Fortune Article

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! The nation reacts to a flood of sexual assault accusations against Donald Trump, an investor gets litigious about Ursula Burns’ spinoff plans, and Michelle Obama gives a speech for the ages. Have a restful weekend.

EVERYONE'S TALKING

• FLOTUS on fire. Michelle Obama spoke at a Hillary Clinton rally in New Hampshire on Thursday, addressing the Donald Trump sexual assault scandal without ever once mentioning the GOP nominee by name.

"This has shaken me to my core," said the First Lady, a tremor in her voice. “This is disgraceful, it is intolerable, and it doesn’t matter what party you belong to—No woman deserves to be treated this way. None of us deserves this kind of abuse.”

Addressing the women in the audience, she acknowledged that many of us are "trying to pretend like this doesn't really bother us maybe because we think that admitting how much it hurts makes us as women look weak." But it's okay to be shaken by seeming normalization of sexual assault or by "that guy at work that stands just a little too close, stares a little too long," said Obama. And it's not just women that are being victimized: "to dismiss this as everyday locker-room talk is an insult to decent men everywhere."

I urge you to take a moment to read—or better yet, watch—her full address. As the country focuses on who will become the next White House occupants, Obama's speech reminded me to be grateful for the woman who lives there now.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

• Trump talks... Donald Trump responded to the latest outpouring of sexual assault and harassment claims (more than 10 women came forward in a 24-hour time period) by accusing the media and “Washington establishment” of spreading “false smears” as part of a conspiracy to keep him out of the White House. Some of his supporters, meanwhile, questioned the timing of the allegations, ignoring the fact that several of the women cited Trump's debate denial as the moment that prompted them to come forward. For more context, check out Valentina Zarya's comprehensive guide to all of Trump's other scandals involving women.

• ...and we talk Trump (again). While we don't intend to make Broad Strokes a weekly video show about Donald Trump, this week, the topic was a difficult one to avoid. Here's what Val and I found most interesting—and disturbing—about the latest Trump news. Fortune

• Warren's latest burn. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (a.k.a. Queen of the tweetstorm) is not impressed with Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf's decision to step down. "I said Stumpf should resign, return every nickel he made during the scam, & face DOJ/SEC investigation," she tweeted, in reference to remarks she made before the Senate Banking Committee. "He’s 1 for 3." Fortune

• Copy that. Xerox, led by CEO Ursula Burns, is being sued by Darwin Deason, one of its largest shareholders. Deason is attempting to block the company's plan to spinning off its document outsourcing business. Fortune

• Dishing with Deng. Wendi Deng explains why she made Sky Ladder, a documentary about fireworks artist Cai Guo-Qiang—and talks Rupert Murdoch, Vladimir Putin, and Ivanka Trump. The Guardian

• Miller time? A lawsuit being brought by investment manager Gina Miller is poised to make Brexit even more complex than it already is. Fortune

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• Getting clubby. New York City is now home to The Wing, an exclusive women’s-only social club. Is this the future of female networking—or just another exclusionary institution? New York Magazine

• From empathy to unemployment. NYT Magazine has the inside story on what happened when the first black woman to receive tenure at Wheaton College, Larycia Hawkins, donned a hijab in solidarity with Muslim students—and ended up losing her job. New York Times Magazine

• Meet Marybeth. Vox has a Q+A with Marybeth Glenn, the conservative blogger who made headlines when she railed against the GOP in the wake of the Access Hollywood tape, tweeting: “If you can’t stand up for women and unendorse this piece of human garbage, you deserve every charge of sexism thrown at you.” Vox

• Hewson finds what she's looking for. Jordan Hewson is determined not be known just as "Bono's daughter" (maybe it helps when your dad doesn't have a last name?). Instead, she's working to earn her entrepreneurial bona fides with Speakable, a startup dedicated to promoting social activism. Fortune

Share today's Broadsheet with a friend:
http://fortune.com/newsletter/broadsheet/

Looking for previous Broadsheets? Click here.