*By Carlo Versano*
Did Donald Trump overplay his hand on Brett Kavanaugh?
All three of the swing Senators ー who could collectively on Friday decide the Supreme Court nominee's fate ー reacted with indignation to President Trump's mocking imitations of Prof. Christine Blasey Ford at a Tuesday evening rally in Mississippi.
"Appalling," Sen. Jeff Flake (R-TX) said.
"Unacceptable," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said.
"Just plain wrong," Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said.
However, none of the legislators indicated that Trump's ridiculing of an alleged sexual assault victim ー met by applause from his supporters ー would be a deciding factor in how they will vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation.
As Ben Dreyfuss, editorial director at Mother Jones, told Cheddar, the vote is a no-win situation politically ー at least for Murkowski and Collins, who are both seeking re-election. Flake, on the other hand, is not running for re-election.
No Senator wants to be the deciding 50th vote to sink the nomination, Dreyfuss said. "A lot of them would be willing to be the 51st, or 52nd, or 53rd."
As of midday Wednesday, the in-progress FBI investigation remained the focal point of Capitol Hill, and eyes turned to the Senators who will end up deciding Kavanaugh's fate. As Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) told Cheddar in a separate interview, the "scale and scope" of the FBI probe is still unknown.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has demanded a vote by the end of the week, and the swing Senators have been tight-lipped on their positions, opting instead to express their disgust about Trump's remarks.
"They haven't shown their cards a lot here," Dreyfuss said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/president-trumps-comments-about-kavanaugh-accuser-draw-criticism-from-key-senators).
Indiana's initial estimate for Medicaid expenses is nearly $1 billion short of its now-predicted need, state lawmakers learned in a report that ignited concern over the state's budget and access to the low-income healthcare program.
The IRS said Tuesday it is going to waive penalty fees for people who failed to pay back taxes that total less than $100,000 per year for tax years 2020 and 2021.
Senate leaders announced Tuesday that there will not be a vote this year on a border security package that included funding for Ukraine and Israel.
Criticism is continuing to mount on former President Donald Trump for his comments over the weekend saying immigrants are "poisoning the blood" of the country.
A former Proud Boys organizer was sentenced to 40 months in prison yesterday for his involvement in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Israel reportedly delivered an offer with possible terms for a second week-long ceasefire.
A divided Colorado Supreme Court is removing former President Donald Trump from the state’s primary ballot, saying in a historic ruling that he is ineligible to be president after his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The death of a 5-year-old migrant boy and reported illnesses in other children living at a warehouse retrofitted as a shelter has raised fresh concerns about the living conditions and medical care provided for asylum-seekers arriving in Chicago.
New York State will create a commission tasked with considering reparations to address the persistent, harmful effects of slavery in the state under a bill signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday.
The White House is lending its support to an auto industry effort to standardize Tesla’s electric vehicle charging plugs for all EVs in the United States.
