From the gripping Kavanaugh hearings to developments at the United Nations General Assembly, it’s been a busy week in American politics. Here are some of the biggest stories this week (and some links, if you want to read further).
Judge Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination: Here’s where things stand now.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines on Friday to advance Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation. [Read the story]
But the vote came only after Republican senators agreed to a last-minute demand from Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona: to conduct a time-limited F.B.I. inquiry into the allegations of sexual misconduct against Judge Kavanaugh. [Read the story]
President Trump, bowing to the request from Republican leadership, formally ordered the F.B.I. to open an investigation. Here’s what that inquiry could entail. [Read the story]
Why are Republicans so intent on advancing a nominee facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct? As our chief Washington correspondent writes, they see it as potentially their last, best chance to clinch a conservative majority on the Supreme Court for a generation. [Read Friday’s On Washington here]
Additional Reading
• Jeff Flake Is Confronted on Video by Sexual Assault Survivors
• American Bar Association and Yale Law School Urge F.B.I. Inquiry Into Kavanaugh
• Mark Judge Says He’ll Talk to the F.B.I. Here’s What We Know About Him.
On Thursday, a nation watched two strikingly different testimonies.
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who came forward last week with allegations that Judge Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her more than three decades ago, was the first to testify before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday. She was visibly anxious, but firm in her recollections. [Read the story]
Then Judge Kavanaugh delivered a visceral rebuttal, red-faced with fury over the allegations. He received support from some Republicans on the committee, including Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who excoriated Democratic senators. [Read the story]
The two contrasting testimonies riveted the nation — recollections so different that they could not be reconciled. [Read the news analysis]
Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony has raised questions about his neutrality and temperament, as well as the effect his confirmation could have on the court’s already fragile reputation as an institution devoted to law, not politics. [Read the story]
Additional Reading
• At Times, Kavanaugh’s Defense Misleads or Veers Off Point
• As Senator Collins Weighs Vote, Maine Women Size Up Blasey and Kavanaugh
• How Americans Across the Country Are Reacting to Christine Blasey Ford’s Testimony
