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Olympian Simone Biles says she was abused by USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar

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“It is impossibly difficult to relieve these experiences,” Simone Biles wrote on social media Monday. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Simone Biles, one of the most decorated gymnasts in Olympic history, publicly alleged Monday that she was also sexually assaulted by former USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar.

“Most of you know me as a happy, giggly, and energetic girl. But lately … I’ve felt a bit broken,” the 20-year-old wrote in a statement she posted on Twitter. “I am not afraid to tell my story anymore.”

Biles’s statement implied her abuse was similar to allegations made in lawsuits and public statements by more than 140 women, who have accused Nassar, under the guise of medical treatment, of probing and fondling without gloves, warning or permission. Before Nassar pleaded guilty to a series of sex crimes late last year, both he and his attorneys denied the allegations and maintained he was providing legitimate pain therapy.

“It is not normal to receive any type of treatment from a trusted team physician and refer to it horrifyingly as the ‘special’ treatment. This behavior is completely unacceptable, disgusting, and abusive, especially coming from someone whom I was TOLD to trust,” Biles wrote.

Biles, who won four gold medals and a bronze at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, is the third member of that team, dubbed “The Final Five,” to accuse Nassar of abuse, along with Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas. McKayla Maroney, a gold medal-winning member of the 2012 Team USA women, and Jaime Dantzscher, a bronze medalist who competed at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, have also alleged abuse by Nassar.

Biles’s announcement came the day before the beginning of Nassar’s sentencing hearing in Lansing, Mich., in which dozens of women are expected to read victim impact statements over the course of four days before a judge hands down a sentence for seven sexual assaults Nassar has admitted to as part of a plea deal. Nassar, 54, already faces a 60-year sentence for federal child pornography crimes and has one more sentencing hearing scheduled for later this month, for three more sexual assaults committed in another county in Michigan.

Raisman tweeted earlier Monday that she will not be attending Nassar’s sentencing “because it is too traumatic” but added that a letter will be read in court on her behalf. “I support the brave survivors,” she wrote. “We are all in this together.”

Nassar, a physician with a specialty in sports medicine, particularly gymnastics, worked full-time at Michigan State’s school of osteopathic medicine and treated young athletes at a campus clinic. He also volunteered for USA Gymnastics and treated Team USA women’s gymnasts at the Karolyi family ranch outside Houston and at competitions around the globe.

Biles is one of the few elite gymnasts to come forward with allegations of abuse by Nassar who intends to continue competing, setting up a potentially uneasy relationship between one of America’s most well-known, and beloved, Olympic gymnasts and USA Gymnastics, the national governing body for the sport.

Last March, Steve Penny resigned as chief executive of USA Gymnastics as he drew criticism for acknowledging he waited five weeks in 2015 to inform law enforcement after a gymnast complained about Nassar, and that, after deciding to end USA Gymnastics’ relationship with Nassar a few weeks later, Penny did not inform Michigan State, where Nassar continued to work until September 2016, when another woman came forward alleging abuse.

Penny and USA Gymnastics have defended their decision not to inform Michigan State by claiming that was under direction of FBI agents investigating Nassar. The FBI — which has taken its own criticism for the slow pace of the Nassar investigation — has declined to confirm this contention. USA Gymnastics and Michigan State — whose employees have been accused in lawsuits of ignoring complaints against Nassar as far back as 1997 — are both facing dozens of lawsuits filed by alleged Nassar victims.

Read more from The Post:

Some Olympic sports organizations keep lists of banned coaches confidential

Amid sexual assault scandal, USA Gymnastics loses major corporate sponsors

Former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar pleads guilty to three more sexual assault charges

The woman behind ‘Me Too’ knew the power of the phrase when she created it — 10 years ago

Alabama snow and what you need to know

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It sure does look like it’s going to snow somewhere in Alabama on Tuesday.

The state was virtually covered in winter weather advisories, the governor has declared a state of emergency and many schools were announcing closings ahead of what could be a significant winter weather event.

But maybe not for the reasons you’d expect.

