will be compensated, employees will be protected going forward and that neither perpetrators nor enablers will be unjustly enriched.&quot;

Weinstein is reportedly in treatment for sex addiction and is under investigation by British and US police, although he has not been charged with any crime. He denies having non-consensual sex.

Last week, the district attorney&#39;s office in Los Angeles said police had submitted three Weinstein sexual assault cases to prosecutors.

A group of investors led by a former official who served in president Barack Obama&#39;s administration is understood to be in advanced talks to buy The Weinstein Company.

Deadline, the Hollywood insider website that first reported the advanced talks, said a roughly $500 million bid by the group led by Maria Contreras-Sweet included a fund to compensate victims.

Prosecutors said Weinstein made verbal threats to "kill" several staff or their families and touted his connection to political figures and alleged Secret Service contacts that could 'take care of problems'

New York state sued Harvey Weinstein, his brother and their production company on Sunday for failing to protect employees from years of his alleged sexual misconduct despite multiple complaints from staff. The lawsuit comes four months after the Hollywood mogul's downfall over allegations of sexual harassment, assault and rape now leveled against the producer by more than 100 women over 40 years. State prosecutors said the legal action, the result of an ongoing four-month investigation, was filed Sunday out of fear that an imminent sale of The Weinstein Company, now on the verge of bankruptcy, could leave victims without adequate redress. The lawsuit, which could delay the sale, accuses the company's board and executives of repeatedly failing to take adequate steps to protect staff or curb Weinstein's behavior, despite multiple complaints to human resources. It alleges that female assistants were required to facilitate Weinstein's sex life as a condition of employment and had copies of a manual, known as a "Bible," that included directions on how to do so. Prosecutors said Weinstein made verbal threats to "kill" several staff or their families and touted his connection to political figures and alleged Secret Service contacts that could "take care of problems." They said one employee was flown from London to New York to teach his assistants "how to dress and smell more attractive" to Weinstein. They also alleged that Weinstein's drivers in New York and Los Angeles were required to keep condoms and erectile dysfunction injections in the car at all times. Prosecutors said Weinstein made a female employee take dictation while leering at her as he lay naked on his bed in 2014-15. He also put his hand on her upper thigh and buttocks near her genitalia to rub her without consent in the back of cars. Largely female assistants allegedly contacted prospective sexual partners via text message or phone at his direction, and maintained space on his calendar for sexual activity. Vicious mistreatment Female executives also allegedly had to meet prospective sexual conquests and follow through on promised job offers, which prosecutors said demeaned and humiliated them, fueling a hostile work environment. The New York state attorney's office said that despite multiple complaints to the human resources department, there was no meaningful investigation or relief for victims, or consequences for Weinstein. It said the company's toxic work environment was shrouded in secrecy because of a practice of reaching non-disclosure agreements -- a policy that has come under renewed scrutiny in the wake of the sexual harassment watershed that has followed Weinstein's downfall. State attorney general Eric Schneiderman said the lawsuit, filed in the State Supreme Court in New York, included new allegations about Weinstein's "vicious and exploitative mistreatment" of employees. "As alleged in our complaint, The Weinstein Company repeatedly broke New York law by failing to protect its employees from pervasive sexual harassment, intimidation and discrimination," said Schneiderman. "Any sale of The Weinstein Company must ensure that victims will be compensated, employees will be protected going forward and that neither perpetrators nor enablers will be unjustly enriched." Weinstein is reportedly in treatment for sex addiction and is under investigation by British and US police, although he has not been charged with any crime. He denies having non-consensual sex. Last week, the district attorney's office in Los Angeles said police had submitted three Weinstein sexual assault cases to prosecutors. A group of investors led by a former official who served in president Barack Obama's administration is understood to be in advanced talks to buy The Weinstein Company. Deadline, the Hollywood insider website that first reported the advanced talks, said a roughly $500 million bid by the group led by Maria Contreras-Sweet included a fund to compensate victims.

Hollywood mogul's downfall continues, New York state sues Weinstein and Company for failing to protect staff

Britain will cut off aid funding from any organisation that does not comply with a new review into charities work overseas, aid minister Penny Mordaunt said on Sunday, describing reports of sexual exploitation in the sector as &quot;utterly despicable&quot;.

Oxfam, one of Britain&#39;s biggest charities, on Friday condemned the behaviour of some former staff in Haiti after a newspaper report said aid workers had paid for sex while on a mission to help those affected by the 2010 earthquake.

Mordaunt said she would write to British charities working overseas demanding they declare any problems relating to the duty they have to protect their staff and the people they work with from harm and abuse - so-called &#39;safeguarding&#39;.

She also wanted charities to ensure any historical concerns have been properly handled, and spell out their policies for handling such cases. She will meet with the charities regulator this week.

&quot;With regard to Oxfam and any other organisation that has safeguarding issues, we expect them to cooperate fully with such authorities, and we will cease to fund any organisation that does not,&quot; Mordaunt said in a statement.

Reuters could not independently verify the allegations contained in The Times report and was unable to reach any of the Oxfam staff who worked in Haiti.

Oxfam neither confirmed nor denied The Times newspaper report but said its misconduct findings had &quot;related to offences including bullying, harassment, intimidation and failure to protect staff as well as sexual misconduct&quot;.

&quot;It is utterly despicable that sexual exploitation and abuse continues to exist in the aid sector,&quot; Mordaunt said.

&quot;The horrific behaviour by some members of Oxfam staff in Haiti in 2011 is an example of a wider issue on which DFID (Department for International Development) is already taking action, both at home and with the international community via the UN.&quot;

Oxfam neither confirmed nor denied the report but said its misconduct findings had "related to offences including bullying, harassment, intimidation and failure to protect staff as well as sexual misconduct"

Britain will cut off aid funding from any organisation that does not comply with a new review into charities work overseas, aid minister Penny Mordaunt said on Sunday, describing reports of sexual exploitation in the sector as "utterly despicable". Oxfam, one of Britain's biggest charities, on Friday condemned the behaviour of some former staff in Haiti after a newspaper report said aid workers had paid for sex while on a mission to help those affected by the 2010 earthquake. Mordaunt said she would write to British charities working overseas demanding they declare any problems relating to the duty they have to protect their staff and the people they work with from harm and abuse - so-called 'safeguarding'. She also wanted charities to ensure any historical concerns have been properly handled, and spell out their policies for handling such cases. She will meet with the charities regulator this week. "With regard to Oxfam and any other organisation that has safeguarding issues, we expect them to cooperate fully with such authorities, and we will cease to fund any organisation that does not," Mordaunt said in a statement. Reuters could not independently verify the allegations contained in The Times report and was unable to reach any of the Oxfam staff who worked in Haiti. Oxfam neither confirmed nor denied The Times newspaper report but said its misconduct findings had "related to offences including bullying, harassment, intimidation and failure to protect staff as well as sexual misconduct". "It is utterly despicable that sexual exploitation and abuse continues to exist in the aid sector," Mordaunt said. "The horrific behaviour by some members of Oxfam staff in Haiti in 2011 is an example of a wider issue on which DFID (Department for International Development) is already taking action, both at home and with the international community via the UN."

UK threatens to cut off aid cash to charities after Oxfam sex report

Dylan Farrow, who levelled allegations of sexual assault against her stepfather filmmaker Woody Allen over two decades ago, says it is difficult for her to understand why people are slamming her for speaking out. 
 
Dylan, who was adopted by actor Mia Farrow and Allen, opened up for the first time in TV interview with Gayle King on CBS This Morning. 
 
In a clip released by the network, Gayle can be seen asking Dylan, &quot;Someone said this to me, &#39;She wants to bring Woody Allen down. She&#39;s caught up in the Me Too, Time&#39;s Up movement and this is really what she&#39;s trying to do, is bring him down&#39;.&quot; 
 
To this Dylan responded, &quot;Why shouldn&#39;t I want to bring him down? Why shouldn&#39;t I be angry? Why shouldn&#39;t I be hurt? Why shouldn&#39;t I feel some sort of outrage that after all these years being ignored and disbelieved and tossed aside?&quot; 
 
Dylan had accused Allen of sexual abuse in the early 1990s while she was a minor, which he has always denied. 
 
She even went on to put the claims in various articles, including a New York Times op-ed in 2014. She has often criticised Hollywood for not taking her claims seriously. 
 
When Gayle asked Dylan why she should be believed, she replied, &quot;I suppose that&#39;s on them, but all I can do is speak my truth and hope... Hope that somebody will believe me instead of just hearing.&quot; 
 
The #MeToo movement is now spreading like a wildfire, with Dylan&#39;s claims being the latest to add fuel to it, following her brother Ronan Farrow&#39;s expose of Harvey Weinstein. 
 
Ronan is Allen and Farrow&#39;s biological child.&nbsp;

Dylan, who was adopted by actor Mia Farrow and Allen, opened up for the first time in TV interview with Gayle King on CBS This Morning.

Dylan Farrow, who levelled allegations of sexual assault against her stepfather filmmaker Woody Allen over two decades ago, says it is difficult for her to understand why people are slamming her for speaking out. Dylan, who was adopted by actor Mia Farrow and Allen, opened up for the first time in TV interview with Gayle King on CBS This Morning. In a clip released by the network, Gayle can be seen asking Dylan, "Someone said this to me, 'She wants to bring Woody Allen down. She's caught up in the Me Too, Time's Up movement and this is really what she's trying to do, is bring him down'." To this Dylan responded, "Why shouldn't I want to bring him down? Why shouldn't I be angry? Why shouldn't I be hurt? Why shouldn't I feel some sort of outrage that after all these years being ignored and disbelieved and tossed aside?" Dylan had accused Allen of sexual abuse in the early 1990s while she was a minor, which he has always denied. She even went on to put the claims in various articles, including a New York Times op-ed in 2014. She has often criticised Hollywood for not taking her claims seriously. When Gayle asked Dylan why she should be believed, she replied, "I suppose that's on them, but all I can do is speak my truth and hope... Hope that somebody will believe me instead of just hearing." The #MeToo movement is now spreading like a wildfire, with Dylan's claims being the latest to add fuel to it, following her brother Ronan Farrow's expose of Harvey Weinstein. Ronan is Allen and Farrow's biological child.

Dylan Farrow speaks on TV for the first time about step dad Woody Allen sexually assualting her

After being criticised for his controversial remarks on sexual harassment in Hollywood, actor Matt Damon said that he vows to spend more time listening and less time talking. 
 
Damon apologized for his comments on sexual misconduct and severely criticised for his insensitive remarks. In a recent interview to a leading US channel, Damon was asked what he`d learn from the criticism of his comments and the actor replied, &quot;I really wish I`d listened a lot more before I weighed in on this. I don`t want to further anybody`s pain with anything that I do or say. So for that, I am really sorry.&quot;

The&nbsp;star also noted that he loves and respects the women that are coming ahead and speaking about their horrific experiences with the #TimesUp movement. 
 
&quot;[With] Time`s Up, a lot of those women are my dear friends, and I love them and respect them and support what they`re doing,&quot; explained Damon. 
 
He concluded his comments by saying that he wants to be a part of the change that has been happening in the industry but feels that he should take a backseat for a while and keep his mouth shut. 
 
