Protesters Rally To Stop Kavanaugh
'We Believe Survivors': Demonstrators Throng Capitol Hill To Protest Kavanaugh. NPR: "With Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination speeding toward a Senate confirmation vote, demonstrators descended on Washington, D.C., to declare their urgent opposition to his bid. The throng of protesters gathered in the early afternoon outside the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse — where Kavanaugh serves as a federal appellate court judge — and then marched to the steps of the Supreme Court building less than a mile away. All the while they carried signs and shouted slogans rejecting President Trump's nominee, who has been the subject of several sexual misconduct allegations in recent weeks. There, on the steps of the Supreme Court, a series of speakers drove home their central theme: 'We believe survivors.' The U.S. Capitol Police said 302 people were charged with demonstrating unlawfully in two Senate office buildings."
Senators To Vote On Nomination
Senators set to take critical vote Friday on Kavanaugh nomination. CNN: "A vote in the Senate on Friday will be a crucial test of support for Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination. The Senate is set to take a procedural vote at 10:30 a.m. ET Friday to end debate on the nomination. If a simple majority of the upper chamber votes in favor, the Senate will be able to advance to a final confirmation vote as early as Saturday. If the vote fails, it would deal a major blow to the nomination and throw the possibility of confirmation into serious doubt. Republicans woke up on Friday without the necessary 50 votes to push ahead on Kavanaugh's nomination, people with direct knowledge of the situation tell CNN, though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his deputies were optimistic that they'd get there by the time of the vote. Injecting even more uncertainty into the process is the fact that Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana will not be in attendance if there is a Saturday vote because he will be walking his daughter down the aisle at her wedding. Adding another potential issue into the timing, the Senate was previously scheduled to be out on Monday for Columbus Day."
Manchin, Collins Votes Challenged
Protesters confront Manchin on Kavanaugh. The Hill: "Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a potential swing vote in Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation, was confronted by a protester who said she was a victim of sexual assault and demanded to know how he would vote. 'I don’t understand how you can’t look me in the eye,' the protester said, to which Manchin can be heard responding 'I can,' in a video recorded by ABC News. 'Why are you going to vote 'yes' on this,' the protester asked Manchin. Manchin has so far not indicated how he would vote. 'How do you know how I’m going to vote,' Manchin responded. He said he wouldn’t tell her how he intended to vote since he hadn’t yet decided. He also said he was listening to survivors of sexual assault when asked 'How are you not listening to us as survivors?' Manchin and Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) have each not publicly stated how they intend to vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination."
Former SCOTUS Judge Stevens Rebukes Kavanaugh
Retired Justice John Paul Stevens Says Kavanaugh Is Not Fit for Supreme Court. NYT: "In an unusual rebuke from a former member of the Supreme Court, Justice John Paul Stevens said on Thursday that Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh was not qualified to sit on the court. Justice Stevens said he came to the conclusion reluctantly, changing his mind about Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination after the second round of the judge’s confirmation hearings last week. Judge Kavanaugh’s statements at those hearings, Justice Stevens said, revealed prejudices that would make it impossible for him to do the court’s work, a point he said had been made by prominent commentators. 'They suggest that he has demonstrated a potential bias involving enough potential litigants before the court that he would not be able to perform his full responsibilities,' Justice Stevens said in remarks to retirees in Boca Raton, Fla. 'And I think there is merit in that criticism and that the senators should really pay attention to it.'"
Senate Passes Opioid Legislation
Senate easily passes sweeping opioids legislation, sending to President Trump. WaPo: "The Senate passed the final version of a sweeping opioids package Wednesday afternoon and will send it to the White House just in time for lawmakers to campaign on the issue before the November midterm elections. The vote was 98 to 1, with only Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) opposing it. The bill unites dozens of smaller proposals sponsored by hundreds of lawmakers, many of whom face tough reelection fights. It creates, expands and reauthorizes programs and policies across almost every federal agency, aiming to address different aspects of the opioid epidemic, including prevention, treatment and recovery. It is one of Congress’s most significant legislative achievements this year, a rare bipartisan response to a growing public health crisis that resulted in 72,000 drug-overdose deaths last year. "
