GOP Senate Pushes Kavanaugh Vote
Senators prepare to review FBI report on Kavanaugh after early morning arrival. WaPo: "Senators prepared to view the FBI’s completed report on Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh, which the Judiciary Committee announced it had received early Thursday morning, setting up another day of high drama on Capitol Hill. The White House said overnight that it is 'fully confident' that the Senate will confirm President Trump’s nominee, whose confirmation process has been roiled by the allegations of sexual misconduct by three women while he was in high school and college. In anticipation of the report’s arrival, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday night teed up a key vote to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination for Friday. Until that vote, senators will be rushing in and out of a secure facility at the Capitol to review the sensitive FBI report that the bureau has compiled, looking into allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh."
FBI Hands Over Cursory, Eyes-Only Report
Accuser 'silenced' and witnesses ignored, FBI's Kavanaugh probe denounced as 'sham' and 'charade'. Common Dreams: "With the report summarizing the FBI's less-than-a-week-long probe into sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh now in the hands of the Senate Judiciary Committee, his accusers as well as witnesses to the events—not to mention outraged lawmakers and public citizens—are speaking out forcefully Thursday morning to decry the entire process as a "sham" and a "charade" in which those with the most to offer investigators were clearly ignored and the constraints set by the White House more obvious than ever. 'We are profoundly disappointed that after the tremendous sacrifice she made in coming forward, those directing the FBI investigation were not interested in seeking the truth.' —Legal team of Dr. FordCalling into question the entire probe, lawyers for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford issued a statement late Wednesday confirming their client, who herself offered credible testimony about Kavanaugh assaulting her while in high school, was never contacted or interviewed by the FBI nor were numerous witnesses they might have corroborated her claims. 'An FBI supplemental background investigation that did not include an interview of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford — nor the witnesses who corroborate her testimony — cannot be called an investigation,' said the statement. 'We are profoundly disappointed that after the tremendous sacrifice she made in coming forward, those directing the FBI investigation were not interested in seeking the truth.'"
Mass Moblilization To Stop Kavanaugh
'Furious about Kavanaugh?' Here's the detailed plan to fight back and defeat Trump's nominee. Common Dreams: "The Women's March, Planned Parenthood, and other groups are organizing a major march set to begin at 12:30pm on Thursday in Washington, D.C., starting at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals where Kavanaugh is currently a judge and ending at the Supreme Court, where a large rally will take place. On Twitter, MoveOn.org Washington Director Ben Wikler shared several other ways Americans can get involved if they're not able to be in the nation's capital on Thursday. Protesters were also encouraged to continue calling their senators to demand that they oppose Kavanaugh's nomination—a tactic that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), another potential "no" vote, has taken notice of in recent days. Wikler urged voters to try calling all of their senators' offices throughout the state until they're able to speak to someone or leave a message—as voicemail boxes are filling up quickly amid the #CancelKavanaugh push."
1600 Men Voice Support For Dr. Ford
1,600 men voice support for Christine Blasey Ford in New York Times ad, video. Now This: "1,600 men voiced their support for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who brought her allegations of sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, Wednesday's video follows a full-page ad signed by the men in the New York Times, a crowd-funded effort supported by the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign."
Judge Blocks Trump From Ending Immigrant Shields
Judge blocks Trump from ending protections for 300,000 immigrants. Politico: "A federal judge late Wednesday blocked the Trump administration’s move to end Temporary Protected Status for more than 300,000 nationals from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan. The move temporarily halts the administration’s plan to force the beneficiaries — some of whom have lived in the U.S. for decades — to find another immigration status or face deportation. In a 43-page order, San Francisco-based U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen concluded the TPS recipients from those countries, along with their children, will “indisputably” suffer irreparable harm and hardship as a result of the decision to sunset their enrollment. Chen, an appointee of President Barack Obama, wrote that TPS recipients with U.S.-born children could face a difficult choice: Bring their children with them — “tearing them away from the only country and community they have known” — or leave them behind in the U.S. 'The balance of hardships thus tips sharply in favor of TPS beneficiaries and their families,' Chen continued."