Damon had earlier in an interview said that while he finds it &quot;wonderful&quot; that women are speaking out against their alleged perpetrators, there is a &quot;continuum&quot; with respect to questionable behaviour.At that time he said, &quot;I think it`s wonderful that women are feeling empowered to tell their stories, and it`s totally necessary. I do believe there`s a spectrum of behaviour.There`s a difference between patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right? Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn`t be conflated.&quot;

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MEA CULPA: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MattDamon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MattDamon</a> offers an apology after his comments about sexual misconduct drew criticism. The Oscar winner had said that there were varying levels of sexual misconduct and the retribution should reflect that <a href="https://t.co/D3u6s9A3BX">https://t.co/D3u6s9A3BX</a> <a href="https://t.co/7I8XtLBEeq">pic.twitter.com/7I8XtLBEeq</a>
&mdash; AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) <a href="https://twitter.com/APEntertainment/status/953392998238375937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Actresses Alyssa Milano and Damon`s Good Will Hunting&nbsp;co-star Minnie Driver were among the high-profile Hollywood women to criticize the actor`s comments.&nbsp;

(With agency inputs)

The star also noted that he loves and respects the women that are coming ahead and speaking about their horrific experiences with the #TimesUp movement.

After being criticised for his controversial remarks on sexual harassment in Hollywood, actor Matt Damon said that he vows to spend more time listening and less time talking. Damon apologized for his comments on sexual misconduct and severely criticised for his insensitive remarks. In a recent interview to a leading US channel, Damon was asked what he`d learn from the criticism of his comments and the actor replied, "I really wish I`d listened a lot more before I weighed in on this. I don`t want to further anybody`s pain with anything that I do or say. So for that, I am really sorry." The star also noted that he loves and respects the women that are coming ahead and speaking about their horrific experiences with the #TimesUp movement. "[With] Time`s Up, a lot of those women are my dear friends, and I love them and respect them and support what they`re doing," explained Damon. He concluded his comments by saying that he wants to be a part of the change that has been happening in the industry but feels that he should take a backseat for a while and keep his mouth shut. Damon had earlier in an interview said that while he finds it "wonderful" that women are speaking out against their alleged perpetrators, there is a "continuum" with respect to questionable behaviour.At that time he said, "I think it`s wonderful that women are feeling empowered to tell their stories, and it`s totally necessary. I do believe there`s a spectrum of behaviour.There`s a difference between patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right? Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn`t be conflated." MEA CULPA: #MattDamon offers an apology after his comments about sexual misconduct drew criticism. The Oscar winner had said that there were varying levels of sexual misconduct and the retribution should reflect that https://t.co/D3u6s9A3BX pic.twitter.com/7I8XtLBEeq — AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) January 16, 2018 × Actresses Alyssa Milano and Damon`s Good Will Hunting co-star Minnie Driver were among the high-profile Hollywood women to criticize the actor`s comments. (With agency inputs)

Matt Damon apologises for his comments on sexual misconduct; vows to spend more time listening

As a result of the #MeToo campaign, US sexual assault hotlines are receiving a record number of calls from victims trying to reach out for help.

According to reports, the spike in calls was seen ever since the movement began in October 2017.

Reuters reported that the hotline operated by the &#39;Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network&#39;&nbsp;received a total of 209,480 calls, highest ever since the network was set-up in the year 1993.

People waited for up to three hours to talk at the National Sexual Assault Hotline, stated reports.

According to the DC Rape Crisis Center&#39;s Executive Director, Indira Henard, close to 70 people seek legal, physical or psychological help in a week. The number was around 30 to 40 a week before the campaign started.

The center also saw a spike in its donations.

The MeToo campaign became viral October 2017 onward as a hashtag started from Twitter.

The campaign started with an aim to spread awareness about the widespread prevalence of sexual harassment.

Many celebrities revealed shocking instances of sexual misconduct faced by them.

Allegations of sexual misconduct emerged against eminent Hollywood personalities like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.

Dozens of women accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct, however, Weinstein denied the reports.

Some of the most notable personalities who shared stories of sexual violence included Jennifer Lawrence, Reese Witherspoon, Lady Gaga, Uma Thurman, Ellen DeGeneres and Ashley Judd among others.

(With inputs from Reuters)

The hotline operated by the 'Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network' received 209,480 calls in total

As a result of the #MeToo campaign, US sexual assault hotlines are receiving a record number of calls from victims trying to reach out for help. According to reports, the spike in calls was seen ever since the movement began in October 2017. Reuters reported that the hotline operated by the 'Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network' received a total of 209,480 calls, highest ever since the network was set-up in the year 1993. People waited for up to three hours to talk at the National Sexual Assault Hotline, stated reports. According to the DC Rape Crisis Center's Executive Director, Indira Henard, close to 70 people seek legal, physical or psychological help in a week. The number was around 30 to 40 a week before the campaign started. The center also saw a spike in its donations. The MeToo campaign became viral October 2017 onward as a hashtag started from Twitter. The campaign started with an aim to spread awareness about the widespread prevalence of sexual harassment. Many celebrities revealed shocking instances of sexual misconduct faced by them. Allegations of sexual misconduct emerged against eminent Hollywood personalities like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey. Dozens of women accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct, however, Weinstein denied the reports. Some of the most notable personalities who shared stories of sexual violence included Jennifer Lawrence, Reese Witherspoon, Lady Gaga, Uma Thurman, Ellen DeGeneres and Ashley Judd among others. (With inputs from Reuters)

US Sexual assault hotlines flooded after #MeToo campaign

A New York-based photographer has accused Hollywood actor Aziz Ansari of sexual misconduct after they went on a date last year, reports said.&nbsp;

The 23-year-old women claimed that it was a &quot;violating night and a painful one&quot; after the Master of None actor continuously pressured her into having sex.&nbsp;

She further stated that the actor ignored her verbal and non-verbal hints and was in hurry all through dinner to get her someplace else.&nbsp;

In a long post on the website Babe, the photographer recounts the disastrous date she went on with the comedian. Titled &#39;I went on a date with Aziz Ansari. It turned into the worst night of my life&#39;&nbsp;the post states that how Ansari took the woman out in New York earlier this year and then he rushed her out of the restaurant after they had finished their meal and took her back to his New York apartment.

The woman then recalls that the comedian coerced her into sexual acts which she was not comfortable with. &quot;I said something like, &lsquo;Whoa, let&rsquo;s relax for a sec, let&rsquo;s chill,&rsquo;&rdquo; she says in the article. 
 
The woman stated that how she repeatedly tried to move away from Ansari. &quot;Most of my discomfort was expressed in me pulling away and mumbling. I know that my hand stopped moving at some points,&quot; she said. &quot;I stopped moving my lips and turned cold.&rdquo;

After excusing herself to go to the bathroom, she returned and told him that she &ldquo;didn&rsquo;t want to feel forced&rdquo;. However, he resumed his persistence after they began to watch TV. 
 
The woman eventually left his apartment and cried on her way back home and told her friends over the phone how Ansari had behaved.

The photographer released a text conversation between the two&nbsp;after their date.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd6J53Vntmd/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">23-year-old Grace* went on a date with Aziz Ansari in September. It turned out to be the worst night of her life. She told babe Ansari pulled her hand towards his penis multiple times and &ldquo;kept doing it after I moved it away.&rdquo; She said she remembers him asking again and again, &ldquo;Where do you want me to fuck you?&rdquo; Throughout the course of the night, she says she used verbal and non-verbal cues to indicate how unhappy she was. This is a conversation between them the following day where Grace tells Ansari how uncomfortable he made her feel, saying &ldquo;you ignored clear non-verbal cues&rdquo; and &ldquo;kept going with advances.&rdquo; Read the full story on babe.net.</a>

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Ansari had allegedly sent her a text about their date from the night before which read &quot;Hey it was fun meeting you last night. I just dropped my roll of film today. Fingers crossed for some solid shots!&quot;

The woman responded: &#39;Last night might&#39;ve been fun for you, but it wasn&#39;t for me. You ignored clear non-verbal clues; you kept going with advances.

&#39;I want to make sure you&#39;re aware so maybe the next girl doesn&#39;t have to cry on the ride home.&#39;

Ansari allegedly replied: &#39;I&#39;m so sad to hear this. Clearly, I misread things in the moment and I&#39;m truly sorry.&#39;

Aziz has since denied the allegations saying that the encounter was completely consensual &#39;by all indications&#39; he had at the time and that he &quot;took her words to hear.&quot;

He recently won a Golden Globe for his performance in Master of None making him the first Asian male to ever win a Golden Globe in Comedy.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ansari was one of many male celebrities who joined in the TIme&#39;s Up movement which seeks to provide legal support for women who have suffered sexual abuse or harassment and even wore their pin at the Golden Globes last week.&nbsp;

Aziz has since denied the allegations saying that the encounter was completely consensual 'by all indications' he had at the time and that he "took her words to hear"

A New York-based photographer has accused Hollywood actor Aziz Ansari of sexual misconduct after they went on a date last year, reports said. The 23-year-old women claimed that it was a "violating night and a painful one" after the Master of None actor continuously pressured her into having sex. She further stated that the actor ignored her verbal and non-verbal hints and was in hurry all through dinner to get her someplace else. In a long post on the website Babe, the photographer recounts the disastrous date she went on with the comedian. Titled 'I went on a date with Aziz Ansari. It turned into the worst night of my life' the post states that how Ansari took the woman out in New York earlier this year and then he rushed her out of the restaurant after they had finished their meal and took her back to his New York apartment. The woman then recalls that the comedian coerced her into sexual acts which she was not comfortable with. "I said something like, ‘Whoa, let’s relax for a sec, let’s chill,’” she says in the article. The woman stated that how she repeatedly tried to move away from Ansari. "Most of my discomfort was expressed in me pulling away and mumbling. I know that my hand stopped moving at some points," she said. "I stopped moving my lips and turned cold.” After excusing herself to go to the bathroom, she returned and told him that she “didn’t want to feel forced”. However, he resumed his persistence after they began to watch TV. The woman eventually left his apartment and cried on her way back home and told her friends over the phone how Ansari had behaved. The photographer released a text conversation between the two after their date. 23-year-old Grace* went on a date with Aziz Ansari in September. It turned out to be the worst night of her life. She told babe Ansari pulled her hand towards his penis multiple times and “kept doing it after I moved it away.” She said she remembers him asking again and again, “Where do you want me to fuck you?” Throughout the course of the night, she says she used verbal and non-verbal cues to indicate how unhappy she was. This is a conversation between them the following day where Grace tells Ansari how uncomfortable he made her feel, saying “you ignored clear non-verbal cues” and “kept going with advances.” Read the full story on babe.net. A post shared by Babe (@babedotnet) on Jan 13, 2018 at 3:49pm PST × Ansari had allegedly sent her a text about their date from the night before which read "Hey it was fun meeting you last night. I just dropped my roll of film today. Fingers crossed for some solid shots!" The woman responded: 'Last night might've been fun for you, but it wasn't for me. You ignored clear non-verbal clues; you kept going with advances. 'I want to make sure you're aware so maybe the next girl doesn't have to cry on the ride home.' Ansari allegedly replied: 'I'm so sad to hear this. Clearly, I misread things in the moment and I'm truly sorry.' Aziz has since denied the allegations saying that the encounter was completely consensual 'by all indications' he had at the time and that he "took her words to hear." He recently won a Golden Globe for his performance in Master of None making him the first Asian male to ever win a Golden Globe in Comedy. Ansari was one of many male celebrities who joined in the TIme's Up movement which seeks to provide legal support for women who have suffered sexual abuse or harassment and even wore their pin at the Golden Globes last week.

