*By Carlo Versano*
The confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, which seemed increasingly likely on Friday morning, was thrown back into doubt after key swing vote Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) requested a one-week delay on a floor vote so the FBI could complete a background investigation. With that caveat, the Senate Judiciary Committee, on a straight party line, voted to approve, 11-10.
President Trump, reacting practically in real time, said he has not thought "even a little bit" about a replacement for Kavanaugh. As for an FBI investigation, Trump said, "I'm going to let the Senate handle that."
Protesters flanked the Dirksen U.S. Senate Building Friday morning, adding another layer of drama and tension after Thursday's fiery hearings featuring Kavanaugh and one of his accusers, Prof. Christine Blasey Ford.
After huddling with Democrats ー and being confronted by demonstrators ー Flake, who had just hours earlier indicated he was a "yes," said that while he supported the nomination, it was under the condition that there be a one-week delay for a full investigation. "We owe them due diligence," Flake said of Kavanaugh's named accusers, three women in total.
The implication, though not explicit, was that Flake's statement had the support of Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME). Without the three of them, the floor vote would fail. Murkowski later said she would support the delay.
As of Friday afternoon, the Committee does not have enough "yes" votes to confirm Kavanaugh.
Lines of cars formed at British gas stations for a fourth day on Monday, as the government mulled bringing in the army to help ease supply disruption triggered by a shortage of truck drivers.
Powell on Wednesday shed new light on the possibility of launching a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the U.S., and stakeholders in the worlds of both monetary policy and cryptocurrency took notice.
President Joe Biden is urging those now eligible for COVID-19 booster shots to get the added protection.
China’s central bank has declared all transactions involving Bitcoin and other virtual currencies illegal, stepping up a campaign to block use of unofficial digital money.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi revealed the development to reporters on Thursday. But
The European Union is unveiling plans that would require smartphone makers to adopt a single charging method for mobile devices.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid rose last week for a second straight week to 351,000, a sign that the delta variant of the coronavirus may be disrupting the job market’s recovery, at least temporarily.
Many had expected Fed Chair Jerome Powell to clarify the timing of the long-anticipated taper following Wednesday's meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), and he didn't disappoint.
President Biden used his first address before the U.N. General Assembly to declare that the world stands and at an “inflection point in history” and that the world must act with haste to move quickly and cooperatively to address the festering issues.
The White House says President Joe Biden will ease foreign travel restrictions into the U.S. beginning in November.
