Brett Kavanaugh, Elon Musk, ‘Night School’: Your Friday Briefing

The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote this morning on the Supreme Court nominee, a day after emotional testimony that riveted the nation. Read our Two accounts unfolded on Thursday: Christine Blasey Ford, her voice shaking at times, said a drunken Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers.

GOP races to first Kavanaugh vote after hearing from accuser Source: AP

Senate Republicans are plowing forward with a committee vote Friday on Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to Supreme Court after an extraordinary and emotional day of testimony where he denied accusations of sexual assault as "unequivocally" false. His accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, testified that she was "100 percent" certain Kavanaugh attacked her.

Congress sends bill to Trump to avert government shutdown

Congress has approved a bill keeping the government open through Dec. 7, as lawmakers move to avert a government shutdown looming next week. Trump's signature would avert a partial government shutdown set to begin Monday, weeks ahead of the Nov. 6 elections that will determine control of Congress.

Sexual assault testimony in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing triggers trauma, reports

The political became personal for many this week, as Christine Blasey Ford's testimony of sexual assault reopened old wounds for other victims - including two women who dramatically confronted a key US senator Friday in a Capitol elevator. The two pressed Senator Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, about the message he'd be sending victims like themselves if he voted to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh after hearing Ford's claim that he sexually assaulted her.

Kavanaugh hearing: What we learned from testimonies of judge and accuser

The US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh produced hours of fiery, emotional testimony. Both Mr Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing him of sexual assault when they were high school students, appeared before senators on Thursday.

Kavanaugh hearing runs red hot with partisan anger

A hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh devolved into a partisan fist-fight on Thursday as Democrats and Republicans - and Mr Kavanaugh himself - sparred over explosive allegations that he had sexually assaulted an acquaintance while both were teenagers. Senator Orrin Hatch, of Utah, called the hearing a "national disgrace", while Texas Senator John Cornyn said it was the most "embarrassing scandal for the US Senate since the McCarthy hearings" in the 1950s.

Angry Kavanaugh denies accusation as Ford recalls – laughter’ during alleged assault

Brett Kavanaugh denied allegations that he sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford when both were high school students and angrily told Congress that Democrats were engaged in "a calculated and orchestrated political hit". In her own testimony, Ms Ford told the same Senate Judiciary Committee that she was "100%" certain a drunken young Mr Kavanaugh had pinned her to a bed, tried to remove her clothes and clapped a hand over her mouth as she tried to yell for help.

House Judiciary panel subpoenas Andrew McCabe memos,…

The House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena Thursday for former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe's memos as well as the supporting documents the FBI used in its application to conduct surveillance on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Republicans requested McCabe's memos from the Justice Department over the summer and were told they would not be shared, according to several lawmakers.

Graham unleashes his fury on Democrats

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has vocally defended embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, displayed the depth and intensity of his fury on Thursday afternoon as Kavanaugh defended himself against sexual misconduct allegations. Graham declined to defer to prosecutor Rachel Mitchell, selected by the Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans to question Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford.

Sexual Assault Testimony May Trigger Victim Trauma

During the confirmation hearing for Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination, Christine Blasey Ford told Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., that Kavanaugh's and his friend Mark Judge's laughter during her alleged assaulted, remains her clearest memory of that moment. The media storm surrounding the sexual assault allegations by Christine Blasey Ford against Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court nomination process has become a spectacle with 24/7 news coverage.

Bringing in outside counsel to question Ford was a mistake

When the prospect of a Senate hearing to consider Christine Blasey Ford's charges against Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh were first raised, I wrote a column suggesting that the Senate use "outside counsel with experience in sexual harassment and assault" to question witnesses at the hearing. I argued it would make the proceeding more professional, more of a fact-finding hearing, and less of a political sideshow.

Furious Lindsey Graham Calls Kavanaugh Hearing ‘the Most Unethical Sham’

Senator Lindsey Graham, the blunt-speaking South Carolina Republican, vented to reporters on Thursday outside the hearing room where the Senate Judiciary Committee was hearing explosive testimony about sexual assault allegations against Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trump's embattled Supreme Court nominee. "What you want to do is destroy this guy's life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020," Mr. Graham, red-faced and dropping all pretenses of legislative comity, yelled at his Democratic colleagues.

History Repeating

On the eve of Christine Blasey Ford testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee about a Supreme Court nominee allegedly assaulting her when they were in high school, Anita Hill warned an audience at the University of Utah's Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House not to discount the role power plays in our understanding of sexual harassment and abuse allegations. "Access to equal justice was what was at stake in 1991, and it's what at stake now," Hill said on Wednesday.

Tritch Ranks High In In-District Donations

Solid fundraising won't guarantee victory in November, but Courtney Tritch's Congressional campaign is doing well by recent standards. If money is any indication, Tritch appears to be positioning herself as the strongest Democratic challenger in Indiana's 3rd District over the past five election cycles, dating back to 2010 when Tom Hayhurst raised $807,593 during his entire campaign when he lost to then-state senator Marlin Stutzman.

Sen. Lindsey Graham engages in fiery rebuke of Democrats during Kavanaugh testimony

Lindsey Graham's comments during the Kavanaugh testimony came after held a press conference Thursday during the Christine Blasey Ford testimony. Sen. Lindsey Graham engages in fiery rebuke of Democrats during Kavanaugh testimony Lindsey Graham's comments during the Kavanaugh testimony came after held a press conference Thursday during the Christine Blasey Ford testimony.