Aziz Ansari accused of sexual misconduct, denies allegations

Actor and producer Matt Damon is&nbsp;in the center of a storm after making controversial&nbsp;comments about sexual misconduct in a recent interview.&nbsp;

In an interview called &quot;Popcorn with Peter Travers&quot;&nbsp;on ABC News, Damon was quoted as saying that that although he is all for empowered women who come forward with their sexual harassment experiences, but they should also have an understanding that there is a &quot;spectrum of behavior&quot;&nbsp;that must be respected and that some cases may not be as bad as other severe ones, media reports say.&nbsp;

Damon said, &quot;I think it&#39;s wonderful that women are feeling empowered to tell their stories and it&#39;s totally necessary.&quot;&nbsp;

He further added &quot;You know, there&#39;s a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right? Both of those behaviours need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn&#39;t be conflated.&quot;

While addressing the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/actress-portia-de-rossi-accuses-steven-seagal-of-sexual-harassment-23862" target="_blank"> Louise CK case</a> Damon said: &quot;The Louis C.K. thing. When he came out and said, &#39;I did this. I did these things. These women are all telling the truth. Well, that&#39;s the sign of somebody who - well, we can work with that.&nbsp;The fear for me is that right now, we&#39;re in this moment where at the moment - and I hope it doesn&#39;t stay this way - the clearer signal to men and to younger people is, deny it. Because if you take responsibility for what you did, your life&#39;s going to get ruined,&quot; noted Damon.

This has since created a major stir on Twitter. Actresses Alyssa Milano and ex Minnie Driver&nbsp;hit back at Damon.&nbsp;

Milano posted an&nbsp;open letter on Twitter explaining that sexual harassment, misconduct, assault and violence are all the same, regardless of the spectrum.

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Dear Matt Damon, 
 
It&rsquo;s the micro that makes the macro. 
 
(Thread)
&mdash; Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano/status/941840663087218689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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We are in a &ldquo;culture of outrage&rdquo; because the magnitude of rage is, in fact, overtly outrageous. And it is righteous.
&mdash; Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano/status/941840799506898944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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I have been a victim of each component of the sexual assault spectrum of which you speak. They all hurt. And they are all connected to a patriarchy intertwined with normalized, accepted--even welcomed-- misogyny.
&mdash; Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano/status/941840946420789250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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We are not outraged because someone grabbed our asses in a picture. We are outraged because we were made to feel this was normal. We are outraged because we have been gaslighted. We are outraged because we were silenced for so long.
&mdash; Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano/status/941841081200607232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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There are different stages of cancer. Some more treatable than others. But it&rsquo;s still cancer.
&mdash; Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano/status/941841252516900864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Sexual harassment, misconduct, assault and violence is a systemic disease. The tumor is being cut out right now with no anesthesia. Please send flowers. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MeToo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MeToo</a>
&mdash; Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano/status/941842010540982273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Damon&#39;s ex-girlfriend Minnie Driver also expressed her opinion on the same and also replied to several users addressing the subject.&nbsp;

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There are so many men I love who do NOT frame the differentiation between sexual misconduct assault and rape as an excuse or worse- our problem. Such bollocks..
&mdash; Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) <a href="https://twitter.com/driverminnie/status/941737539181805569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Gosh it&rsquo;s so *interesting how men with all these opinions about women&rsquo;s differentiation between sexual misconduct, assault and rape reveal themselves to be utterly tone deaf and as a result, systemically part of the problem( *profoundly unsurprising)
&mdash; Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) <a href="https://twitter.com/driverminnie/status/941739322474086400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Look , weather you&rsquo;re joking or not - women being worried about weather powerful men in my industry will still give them work if they speak up is part of the bloody problem.
&mdash; Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) <a href="https://twitter.com/driverminnie/status/941749111107100672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Driver and Damon previously starred together in 1997&rsquo;s&nbsp;Good Will Hunting and&nbsp;dated for a short time&nbsp;afterwards. Their relationship ended awkwardly in 1998 when Damon&nbsp;denied he had a&nbsp;girlfriend&nbsp;while appearing on&nbsp;The Oprah Winfrey Show, media reports said.&nbsp;

Several other Twitter users also took to the micro-blogging site and voiced their thoughts.

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The problem with responses like the ones Tom Hanks &amp; Matt Damon gave today is that men are taught their opinion is important even if it&#39;s about an issue they don&#39;t know much about, while women are taught to apologize for their opinions even when they&#39;re well versed in the topic.
&mdash; Allison Gilbert (@AllisonWynifred) <a href="https://twitter.com/AllisonWynifred/status/941501818172981248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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Matt Damon in some sh* yet again ?? I never used to read bad things about him, what happened? 
Inquiring minds want to know.
&mdash; VMnlop (@VMnlop) <a href="https://twitter.com/VMnlop/status/941977116140277761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/mattdamon_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mattdamon_</a> Matt, I have a different way to explain the difference between sexual assault and inappropriate behavior as you tried to do.
&mdash; bigbadwolf (@biggbadwolf) <a href="https://twitter.com/biggbadwolf/status/941977265461608448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Someone should tell Matt Damon it&#39;s OK to just not say stuff sometimes. As in, just sitting there quietly. That&#39;s alright.
&mdash; Gr&aacute;inne O&#39;Christmas Tree Brien (@Gra_OBrien) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gra_OBrien/status/941974741954514949?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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This is not the first time Damon has addressed sexual assault allegations.

Speaking about the Weinstein scandal in October, he described the shamed Hollywood mogul as an &quot;a**hole&quot; and confirmed that he knew of Gwyneth Paltrow&#39;s accusations about Weinstein.

This has since created a major sit on Twitter, including actress Alyssa Milano and ex Minnie Driver to hit back at Damon

Actor and producer Matt Damon is in the center of a storm after making controversial comments about sexual misconduct in a recent interview. In an interview called "Popcorn with Peter Travers" on ABC News, Damon was quoted as saying that that although he is all for empowered women who come forward with their sexual harassment experiences, but they should also have an understanding that there is a "spectrum of behavior" that must be respected and that some cases may not be as bad as other severe ones, media reports say. Damon said, "I think it's wonderful that women are feeling empowered to tell their stories and it's totally necessary." He further added "You know, there's a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right? Both of those behaviours need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn't be conflated." While addressing the Louise CK case Damon said: "The Louis C.K. thing. When he came out and said, 'I did this. I did these things. These women are all telling the truth. Well, that's the sign of somebody who - well, we can work with that. The fear for me is that right now, we're in this moment where at the moment - and I hope it doesn't stay this way - the clearer signal to men and to younger people is, deny it. Because if you take responsibility for what you did, your life's going to get ruined," noted Damon. This has since created a major stir on Twitter. Actresses Alyssa Milano and ex Minnie Driver hit back at Damon. Milano posted an open letter on Twitter explaining that sexual harassment, misconduct, assault and violence are all the same, regardless of the spectrum. Dear Matt Damon, It’s the micro that makes the macro. (Thread) — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017 × We are in a “culture of outrage” because the magnitude of rage is, in fact, overtly outrageous. And it is righteous. — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017 × I have been a victim of each component of the sexual assault spectrum of which you speak. They all hurt. And they are all connected to a patriarchy intertwined with normalized, accepted--even welcomed-- misogyny. — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017 × We are not outraged because someone grabbed our asses in a picture. We are outraged because we were made to feel this was normal. We are outraged because we have been gaslighted. We are outraged because we were silenced for so long. — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017 × There are different stages of cancer. Some more treatable than others. But it’s still cancer. — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017 × Sexual harassment, misconduct, assault and violence is a systemic disease. The tumor is being cut out right now with no anesthesia. Please send flowers. #MeToo — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017 × Damon's ex-girlfriend Minnie Driver also expressed her opinion on the same and also replied to several users addressing the subject. There are so many men I love who do NOT frame the differentiation between sexual misconduct assault and rape as an excuse or worse- our problem. Such bollocks.. — Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) December 15, 2017 × Gosh it’s so *interesting how men with all these opinions about women’s differentiation between sexual misconduct, assault and rape reveal themselves to be utterly tone deaf and as a result, systemically part of the problem( *profoundly unsurprising) — Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) December 15, 2017 × Look , weather you’re joking or not - women being worried about weather powerful men in my industry will still give them work if they speak up is part of the bloody problem. — Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) December 15, 2017 × Driver and Damon previously starred together in 1997’s Good Will Hunting and dated for a short time afterwards. Their relationship ended awkwardly in 1998 when Damon denied he had a girlfriend while appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show, media reports said. Several other Twitter users also took to the micro-blogging site and voiced their thoughts. The problem with responses like the ones Tom Hanks & Matt Damon gave today is that men are taught their opinion is important even if it's about an issue they don't know much about, while women are taught to apologize for their opinions even when they're well versed in the topic. — Allison Gilbert (@AllisonWynifred) December 15, 2017 × Matt Damon in some sh* yet again ?? I never used to read bad things about him, what happened? Inquiring minds want to know. — VMnlop (@VMnlop) December 16, 2017 × @mattdamon_ Matt, I have a different way to explain the difference between sexual assault and inappropriate behavior as you tried to do. — bigbadwolf (@biggbadwolf) December 16, 2017 × Someone should tell Matt Damon it's OK to just not say stuff sometimes. As in, just sitting there quietly. That's alright. — Gráinne O'Christmas Tree Brien (@Gra_OBrien) December 16, 2017 × This is not the first time Damon has addressed sexual assault allegations. Speaking about the Weinstein scandal in October, he described the shamed Hollywood mogul as an "a**hole" and confirmed that he knew of Gwyneth Paltrow's accusations about Weinstein.

Matt Damon makes controversial comment on sexual misconduct. Twitter furious

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he did not know the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct and alleged their claims were a political attack pushed by Democrats, rejecting renewed calls to look into his behavior.

His comments come one day after the White House said it had eyewitnesses who would clear him of any suspicion of wrongdoing amid the allegations, which surfaced during the 2016 presidential campaign.

On Monday, three women who had previously accused Trump of misconduct called on the U.S. Congress to investigate the president`s behavior. Trump has denied the allegations and the White House has said the women were lying.

Some 50 female Democratic lawmakers also called for an investigation.

More than a dozen women have accused the real estate developer and former reality television star of making unwanted sexual advances against them years before he entered politics. Reuters has not independently verified the accusations against Trump.&nbsp;

&quot;Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia - so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don&rsquo;t know and/or have never met. FAKE NEWS!&quot; Trump said on Twitter, citing an ongoing probe into alleged Russia meddling during the 2016 election and possible collusion by his campaign.

He also attacked Democratic U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who on Monday said Trump should resign due to the allegations, following similar calls by four other male Democratic Senators in recent days.&nbsp;

&quot;You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office,&quot; Gillibrand wrote on Twitter.

Their call comes after fellow Democrat Senator Al Franken, under pressure from his party, announced his resignation following allegations of improper conduct.&nbsp;

Two other lawmakers in the House of Representatives, one Democrat and one Republican, have also stepped down amid sexual harassment accusations. Reuters had not independently verified the claims against them.

The White House on Monday said the women`s accusations were false and &quot;totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts.&quot; White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders later told reporters she could provide a list of the eyewitness accounts.

Representatives for the White House did not respond to a request for comment and a copy of the list on Tuesday.&nbsp;

Many of Trump`s accusers came forward after a tape surfaced one month before the November 2016 election in which Trump was heard bragging in 2005 about groping and forcibly kissing women.

Trump later publicly apologized for the remarks but called them private &quot;locker-room talk&quot; and said that he had not done the things that he had described.

