What to know now:
1. Shooting protests: The governor of North Carolina has declared a state of emergency as violent protests continued Wednesday following the police shooting of an African American man. The National Guard was deployed in Charlotte after a protester was shot by another protester Wednesday. The demonstrations started after Keith Lamont Scott was shot by a Charlotte Police officer after police said he ignored a request to drop a weapon he was holding. Authorities say there is video of the shooting, but it has not been released.
2. Sexting, again: Former New York congressman Anthony Weiner says the claim that he sexted with a 15-year-old girl is "probably a hoax," though he stopped sort of denying the accusation. Weiner was accused Wednesday of exchanging sexually explicit texts with the teenager earlier this year in an online relationship that lasted several months. "I have repeatedly demonstrated terrible judgement about the people I have communicated with online and the things I have sent," Weiner told FoxNews.com. Weiner is the estranged husband of Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton. If the story is true, Weiner could face charges.
3. Birther no more: In an interview Wednesday, Donald Trump says he made the announcement last week that President Barack Obama was born in the United States because he wanted to "get on with the campaign." Trump said it was a distraction and he wanted to address other issues during the last weeks of the campaign. "Well, I just wanted to get on with, you know, we want to get on with the campaign. "And a lot of people were asking me questions. And you know, we want to talk about jobs, we want to talk about the military," he said. "We want to talk about ISIS and how to get rid of ISIS. We want to really talk about bringing jobs back to this area because you've been decimated. So we really want to get just back onto the subject of jobs, military, taking care of our vets, et cetera."
4. Call for an investigation: A Michigan congressman has called on the IRS to audit the Trump Foundation. After reports that Trump used Foundation money to pay for a legal settlement, Sander Levin, (D-Mich.), sent a letter to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen asking that the agency look into the use of the foundation's charitable funds. The Washington Post reported that Trump used $258,000 from his charity to pay off settlements in two lawsuits.
5. Pitt isn't the father: Actress Marion Cotillard announced Wednesday that she is pregnant and that Brad Pitt is not the baby's father. Cotillard's name was mentioned as a possible reason for the split between Pitt and his wife, actress Angelina Jolie. Jolie filed divorce papers last week. Cotillard was rumored to be involved with Pitt whom she met when the two made a movie together recently. The actress said she wanted to set the record straight because the rumors were, "affecting people I love." She confirmed her longtime relationship with actor Guillaume Canet. The couple have a 5-year-old son.
And one more
Disney has pulled a costume for a Polynesian character from its stores after complaints that it is insulting to Pacific Islander people. The costume, which was released in advance of Disney's new movie "Moana," lets children dress as "Maui," a figure in Polynesian oral traditions who is featured in the animated film. The costume consists of a long-sleeve brown shirt and brown long pants with full-body tattoos. Some complained that the costume was disrespectful to Maui, and likened it to one that would feature blackface.
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