All Three Swing Senators Express Disgust at Trump's Mocking of Ford
*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).
Covid cases have started to spike again across the nation, and this time they seem to be hitting some of our youngest and most vulnerable - school-aged children. School districts across the nation - including the country's largest public school system in New York City- are all grappling with what to do as teachers and students alike continue to miss school in droves.
Katie Honan, reporter for the New York City-based non profit news organization, The City explains how educational leaders across the country are handling covid demands from both teachers and parents alike.
Last week, the Supreme Court began here to hear arguments on two of the President's COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The vaccine or testing requirement for employees of large businesses, as well as the vaccine mandate for health care providers who get funding through either Medicare or Medicaid. The justices in DC will ultimately decide whether or not federal agencies even have the authority to issue these types of mandates. Editor at large of employment at Law 360, Vin Gurrieri, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals Richenda Sandlin-Tymitz, Marketing & Content Manager at Alaska Tour & Travel, breaks down when and how to plan your best trip to Alaska; Kristen Miller, Acting Executive Director, Alaska Wilderness League, discusses the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the oil drilling that threatens it; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Magic of the Wild.'
Kristen Miller, acting executive director, Alaska Wilderness League, discusses the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the oil drilling that threatens it.
The Department of Treasury is warning Americans to expect delays on their tax returns this year as the IRS manages staffing shortages due to the pandemic.
The United States and Russia remain distant following a meeting between high-level officials for the two countries in Geneva, Switzerland. The nations remain conflicted over Washington's concern of a potential invasion of Ukraine by Russia and Moscow dispute with NATO expanding into former Soviet states. Hagar Chemali, host of Oh My World on YouTube and former spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the U.N., joined Cheddar's "News Wrap" to give her take about the careful diplomatic negotiations underway. "I would expect more rounds," she said about the talks. "Both sides really remain adamant that we're not going to talk about Russia's proposal, and Russia doesn't want to talk about anything but its proposal. So once they start talking about the other items on the table, and there are a few other items, that's when negotiations can start."
Markets closed the day mixed, and well off their lows of the day following a market meltdown earlier in the session. The Nasdaq staged a comeback late in the day, even amid ongoing worries about the Federal Reserve raising interest rates. Doug Flynn, certified financial planner and co-founder of Flynn Zito Capito, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the markets' close and what's driving the major indexes.