His comments come one day after the White House said it had eyewitnesses who would clear him of any suspicion of wrongdoing amid the allegations

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he did not know the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct and alleged their claims were a political attack pushed by Democrats, rejecting renewed calls to look into his behavior. His comments come one day after the White House said it had eyewitnesses who would clear him of any suspicion of wrongdoing amid the allegations, which surfaced during the 2016 presidential campaign. On Monday, three women who had previously accused Trump of misconduct called on the U.S. Congress to investigate the president`s behavior. Trump has denied the allegations and the White House has said the women were lying. Some 50 female Democratic lawmakers also called for an investigation. More than a dozen women have accused the real estate developer and former reality television star of making unwanted sexual advances against them years before he entered politics. Reuters has not independently verified the accusations against Trump. "Despite thousands of hours wasted and many millions of dollars spent, the Democrats have been unable to show any collusion with Russia - so now they are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don’t know and/or have never met. FAKE NEWS!" Trump said on Twitter, citing an ongoing probe into alleged Russia meddling during the 2016 election and possible collusion by his campaign. He also attacked Democratic U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who on Monday said Trump should resign due to the allegations, following similar calls by four other male Democratic Senators in recent days. "You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame you have brought to the Oval Office," Gillibrand wrote on Twitter. Their call comes after fellow Democrat Senator Al Franken, under pressure from his party, announced his resignation following allegations of improper conduct. Two other lawmakers in the House of Representatives, one Democrat and one Republican, have also stepped down amid sexual harassment accusations. Reuters had not independently verified the claims against them. The White House on Monday said the women`s accusations were false and "totally disputed in most cases by eyewitness accounts." White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders later told reporters she could provide a list of the eyewitness accounts. Representatives for the White House did not respond to a request for comment and a copy of the list on Tuesday. Many of Trump`s accusers came forward after a tape surfaced one month before the November 2016 election in which Trump was heard bragging in 2005 about groping and forcibly kissing women. Trump later publicly apologized for the remarks but called them private "locker-room talk" and said that he had not done the things that he had described.

Trump denies accusations of sexual misconduct, attacks Democrats

UN&nbsp;Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Sunday she believes any woman who has felt violated or mistreated by a man has every right to speak up, even if it is President Donald Trump they are accusing.

Accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior or misconduct have led to the resignations of three members of Congress this month. The growing wave of women reporting abuse or misconduct has brought down powerful men from Hollywood to Washington, from movie producer Harvey Weinstein to popular television personality Matt Lauer.

More than 10 women have accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct before he was president, and Trump, while filming a segment of the television program &quot;Access Hollywood,&quot; said he has kissed and groped women. The tape emerged during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Haley, discussing a cultural shift of women coming forward on the CBS &quot;Face the Nation&quot; program, applauded women who have come forward: &quot;I&#39;m proud of their strength. I&#39;m proud of their courage.&quot;

Asked how people should assess the accusers of the president, Haley said, it was &quot;the same thing.&quot;

&quot;Women who accuse anyone should be heard. They should be heard and they should be dealt with, and I think we heard them prior to the election,&quot; she said. &quot;I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way - they have every right to speak up.&quot;

Whether Trump&#39;s election settled the matter was &quot;for the people to decide,&quot; Haley said.

&quot;I know that he was elected but women should always feel comfortable coming forward and we should all be willing to listen to them.&quot;

'Women who accuse anyone should be heard. They should be heard and they should be dealt with, and I think we heard them prior to the election,' the US ambassador to the UN said

UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Sunday she believes any woman who has felt violated or mistreated by a man has every right to speak up, even if it is President Donald Trump they are accusing. Accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior or misconduct have led to the resignations of three members of Congress this month. The growing wave of women reporting abuse or misconduct has brought down powerful men from Hollywood to Washington, from movie producer Harvey Weinstein to popular television personality Matt Lauer. More than 10 women have accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct before he was president, and Trump, while filming a segment of the television program "Access Hollywood," said he has kissed and groped women. The tape emerged during the 2016 presidential campaign. Haley, discussing a cultural shift of women coming forward on the CBS "Face the Nation" program, applauded women who have come forward: "I'm proud of their strength. I'm proud of their courage." Asked how people should assess the accusers of the president, Haley said, it was "the same thing." "Women who accuse anyone should be heard. They should be heard and they should be dealt with, and I think we heard them prior to the election," she said. "I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way - they have every right to speak up." Whether Trump's election settled the matter was "for the people to decide," Haley said. "I know that he was elected but women should always feel comfortable coming forward and we should all be willing to listen to them."

Nikki Haley: Women accusers should be heard, even if Trump is target

Democratic US&nbsp;Senator Al Franken announced his resignation from office on Thursday, bowing to pressure from party colleagues after a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Franken, 66, a former comedian who had been seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, said he would be leaving in a few weeks. Even as he did so, he denied some of the allegations against him and questioned others.

&quot;I know in my heart that nothing I&#39;ve done as a senator - nothing - has brought dishonor on this institution,&quot; Franken said. &quot;Nevertheless, today I am announcing that in the coming weeks, I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate.&quot;

Franken, whose Senate seat will initially be filled by a Democrat appointed by Minnesota&#39;s Democratic governor, is one of several prominent American men in politics, media, and entertainment to be accused in recent months of sexual harassment and misconduct.

Allegations that he had groped and tried to kiss women without their consent began to surface three weeks ago.

After the initial accusations, Franken said he was embarrassed and ashamed by his behaviour but would not resign. Rather, he said, he would cooperate with a Senate ethics probe and work to regain the trust of the people of Minnesota.

However on Wednesday, calls for him to resign came from the majority of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate, including Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and almost all of the Democratic women in the chamber. That pressure came as a new allegation, denied by Franken, hit the news.

&quot;Some of the allegations against me are simply not true. Others I remember very differently,&quot; Franken said on Thursday.

Striking a tone of defiance, he also sought to contrast himself with two Republicans - President Donald Trump and Senate candidate Roy Moore.

&quot;I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate, with the full support of his party,&quot; he said.

Trump was heard bragging about kissing and touching women in a 2005 videotape that surfaced last year as he was running for the White House. He apologised for the remarks, but called them private &quot;locker-room talk&quot; and said he had not done the things he talked about. Trump also denied allegations at that time by at least 12 women of sexual advances and groping in the past.

Reuters has not independently verified the accusations.

Moore, who is running for the Senate in Alabama in a special election on Tuesday, has been accused by several women of sexual assault or misconduct when they were teenagers and Moore was in his early 30s. Moore, 70, has denied the accusations, which Reuters has not independently verified.

Trump has backed Moore, but Senate Republicans have been cooler toward his candidacy.

In pressing Franken to step aside, Democrats have tried to capture the moral high ground and draw a distinction between their party and Republicans.

&quot;As he and I discussed yesterday, this is the right decision ... In every workplace in America, including the US&nbsp;Senate, we must confront the challenges of harassment and misconduct,&quot; said Amy Klobuchar, Franken&#39;s fellow Democratic senator from Minnesota.

Democrat John Conyers, the longest serving member of the US&nbsp;House of Representatives, stepped down on Tuesday after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, the first member of Congress to leave his seat during the wave of high-profile harassment allegations. Conyers has denied the allegations against him.

Senate balance of power

For the moment, the Republicans&#39; slim majority in the Senate will not be affected as Minnesota&#39;s Democratic governor, Mark Dayton, will appoint someone to take his place, ensuring Democrats hold the seat for now.

Dayton said in a statement he would make his decision in the next couple of days.

In the longer term, Franken&#39;s departure may complicate the party&#39;s efforts to hold or build on the 46 Senate seats they currently hold. Two independent senators also vote with the Democrats.

While Republicans are defending eight seats in the midterm election in November 2018, Democrats must preserve 26, if Minnesota holds a special election for Franken&#39;s chair.

The election to fill Franken&#39;s seat could be close. When he ran in 2008, the race was decided after an extensive recount, with Minnesota&#39;s Supreme Court weighing in. In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton won the state by less than two points.

In the latest accusation against Franken, Politico reported on Wednesday that a congressional aide said Franken had tried to forcibly kiss her in 2006, before he was elected to the Senate. Franken denied the allegation, Politico reported.

Reuters has not independently verified the accusations against him.

Despite the party&#39;s calls for him to leave, several of Franken&#39;s Democratic colleagues dabbed tears from their eyes during his speech on Thursday. His family watched from the balcony.

Afterward, his Democratic colleagues lined up to embrace him, including many of the women who had called for his resignation.

Franken, 66, a former comedian who had been seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, said he would be leaving in a few weeks. Even as he did so, he denied some of the allegations against him and questioned others

Democratic US Senator Al Franken announced his resignation from office on Thursday, bowing to pressure from party colleagues after a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him. Franken, 66, a former comedian who had been seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, said he would be leaving in a few weeks. Even as he did so, he denied some of the allegations against him and questioned others. "I know in my heart that nothing I've done as a senator - nothing - has brought dishonor on this institution," Franken said. "Nevertheless, today I am announcing that in the coming weeks, I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate." Franken, whose Senate seat will initially be filled by a Democrat appointed by Minnesota's Democratic governor, is one of several prominent American men in politics, media, and entertainment to be accused in recent months of sexual harassment and misconduct. Allegations that he had groped and tried to kiss women without their consent began to surface three weeks ago. After the initial accusations, Franken said he was embarrassed and ashamed by his behaviour but would not resign. Rather, he said, he would cooperate with a Senate ethics probe and work to regain the trust of the people of Minnesota. However on Wednesday, calls for him to resign came from the majority of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate, including Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and almost all of the Democratic women in the chamber. That pressure came as a new allegation, denied by Franken, hit the news. "Some of the allegations against me are simply not true. Others I remember very differently," Franken said on Thursday. Striking a tone of defiance, he also sought to contrast himself with two Republicans - President Donald Trump and Senate candidate Roy Moore. "I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate, with the full support of his party," he said. Trump was heard bragging about kissing and touching women in a 2005 videotape that surfaced last year as he was running for the White House. He apologised for the remarks, but called them private "locker-room talk" and said he had not done the things he talked about. Trump also denied allegations at that time by at least 12 women of sexual advances and groping in the past. Reuters has not independently verified the accusations. Moore, who is running for the Senate in Alabama in a special election on Tuesday, has been accused by several women of sexual assault or misconduct when they were teenagers and Moore was in his early 30s. Moore, 70, has denied the accusations, which Reuters has not independently verified. Trump has backed Moore, but Senate Republicans have been cooler toward his candidacy. In pressing Franken to step aside, Democrats have tried to capture the moral high ground and draw a distinction between their party and Republicans. "As he and I discussed yesterday, this is the right decision ... In every workplace in America, including the US Senate, we must confront the challenges of harassment and misconduct," said Amy Klobuchar, Franken's fellow Democratic senator from Minnesota. Democrat John Conyers, the longest serving member of the US House of Representatives, stepped down on Tuesday after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, the first member of Congress to leave his seat during the wave of high-profile harassment allegations. Conyers has denied the allegations against him. Senate balance of power For the moment, the Republicans' slim majority in the Senate will not be affected as Minnesota's Democratic governor, Mark Dayton, will appoint someone to take his place, ensuring Democrats hold the seat for now. Dayton said in a statement he would make his decision in the next couple of days. In the longer term, Franken's departure may complicate the party's efforts to hold or build on the 46 Senate seats they currently hold. Two independent senators also vote with the Democrats. While Republicans are defending eight seats in the midterm election in November 2018, Democrats must preserve 26, if Minnesota holds a special election for Franken's chair. The election to fill Franken's seat could be close. When he ran in 2008, the race was decided after an extensive recount, with Minnesota's Supreme Court weighing in. In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton won the state by less than two points. In the latest accusation against Franken, Politico reported on Wednesday that a congressional aide said Franken had tried to forcibly kiss her in 2006, before he was elected to the Senate. Franken denied the allegation, Politico reported. Reuters has not independently verified the accusations against him. Despite the party's calls for him to leave, several of Franken's Democratic colleagues dabbed tears from their eyes during his speech on Thursday. His family watched from the balcony. Afterward, his Democratic colleagues lined up to embrace him, including many of the women who had called for his resignation.

