WEIRD NEWS

...And Then Shelby Showed Up!

So here's the basic situation. Police in Palm Coast, Florida say 20-year-old Shelby McDowell crashed a wedding and snuck into the Hammock Beach Resort, reportedly to keep tabs on her boyfriend, Darby Johns, who was at the wedding as an invited guest. (Guess he didn't get the proverbial plus-one invite) Anyway, McDowell said she then saw Johns making out with another woman on the dance floor. That woman told police McDowell then rushed over and poured a drink on the couple, then punched her in the face. Mr. Johns version is that they hadn't even made it to the dance floor yet when McDowell came onto the scene, and they definitely weren't kissing. Witnesses say McDowell then ran into a bathroom - and that's when the wedding party apparently decided to get involved. McDowell says a bunch of bridesmaids yanked her out of a bathroom stall by her feet and started hitting her, but the resort manager told police that when he arrived on the scene to break up the brawl, McDowell was on top of the woman who'd been with Johns and was punching her. To make matters more complicated, at least for McDowell: Johns says she's not his girlfriend. McDowell was booked at the Flagler County Jail and faces misdemeanor battery charges. (New York Post)

Wouldn't It Be Wild if It Was the Clintons in Bed with Russia

New reports from the New York Times and Washington Post say that funding for research included in the explosive dossier on President Trump's Russia connections came from none other than the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee! A letter filed in court this week details how research firm Fusion GPS began working in April 2016 for a law firm employed by the Clinton campaign and the DNC to gather damaging information on Trump. According to the letter, Fusion GPS had already been doing research on Trump on behalf of one of the Republican's primary opponents before it was hired by Perkins Coie, the firm of Clinton campaign lawyer Mark Elias. Trump has long slammed the dossier compiled as politically motivated "fake news." In a tweet last week, Trump wondered whether the FBI, the Democrats, Russia, or all three had funded it. He's now expected to repeat conspiracy allegations, though sources tell the Post and the Times that Clinton and DNC officials were unaware of the role of Fusion GPS. Meanwhile, the FBI has corroborated parts of the dossier, which alleges Russia worked to help the Trump campaign and amassed compromising information on him. (Washington Post)

Would It Be Easier to Make a List of Men Who Haven't Sexually Harassed?

The list of well-known men who have sexually harassed women is exploding - and that list now includes former president George HW Bush. Actress Heather Lind accused the 41st president of sexual assault in a now-deleted Instagram post Tuesday, saying Bush "touched her from behind" during a photo-op in 2014. Lind wrote: "He touched me from behind from his wheelchair with his wife Barbara Bush by his side. He told me a dirty joke. And then, all the while being photographed, touched me again. Barbara rolled her eyes as if to say 'not again.'" Lind said a security guard told her she "shouldn't have stood next to him for the photo." Lind said that judging from comments from people around her, Bush had behaved the same way with "countless other women." She decided to come forward with her story after seeing a recent photo of the 93-year-old Bush with former President Obama. Bush issued an apology through a spokesman. "President Bush would never -- under any circumstance -- intentionally cause anyone distress, and he most sincerely apologizes if his attempt at humor offended Ms. Lind," the spokesman said in a statement to the New York Daily News. (Deadline)

Note From Einstein Sells for $1.5 Million

Back in 1922 Albert Einstein was touring Japan and staying at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo when he was informed he'd won the Nobel Prize for physics. Einstein wrote a note in German on hotel stationary that read: "A calm and humble life will bring more happiness than the pursuit of success and the constant restlessness that comes with it." He then gave the note to a courier who had made a delivery to his room. Well that little note just sold at auction for $1.56 million - setting a new record and far above the projected $5,000 to $8,000, per Winner's auction house. It is speculated that after the courier made the delivery, Einstein had no cash on him to use for a tip. Not wanting the boy to leave empty handed, he wrote and handed him the note. The auction house says the buyer was a European who wants to remain anonymous. (AFP)

Thanks Mr. Weinstein!

Harvey Weinstein's life of alleged sexual abuse has paved the way for a new film. Oscar-nominated filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering have announced that they're making a documentary about sexual abuse in Hollywood. The duo said their film will illuminate the "behavior of predatory perpetrators such as Harvey Weinstein and others," and the culture that "enables and protects them." The filmmakers say they have been trying to make the movie for years but found few people willing to talk on the record or a distributor willing to release the film. But after the Weinstein allegations began pouring in, they noted, "it's like an invisible dam collapsed." Dick directed the 2012 Oscar-nominated documentary The Invisible War, about rape in the US military, and 2014's The Hunting Ground, about sexual assault on college campuses. The latter was ironically released by The Weinstein Co. (Newser)

Apparently Starring in Boogie Nights is a Sin

Many view Mark Wahlberg's performance as fictional porn star Dirk Diggler in the 1997 film Boogie Nights as the actor's breakout role. Apparently Mark thinks it was just one big sin. Wahlberg says he hopes God will forgive him for accepting the role. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune ahead of an event with Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich on Friday, Wahlberg said that he hopes "God is a movie fan and also forgiving," because he says he's made "some poor choices" in the past. Wahlberg listed Boogie Nights when asked if he's prayed for forgiveness for any of his movies. Wahlberg has talked frequently about his Catholic faith and hosted an event honoring Pope Francis during his US visit in 2015. Wahlberg jokingly asked the pope's forgiveness for the movie Ted at that event. At the Friday night gathering of 1,000 or so attendees, Wahlberg also talked about his own troubled past - he'd been been involved with gangs as a teen and was even jailed for a racist assault on a Vietnamese immigrant - and said he continues to "work hard on myself." He also notes he carves out time for early morning prayer by retiring at 7:30pm each night. "This is way past my bedtime!" he joked to the crowd. (Chicago Tribune)

What the What?

In Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, 28-year-old Matthew McKeon has been charged with assault, endangering the welfare of children, and harassment after he banged two Boy Scouts' heads together at a scout camp. Police say McKeon was speaking with two Boy Scouts regarding their involvement in a Cub Scout Halloween costume contest. At the end of the conversation, he allegedly grabbed both scouts' heads, and purposely hit them together. The scouts complained of headaches and concussion-like symptoms afterward. Hmmm. Anyone feel like reciting the Scout Oath about now and see if this fits? (PennLive.com)

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