Republicans’ self-interest shifts their standards on sexual misconduct

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had no problem believing adult women who said they were sexually assaulted as students decades ago. Back in November 2017, McConnell called for Roy Moore to step aside after a number of women came forward and accused the Republican Senate candidate of trying to have sex with them when they were teenagers.

1 year after hurricanes, senators call for hearing on health,…

One year after hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Senator Elizabeth Warren and seven other senators are renewing calls for Senate hearings over the dire states of health and education infrastructure on the islands. "Hurricane Maria killed about 3,000 American citizens, had a crippling impact on health and education systems in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, had an impact all around the country - and yet, there hasn't been a single hearing," Warren, D-Mass., said Tuesday, using her time at a committee hearing on a different education bill passed in 2015 to raise the issues.

Steve Dettelbach unveils opioids plan, says Republicans have failed: Capitol Letter

An Ohio Statehouse north-side garden showcases a poppy quilt design to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Attacking addiction: Steve Dettelbach, the Democratic attorney general candidate, unveiled his plan to combat Ohio's opioid epidemic. He told cleveland.com's Laura Hancock he opposes Issue 1 but supports other ideas for criminal justice reform.

2nd Kavanaugh accuser certain about alleged encounter, her lawyer says

The attorney for the second woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct expressed his disapproval of how President Trump has mocked her account, adding that his client is certain about the alleged encounter. Add Supreme Court as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Supreme Court news, video, and analysis from ABC News.

Senate GOP tries to push Kavanaugh over the finish line Source: Cox Media Group

With President Donald Trump leading the charge, Republicans and the White House went on the offensive on Tuesday, accusing Democrats of using flimsy allegations of sexual misconduct in a last-ditch bid to stop the Supreme Court nomination of federal appeals court Judge Brett Kavanaugh, as GOP leaders vowed a Senate vote as early as next Tuesday. "We're going to be moving forward - I'm confident we're going to win," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters just off the Senate floor, as top Republicans formed a solid political wedge in public, making the argument that 'vague, uncorroborated allegations' should not be allowed to stop Kavanaugh.

American Petroleum INSTITUTEBill Koetzle Joins Api as Vice President of Federal Affairs

API today announced the addition of a Vice President of Federal Affairs, Bill Koetzle, whose experience on legislative, regulatory and policy issues in the energy sector will deepen the bench of experience and talent the organization has added in recent months. Koetzle comes to API from the Chevron Corporation, where he served as Manager of Federal Government Affairs, leading advocacy for the company in Congress, the Administration and federal agencies on priority issues for Chevron.

GOP picks female prosecutor to question Kavanaugh, accuser Source: AP

Senate Republicans are bringing in Arizona prosecutor Rachel Mitchell to handle questioning about allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, describing her as tough, experienced and, above all, objective. Christine Blasey Ford's allegation that Kavanaugh drunkenly assaulted her when they were teenagers has predictably raised a political storm in the #MeToo era and the GOP's all-male presence on the panel made some want a woman to question Ford.

The Latest: GOP bringing in Arizona prosecutor for hearing

Senate Republicans are bringing in Arizona prosecutor Rachel Mitchell to handle questioning about allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh at Thursday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. A news release from committee chairman Chuck Grassley's office describes Mitchell as "a career prosecutor with decades of experience prosecuting sex crimes."

Sen. Hatch: With Kavanaugh, Dems Goal Is Delay

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, on Tuesday, urged lawmakers to push ahead with Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation vote and slammed Democrats for attempting to delay and sully his nomination. Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual misconduct by two women and is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee this Thursday along with his first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford.

Ford’s Attorneys Now Worried About Hearing Being a ‘Circus’

The attorney representing Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, has sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, expressing concern over the setup for Thursday's public hearing, The Hill reported Tuesday. The lawyer, Michael Bromwich, particularly criticized the hiring of "an unnamed 'experienced sex crimes prosecutor,'" warning it could turn the hearing into a "circus" and said it is inconsistent with Blasey Ford's repeated requests that senators conduct the questioning.

Trump: Dem a con gamea

President Donald Trump denounced Democratic efforts to block Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation as a cynical "con job" on Tuesday and launched a dismissive attack on a second woman accusing the nominee of sexual misconduct in the 1980s, asserting she "has nothing." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell predicted that Kavanaugh would win approval, despite the new allegations and uncertainty about how pivotal Republicans would vote in a roll call now expected early next week.

U.S. Senate hopefuls in Tennessee spar on partisanship, avoid Trump

A popular former Tennessee Democratic governor positioned himself as a centrist in a race that will help determine control of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, while his Republican rival strove to paint him as a mere follower of Washington Democrats. FILE PHOTO: Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen sits in the new Volkswagen Passat during the press day for the North American International Auto show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., January 10, 2011.

Kavanaugh, Rosenstein Confrontations Are High Stakes

That day, the fates of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and much else, may be decided. The New York Times report that Rosenstein, sarcastically or seriously in May 2017, talked of wearing a wire into the Oval Office to entrap the president, suggests that his survival into the new year is improbable.

Rachel Mitchell, prosecutor experienced in sex-crimes cases, to…

Senate Republicans announced late Tuesday that Rachel Mitchell, a decorated career sex crimes prosecutor with decades of experience, will handle the questioning of Christine Blasey Ford, the California professor accusing Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault decades ago, at a scheduled hearing on Thursday. Saying he wants the hearing to be a "safe, comfortable, and dignified" environment, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley wrote in a statement that the move would help take politics out of the proceedings.

Trump’s Space Force Is Putting Us All in Danger

The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. On June 18, President Trump announced that he was directing the Pentagon to develop a new branch of the US military, a "Space Force" that would give the US "dominance" in that realm.