The Democratic US Senator Franken says he will resign over sexual misconduct allegations

NBC News fired popular &quot;Today&quot; show host Matt Lauer after receiving what it called a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace, the network said on Wednesday.

NBC News chairman Andrew Lack said that, after serious review, the complaint received on Monday night represented &quot;a clear violation&quot; of the company&#39;s standards.

&quot;As a result, we&#39;ve decided to terminate his employment,&quot; Lack said in a statement. &quot;While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over twenty years he&#39;s been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.&quot;

Lauer&#39;s agent Ken Lindner did not respond to a request for comment.

The news was announced by &quot;Today&quot; co-anchor Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb at the start of the talk show, a staple of US&nbsp;morning television for more than six decades that, NBC says, averages more than 4 million viewers.

&quot;We just learned this moments ago just this morning,&quot; Guthrie said, visibly shaken. &quot;As I&#39;m sure you can imagine we are devastated.&quot;

Lack&#39;s statement did not say who made the accusation. Lauer, 59, is married.

&quot;We are deeply saddened by this turn of events,&quot; the statement said. &quot;But we will face it together as a news organization - and do it in as transparent a manner as we can.&quot;

The New York Times quoted Ari Wilkenfeld, a civil rights lawyer with the firm Wilkenfeld, Herendeen &amp; Atkinson in Washington, who said he represented the woman who made the complaint to NBC but declined to publicly identify her.

&ldquo;My client and I met with representatives from NBC&rsquo;s Human Resources and Legal Departments at 6 pm&nbsp;on Monday for an interview that lasted several hours. Our impression at this point is that NBC acted quickly, as all companies should when confronted with credible allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace,&quot; Wilkenfeld said in a story published by the Times on Wednesday.

The law firm representing Lauer&#39;s accuser did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The complaint said the sexual misconduct occurred while Lauer and the female colleague were covering the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia, NBC News reporter Stephanie Gosk said on-air.

The misconduct continued after the Games, Gosk said. An NBC representative did not respond to a request for more details.

Fellow NBC News anchor Willie Geist, who hosts the &quot;Today&quot; show&#39;s Sunday program, told MSNBC&#39;s &quot;Morning Joe&quot; that he was stunned, especially given Lauer&#39;s role.

&quot;Matt Lauer is the most powerful person at NBC News, arguably,&quot; Geist said, referring to Lauer as a friend and mentor who he said had always led by example on the show&#39;s set.

Comcast Corp, the largest US&nbsp;cable television company, owns NBCUniversal. Shares of Comcast rose 3.4 per cent to $37.49 in morning trade on Nasdaq.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump responded with messages on Twitter calling for some of Lauer&#39;s colleagues to be fired too and adding to his recent attacks against multiple US&nbsp;news outlets for their reporting on his administration.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for &ldquo;inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.&rdquo; But when will the top executives at NBC &amp; Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News. Check out Andy Lack&rsquo;s past!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/935844881825763328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&quot;Wow,&quot; Trump wrote about the Lauer announcement. &quot;But when will the top executives at NBC &amp; Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News. Check out Andy Lack&#39;s past!&quot; he added, without further explanation.

An NBC spokeswoman did not respond to questions about Trump&#39;s comments.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
So now that Matt Lauer is gone when will the Fake News practitioners at NBC be terminating the contract of Phil Griffin? And will they terminate low ratings Joe Scarborough based on the &ldquo;unsolved mystery&rdquo; that took place in Florida years ago? Investigate!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/935874566701842434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-Republican candidate Trump was accused by 13 women who publicly said that in the past he had physically touched them inappropriately in some way, the Washington Post reported.

Trump denied the accusations, accused rival Democrats and the media of a smear campaign, and went on to win the election.

Just last week, Lauer co-hosted with Guthrie NBC&#39;s Thanksgiving Day coverage of the Macy&#39;s parade in Manhattan.

Since Lauer took over the anchor chair in 1997, &quot;Today&quot; has dominated morning show ratings. It earned $509 million in advertising revenue last year, more than any other morning show, New York-based analysts Kantar Media said.

Lauer signed a two-year deal in 2016 that would pay him $20 million per year, according to Fortune Magazine. He joined &quot;Today&quot; in January 1994 and has interviewed presidents George Bush and Barack Obama and broadcast from seven Olympic games.

There were reports that journalists from multiple outlets had been investigating complaints against Lauer.

Elizabeth Wagmeister and Ramin Setoodeh, two Variety reporters, said they had been working for months on a story about sexual harassment allegations by multiple women against Lauer. &quot;NBC was aware that Variety was working on a bombshell story about sexual harassment allegations against Matt Lauer,&quot; Setoodeh wrote on Twitter.

&ldquo;This is not a Hollywood media problem, this is a problem across all industries including the US&nbsp;government,&rdquo; said Bob Bakish, CEO of Viacom Inc, when asked about the Matt Lauer firing, at the Business Insider IGNITION Conference in New York on Wednesday. &ldquo;Secondly, this is not a US&nbsp;problem, it is a global problem.&rdquo;

NBC News chairman Andrew Lack said that, after serious review, the complaint received on Monday night represented "a clear violation" of the company's standards

NBC News fired popular "Today" show host Matt Lauer after receiving what it called a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace, the network said on Wednesday. NBC News chairman Andrew Lack said that, after serious review, the complaint received on Monday night represented "a clear violation" of the company's standards. "As a result, we've decided to terminate his employment," Lack said in a statement. "While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over twenty years he's been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident." Lauer's agent Ken Lindner did not respond to a request for comment. The news was announced by "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb at the start of the talk show, a staple of US morning television for more than six decades that, NBC says, averages more than 4 million viewers. "We just learned this moments ago just this morning," Guthrie said, visibly shaken. "As I'm sure you can imagine we are devastated." Lack's statement did not say who made the accusation. Lauer, 59, is married. "We are deeply saddened by this turn of events," the statement said. "But we will face it together as a news organization - and do it in as transparent a manner as we can." The New York Times quoted Ari Wilkenfeld, a civil rights lawyer with the firm Wilkenfeld, Herendeen & Atkinson in Washington, who said he represented the woman who made the complaint to NBC but declined to publicly identify her. “My client and I met with representatives from NBC’s Human Resources and Legal Departments at 6 pm on Monday for an interview that lasted several hours. Our impression at this point is that NBC acted quickly, as all companies should when confronted with credible allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace," Wilkenfeld said in a story published by the Times on Wednesday. The law firm representing Lauer's accuser did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The complaint said the sexual misconduct occurred while Lauer and the female colleague were covering the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia, NBC News reporter Stephanie Gosk said on-air. The misconduct continued after the Games, Gosk said. An NBC representative did not respond to a request for more details. Fellow NBC News anchor Willie Geist, who hosts the "Today" show's Sunday program, told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that he was stunned, especially given Lauer's role. "Matt Lauer is the most powerful person at NBC News, arguably," Geist said, referring to Lauer as a friend and mentor who he said had always led by example on the show's set. Comcast Corp, the largest US cable television company, owns NBCUniversal. Shares of Comcast rose 3.4 per cent to $37.49 in morning trade on Nasdaq. US President Donald Trump responded with messages on Twitter calling for some of Lauer's colleagues to be fired too and adding to his recent attacks against multiple US news outlets for their reporting on his administration. Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News. Check out Andy Lack’s past! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2017 × "Wow," Trump wrote about the Lauer announcement. "But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News. Check out Andy Lack's past!" he added, without further explanation. An NBC spokeswoman did not respond to questions about Trump's comments. So now that Matt Lauer is gone when will the Fake News practitioners at NBC be terminating the contract of Phil Griffin? And will they terminate low ratings Joe Scarborough based on the “unsolved mystery” that took place in Florida years ago? Investigate! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2017 × During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-Republican candidate Trump was accused by 13 women who publicly said that in the past he had physically touched them inappropriately in some way, the Washington Post reported. Trump denied the accusations, accused rival Democrats and the media of a smear campaign, and went on to win the election. Just last week, Lauer co-hosted with Guthrie NBC's Thanksgiving Day coverage of the Macy's parade in Manhattan. Since Lauer took over the anchor chair in 1997, "Today" has dominated morning show ratings. It earned $509 million in advertising revenue last year, more than any other morning show, New York-based analysts Kantar Media said. Lauer signed a two-year deal in 2016 that would pay him $20 million per year, according to Fortune Magazine. He joined "Today" in January 1994 and has interviewed presidents George Bush and Barack Obama and broadcast from seven Olympic games. There were reports that journalists from multiple outlets had been investigating complaints against Lauer. Elizabeth Wagmeister and Ramin Setoodeh, two Variety reporters, said they had been working for months on a story about sexual harassment allegations by multiple women against Lauer. "NBC was aware that Variety was working on a bombshell story about sexual harassment allegations against Matt Lauer," Setoodeh wrote on Twitter. “This is not a Hollywood media problem, this is a problem across all industries including the US government,” said Bob Bakish, CEO of Viacom Inc, when asked about the Matt Lauer firing, at the Business Insider IGNITION Conference in New York on Wednesday. “Secondly, this is not a US problem, it is a global problem.”

NBC News fires 'Today' co-host Matt Lauer for sexual misconduct

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump will not campaign for Roy Moore, the Alabama Republican Senate nominee who is facing allegations of sexual misconduct, a White House official said on Monday.

Last Tuesday, when asked if he would campaign for Moore ahead of Alabama&#39;s Dec. 12 special election, Trump had told reporters, &quot;I&#39;ll be letting you know next week.&quot; Trump has repeatedly slammed Moore&#39;s Democratic opponent, Doug Jones.

US?President Donald Trump will not campaign for Roy Moore, the Alabama Republican Senate nominee who is facing allegations of sexual misconduct, a White House official said on Monday.

US President Donald Trump will not campaign for Roy Moore, the Alabama Republican Senate nominee who is facing allegations of sexual misconduct, a White House official said on Monday. Last Tuesday, when asked if he would campaign for Moore ahead of Alabama's Dec. 12 special election, Trump had told reporters, "I'll be letting you know next week." Trump has repeatedly slammed Moore's Democratic opponent, Doug Jones.

Trump not to campaign for Republican Senate candidate Moore

Entourage&nbsp;star Jeremy Piven, who is facing a string of sexual harassment allegations, has been accused of groping by another woman.

Detailing her experience, Anastasia Taneie, who worked on the show as an extra, told Buzzfeed that Piven, during a break in filming in a theater in LA, asked her that he and his manager wanted to speak to her about something.

When she followed Piven to the hallway, the actor assaulted her.

&quot;I was scared at the time nobody was going to believe me. I didn&#39;t want to make a scene. I just wanted to go home. It was the most horrible thing I&#39;ve ever experienced,&quot; Taneie said.

Two other women, Amy Meador and Tiffany Bacon Scourby, also alleged harassment from Piven.

Meador alleged that Piven pinned her down in his Los Angeles home in 1995 and forced himself on her. While Scourby alleged misconduct from Piven during their meeting at a New York hotel in 2003.

The Buzzfeed report also mentions that the actor took a lie detector test on November 14 where he categorically denied the accusations from Meador and Bacon Scourby, calling them &quot;false&quot;. According to the examiner, Piven passed the test.

The Entourage&nbsp;actor was earlier accused of sexual misconduct by TV actor Ariane Bellamar, who alleged that he groped her.

Piven has denied all the allegations, calling them &quot;absolutely false and completely fabricated&quot;.

Jeremy Piven, who is facing a string of sexual harassment allegations, has been accused of groping by another woman.

