**ABC**TOP*NEWS**
**11*24*A*M**
Diana Nyad to Confront Cuba Swim Skeptics
Long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad will directly confront skeptics and their claims that she was dishonest about her record-setting swim from Cuba to Florida at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, her spokeswoman said.
“She is committed to complete transparency,” Nyad’s spokeswoman, Alexandra Crotin, said today in a statement.
Crotin did not answer questions about details of the meeting, including where and when it was taking place and who planned to attend.
Nyad, 64, and her 110-mile swim became the subject of debate last week among members of MarathonSwimmers.org, a members-only forum for distance swimmers. Critics on the site have been examining stroke speed, currents and other factors to determine whether Nyad was telling the truth about the September 2 swim. Critics say they are also skeptical about the speed with which she completed the journey and a 7-hour stretch in which she did not stop to eat.
The website did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
See Diana Nyad Finish Her Cuba to Florida Swim
Nyad’s team told the Associated Press that swift currents aided Nyad and helped her increase her speed during part of the swim.
Nyad said at a press conference last week that she was surprised at how fast the swim went. Her best friend, Bonnie Stoll, told her that she was on pace to arrive in Key West, Fla., a day earlier than planned.
“I said, ‘What about Monday night?’ and she said. ‘You’re not going to be swimming Monday night,’” Nyad said, standing up and pounding her chest with her hand. “All that trepidation I was feeling just rose up and now we were going again, now we’re going.”
See Diana Nyad Talk About Her “Hell On Earth” Swim
Andrew Innerarity/Reuters
SHOWS: Good Morning America
Syria Says It Accepted Russian Weapons Proposal
Syria said Tuesday it has accepted Russia’s proposal to place its chemical weapons under international control for subsequent dismantling.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said Tuesday after meeting with Russian parliament speaker that his government quickly “agreed to the Russian initiative.”
Al-Moallem added that Syria did so to “uproot U.S. aggression.”
His statement sounded more definitive than his remarks Monday, when he said that Damascus welcomed Russia’s initiative.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that Russia is now working with Syria to prepare a detailed plan of action, which will be presented shortly.
Lavrov said that Russia will then be ready to finalize the plan together with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
President Barack Obama said Monday the Russian proposal could be “potentially a significant breakthrough,” but he remained skeptical that Syria would follow through.
iPhone 5S, 5C and iOS 7 Announcements Coming Today at Apple’s Campus
After months of rumors and speculation, Apple is set to announce today its next iPhone or iPhones – the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C. Starting at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook is expected to take the stage at Apple’s campus in Cupertino, Calif., and detail the new features of the phones as well as announce the release date of iOS 7, the next version of the iPhone and iPad software.
- Apple will announce its new iPhones today at 10 a.m. PT/ 1 p.m. ET
- ABC News will have live coverage then
Thanks to months of leaked images and rumors (which we gathered together here) we have an idea of what Cook and his team might just reveal.
The iPhone 5S is going to be a lot like the other S versions of the phone (iPhone 3GS, 4S) — similar to the iPhone 5 but with some new tweaks. The biggest addition is said to be a fingerprint sensor in the home button of the phone. The sensor would allow users to quickly sign into the phone without having to put in a PIN or password. Other than that, the phone is said to look very similar to the iPhone 5, though it is said to come in a new champagne or gold color. A faster processor and improved camera flash are said to also be added to the 5S.
Follow ABC News’ iPhone 5S Live Blog Here, Starting at 1 P.M. ET.
Expected to join the 5S is a cheaper, plastic version of the iPhone — the iPhone 5C. According to the numerous leaked images, the phone will come in a selection of colors — thus the “C” — including pink, white, blue and green. The phone will be cheaper than the 5S and could replace the iPhone 5 or 4S. Apple usually drops the price on its older models when newer ones are introduced.
When it comes to the software, the new iPhones will run Apple’s iOS 7, which the company detailed in June at its Worldwide Developers Conference. iOS 7 is the biggest change the software has seen since the original iPhone was introduced in 2007. It has an entirely new design, including revamped icons and animations, and a host of new features, including a new Command Center for easy access to settings, a new multitasking view and revamped Camera, Mail and Calendar apps.
According to ABC News’ sources, the iPhone 5S and 5C will go on sale at Apple Stores on Friday, Sept. 20. The iOS 7 software will likely be released around the same time and will be available for the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 via a download.
