Vox Sentences: Bermuda re-bans same-sex marriage

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A disgraced White House aid resigns; Bermuda reverses its stance on same-sex marriage.

Another White House scandal

Tom Williams/Getty Images

• The White House is currently embroiled in controversy about how a man accused multiple times of domestic abuse was able to hold a top post without a permanent security clearance. [Vox / Andrew Prokop]
• Rob Porter announced Wednesday that he would resign as staff secretary after his two ex-wives came forward publicly with abuse allegations against him. [Washington Post / Josh Dawsey, Beth Reinhard, and Elise Viebeck]
• Porter’s first wife, Colbie Holderness, released pictures of herself with a black eye that she says Porter gave her by punching her in the face. And his second wife, Jennifer Willoughby, revealed that she filed for an emergency protective order against him. [Daily Mail / Louise Boyle]
• Porter’s ex-wives first relayed the allegations to the FBI during his routine background check for a full security clearance (which, by the way, he didn’t pass). [USA Today / David Jackson and Gregory Korte]
• White House communications director Hope Hicks, who has been dating Porter, helped craft a statement in his defense after the allegations were made public. [CNN Money / Brian Stelter]
• In a statement, Porter said that “these allegations are simply false,” as photographic evidence of the alleged abuse circulated widely. [NYT / Maggie Haberman and Katie Rogers]

Bermuda flips on same-sex marriage

• Bermuda has abolished same-sex marriage less than a year after legalizing it, becoming the first jurisdiction in the world to repeal such a law. [NBC News]
• The British territory will now refer to same-sex unions as domestic partnerships in a move that has infuriated LGBTQ activists and frustrated those working toward a more inclusive Great Britain. (Although territories usually have self-governance, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was lobbied to withhold permission for the change. He refused.) [Jezebel / Aimée Lutkin]
• Bermuda’s minister of home affairs said he hopes the move will balance opposition to same-sex marriage on the socially conservative island with European court rulings that ensure recognition and protection of same-sex couples in the territory. [Guardian]
• Another consequence: The repeal also means some cruise ships will no longer be able to host same-sex weddings. [Independent / Simon Calder]

Miscellaneous

• Stocks dropped again today, sending the market into “correction” territory. [NYT / Tiffany Hsu and Matt Phillips]
• Apparently, everything in DC is at least a little political — including the distinctive carpeting in Metro trains. [Washington Post / Faiz Siddiqui]
• In other city news: A new zoning ordinance in Detroit has effectively banned Airbnb from operating. [Curbed / Robin Runyan]
• Between the looming threat of nuclear war, government shutdowns, and stock market volatility, we’re living in frightening times. But the CDC needs you to stop cuddling chickens for comfort. [Atlas Obscura / Anne Ewbank]

Verbatim

“This evening little Mason was enjoying some food and decided he wanted a stuffed animal. ... He wanted it so bad, he climbed into the game to get that toy!!” [Titusville Fire and Emergency Services report on a Florida boy trapped inside a vending machine (they got him out unharmed) / Fox News]

Watch this: The horrific reality of a war with North Korea

Five experts discuss what a war on the Korean Peninsula would look like, how close we are to conflict, and the terrifying consequences. [YouTube / Danush Parvaneh, Alex Cannon, and A.J. Chavar]

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