British prime minister contenders drum up support, the Pentagon will help out troops who seek abortions, and Kevin Spacey won a sex abuse lawsuit.

Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter/Editor

British PM contenders; DOD to help with abortions; Spacey wins lawsuit

Oct 21, 2022

Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter/Editor

By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter/Editor), Ben Burke (Digital Producer)

Contenders to be the next British prime minister wasted little time drumming up support; the Pentagon will help out troops who seek abortions; and Kevin Spacey won a lawsuit that accused him of sexual abuse. These stories highlight the Daily Rundown for Friday, Oct. 21, 2022.

British prime minister candidates drum up support – Several British lawmakers, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, were trying to scoop up support Friday ahead of a short contest to replace Liz Truss as the nation’s leader. Truss resigned from the position Thursday, less than four months after Johnson did the same.

Other contenders include former British Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt. Nominations for a new leader will close on Monday afternoon, with candidates needing the signatures of 100 of the nation’s 357 Conservative lawmakers. The new leader is due to be selected by Oct. 28.

Pentagon to help troops seeking abortion – Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued an order Thursday saying the department will provide travel funds and support for troops and their dependents who seek abortions but are based in states where they are now illegal. The military will also increase privacy protections for those seeking care.

“The recent Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has impacted access to reproductive health care with readiness, recruiting, and retention implications for the force,” Austin said in the order. “Since the Supreme Court’s decision, we have heard concerns from many of our Service members and their families about the complexity and the uncertainty that they now face in accessing reproductive health care, including abortion services.”

Spacey wins sex abuse lawsuit – A jury ruled Thursday that actor Kevin Spacey was not liable for the alleged sexual abuse of then-14-year-old Anthony Rapp back in 1986. Jurors at a federal court in New York deliberated for a little more than an hour before deciding that Rapp hadn’t proven his allegations.

“This was a highly intelligent, highly educated jury,” Spacey attorney Jennifer Keller said after the verdict came in. “I think 11 of the 12 were college grads. Most had graduate degrees. They’re very, very bright people. They could see right through this.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tags: Department of Defense, Liz Truss, Lloyd Austin, Roe v Wade, The Pentagon, United Kingdom

AFTER A BOMBSHELL RESIGNATION…SPECULATION ON BRITAIN’S NEXT PRIME MINISTER BEGINS.
THE PENTAGON PAYING TRAVEL EXPENSES FOR ABORTIONS.
AND THE JURY IN KEVIN SPACEY’S TRIAL DELIVERS A VERDICT.
GOOD MORNING I’M KARAH RUCKER. AND HERE’S YOUR DAILY RUNDOWN.
LIZ TRUSS ANNOUNCED SHE IS LEAVING HER POSITION AS BRITAIN’S PRIME MINISTER AND BUZZ OVER WHO WILL LEAD THE COUNTRY HAS ALREADY BEGUN.
ON THE SHORT LIST OF CANDIDATES…IS CONTROVERSIAL POLITICAL FIGURE BORIS JOHNSON…THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER WHO RESIGNED —
AS TRUSS TOOK THE REIGNS.
IT’LL BE A HASTY PROCESS WITH A PARTY VOTE TAKING PLACE MONDAY —
FOR A COUNTRY DESPERATE FOR ‘LEADERSHIP’ AND A ‘PLAN’ TO CLIMB OUT OF SEVERAL CRISES.
THE PENTAGON WILL NOW COVER THE COSTS FOR A SERVICE MEMBER TO TRAVEL FOR AN ABORTION.
THE PROCEDURE ITSELF IS NOT COVERED BUT TRAVEL EXPENSES FOR THOSE STATIONED IN STATES WITH ABORTION RESTRICTIONS WILL BE REIMBURSED.
AND SINCE OUR MILITARY IS FEDERALLY FUNDED…IT’S TAXPAYER MONEY TO BE USED FOR SUCH EXPENSES.
40 PERCENT OF WOMEN IN THE MILITARY ARE STATIONED IN STATES WITH ABORTION BANS.
AND FINALLY…THE JURY IN KEVIN SPACEY’S TRIAL RETURNS A QUICK VERDICT…
FINDING HE DID NOT SEXUALLY ABUSE A FELLOW ACTOR ALMOST FORTY YEARS AGO.
IT MARKS ANOTHER VICTORY FOR SPACEY WHO HAS FACED SCRUTINY FOR SEVERAL SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS.
CHARGES IN ANOTHER CASE WERE DROPPED BY PROSECUTORS.
BUT HE STILL HAS ANOTHER TRIAL IN LONDON THAT WILL BEGIN NEXT JUNE.