Senate Hearing Highlights FBI mishandling of Gymnasts Abuse Claims
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate held a hearing to examine the extent to which the FBI mishandled its investigation into the sexual abuse committed by Larry Nassar against hundreds of gymnasts while he was a physician for the women’s national gymnastics team. Several of the most accomplished gymnasts who were abused by Nassar testified at the hearing, including Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman. We speak with Rachael Denhollander, a former gymnast who was the first to publicly come forward against Larry Nassar.
What Constitutes An Apology to Survivors of Sexual Abuse?
On Wednesday, FBI director Christopher Wray apologized to the survivors of former USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar’s abuse, saying that he is sorry members of his agency didn’t do more to stop Nassar when they had a chance. Officials at the highest levels of our government don’t issue apologies often, but to survivors of abuse, Wray’s words may feel hollow. Beyond saying sorry, what has the FBI actually done to hold itself accountable after its mishandling of the Nassar case? We speak with playwright and author V (formerly known as Eve Ensler) about what truly constitutes an apology to survivors of abuse.
What Deepfake Technology Means for Women
Countless deepfake apps and platforms have emerged that essentially allow users to make nonconsensual porn videos of women with little to zero coding skills. This technology can do everything from “stripping” the clothes off of women to face-swapping a female celebrity’s face onto a porn actor’s body. For more on this, The Takeaway spoke to Rebecca Delfino, law professor at LMU Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, and Karen Hao , the senior AI editor at MIT Technology Review.
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