Entourage star Jeremy Piven, who is facing a string of sexual harassment allegations, has been accused of groping by another woman. Detailing her experience, Anastasia Taneie, who worked on the show as an extra, told Buzzfeed that Piven, during a break in filming in a theater in LA, asked her that he and his manager wanted to speak to her about something. When she followed Piven to the hallway, the actor assaulted her. "I was scared at the time nobody was going to believe me. I didn't want to make a scene. I just wanted to go home. It was the most horrible thing I've ever experienced," Taneie said. Two other women, Amy Meador and Tiffany Bacon Scourby, also alleged harassment from Piven. Meador alleged that Piven pinned her down in his Los Angeles home in 1995 and forced himself on her. While Scourby alleged misconduct from Piven during their meeting at a New York hotel in 2003. The Buzzfeed report also mentions that the actor took a lie detector test on November 14 where he categorically denied the accusations from Meador and Bacon Scourby, calling them "false". According to the examiner, Piven passed the test. The Entourage actor was earlier accused of sexual misconduct by TV actor Ariane Bellamar, who alleged that he groped her. Piven has denied all the allegations, calling them "absolutely false and completely fabricated".

'Entourage' star Jeremy Piven accused of sexual misconduct by various women

&nbsp;Actor Radhika Apte says sexual abuse is not limited to women in the film industry as she knows a lot of men who have&nbsp;been subjected to misdemeanor.&nbsp;Recently, Hollywood witnessed the Harvey Weinstein scandal, which has put the spotlight on sexual harassment in the entertainment industry. Names such as Kevin Spacey, James Toback, Brett Ratner, among others have also joined the infamous list. 
 
In Bollywood, Irrfan Khan was the first actor to come forward and share his story of how he was asked to compromise for work in his struggling days.&nbsp;Radhika says as &quot;more and more women&quot; are opening up about their experience, it is important to have a platform where complaints can be addressed. 
 
&quot;Not just women, men also go through sexual abuse. I am specifically talking about the industry, I know a lot of men who have gone through this as well. It&#39;s high time this comes out,&quot; Radhika tells PTI in an interview.

&quot;Also, as the industry becomes more open and people from different parts come here - not just for people from their own production house or family - it&#39;s more important that we have a platform,&quot; she says.&nbsp;The Phobia&nbsp;actor says it is both &quot;sensitive&quot; and a &quot;grey&quot; topic and more transparency is needed to curb sexual misconduct. 
 
&quot;People who exploit their power and abuse others need to be revealed. On the other hand, people are ambitious and are ready to do what is required. It needs to work from both the sides,&quot; says Radhika. 
 
&quot;You need to learn to say no and need to recognise when you&#39;re being exploited. You will get your due, according to your talent. At some time. Some people come here running away from home, they have nothing to fall back on. A better organisation, rules and transparency will help a lot,&quot; she says. 
 
Several Hollywood celebrities, including names such as Olivia Munn, Natasha Henstridge, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, recently called out the alleged offenders.Asked if there is a fear among people within the industry to name the perpetrators, Radhika agrees, saying, &quot;The fear is there because we still have this culture where Bollywood is considered to be this inaccessible magical place. But it&#39;s not, it&#39;s a workplace. Work ethics need to be introduced at every level. That&#39;s happening. But people have to come out and start taking names. 
 
She adds, &quot;The fear also comes from &#39;Who is going to believe me? The other person has so much power, my complain will go unnoticed, that&#39;ll ruin my career&#39;. That&#39;s the perception. I think more people need to speak up.&quot; 
The actress will soon be seen on MTV&#39;s digital show Fame-istan&nbsp;as a mentor to young filmmakers. 
 
To be aired on November 24, the show aims to give a platform to four aspiring filmmakers to make a short film and being mentored by the industry veterans.&nbsp;

Radhika Apte says sexual abuse is not limited to women in the film industry as she knows a lot of men who been subjected to misdemeanour.

Actor Radhika Apte says sexual abuse is not limited to women in the film industry as she knows a lot of men who have been subjected to misdemeanor. Recently, Hollywood witnessed the Harvey Weinstein scandal, which has put the spotlight on sexual harassment in the entertainment industry. Names such as Kevin Spacey, James Toback, Brett Ratner, among others have also joined the infamous list. In Bollywood, Irrfan Khan was the first actor to come forward and share his story of how he was asked to compromise for work in his struggling days. Radhika says as "more and more women" are opening up about their experience, it is important to have a platform where complaints can be addressed. "Not just women, men also go through sexual abuse. I am specifically talking about the industry, I know a lot of men who have gone through this as well. It's high time this comes out," Radhika tells PTI in an interview. "Also, as the industry becomes more open and people from different parts come here - not just for people from their own production house or family - it's more important that we have a platform," she says. The Phobia actor says it is both "sensitive" and a "grey" topic and more transparency is needed to curb sexual misconduct. "People who exploit their power and abuse others need to be revealed. On the other hand, people are ambitious and are ready to do what is required. It needs to work from both the sides," says Radhika. "You need to learn to say no and need to recognise when you're being exploited. You will get your due, according to your talent. At some time. Some people come here running away from home, they have nothing to fall back on. A better organisation, rules and transparency will help a lot," she says. Several Hollywood celebrities, including names such as Olivia Munn, Natasha Henstridge, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, recently called out the alleged offenders.Asked if there is a fear among people within the industry to name the perpetrators, Radhika agrees, saying, "The fear is there because we still have this culture where Bollywood is considered to be this inaccessible magical place. But it's not, it's a workplace. Work ethics need to be introduced at every level. That's happening. But people have to come out and start taking names. She adds, "The fear also comes from 'Who is going to believe me? The other person has so much power, my complain will go unnoticed, that'll ruin my career'. That's the perception. I think more people need to speak up." The actress will soon be seen on MTV's digital show Fame-istan as a mentor to young filmmakers. To be aired on November 24, the show aims to give a platform to four aspiring filmmakers to make a short film and being mentored by the industry veterans.

Men also face sexual abuse in film industry: Radhika Apte

After days of relative silence about a series of sexual misconduct scandals roiling the United States,<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-stops-abruptly-to-drink-water-while-giving-a-speech-and-internet-cant-stop-having-a-laugh-24351"> President Donald Trump</a> weighed in&nbsp;Thursday, bashing a leading Democrat now under investigation.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-twitter-account-was-shut-down-by-employee-on-last-day-of-work-23424">Trump took to Twitter</a> to hit out at Senator Al Franken, who, it emerged earlier in the day, was photographed in 2006 groping a broadcaster&#39;s breasts while she was asleep.

&quot;The Al Frankenstien picture is really bad, speaks a thousand words. Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 &amp; 6 while she sleeps? ...,&quot;&nbsp; Trump tweeted.

Sports broadcaster and former model Leeann Tweeden also accused Franken, a former comedian once tipped as a possible White House candidate, of kissing her without her consent.

Franken has apologized and said he does not remember that second incident in the same way, but he now faces a Senate ethics investigation that could see him fined, stripped of committee posts or even expelled.

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The Al Frankenstien picture is really bad, speaks a thousand words. Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 &amp; 6 while she sleeps? .....
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Until now, the White House had tried to distance Trump from a rolling series of scandals that have reverberated from Hollywood to the halls of Congress.

As the storm of allegations has swirled, Trump -- who himself has faced more than a dozen allegations of sexual misconduct&nbsp; -- had largely avoided comment.

For days he refused to call on Republican senate hopeful Roy Moore to bow out of the race after being accused of sexual advances toward several teenagers.

But the US president appeared unwilling to pass up an opportunity to attack a Democrat who has been hyper-critical of his conduct as president.

&quot;And to think that just last week he was lecturing anyone who would listen about sexual harassment and respect for women,&quot; Trump said in a second tweet.

Franken is also on the judiciary committee, which is among those looking into Russia&#39;s role in the 2016 election.

As president and as celebrity, Trump has&nbsp;frequently injected himself into developments to which he has little connection -- from the shooting of Harambe the gorilla to NFL anthem protests.&nbsp;

But this intervention may pose more political risk for the 71-year-old.

In response to his latest foray, Trump critics immediately zeroed in on allegations against the president and his infamous remarks in which he boasted about grabbing women by the genital.

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.And to think that just last week he was lecturing anyone who would listen about sexual harassment and respect for women. Lesley Stahl tape?
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&lsquo;A lot more insight&rsquo;&nbsp;

Earlier&nbsp;on Thursday, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/tax-overhaul-drama-moves-to-senate-as-house-approves-its-bill-24413">the White House</a> said Trump believes the allegations against Moore were &quot;very troubling and should be taken seriously.&quot;

Several women stepped forward to accuse the would-be senator Moore of decades-old impropriety, including a woman who said he initiated a sexual encounter when she was 14.

But White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump&#39;s accusers should not be believed in the same way.&nbsp;

&quot;I think the president has certainly a lot more insight into what he personally did or didn&rsquo;t do, and he spoke out about that directly during the campaign,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

Moore, now 70, has also denied any wrongdoing and said he will contest the&nbsp;December 12&nbsp;poll.

The allegations against Moore are politically charged for the White House. They have heightened ideological splits in the Republican Party and could help decide who controls the Senate.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Republicans control 54 of 100 seats in the Senate, but if Democrats win in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/12-injured-as-car-ploughs-into-alabama-mardi-gras-parade-12901">Alabama</a>, victories in tight races in Arizona and Nevada and an upset elsewhere would put them in charge.

Privately some Republicans admit the race may now be lost, with the Republican vote split between Moore&#39;s die-hard supporters and so called &quot;write-in&quot; candidates who are not on the ballot.

Trump took to Twitter to hit out at Senator Al Franken, who, it emerged earlier in the day, was photographed in 2006 groping a broadcaster's breasts while she was asleep

After days of relative silence about a series of sexual misconduct scandals roiling the United States, President Donald Trump weighed in Thursday, bashing a leading Democrat now under investigation. Trump took to Twitter to hit out at Senator Al Franken, who, it emerged earlier in the day, was photographed in 2006 groping a broadcaster's breasts while she was asleep. "The Al Frankenstien picture is really bad, speaks a thousand words. Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 while she sleeps? ...," Trump tweeted. Sports broadcaster and former model Leeann Tweeden also accused Franken, a former comedian once tipped as a possible White House candidate, of kissing her without her consent. Franken has apologized and said he does not remember that second incident in the same way, but he now faces a Senate ethics investigation that could see him fined, stripped of committee posts or even expelled. The Al Frankenstien picture is really bad, speaks a thousand words. Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 while she sleeps? ..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17, 2017 × Until now, the White House had tried to distance Trump from a rolling series of scandals that have reverberated from Hollywood to the halls of Congress. As the storm of allegations has swirled, Trump -- who himself has faced more than a dozen allegations of sexual misconduct -- had largely avoided comment. For days he refused to call on Republican senate hopeful Roy Moore to bow out of the race after being accused of sexual advances toward several teenagers. But the US president appeared unwilling to pass up an opportunity to attack a Democrat who has been hyper-critical of his conduct as president. "And to think that just last week he was lecturing anyone who would listen about sexual harassment and respect for women," Trump said in a second tweet. Franken is also on the judiciary committee, which is among those looking into Russia's role in the 2016 election. As president and as celebrity, Trump has frequently injected himself into developments to which he has little connection -- from the shooting of Harambe the gorilla to NFL anthem protests. But this intervention may pose more political risk for the 71-year-old. In response to his latest foray, Trump critics immediately zeroed in on allegations against the president and his infamous remarks in which he boasted about grabbing women by the genital. .And to think that just last week he was lecturing anyone who would listen about sexual harassment and respect for women. Lesley Stahl tape? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17, 2017 × ‘A lot more insight’ Earlier on Thursday, the White House said Trump believes the allegations against Moore were "very troubling and should be taken seriously." Several women stepped forward to accuse the would-be senator Moore of decades-old impropriety, including a woman who said he initiated a sexual encounter when she was 14. But White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump's accusers should not be believed in the same way. "I think the president has certainly a lot more insight into what he personally did or didn’t do, and he spoke out about that directly during the campaign," she said. Moore, now 70, has also denied any wrongdoing and said he will contest the December 12 poll. The allegations against Moore are politically charged for the White House. They have heightened ideological splits in the Republican Party and could help decide who controls the Senate. Republicans control 54 of 100 seats in the Senate, but if Democrats win in Alabama, victories in tight races in Arizona and Nevada and an upset elsewhere would put them in charge. Privately some Republicans admit the race may now be lost, with the Republican vote split between Moore's die-hard supporters and so called "write-in" candidates who are not on the ballot.

