Artificial eyeballs and a life-size doll
There's a life-size doll hanging from a chandelier and a hallway covered in artificial eyeballs in the mansion of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. We'll get to that in a second. It’s Ashley. Here’s Wednesday's biggest news.
But first, can this 🍨trend stop? First the “ice cream licker.” Now, this Florida woman doing some real nasty stuff to ice cream. I'm about to go full Reese Witherspoon on the next person who tries this.
A life-size doll hanging from a chandelier and a new accuser
Federal agents who searched the mansion of wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein turned up a "vast trove of lewd photographs" of young-looking girls, including hundreds of meticulously labeled nude pictures locked in a safe, according to federal court documents. The memo was aimed at convincing a federal judge that Epstein should not be freed pending trial on charges of sex trafficking. The memo said the search turned up "hundreds – and perhaps thousands – of sexually suggestive photographs of fully – or partially – nude females." Other oddities found: a hallway covered with artificial eyeballs and a life-size female doll hanging from a chandelier, The New York Times reported.
A makeup artist living in Queens said Epstein "forcibly raped" her at age 15. In an interview with NBC News, Jennifer Araoz said fear kept her from coming forward so "maybe he wouldn't have done it to other girls."
A Trump administration member tied to Epstein defended his role in the sex offender's plea deal more than a decade ago. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta brushed aside calls for his resignation, saying he and others "proceeded appropriately."
Underage migrants report sexual abuse and poor conditions
Underage migrants held at the Border Patrol's facilities in Yuma, Arizona, reported poor conditions, as well as allegations of misconduct and sexual abuse at the hands of U.S. border agents. The accusations appear in reports compiled by case managers working for the Department of Health and Human Services, which takes custody of migrant youths after they've been processed at the U.S.-Mexican border, NBC News reported Tuesday. The accusations, the first to come out of Arizona, surfaced amid scrutiny on the federal government's treatment of migrants at the border.
What people are talking about
MLB players are furious, and they're willing to go on strike over the economic system.
Kourtney Kardashian miraculously united all four panelists on "The View."
A tropical storm is expected along the Gulf Coast. It's forecast to hit land as a hurricane.
The "Stranger Things" kids make more per episode than most Americans do all year. Does that seem upside down?
Who's the captain now? Tom Hanks fell off a boat (in slow motion) on his 63rd birthday.
Trump's Fourth of July celebration drained DC's security fund, mayor says
Remember that big ol’ Fourth of July extravaganza Trump threw last week? I mean, how could you forget all those tanks sitting around? Well, apparently, it was a little costly for the District of Columbia: Mayor Muriel Bowser said Tuesday that the costs emptied a municipal fund used to secure public events and defend against terrorist threats. The city spent about $1.7 million on Trump's "July 4th holiday activities and subsequent First Amendment demonstrations," Bowser said, and as a result, the fund will probably be empty before the end of the year.
Considering dying your hair purple?
The U.S. women’s soccer team got a hero’s celebration for winning their fourth World Cup title, honored with a ticker tape parade in New York. Fans from all over the country – including little girls with purple hair to honor star Megan Rapinoe – came to support the team as beloved for its devotion to female empowerment as it is for athletic accomplishments. Chants of "EQUAL PAY, EQUAL PAY" roared as the procession passed. More celebrations will follow: Rapinoe accepted a team invitation to celebrate with a visit to Congress. If President Donald Trump offered a party at the White House? Hard pass from Rapinoe, she said.
Here's the pay gap between male and female soccer players, explained.
Police investigate vandalism of Megan Rapinoe posters as a hate crime.
Real quick
Harvard suspended a famed professor for two years over "unwelcome sexual conduct."
Trump backed Home Depot on Twitter amid calls to boycott the retailer.
Matt Lauer and wife Annette Roque are officially calling it quits after filing divorce papers.
A federal appeals court rejected a lawsuit alleging Trump violated the Constitution by benefiting from his business while in office.
Global warming could lead to less fish in the sea (and elsewhere) for sport fishing.
Spotted 🕵️♀️: One big happy (royal) family
You don't see this every day: In a rare appearance, Duchess Meghan and Duchess Kate brought their little ones, including 2-month-old baby Archie, to watch Prince Harry and Prince William play at the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day. It’s the first time the royal cousins – Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – have been spotted together. More importantly, it was a rare joint outing for Meghan and Kate. Feud shmeud!
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Artificial eyeballs and a life-size doll