In addition to the iPhone, Apple is also rumored to announce new iPods today and a software update to its Apple TV. Apple is not expected to discuss the next versions of its iPad today, though it appears the company is preparing new models of those as well.
ABC News will be live at the event at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. You can follow our live blog below at that time. If you are on a mobile device you can view the liveblog here.
Stay tuned for our continuous coverage throughout the day.
Woman Sues Hospital for Sticker Prank During Surgery
A Los Angeles woman is suing an area hospital and her anesthesiologist for allegedly putting a mustache and stickers on her face during surgery as part of a prank that she claims violated her dignity and endangered her health.
The unidentified woman, who worked as a surgical supply purchaser at the hospital, said her coworkers affixed a fake mustache above her lip and yellow tear drops below her left eye before a nurse snapped a photo, according to the suit.
“Perhaps the most vulnerable position any human being will ever endure in their life is a time when they are placed under full anesthesia,” reads the lawsuit, which claims the woman was fully anesthetized rather than sedated “for the sole purpose of humiliating and embarrassing the patient.”
The woman said that she learned of the prank when she returned to work after the October 2011 surgery and was approached by some coworkers who had seen the photos. Other coworkers avoided her, she claims.
She filed suit against Dr. Patrick Yang of Torrance Memorial Medical Center on August 15 in Los Angeles County Superior court.
A lawyer for Yang has not returned request for comment.
Torrance Memorial acknowledged the mustache photo incident in a statement to ABC News, saying the prank was “intended to be humorous in nature.” And although the anesthesiologist and the nurse “demonstrated poor judgment,” the hospital maintains that most of the woman’s allegations are “factually inaccurate, grossly exaggerated or fabricated.”
“While the breach of professionalism outlined above regrettably did occur, Torrance Memorial is vigorously defending this lawsuit and requesting its dismissal,” the statement reads, stressing that anesthesiologist Yang and the patient were “friendly” and “had a good working relationship.”
Read about a surgeon accused of performing fake surgeries.
The woman claims in the lawsuit that she was unable to return to work at the hospital because of “mental anguish” and “emotional and physical distress” prompted by the prank.
Beyond the “intentional infliction of emotional distress,” she’s accusing Yang and the hospital of defamation, invasion of privacy, negligence and civil conspiracy as well as battery and sexual harassment for “placing obscene images on her face” and positioning her neck “so that they could keep her mouth open in order to make a crude sexual joke.”
Read about how an Ohio hospital accidentally threw out a donated kidney.
She further claims that coworkers at the hospital “knowingly and willingly agreed and conspired among themselves to not self-report the true nature of this incident to the Department of Health” and failed to “impose sufficient discipline on its employees which would have prevented the further dissemination of photographs of plaintiff while she was under anesthesia.”
Torrance Memorial maintains that the anesthesiologist’s medical group “took appropriate corrective action to address his conduct,” and says the nurse was disciplined by the hospital.
“In addition, the medical center reported the situation to the Joint Commission and the American Nurses Credentialing Center, both of which investigated and closed the incident with no findings,” the hospital said in a statement.
“We take patient rights and privacy very seriously,” the statement reads. “After our internal investigation into the 2011 incident, we conducted additional training among the hospital’s staff about demonstrating professionalism at all times. We have taken substantial steps including privacy training to ensure patient rights are respected and protected for every patient in our hospital, even if that patient is a friend and colleague.”
The woman is seeking damages for emotional and physical distress resulting in depression, anxiety, sleeplessness and panic attacks, according to the lawsuit. She’s also seeking compensation for loss of earnings — past and future — and legal fees.
Muslim Fired by Abercrombie for Head Scarf Says Policy ‘Very Unfair’
The Muslim teen worker who scored a legal victory in an anti-discrimination suit against Abercrombie & Fitch, which cited its dress code in insisting she not wear a hijab to work, says the retailer’s policy is “very unfair.”
A federal judge issued the ruling last week that Abercrombie & Fitch discriminated against Hani Khan, 18, when she was fired from its Hollister store in San Mateo, Calif., in 2010 because she refused to remove her head scarf on the job.
Khan says she was approached by her manager after four months on the job.
“She expressed concern about my hijab,” Khan told ABC News. “That’s when I felt like it was not appropriate, what they were saying.”
After refusing to remove the hijab while at work, she was terminated. The company offered her the job back 11 days later as long as she did not wear the hijab, but she declined the offer, according to court documents.
“They just don’t feel like it fits in with their ‘Look Policy,’ which I feel is very unfair,” Khan said.
