*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).
Former President Donald Trump was fined $5,000 on Friday after a disparaging social media post about a key court staffer in his New York civil fraud case was allowed to linger on his campaign website after the judge ordered it deleted.
Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro pleaded guilty to a felony on Friday just as jury selection was getting underway in his trial on charges accusing him of participating in efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election in Georgia.
Republicans dropped Rep. Jim Jordan on Friday as their nominee for House speaker, making the decision during a closed-door session after the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump failed badly on a third ballot for the gavel.
Canada has removed 41 of its diplomats from India as tensions rise between the two nations.
Mitt Romney said he believes right-wing media is the reason for the radicalization of the GOP party.
An Army private who fled to North Korea before being returned home to the United States last month has been detained by the U.S. military, two officials said Thursday night, and is facing charges including desertion and possessing sexual images of a child.
Israel bombarded Gaza early Friday, hitting areas in the south where Palestinians had been told to seek safety, and it began evacuating a sizable Israeli town in the north near the Lebanese border, the latest sign of a potential ground invasion of Gaza that could trigger regional turmoil.
The Justice Department has secured a $9 million settlement with Ameris Bank over allegations that it avoided underwriting mortgages in predominately Black and Latino communities in Jacksonville, Florida, and discouraged people there from getting home loans.
Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes on Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge, and the country's defense minister told ground troops to “be ready” to invade, though he didn’t say when.
Addressing the nation from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden has made his case for major U.S. backing of Ukraine and Israel in a time of war.
