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October 31, 2011 | | PREDICTABLE After initially evading the brewing scandal, GOP frontrunner Herman Cain responded to recently unearthed allegations of sexual harassment by calling the claims a “witch hunt.” While heading the National Restaurant Association, Cain said, “I was accused of sexual harassment. Falsely accused, I might add. I was falsely accused of sexual harassment.” The Daily Beast’s Michelle Goldberg on Cain’s tendency to blame criticism on left-wing conspiracies—and evoke the supposed martyrdom of Justice Clarence Thomas. CONSOLATION Palestine has become a full member of UNESCO, the cultural and educational body within the United Nations. With a vote of 107-14 with 52 abstentions, UNESCO delegates approved the membership Monday. The divisive move angered the U.S. and Israel. Nimrod Barkan, Israel’s ambassador to UNESCO, called the vote a tragedy. The Obama administration announced that it is cutting off funding for the body, refraining from making a $60 million payment it planned for November. The U.S. provides 22 percent of its budget, or about $80 million a year. Palestinian officials' ultimate goal is full U.N. membership. LIGHTS OUT Bad news for Northeast residents left in the dark after this weekend’s unusual Halloween snowstorm: it may be days before all power is restored. More than 3 million homes and businesses in the Northeast lost power; by now, utility companies have been able to restore at least a million of those, but officials warn that the rest will have to be patient. Downed trees and power lines cover the street in some cities such as Hartford, Conn., where trick-or-treating may have to be put on hold to keep kids safe. FERTILITY As the world welcomed its 7 billionth member Monday, the United Nations says the empowerment of women will be the key to the world’s stability as population continues to grow. The U.N.’s Population Fund said educating women and girls is the one thing that could best stabilize fertility rates and control the number of children born—a key to managing population growth. Judith Bruce, a senior associate at the Population Council, said fewer children born later in the mother’s life leads to better-cared-for kids. The council’s data show that delaying marriage and childbearing just five years in the least developed countries would lead to 224 million fewer children born by 2050—a 39 percent drop in the expected population growth. INSIDE STORY Not in Front of the Corgis, from monarchy chronicler Brian Hoey, is out in June and provides a tantalizing peek inside palace life. The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes gets his hands on a U.K. copy and offers the best tidbits, from Prince Charles’s shoelace-ironers (and massive staff) to a royal murder. | | 
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