The “Look Policy” includes a grooming guidebook for employees outlining everything from what they should wear to how they should style their hair while on the job, according to court documents.
In court, the trendy clothing retailer argued that the hijab, worn by Muslim women as a sign of modesty, would negatively affect sales. But the judge said in writing “Abercrombie failed to offer any evidence from those four months showing a decline in sales.”
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit on Khan’s behalf in 2011. A trial on the company’s liability and punitive damages is scheduled for Sept. 30.
“Abercrombie & Fitch does not discriminate based on religion and we grant religious accommodations when reasonable,” a company representative told ABC News in a statement after the ruling.
It’s not the first time the company has made headlines or headed to court over image-related issues. Protesters gathered outside stores earlier this year after an interview Abercrombie’s CEO Mike Jeffries gave in 2006 resurfaced on social media.
In the interview, Jeffries said the company’s clothing was marketed toward “cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that.”
He later said he regretted the comments.
The company settled a class-action lawsuit for $50 million in 2004 after allegations of discriminatory recruitment and hiring practices. It admitted no wrongdoing.
Khan hopes her lawsuit will lead to policy changes at Abercrombie & Fitch.
“I really hope that they look into their policies and practices,” she said, “and they’re able to reflect some changes.”
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Jenny McCarthy made her hotly anticipated debut on “The View” today, and girlfriend really shook things up.
Joining the daytime panel alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters, McCarthy took to the stage amid applause, and the conversation naturally veered toward twerking. When Walters commented on her and America’s recent schooling on the classic dance move, McCarthy took it upon herself to twerk it out right on stage, along with Shepherd.
This season should be fun.
Do you have any musty old paintings sitting around house? You’d better have a closer look, because one might be a Vincent Van Gogh. And it might be worth millions.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam announced today that a lost painting by the Dutch master was discovered in a Norwegian industrialist’s attic. “Sunset at Montmajour,” a 1888 landscape from his period in Arles, in southern France, was officially authenticated by experts and unveiled today to an awestruck crowd. Gogh’s paintings typically sell for tens of millions.
The Social Climber will be back momentarily after checking her attic.
The unstoppable Serena Williams is now one notch closer to making women’s tennis history after she took her fifth U.S. Open title Sunday, defeating Belarusian champion Victoria Azarenka 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1. It may not be a shocker because Williams was the top seed at the slam, but it was a hard-won victory. Williams, 31, now holds one fewer Grand Slam titles than Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova on the all-time list. It seems like it’s just a matter of time until she goes down in history as the best.
Sheldon, Leonard — meet The Shat and The Bat. It’ll be a fanboy’s dream come true if, as hinted at Salt Lake Comic-Con this weekend, William Shatner and Adam West drop by the Pasadena pad of the gang on the hit CBS sitcom “The Big Band Theory.”
West, who played Batman for three years in the 1960s, gave the crowd a tepid “maybe” when asked by fans whether he’d guest-star on the show. But Shatner gave ’em what they wanted to hear.
“I promise you, I’m going back to L.A. tomorrow. Monday morning, I’ll make a call, OK?” Shatner, who starred as Capt. Kirk on the original “Star Trek” series, told the crowd to cheers.
Someone get him a phone.
Did you know that country crooner and “American Idol” champ Scotty McCreery is a former high school baseball pitcher? Well, The Social Climber didn’t, but his passion for the sport is clearly shining through now that he has announced he plans to donate $50,000 to youth baseball programs during a six-city tour of Major League Baseball stadiums. Some of the funds will go to MLB’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) initiative. Go, Scotty!
The kickoff of football season turned tragic Sunday when a 49ers’ fan fell to his death from an elevated walkway at Candlestick Park while watching the team’s season opener, according to San Francisco police. Multiple witnesses said that the man, who fell just after kickoff, appeared intoxicated. First aid was administered when medics arrived at the scene, but the man, who has not been identified, was decaled dead from his injuries.
The same day, a railing collapsed at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, injuring two fans who were in attendance to watch the Colts face the Oakland Raiders.
In an appearance on ESPN’s “Saturday Night Football” halftime show to promote his new single and video, “Berzerk,” rap favorite Eminem left The Social Climber scratching her head. With his mouth hanging open, the rapper and actor looked like he might fall over right in front of hosts Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit, who were attempting to pry him for details on his new record.
“Live TV freaks me out a little bit,” he said.
We feel your pain, Em. “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” drops Nov. 5.