Snow day: Tuesday closing announced for some schools

Here are a few questions or things to know if you’re going to have to face the snow.

1. So is it REALLY going to snow?

The National Weather Service seems to think at least someone in Alabama will get snow on Tuesday.

All of the state except for the southeast corner is under a winter weather advisory.

A strong cold front is expected to move through Alabama tomorrow, and light snow is anticipated fill in behind it in the much colder air that follows.

Winter weather advisories expanded in Alabama

It will be cold enough for snow to fall in north and central parts of the state, and a wintry mix to light snow will be possible all the way to near the Gulf Coast.

In fact, the weather service in Mobile said up to 1 inch is not out of the question in isolated spots in south Alabama.

Less than an inch to maybe 2 inches will be possible in north and central Alabama.

2. OK then, so WHEN is it going to snow?

Snow could begin in northwest Alabama as early as 3 a.m. and spread south and east through the day.

Here’s a look at estimated arrival times from north to south:

The snow could last all day and taper off early Wednesday morning in areas in east Alabama.

3. There likely won’t be a lot of snow

Forecasters as of Monday night were thinking that 2 inches could be the top range for snow amounts across Alabama tomorrow. Most spots are likely to get an inch or less.

The exceptions could be higher terrain areas, which typically get a bit more.

Add an asterisk here: Those forecasts will likely be refined going into Tuesday.

4. But the amounts don’t matter as much for us this time because….

It’s going to be cold, and whatever falls is likely going to stick — and stick around for a while for those in north and north-central parts of the state.

So only a little snow has the potential to cause big travel issues.

Remember this?:

Traffic travels along I-20/59 near downtown Birmingham after a winter storm dumped snow on Jan. 28, 2014.Tamika Moore | tmoore@al.com 

Temperatures on Tuesday aren’t expected to rise above freezing in many spots — and some places in north Alabama may not make it above freezing again until Thursday.

And Monday’s halfway decent temperatures could have the consequence of “warming” up the roads, a bit, so that they could be still holding onto a bit of heat when the first snow falls.

That could cause the snow to melt, then quickly refreeze as temperatures continue to fall through the afternoon.

Which brings back bad memories for many of ….

5. Is it going to be just like the Snowmaggedon? No, the Snowpocalypse?

Not exactly like it. At least this time around forecasters have a better idea of what could happen, and many people across the state are electing to stay home and (hopefully) off the roads on Tuesday.

That should lessen traffic as well as potential problems.

It won’t catch us by surprise this time.

6. A winter weather advisory ISN’T a downgrade even though it may sound like one

The National Weather Service in Birmingham changed a winter storm watch to a winter weather advisory on Monday afternoon.

(NWS) 

(There are also winter weather advisories in effect for southwest Alabama and north Alabama.)

That may sound like a lesser threat, but it’s not, meteorologist Gerald Satterwhite said earlier this afternoon:

“Some people think that going from a watch to an advisory is a downgrade but it’s not,” he said. “The watch meant we were kind of keeping an eye on the potential for there to be winter weather impacts, but now that we’re more certain that will occur we’ve gone to an advisory.”

To get a winter storm warning more than 2 inches of snow would have to be expected.

7. Expect the forecast to change even now. 

There is only one thing that’s certain when it comes to winter weather in Alabama: Expect the unexpected.

There’s still the question of just how much moisture will make it into the state to touch off the snow as the cold air arrives.

It could mean hardly any snow. Or it could mean more.

“We’re still keeping a very close eye on the amount of precipitation that’s going to occur,” said the weather service’s Satterwhite. “We still can’t rule out there being just a hair more moisture with the system that could push totals a little bit higher.”

8. When are things going to get back to normal?

That depends on where you are. Temperatures in south and south-central Alabama are expected to rise into the mid to upper 30s on Wednesday, which could help to melt anything on the ground there.

North and north-central Alabama may not be as lucky. Temperatures for those areas on Wednesday aren’t expected to make it above freezing from roughly Birmingham north. So it may take longer for roads to become drivable again.

