Mitch McConnell sets Friday test vote on Brett Kavanaugh nomination

The Senate braced for a crucial initial vote Friday on Brett Kavanaugh's tottering Supreme Court nomination after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell set his polarized chamber on a schedule to decide an election-season battle that has consumed the nation. A showdown roll call over confirmation seemed likely over the weekend.

More Delay: Ford’s Attorneys Say They’ll Turn Over Her Therapy Notes in Exchange for FBI Interview

Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, lawyers for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, told Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley Wednesday that they would turn over the notes from her therapy sessions and recordings of the lie detector test that he had requested but only when the FBI interviews Ford. Ford claims that Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh groped her and attempted to rape her when he was drunk at a high school party.

Congress shouldn’t let Christine Blasey Ford’s attorneys call the shots

Attorneys for Christine Blasey Ford just informed the Senate Judiciary Committee that they won't be turning over evidence concerning her allegations that Brett Kavanaugh tried to rape her in high school. They will, they say, give the FBI copies of her therapist's notes and recordings of her polygraph test.

Mike DeBonis & Josh Dawsey:

The FBI investigation meant to defuse the explosive conflict over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sparked a new round of partisan combat Sunday, as the White House appeared to retain sharp limits on the probe even as President Donald Trump and Republican officials publicly suggested otherwise. Two Trump administration officials said Sunday that White House had not placed any limits on the FBI investigation into claims of sexual assault leveled against Kavanaugh but was also opposed to a "fishing expedition" that could take a broader look at Kavanaugh's credibility and behavior.

55% of GOP Say Sexual Assault Not Disqualifying for SCOTUS; What Is *Wrong* With Them?

Supreme Court nominee judge Brett Kavanaugh arrives with Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley for the second day of his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 5, 2018. What in the world is wrong with self-identified Republicans in the United States.

Trump says FBI has ‘free rein’ in Kavanaugh investigation Source: AP

The woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when they were students at Yale has agreed to cooperate with an FBI investigation, her lawyer said. Deborah Ramirez's lawyer, John Clune, said Saturday that agents want to interview Ramirez, who said Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s.

Trump says FBI has a free reina in Kavanaugh investigation

The woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when they were students at Yale has agreed to cooperate with an FBI investigation, her lawyer said. Deborah Ramirez's lawyer, John Clune, said Saturday that agents want to interview Ramirez, who said Kavanaugh exposed himself to her at a party in the early 1980s.

Trump bows to pressure, agrees to FBI probe of Kavanaugh

Senate Republican leaders have agreed to delay a final vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to allow time for an investigation by the FBI of the sexual misconduct allegations against him. WASHINGTON - Reversing course, President Donald Trump bowed to Democrats' demands Friday for a deeper FBI investigation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh after Republican Sen. Jeff Flake balked at voting for confirmation without it - a sudden turn that left Senate approval newly uncertain amid allegations of sexual assault.

10 takeaways from the Brett Kavanaugh-Christine Blasey Ford hearings

The eyes of the country were on a small hearing room on Capitol Hill Thursday where Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were both teenagers, testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The testimony was gripping -- and the whole hearing, featuring both Ford and Kavanaugh, is worth watching to get a full picture, but several moments and themes stood out.

Top takeaways from Christine Blasey Ford, Brett Kavanaugh hearing

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford , who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were teenagers, both testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Ford said during her testimony that she was "100 percent" sure that Kavanaugh assaulted her, while Kavanaugh said that he was "100 percent" sure he had not done anything of the kind.

Republicansa a oeFemale Assistanta Strategy Seems to Have Backfired

When it became clear Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was going to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her allegations of sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Republican members of the committee made a critical decision. Fearing a repeat of the 1991 Anita Hill debacle-once again, the Republicans on the committee are all men, and they didn't want to be perceived as badgering a victim of assault-they hired what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called a "female assistant" to do the questioning for them.

During Kavanaugh hearing, prosecutor addresses Ford feeling…

During Kavanaugh hearing, prosecutor addresses Ford feeling 'terrified' to testify: 'That's not right' Outside Republican counsel Rachel Mitchell outlines her questioning to Brett Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing addressing her sexual misconduct allegations against the Supreme Court nominee. Prosecutor Rachel Mitchell , hired by the Senate Judiciary Committee to handle some of Thursday's questioning, opened with some words of encouragement for Christine Blasey Ford , the woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.