5 things for July 18: Trump's walk-back, Ohio State University lawsuits, Las Vegas shooting litigation

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 7/18/2018, 10:57 a.m.
Major League Baseball held its All-Star Game on Tuesday night, but it looked a lot like the Home Run Derby. …
Donald Trump

By Doug Criss, CNN

(CNN) -- Major League Baseball held its All-Star Game on Tuesday night, but it looked a lot like the Home Run Derby. And, oh yeah, the National League lost again. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.

1. Trump's walk-back

Donald Trump did something he rarely does -- admit a mistake. The President has been taking a pounding from both sides of the political aisle over his comments during the Helsinki, Finland, summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. So Trump tried some cleanup at the White House, now saying he misspoke when he said, "I don't see any reason why it would be" Russia that interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

Reading prepared remarks to reporters in the Cabinet Room, Trump said, "The sentence should have been: 'I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia." He also said he accepted the US intelligence community's conclusion that the Russians meddled in the election, something he wouldn't do while standing right next to Putin on Monday. But even this came with a caveat from Trump: "It could be other people also."

It's doubtful that this will calm the uproar over his original comments. Senate Democrats are calling for hearings, including summoning Trump's national security team to testify about what the heck happened in Helsinki. A new bill backing tougher sanctions against Russia is also being considered. Meanwhile, Russia claims Trump and Putin reached military agreements during their meeting, but the White House wouldn't confirm this or offer any details about it.

2. Trade deal

A trade deal covering nearly a third of the global economy has been signed by the European Union and Japan. The deal -- which cuts or eliminates tariffs on almost all goods between EU members and the Asian nation -- stands in contrast to the approach taken by Trump, who has imposed tariffs on a large range of foreign goods. Lawmakers on both sides have to OK the trade deal, so it's not expected to kick in until next year.

3. Ohio State University lawsuits

Ex-wrestlers at Ohio State University filed a pair of class-action lawsuits this week against the school, saying it turned a blind eye to a team doctor's alleged sexual abuse of student athletes. In one suit four former members of the wrestling team claim they were "sexually assaulted, battered, molested, and/or harassed" by Dr. Richard Strauss in the 1990s. A second lawsuit filed by another ex-wrestler says he was inappropriately touched and sexually harassed by Strauss in the early 1980s. Ohio State said it remains "actively committed" to finding out what happened and what university leaders knew at the time.

Some former wrestlers claim US Rep. Jim Jordan, a former OSU assistant wrestling coach, knew about the alleged abuse. He denies that and is not named in the litigation. But that's not the only lawsuit with Ohio State connections. Another class-action suit accused former diving coach William Bohonyi of forcing two female athletes to have sex with him. CNN has attempted to reach Bohonyi for comment.

4. Las Vegas shooting lawsuits

The owner of the Las Vegas hotel where a gunman fired on a concert crowd last year and killed 58 people is now suing the survivors. Yes, you read that right. MGM Resorts, owner of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, says it's not liable for the Las Vegas concert massacre and filed two lawsuits that it hopes will shield it from litigation from victims. MGM's lawsuits name more than 1,000 of the shooting victims as defendants. An attorney representing many of the victims called the MGM suit "utterly reprehensible." In October, gunman Stephen Paddock smashed windows in his Mandalay Bay suite on the 32nd floor and fired on people attending a nearby country music festival.

5. ADHD and digital technology

Teens who spend a lot of time with digital media may be at a higher risk of developing ADHD symptoms. That claim comes in a new study published in the medical journal JAMA. The study examined the digital media habits of students at 10 high schools in Los Angeles County, California, over a two-year period. The researchers said the link between ADHD and higher use of digital media was "statistically significant but modest." ADHD symptoms include inattention, hyperactivity, restlessness or impulsivity that is more severe, frequent or debilitating than normal. It's estimated it affects about 5% of all children worldwide.

HAPPENING LATER

Speaking out

Those 12 boys and their soccer coach -- who were rescued after being trapped for days inside a flooded cave in northern Thailand -- will be released from the hospital today. They'll hold a news conference later today.

TODAY'S QUOTES

"I am not being alarmist. I'm simply stating the facts."

Former President Barack Obama, who warned about the rise of "strongman politics" during a speech in South Africa.

"l want to make sure the Patel family knows I love them like they love me."

Death row inmate Christopher Young, who was executed Tuesday night in Texas. Young shot and killed store owner Hasmukh Patel during a 2004 robbery. Patel's family opposed Young's execution.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.

Mystery solved

Members of that family seen in those old slides from a Goodwill store have been found, but they don't want any publicity, so they'll remain anonymous for now.

Black gold

Guess which country is about to pass Iraq and Iran in oil production? Actually it's not a country at all, but a state that used to be its own country -- Texas.

Helping hand

Someone complained about a Minneapolis teen's hot dog stand. But instead of shutting him down, the city helped him get a permit.

Not all heroes wear capes

A storm ruined a woman's dream wedding on a Mississippi beach. Then a complete stranger totally saved the day.

We're saved?

Thousands of experts on artificial intelligence have vowed not to develop autonomous weapons, so we're saved from a "Terminator"-like apocalypse, we guess.

TODAY'S NUMBER

1,000,000,000,000,000

That's the estimated amount of diamonds -- a quadrillion tons! -- researchers believe lie deep below the Earth's surface. That makes diamonds a lot more common than we thought.

AND FINALLY ...

Round and around

Dogs spin around all the time on command. Cats, not so much. Well, at least not until now.