Trump slams Democrat Al Franken accused of groping

Two more women came forward on Wednesday with allegations of sexual misconduct against embattled Republican US&nbsp;Senate candidate Roy Moore, one accusing him of groping her and the other of forcing a kiss on her when she was about 18.

They are the sixth and seventh women to accuse Moore of sexual improprieties.

Gena Richardson told the Washington Post that Moore, then a 30-year-old attorney, had repeatedly asked her for a date in 1977 just before or after she turned 18. Richardson said she finally agreed and went to a movie with Moore, the Post said.

In a dark parking lot at a mall in Gadsden, Alabama, Richardson said Moore gave her an unwanted, &quot;forceful&quot; kiss that scared her, the Post reported.

Another woman, Tina Johnson, told AL.com, an Alabama news site, that Moore groped her while she was in his Alabama law office on legal business in 1991.

Johnson, who was 28 at the time, said she visited Moore`s office with her mother, who had hired Moore in a custody case involving Johnson&#39;s 12-year-old son.

Johnson said Moore grabbed her buttocks as she left. &quot;He didn`t pinch it, he grabbed it,&quot; Johnson told AL.com.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegations from either woman, and Moore&#39;s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Five other women have accused Moore of sexual misconduct or of dating them when he was in his 30s and they were teenagers, prompting a wave of demands from national Republican Party leaders that he drop out of the December&nbsp;12 special Senate election to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he was named US&nbsp;attorney general last spring.

Moore, 70, on Wednesday denied the allegations of the first five women to step forward.

&quot;We are in the process of investigating these false allegations to determine their origin and motivation,&quot; he said in a statement.

Moore also said he believed a message that one of the accusers, Beverly Young Nelson, said he had written in her high school yearbook had been tampered with. Nelson accused Moore of sexually assaulting her when she was 16 and he was in his 30s.

Nelson displayed the yearbook message at a news conference in New York where she made the allegations on Monday. Moore`s campaign on Wednesday demanded that Nelson turn over the yearbook to a neutral custodian so a handwriting expert could examine it.

Republican leaders in Washington have asked Moore to withdraw from the race and said they are exploring write-in options for the election. The Alabama state party&#39;s leadership was meeting on Wednesday night to discuss their stance.

US&nbsp;Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has spoken to President Donald Trump and others about the situation. Trump appeared at the White House on Wednesday but did not make any mention of Moore.

Under state law, Moore cannot be removed from the ballot. If, however, the state party tells election officials that it wants to withdraw its nominee, or if Moore himself decided to do so, election officials would not certify any votes cast for Moore.&nbsp;

Before the allegations surfaced, Moore, a Christian conservative and former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice, had been heavily favored to defeat Democrat Doug Jones, a former US&nbsp;attorney. But a new poll on Wednesday, released by the Senate Republican&#39;s campaign arm, had Jones surging to a 12-point lead since the allegations surfaced.

A Democratic win in Alabama would be a blow to Trump&#39;s agenda and shift the political outlook for next year&#39;s congressional elections, giving Democrats a stronger shot at wiping out the Republican&#39;s&nbsp;52-48 Senate majority.

Moore has suggested that McConnell and other establishment Republicans are working in tandem with news media to discredit him.

The Washington Post had first disclosed allegations by four women about their relationships with Moore when they were teenagers, ranging in age from 14 to 18. One of the women said he initiated sexual contact with her when she was 14 and Moore was in his 30s.

They are the sixth and seventh women to accuse Moore of sexual improprieties.

Two more women came forward on Wednesday with allegations of sexual misconduct against embattled Republican US Senate candidate Roy Moore, one accusing him of groping her and the other of forcing a kiss on her when she was about 18. They are the sixth and seventh women to accuse Moore of sexual improprieties. Gena Richardson told the Washington Post that Moore, then a 30-year-old attorney, had repeatedly asked her for a date in 1977 just before or after she turned 18. Richardson said she finally agreed and went to a movie with Moore, the Post said. In a dark parking lot at a mall in Gadsden, Alabama, Richardson said Moore gave her an unwanted, "forceful" kiss that scared her, the Post reported. Another woman, Tina Johnson, told AL.com, an Alabama news site, that Moore groped her while she was in his Alabama law office on legal business in 1991. Johnson, who was 28 at the time, said she visited Moore`s office with her mother, who had hired Moore in a custody case involving Johnson's 12-year-old son. Johnson said Moore grabbed her buttocks as she left. "He didn`t pinch it, he grabbed it," Johnson told AL.com. Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegations from either woman, and Moore's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Five other women have accused Moore of sexual misconduct or of dating them when he was in his 30s and they were teenagers, prompting a wave of demands from national Republican Party leaders that he drop out of the December 12 special Senate election to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he was named US attorney general last spring. Moore, 70, on Wednesday denied the allegations of the first five women to step forward. "We are in the process of investigating these false allegations to determine their origin and motivation," he said in a statement. Moore also said he believed a message that one of the accusers, Beverly Young Nelson, said he had written in her high school yearbook had been tampered with. Nelson accused Moore of sexually assaulting her when she was 16 and he was in his 30s. Nelson displayed the yearbook message at a news conference in New York where she made the allegations on Monday. Moore`s campaign on Wednesday demanded that Nelson turn over the yearbook to a neutral custodian so a handwriting expert could examine it. Republican leaders in Washington have asked Moore to withdraw from the race and said they are exploring write-in options for the election. The Alabama state party's leadership was meeting on Wednesday night to discuss their stance. US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has spoken to President Donald Trump and others about the situation. Trump appeared at the White House on Wednesday but did not make any mention of Moore. Under state law, Moore cannot be removed from the ballot. If, however, the state party tells election officials that it wants to withdraw its nominee, or if Moore himself decided to do so, election officials would not certify any votes cast for Moore. Before the allegations surfaced, Moore, a Christian conservative and former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice, had been heavily favored to defeat Democrat Doug Jones, a former US attorney. But a new poll on Wednesday, released by the Senate Republican's campaign arm, had Jones surging to a 12-point lead since the allegations surfaced. A Democratic win in Alabama would be a blow to Trump's agenda and shift the political outlook for next year's congressional elections, giving Democrats a stronger shot at wiping out the Republican's 52-48 Senate majority. Moore has suggested that McConnell and other establishment Republicans are working in tandem with news media to discredit him. The Washington Post had first disclosed allegations by four women about their relationships with Moore when they were teenagers, ranging in age from 14 to 18. One of the women said he initiated sexual contact with her when she was 14 and Moore was in his 30s.

Two more women accuse US Senate candidate Moore of sexual misconduct

An unidentified actress has filed a suit against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, alleging he raped her in his room at a Beverly Hills hotel last year, entertainment publication Variety reported Tuesday.

The actress, identified in the suit only as &quot;Jane Doe,&quot; is the latest of more than 100 women who have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct, ranging from harassment to rape.

Variety said Weinstein&#39;s representatives denied the latest allegations, as with all the other accusations he has faced in recent weeks, saying the producer &quot;believes all of these relationships were consensual.&quot;

In the suit, filed against both Weinstein and the Weinstein Company, the woman says she met the now infamous film mogul at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills in late 2015 to discuss being cast in the Netflix series &quot;Marco Polo,&quot; according to Variety.

Once there, however, Weinstein told the woman he wanted to masturbate in front of her and when she said &quot;no&quot; he proceeded to grasp her wrist with one hand and masturbate with the other, the suit alleges.

In the spring of the following year, Weinstein is alleged to have contacted her again as if nothing had happened, giving her the impression she had been cast in &quot;Marco Polo.&quot;

He invited her to meet him again at the Montage Hotel to celebrate and she agreed, according to the woman&#39;s account.

During the meeting, he excused himself and returned in a bathrobe, but when she said she didn&#39;t want to do anything sexual, he dragged her into the bedroom where he used his &quot;massive strength and weight to force himself on her,&quot; the suit alleges.

The woman said she fled the room as soon as she could break free.

The actress, who is represented by attorney Gloria Allred, is seeking compensation and damages, claiming sexual battery, assault, and negligence, according to Variety.

&nbsp;

The actress is identified in the suit only as 'Jane Doe'

An unidentified actress has filed a suit against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, alleging he raped her in his room at a Beverly Hills hotel last year, entertainment publication Variety reported Tuesday. The actress, identified in the suit only as "Jane Doe," is the latest of more than 100 women who have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct, ranging from harassment to rape. Variety said Weinstein's representatives denied the latest allegations, as with all the other accusations he has faced in recent weeks, saying the producer "believes all of these relationships were consensual." In the suit, filed against both Weinstein and the Weinstein Company, the woman says she met the now infamous film mogul at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills in late 2015 to discuss being cast in the Netflix series "Marco Polo," according to Variety. Once there, however, Weinstein told the woman he wanted to masturbate in front of her and when she said "no" he proceeded to grasp her wrist with one hand and masturbate with the other, the suit alleges. In the spring of the following year, Weinstein is alleged to have contacted her again as if nothing had happened, giving her the impression she had been cast in "Marco Polo." He invited her to meet him again at the Montage Hotel to celebrate and she agreed, according to the woman's account. During the meeting, he excused himself and returned in a bathrobe, but when she said she didn't want to do anything sexual, he dragged her into the bedroom where he used his "massive strength and weight to force himself on her," the suit alleges. The woman said she fled the room as soon as she could break free. The actress, who is represented by attorney Gloria Allred, is seeking compensation and damages, claiming sexual battery, assault, and negligence, according to Variety.

Actress files suit alleging Weinstein raped her

Star Trek icon George Takei took to social media Saturday to deny an allegation he molested a male model in 1981&nbsp;as Richard Dreyfuss and Gary Godard became the latest entertainment figures to push back against sexual misconduct accusations.

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter published Friday, former model and actor Scott Brunton accused Takei, 80, of groping him while he was passed out from drinking at Takei&#39;s home.

Takei, who was in his early forties when the alleged incident took place, Saturday morning posted on Twitter and Facebook that it &quot;simply did not occur,&quot; adding he did not remember Brunton, who was 23 at the time.

&quot;Right now it is a he said / he said situation, over alleged events nearly 40 years ago,&quot; Takei said. &quot;But those that know me understand that non-consensual acts are so antithetical to my values and my practices, the very idea that someone would accuse me of this is quite personally painful.&quot;

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Right now it is a he said / he said situation, over alleged events nearly 40 years ago. But those that know me understand that non-consensual acts are so antithetical to my values and my practices, the very idea that someone would accuse me of this is quite personally painful. /4
&mdash; George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) <a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgeTakei/status/929334103605956608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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It came as actor Richard Dreyfuss, 70, was also accused of sexual misconduct Friday by writer Jessica Teich, 58.&nbsp;

She alleged the &quot;Jaws&quot; star harassed her over a period of two to three years in the mid-1980s, while she worked on a show he was producing. On one occasion, she said he exposed himself to her.

