EVERYONE'S TALKING

• Fox News alert: Former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson has filed a lawsuit against the cable news network’s chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, alleging that she was sexually harassed on numerous occasions and was fired after complaining about his behavior.

While Carlson's complaint is against Ailes and not Fox News (something that the legal community finds bizarre), it paints a picture of the network as a disturbingly macho environment. She contends that her former Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy belittled her on the set, openly mocked her among colleagues and once tried to shush her during a live broadcast. When she complained about the behavior to Ailes, he allegedly responded by calling Ms. Carlson a “man hater” and saying “she needed to learn to ‘get along with the boys.’”

Carlson's attorney called Ailes' behavior "very consistent and very pervasive" and in the hours since the lawsuit was announced, "at least ten" other women have contacted the law firm, wanting to speak about Ailes' treatment, according to a spokesman for the firm.

Ailes released a statement Wednesday evening calling the lawsuit "defamatory" and "retaliatory." 21st Century Fox, Fox News' parent company, has launched an internal investigation into both Ailes and Doocy.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

• Joni takes the floor. Sources tell the New York Times that Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) will have one of the most coveted speaking slots at the Republican National Convention, increasing speculation that Donald Trump is vetting her as a potential VP pick (the two met in New Jersey on Monday). Ernst, however, is trying to quell the rumors, telling Politico that her "heart is in Iowa." New York Times

• Verizon's rising star. Marni Walden, the head of product innovation and new businesses for Verizon, is in charge of reinventing the phone company into a digital powerhouse. The 49-year-old also is rumored to be on a short list to succeed company chief Lowell McAdam. Bloomberg

• Building a big deal. Ventas Inc., a real-estate investment trust run by CEO Debra Cafaro, has signed a $1.5 billion deal to buy assets from the Blackstone Group. Watch the real estate mogul explain to Fortune's Susie Gharib how her leadership style has changed over the years. Wall Street Journal

• Rules for friends. Sarah Krasley, founder of design firm Unreasonable Women, has six rules for founders who want to hire—and not lose—their friends. Fortune

• Huma & her hubby. William Cohan, who wrote a fascinating profile of Hillary Clinton's closest aide Huma Abedin back in February, dives into a question that many of us have been asking for a while: Why does she remain married to Anthony Weiner, the former congressman that has been at the center of not one, but two sexting scandals involving other women? Vanity Fair

• FB group IRL. Sponsored by Facebook, Women in Product is a new conference that hopes to bring together senior female product managers from across the tech industry. The one-day event will take place on Sept. 13. Fortune

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• A styling app's new look. Sometimes startups have to, well, start up again. A perfect example of this is the female-led online styling service Keaton Row, which completely overhauled its business model in the past year. Fortune

• Move over, Tony Stark. The next Iron Man will be... a woman! More specifically: A young, black female MIT student named Riri Williams. As with anything new in the Marvel Universe, fans' reactions to Riri have been mixed. Time

• A classless act. Here's fuel for a feminist rant: Some husbands are flying first class while their wives are relegated to economy. Telegraph

• The dream team? Slate creates a (fictional) all-female cabinet for Hillary Clinton. While it's unlikely to pan out (Clinton has promised an even gender split), it's entertaining to consider what would happen if women exclusively ran the country. Slate

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ON MY RADAR

In Syria’s broken society, brides are celebrating without the groom Wall Street Journal

Powerful photography project 'Dear Brock Turner' shows sexual assault in a new light Fortune

The surprising story behind Beyoncé's "Formation" Marie Claire

Why does the beauty industry ignore curvy models? New York Times

QUOTE

I had spent a lot of years not being confident about my songwriting. But I know that's all I had left, and that was my gift. I had read somewhere if you don't have gratitude and confidence in what you've been given, you're nowhere.

Gwen Stefani, on coming back onto the music scene after her divorce