Thursday promises to have highs above freezing statewide.

Gallery: Snow possible in Alabama

 

13 Siblings, Some Shackled to Beds, Were Held Captive by Parents, Police Say

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The sheriff’s office did not say how long the siblings may have been held captive.

Sheriff’s deputies provided food and water to the siblings, who claimed that they were starving. They were later transported to hospitals for treatment. Their conditions were not released.

The Turpins’ home in Perris, Calif., on Monday. The police said it was dark inside and smelled foul.


Mike Blake/Reuters

California records show that Mr. Turpin had received state approval to run a private school, the Sandcastle Day School, at the family’s home, a one-story stucco house in a subdivision built in recent years. The school enrolled six students this year, in grades sixth through 12th, and Mr. Turpin was listed as the principal.

Perris, about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles, is one of the largest cities in Riverside County, which became an emblem of bankruptcy and foreclosure during the depths of the recent recession. Known as the Inland Empire, the region has rebounded in recent years.

The couple filed for bankruptcy in California in 2011, stating in court documents that they owed between $100,000 and $500,000 in debt. At that time, Mr. Turpin worked as an engineer at Northrop Grumman, the defense contractor, and earned $140,000 annually, records show. Ms. Turpin’s occupation was listed as a homemaker.

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Their bankruptcy lawyer, Ivan Trahan, said in a phone interview on Monday night that the parents spoke often about their children. They had 12 at the time of their bankruptcy, Mr. Trahan said, adding that the children never visited his law office.

“They spoke about them highly,” Mr. Trahan said.

He said Ms. Turpin told him that the family loved Disneyland in Southern California and visited often.

“We remember them as a very nice couple,” Mr. Trahan said. “This is shocking.”

On Sunday evening, a van and three cars were parked in the driveway at the Turpins’s house, and TV news station trucks lined their streets. Neighbors said they rarely saw the parents or the children, except for when some of the siblings were mowing the yard.

The Turpins moved to California from Texas around 2010, the parents wrote on Facebook, after Mr. Turpin returned to work for Northrop Grumman. On a family photo of the parents and 12 children (the youngest had not yet been born) posted on their Facebook page in 2011, a friend asked if all the children pictured were theirs.

“Yes all 12 are our children and we are very proud of them,” the Turpins replied.


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Hundreds gather at Orange County synagogue to mourn slain college student Blaze Bernstein

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Blaze Bernstein was on winter break and visiting his parents in Lake Forest when they proudly explained that his namesake was Blaise Pascal, the 17th-century child prodigy who went on to become a mathematician, inventor and master of prose.

The 19-year-old pre-med student at the University of Pennsylvania flashed a shy smile when they added, “We expect great things from you, too,” according to a website the family created in his memory.

A few hours later, Bernstein left the house without saying goodbye. He was reported missing the next day by his family, who became concerned after he didn’t show up for a dental appointment.

On Friday, three days after his body was found in a shallow grave in an Orange County park, detectives said they had arrested a former high school classmate in the slaying.

Two of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Children Speak Out Against Trump

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In Washington, Martin Luther King III, a son of Dr. King, noted Mr. Trump’s remarks and said, “I don’t even think we need to spend any time even talking about what it says and what it is.”

“Now the problem is that you have a president who says things but has the power to execute and create racism,” Mr. King said. “That’s a dangerous power and a dangerous position, and we cannot tolerate that. We’ve got to find a way to work on this man’s heart.”

While two of Dr. King’s adult children spoke out against the president on Monday, another relative, in an interview on Fox News on Saturday, defended Mr. Trump. “President Trump is not a racist,” Alveda C. King, a niece of Dr. King and a former Georgia state legislator, told “Fox and Friends.”

In brief remarks at Ebenezer, Mr. Trump’s housing and urban development secretary, Ben Carson, suggested that he had concerns about some of the remarks attributed to the president.

“I’m a member of this administration, and I don’t agree with the president about everything or of how it’s said,” said Mr. Carson, who noted, to some laughter, that he did not “even agree with everything that I’ve said.”

The Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., speaking during a commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Monday.


Phil Skinner/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, via Associated Press

“There is something to be said about understanding messaging,” Mr. Carson said, “and if the way you say things is so inflammatory that people can’t hear your message, it’s not helpful, and that’s why I don’t do that anymore.”

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Despite the partisan firestorm that has resulted from Mr. Trump’s remarks, elected officials in both parties publicly celebrated Dr. King’s work in Georgia, his birthplace and the site of his marble-encased tomb along Auburn Avenue in Atlanta. Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia, wrote on Twitter that “Dr. King’s legacy is a guiding light.”

Senator Johnny Isakson, Republican of Georgia, said it was a day to “honor and remember the leadership and wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose legacy continues to make a positive difference in the lives of many people in our state and around the world.”

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During a visit to Georgia last week, Mr. Trump approved legislation that upgraded the designation of National Park Service sites that honor Dr. King in Atlanta. And on Friday, he signed a proclamation marking the holiday on Monday and encouraged “all Americans to observe this day with acts of civic work and community service in honor of Dr. King’s extraordinary life.”

The White House on Monday tweeted a video message from Mr. Trump in which he says that Dr. King’s dream is “the promise stitched into the fabric of our nation, etched into the hearts of our people and written into the soul of humankind.”

Mr. Trump spent part of the holiday in Florida at the Trump International Golf Club, but White House officials did not confirm whether he played golf.

Michael D. Shear contributed reporting from Palm Beach, Fla.


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Flake Says Trump’s Fake News Claims as Damaging as Stalin’s Were

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Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake plans to compare President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on the media to those made by Joseph Stalin, the infamous dictator of the former Soviet Union, in a speech this week.

“When you reflexively refer to the press as the enemy of the people or fake news, that has real damage,” Flake said Sunday in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”

“And then now, today, you have authoritarians across the world using the term ‘fake news’ to justify cracking down on their opposition or — or stanch legitimate debate,” Flake said. “That’s nothing we should be proud of.”

Flake said he’ll expand on the Trump-Stalin comparison during a speech on the Senate floor, probably on Jan. 17. That’s the same day that Trump announced he’ll give out awards to media outlets he claims are producing “fake news.”

“The Fake News Awards, those going to the most corrupt biased of the Mainstream Media, will be presented to the losers” on Jan. 17, Trump said in a Jan. 7 Twitter message. “The interest in, and importance of, these awards is far greater than anyone could have anticipated!”

The president has repeatedly railed against what he says is fake news. In February, he called the media “enemy of the people” in a tweet.

Forbade by Khrushchev

“The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!” Trump wrote.

Vikings stun Saints with last-second TD to advance to NFC Championship Game

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SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports NFL insider Jarrett Bell attempts to put into words the unbelievable finish in Minnesota, and how important situational football meant in a weekend of classic games.
USA TODAY Sports

MINNEAPOLIS – In giant white letters on signage throughout the stadium, and in purple print on white towels placed on each of the 66,000 seats at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Minnesota Vikings made their intentions clear.

Bring it home, the signs said. Home, as in, to the Super Bowl, which will be played here in Minneapolis in three weeks.

The Vikings are now just one win away from becoming the first team to play a Super Bowl at home, after a stunning finished secured a 29-24 divisional-round win against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs scored the game-winning 61-yard touchdown as time expired, as Saints safety Marcus Williams dove at his legs rather than trying for a tackle. After Diggs regained his balance, he had a clear path to the end zone, where he was mobbed by teammates while fireworks exploded inside the stadium.

Quarterback Case Keenum led fans in a “Skol” chant while waiting for 11 Saints players to return from the locker room in order to take a kneeldown on the extra point attempt.

It was a stunning end to a game the Saints appeared to have won in the closing seconds, following a 43-yard field goal by Saints kicker Wil Lutz with 25 seconds remaining. Lutz’ kick came 64 seconds after the Vikings took a 24-21 lead on a 53-yard field goal by Kai Forbath.