&quot;He created a very hostile work environment, where I felt sexualized, objectified, and unsafe,&quot; she told Vulture.

In a statement, Dreyfuss whose son Harry last week accused Kevin Spacey of groping him in 2008 denied exposing himself to Teich.&nbsp;

However, he said he had &quot;flirted&quot; with women, Teich included,&nbsp;acknowledging &quot;how men have behaved toward women for eons is not OK.&quot;

&quot;I did flirt with her, and I remember trying to kiss Jessica as part of what I thought was a consensual seduction ritual that went on and on for many years,&quot; he said.

&quot;I am horrified and bewildered to discover that it wasn&#39;t consensual. I didn&#39;t get it. It makes me reassess every relationship I have ever thought was playful and mutual.&quot;

Producer Gary Goddard, 63, also faced allegations of sexual misconduct toward a minor from &quot;ER&quot; and &quot;Top Gun&quot; actor Anthony Edwards.&nbsp;

Edwards, 55, published a blog post Friday alleging he was molested by Goddard a mentor and manager during his early career &nbsp;for &quot;years&quot; after meeting him aged 12.

&quot;Gary is saddened by the false allegations,&quot; a spokesman for the producer said, adding he denied the accusation &quot;unequivocally.&quot;

Star Trek icon George Takei took to social media Saturday to deny an allegation he molested a male model in 1981? as Richard Dreyfuss and Gary Godard became the latest entertainment figures to push back against sexual misconduct accusations.

Star Trek icon George Takei took to social media Saturday to deny an allegation he molested a male model in 1981 as Richard Dreyfuss and Gary Godard became the latest entertainment figures to push back against sexual misconduct accusations. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter published Friday, former model and actor Scott Brunton accused Takei, 80, of groping him while he was passed out from drinking at Takei's home. Takei, who was in his early forties when the alleged incident took place, Saturday morning posted on Twitter and Facebook that it "simply did not occur," adding he did not remember Brunton, who was 23 at the time. "Right now it is a he said / he said situation, over alleged events nearly 40 years ago," Takei said. "But those that know me understand that non-consensual acts are so antithetical to my values and my practices, the very idea that someone would accuse me of this is quite personally painful." Right now it is a he said / he said situation, over alleged events nearly 40 years ago. But those that know me understand that non-consensual acts are so antithetical to my values and my practices, the very idea that someone would accuse me of this is quite personally painful. /4 — George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 11, 2017 × It came as actor Richard Dreyfuss, 70, was also accused of sexual misconduct Friday by writer Jessica Teich, 58. She alleged the "Jaws" star harassed her over a period of two to three years in the mid-1980s, while she worked on a show he was producing. On one occasion, she said he exposed himself to her. "He created a very hostile work environment, where I felt sexualized, objectified, and unsafe," she told Vulture. In a statement, Dreyfuss whose son Harry last week accused Kevin Spacey of groping him in 2008 denied exposing himself to Teich. However, he said he had "flirted" with women, Teich included, acknowledging "how men have behaved toward women for eons is not OK." "I did flirt with her, and I remember trying to kiss Jessica as part of what I thought was a consensual seduction ritual that went on and on for many years," he said. "I am horrified and bewildered to discover that it wasn't consensual. I didn't get it. It makes me reassess every relationship I have ever thought was playful and mutual." Producer Gary Goddard, 63, also faced allegations of sexual misconduct toward a minor from "ER" and "Top Gun" actor Anthony Edwards. Edwards, 55, published a blog post Friday alleging he was molested by Goddard a mentor and manager during his early career for "years" after meeting him aged 12. "Gary is saddened by the false allegations," a spokesman for the producer said, adding he denied the accusation "unequivocally."

George Takei, Richard Dreyfuss face sexual misconduct claims

US&nbsp;comedian Louis C.K. on Friday admitted to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/actress-portia-de-rossi-accuses-steven-seagal-of-sexual-harassment-23862" target="_blank">sexual misconduct allegations made against him </a>by several women, and television and film companies moved quickly to sever ties.

&quot;These stories are true,&quot; C.K. said in a statement.

Five women detailed incidents regarding the Emmy-winning comedian in a New York Times report published on Thursday, including three women who said he had masturbated in front of them. The allegations dated back 15 years.

C.K. released his statement after his upcoming film &quot;I Love You Daddy&quot; was scrapped for release on Friday, and Netflix Inc cancelled a planned special with the comedian because of the allegations.

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Based on Louis CK&#39;s behavior, we are not making his second stand up special.
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Television network FX, a unit of 21st Century Fox, also severed its ties with C.K, and Time Warner&#39;s&nbsp; TBS network said it was suspending production on an upcoming animated comedy &quot;The Cops,&quot; which C.K. co-created and was due to star in.

&quot;He will no longer serve as executive producer or receive compensation on any of the four shows we were producing with him &ndash; &#39;Better Things,&#39; &#39;Baskets,&#39; &#39;One Mississippi&#39; and &#39;The Cops&#39;,&quot; FX Networks and FX productions said on Friday in an emailed statement.

The comedian&#39;s publicist, Lewis Kay, announced on Twitter that &quot;as of today, I no longer represent Louis C.K.&quot;

C.K., 50, said in his statement that he has &quot;been remorseful for my actions. And I&#39;ve tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I&rsquo;m aware of the extent of the impact of my actions. I learned yesterday the extent to which I left these women who admired me feeling bad about themselves &quot; his statement added.

He is the latest celebrity in the entertainment business to be accused of sexual misconduct by people coming forward in the wake of allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey.

C.K., who is best known for his TV comedy series &quot;Louie,&quot; added that &quot;I will now step back and take a long time to listen.&quot; He did not make clear how long he would be stepping back for.

Two of the women in the New York Times article, comedians Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov, said C.K. had invited them to his hotel room after a comedy festival in Aspen, Colorado, in 2002 and then masturbated in front of them.

&quot;The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly,&quot; C.K. said, adding that he thought it was ok to show his genitals to women if he asked them first.

&quot;You asked but we never said yes,&quot; Goodman and Wolov tweeted on Friday after his apology.

Netflix said earlier that it would not produce a planned second stand-up special with him.

Film distributor The Orchard said it would not be moving forward with the release next week of &quot;I Love You, Daddy.&quot; The movie was written and directed by C.K. and he also appears in the film as the father of a 17-year-old girl who has a romance with a 68-year-old filmmaker.

HBO said on Thursday that C.K.&#39;s past projects with the network, including 2006&#39;s &quot;Lucky Louie&quot; series, would be removed from its on-demand services and that the comedian would no longer participate in its Nov. 18 televised &quot;Night of Too Many Stars&quot; show.

Five women had accused CK of masturbating or asking to masturbate in front of them or on the telephone

US comedian Louis C.K. on Friday admitted to sexual misconduct allegations made against him by several women, and television and film companies moved quickly to sever ties. "These stories are true," C.K. said in a statement. Five women detailed incidents regarding the Emmy-winning comedian in a New York Times report published on Thursday, including three women who said he had masturbated in front of them. The allegations dated back 15 years. C.K. released his statement after his upcoming film "I Love You Daddy" was scrapped for release on Friday, and Netflix Inc cancelled a planned special with the comedian because of the allegations. Based on Louis CK's behavior, we are not making his second stand up special. — Netflix US (@netflix) November 10, 2017 × Television network FX, a unit of 21st Century Fox, also severed its ties with C.K, and Time Warner's TBS network said it was suspending production on an upcoming animated comedy "The Cops," which C.K. co-created and was due to star in. "He will no longer serve as executive producer or receive compensation on any of the four shows we were producing with him – 'Better Things,' 'Baskets,' 'One Mississippi' and 'The Cops'," FX Networks and FX productions said on Friday in an emailed statement. The comedian's publicist, Lewis Kay, announced on Twitter that "as of today, I no longer represent Louis C.K." C.K., 50, said in his statement that he has "been remorseful for my actions. And I've tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I’m aware of the extent of the impact of my actions. I learned yesterday the extent to which I left these women who admired me feeling bad about themselves " his statement added. He is the latest celebrity in the entertainment business to be accused of sexual misconduct by people coming forward in the wake of allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey. C.K., who is best known for his TV comedy series "Louie," added that "I will now step back and take a long time to listen." He did not make clear how long he would be stepping back for. Two of the women in the New York Times article, comedians Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov, said C.K. had invited them to his hotel room after a comedy festival in Aspen, Colorado, in 2002 and then masturbated in front of them. "The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly," C.K. said, adding that he thought it was ok to show his genitals to women if he asked them first. "You asked but we never said yes," Goodman and Wolov tweeted on Friday after his apology. Netflix said earlier that it would not produce a planned second stand-up special with him. Film distributor The Orchard said it would not be moving forward with the release next week of "I Love You, Daddy." The movie was written and directed by C.K. and he also appears in the film as the father of a 17-year-old girl who has a romance with a 68-year-old filmmaker. HBO said on Thursday that C.K.'s past projects with the network, including 2006's "Lucky Louie" series, would be removed from its on-demand services and that the comedian would no longer participate in its Nov. 18 televised "Night of Too Many Stars" show.

'These stories are true,' says comedian Louis CK

The Los Angeles County district attorney on Thursday announced the establishment of a task force to investigate allegations of sexual assault in the entertainment industry.

It is a sign of the scope of the problem, which has been spotlighted by the flood of allegations of sexual harassment and abuse by powerful men in Hollywood that have emerged in recent weeks.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/actress-portia-de-rossi-accuses-steven-seagal-of-sexual-harassment-23862" target="_blank">Also read: Actor Steven Seagal, comedian Louis CK accused of sexual misconduct</a>

&quot;In response to the widespread allegations of sexual abuse in the entertainment industry, I have established a task force of specially trained deputy district attorneys who are ready to evaluate these cases,&quot; Jackie Lacey said.

&quot;I have assigned the group of veteran sex crimes prosecutors to work together to ensure a uniformed approach to the legal review and possible prosecution of any case that meets both the legal and factual standards for criminal prosecution,&quot; Lacey said.

The New York Times and The New Yorker published articles on allegations that Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein had a decades-long history of sexual harassment and rape, prompting scores more women to speak out about his behavior and that of others in the entertainment industry.

Allegations have since emerged against &quot;House of Cards&quot; star Kevin Spacey, director James Toback, comedian Louis C.K. and others.

The task force was announced by the Los Angeles County district attorney

The Los Angeles County district attorney on Thursday announced the establishment of a task force to investigate allegations of sexual assault in the entertainment industry. It is a sign of the scope of the problem, which has been spotlighted by the flood of allegations of sexual harassment and abuse by powerful men in Hollywood that have emerged in recent weeks. Also read: Actor Steven Seagal, comedian Louis CK accused of sexual misconduct "In response to the widespread allegations of sexual abuse in the entertainment industry, I have established a task force of specially trained deputy district attorneys who are ready to evaluate these cases," Jackie Lacey said. "I have assigned the group of veteran sex crimes prosecutors to work together to ensure a uniformed approach to the legal review and possible prosecution of any case that meets both the legal and factual standards for criminal prosecution," Lacey said. The New York Times and The New Yorker published articles on allegations that Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein had a decades-long history of sexual harassment and rape, prompting scores more women to speak out about his behavior and that of others in the entertainment industry. Allegations have since emerged against "House of Cards" star Kevin Spacey, director James Toback, comedian Louis C.K. and others.

After flood of allegations, prosecutor sets up Hollywood sexual assault task force

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