'Start Here': Trump at UN, Cosby sentenced. What you need to know to start your day.
It's Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018. Here's what you need to start your day:
1. Former prosecutor to handle Republican questioning during Kavanaugh hearing
We'll see some of the most anticipated testimony in a generation Thursday from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and one of the women who has accused him of sexual misconduct.
Christine Blasey Ford will describe what she says was a sexual assault at a high school party more than 30 years ago by Kavanaugh, who has denied the allegation.
ABC News Senior Congressional correspondent Mary Bruce says Republicans have hired a female outside counsel to lead the charge in questioning.
2. Cosby sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison
It's been 13 years since Andrea Constand went to authorities in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, said she'd been sexually assaulted by the actor Bill Cosby and saw her case dropped by local prosecutors.
Now, ABC News' Mark Remillard says Bill Cosby is in jail and will likely spend years behind bars.
Cosby's team says it's planning to appeal.
3. Trump draws laughter in second U.N. address
Last year, in his first appearance at the United Nations, President Donald Trump laid into Iran, North Korea and even the body itself.
This year, things were a little different -- we even heard laughter from the audience.
ABC News' Aaron Katersky tells us about the unusual moment, and the message the president had for the rest of the world.
4. Surveying artificial islands in the South China Sea
Amid all the talk of Iran, North Korea and Russia, the U.S. has a real dispute with China that is putting huge parts of the world on edge.
A recent escalation of tariffs is just part of it. The U.S. has also taken exception to recent military escalation in the South China Sea. Hundreds of miles off the Chinese coast, in what used to be open ocean, man-made islands have appeared. They're Chinese military posts.
ABC News' Bob Woodruff recently went on a surveillance mission of these islands with the U.S. Navy and tells us the Chinese gave them stern warnings over the radio.
In other news:
Pushing for testimony: House Republicans push for Rosenstein testimony, subpoena for McCabe memos: A group of President Donald Trump's staunchest conservative allies in the House is pushing for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appear on Capitol Hill and testify under oath after reports he suggested secretly recording the president and invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him.
Former champ charged: Boxer Victor Ortiz arrested on suspicion of forcible rape: Boxer Victor Ortiz has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman in Southern California, according to police. The 31-year-old was booked on charges of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and forcible digital penetration, according to a press release issued by the Oxnard Police Department. Ortiz was subsequently booked on $100,000 bail.
Officer investigated: Video appears to show officer kicking teen at state fair: A Washington police department said it has opened a use of force investigation on Monday after a video showed an officer using pepper spray on a boy and kicking him in the back. The video, which captured the police officer kicking the boy to the ground as nearby officers yelled "get on the ground," had accumulated nearly 285,000 views on Facebook as of early Tuesday.
Freak tragedy: Bride on honeymoon paralyzed by monster wave: It was supposed to be a dream wedding. Instead, for Nikki and Will Lewis, their honeymoon in Hawaii turned into a nightmare when a monster wave crashed onto Nikki and left her paralyzed. The newlyweds were bodyboarding on Maui's Big Beach, in Makena State Park, a few days after their wedding earlier this month, when the wave, at least 6 feet high, slammed her into the ground.
Mountain rescue: Grandfather protects boy with his own life in off-roading accident: A 13-year-old boy is alive after the car he was in tumbled 150 feet down a mountain in New Mexico. Austyn Kerley was on an off-roading trip with his family near the Red River earlier this month when he and his grandfather, Gerard Greenough, 63, got their jeep stuck on a mountain trail.
From our partners at FiveThirtyEight:
The GOP's Least-Worst Option Is If Kavanaugh Withdraws - And Soon
'Nightline' Rewind: Here's what you missed last night:
Bill Cosby sentenced to 3 to 10 years in state prison for assault: Cosby, who was taken into custody immediately, had been convicted of assaulting Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.
'Reversing Roe': Documentary explores history of landmark Supreme Court abortion case: With abortion and women's rights in the national debate, the Netflix documentary is taking a look at the 1973 Roe v. Wade case.
On this day in history:
Sept. 26, 1989 -- South Carolina cleans up after Hurricane Hugo.
Today's must-see photo:
Bill Cosby is escorted out of the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, Sept. 25, 2018, in Eagleville, Pa., following his sentencing to a three-to-10-year prison sentence for sexual assault. (Photo credit: Jacqueline Larma/AP)
For more great photos from around the world click HERE.
What's hot on social:
This video captures the sweet reunion between a military mom and her 2-year-old son.
All right, you're off and running. You can always get the latest news on ABCNews.com and on the ABC News app. Details on how to subscribe to the "Start Here" podcast are below. See you tomorrow!
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