The Vikings will travel to play the No. 1 seed Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game next week, a game in which Minnesota is likely to be favored, thanks to the top-ranked defense that largely shut down Drew Brees and the Saints offense on Sunday.

The Vikings intercepted Brees twice in the first half and held the Saints without a third-down conversion in the first two quarters.

More: Steelers’ Mike Tomlin gambled and lost against Jaguars, ending their NFL playoff hopes

More: Jaguars handle Steelers, crash AFC Championship Game party

For much of the game, each time Brees and the Saints offense seemed to find life, the Vikings defense found an answer – from Andrew Sendejo’s leaping interception on a deep pass in the first quarter, to a no-look deflection by defensive end Everson Griffen that wound up in the arms of linebacker Anthony Barr, to safety Harrison Smith’s third-down sack just before halftime that forced a long field goal attempt that was missed.

But this had been the Vikings’ winning formula for much of the season: bring pressure with Griffen and the rest of the hearty defensive front and play tight coverage in the secondary with Smith, Sendejo and cornerback Xavier Rhodes.

Minnesota finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in total defense and points allowed.

But the Vikings defense showed cracks in the second half of the game, as Brees and the Saints found momentum after Sendejo knocked out of the game with a concussion on a hit by receiver Michael Thomas.

Thomas caught a touchdown one play later to spark a Saints rally, and scored again early in the fourth quarter to cut Minnesota’s lead to 17-14.

The Vikings managed to extend the lead back to 20-14 on their next possession on a 49-yard field goal by Kai Forbath on a drive that featured two questionable challenges by Saints coach Sean Payton, who wanted to review a deep completion by Jarius Wright and if Keenum was down before a third-down incompletion. Payton lost both challenges – and two timeouts.

New Orleans secured its first lead on a 14-yard touchdown grab from running back Alvin Kamara to make it 21-20. That was the first of four lead changes in the final three minutes and one second.

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.

PHOTOS: Best of NFL divisional round

Here’s how this car got wedged in the upper wall of a two-story building

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A car hit a center divider, went airborne and crashed into the second floor of a small office building in Santa Ana, Calif., on Sunday. (Orange County Fire Authority)

The phrase “crashing into a building” took on a new meaning Sunday when a car in Southern California hit a center divider, went airborne and plowed into the second floor of a dentist’s office.

Images taken by the local fire department show the white sedan partially wedged into the building, its rear exposed as it tilted to one side.

Capt. Stephen Horner, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority, said officials received a call about a crash in Santa Ana, Calif., at about 5:30 a.m. The car was traveling at a high speed when it hit the concrete median. Horner said the driver was not driving parallel to the divider; instead it was coming from a side street and slammed into the median, much like a T-bone crash.

The impact sent the car into the air and into the small office building. Horner said a small fire was immediately extinguished.

Two people were in the car. One managed to get out, while the other one was trapped inside for more than an hour as authorities used a heavy piece of equipment to stabilize the vehicle, Horner said. Both were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

Horner said he does not have any more information on the occupants, but Santa Ana police said the driver admitted to having used narcotics.

Fire officials used a crane to pull the vehicle out of the building and bring it down, Horner said. The second floor, which is a storage space for files, suffered minor damage, he said.

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Missile alert blunder leaves Hawaiians fearful, skeptical

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A blunder that caused more than a million people in Hawaii to fear that they were about to be struck by a nuclear missile fed skepticism Sunday about the government’s ability to keep them informed in a real emergency.

Residents and tourists alike remained rattled a day after the mistaken alert was blasted out to cellphones across the islands with a warning to seek immediate shelter and the ominous statement “This is not a drill.”

“My confidence in our so-called leaders’ ability to disseminate this vital information has certainly been tarnished,” said Patrick Day, who sprang from bed when the alert was issued Saturday morning. “I would have to think twice before acting on any future advisory.”

The erroneous warning was sent during a shift change at the state’s Emergency Management Agency when someone doing a routine test hit the live alert button, state officials said.