*By Carlo Versano*
After nearly two weeks of resistance, President Trump ordered an FBI investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, whose future seat on the nation's highest court had been suddenly thrown into doubt thanks to the wavering support of Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ).
Trump's order came at the end of another dramatic day in Washington, when Senator Flake, considered to be a key swing vote in Kavanaugh's confirmation, requested a delay on a floor vote so that the FBI could look into accusations raised by three women about sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh during his high school and collegiate years.
The Senate Judiciary Committee granted that request, saying in a statement, "The supplemental FBI background investigation would be limited to current credible allegations" and set a deadline of one week.
Earlier in the day Flake, after huddling with Democrats and being confronted by protestors, said that while he supported Kavanaugh's nomination, it was under the condition that there be a one-week delay for a "limited in scope" investigation. "We owe them due diligence," Flake said of Kavanaugh's named accusers, three women in total. That was a significant reversal from his position just a few hours earlier, when he'd indicated he was a "yes."
Around that same time President Trump said he had not thought "even a little bit" about a replacement for Kavanaugh. He added that he found Thursday's testimony of one of Kavanaugh's accusers, Prof. Christine Blasey Ford, to be credible and "very compelling." He said he would leave the final decision on what comes next to the Senate.
Trump also seemed to put some distance between himself and his nominee when he told undecided Senators like Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) to "do what they think is right and be comfortable with themselves.”
After two days of marathon testimony, shouting, crying, and all-out partisan warfare carried live on television and social media, it appeared as of Friday evening that Kavanaugh did not, at the moment, have enough "yes" votes to join the Supreme Court, which begins its next session on Monday.
Now it will fall to the FBI to carry out a high-profile, multi-faceted investigation into decades-old allegations in a few days ー with the country looking on.
President Donald Trump says “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested Friday he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves. Trump says one of the policies the U.S. is calculating is "a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States." A monthslong calm on Wall Street was shattered, with U.S. stocks falling on the news. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasn't responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
Most members of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate setting committee supported further reductions to its key interest rate this year, minutes from last month’s meeting showed.
From Wall Street trading floors to the Federal Reserve to economists sipping coffee in their home offices, the first Friday morning of the month typically brings a quiet hush around 8:30 a.m. eastern, as everyone awaits the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report.
The Supreme Court is allowing Lisa Cook to remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now.
Rep. John Moolenaar has requested an urgent briefing from the White House after Trump supported a deal giving Americans a majority stake in TikTok.
A new report finds the Department of Government Efficiency’s remaking of the federal workforce has battered the Washington job market and put more households in the metropolitan area in financial distress.
A new poll finds U.S. adults are more likely than they were a year ago to think immigrants in the country legally benefit the economy. That comes as President Donald Trump's administration imposes new restrictions targeting legal pathways into the country. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey finds Americans are more likely than they were in March 2024 to say it’s a “major benefit” that people who come to the U.S. legally contribute to the economy and help American companies get the expertise of skilled workers. At the same time, perceptions of illegal immigration haven’t shifted meaningfully. Americans still see fewer benefits from people who come to the U.S. illegally.
Shares of Tylenol maker Kenvue are bouncing back sharply before the opening bell a day after President Donald Trump promoted unproven and in some cases discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism. Trump told pregnant women not to use the painkiller around a dozen times during the White House news conference Monday. The drugmaker tumbled 7.5%. Shares have regained most of those losses early Tuesday in premarket trading.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday signaled a cautious approach to future interest rate cuts, in sharp contrast with other Fed officials who have called for a more urgent approach. In remarks in Providence, Rhode Island, Powell noted that there are risks to both of the Fed’s goals of seeking maximum employment and stable prices. His approach is in sharp contrast to some members of the Fed’s rate-setting committee who are pushing for faster cuts.
President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the American media landscape have led to the suspension of late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
