*By Conor White*
After allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh surfaced just days ago, the stakes for the Supreme Court nominee and his fellow Republicans are high ー and highly political.
"This is a political knife fight," The Washington Examiner's Phil Wegmann said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar.
Christine Blasey Ford, the accuser, will testify next Monday alongside Kavanaugh before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which throws the judge's chance of sitting on the highest court in the land into serious peril. Blasey Ford has said Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her during a high school party more than three decades ago, claims Kavanaugh has vigorously denied.
While many of Blasey Ford's high school classmates ー including Emmy-winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus ー [signed and published a letter](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/christine-blasey-ford-holton-arms-brett-kavanaugh_us_5b9fb3c2e4b04d32ebfabbc6) Monday, affirming their support of her.
But Wegmann admitted that given the chronology, it will be difficult to untangle the story.
"I don't even know how you can come to the truth about something that happened 35 years ago ー with minors, and with minors possibly under the influence of alcohol," he said.
Still, the latest developments have thrown a wrench in what ー despite [protests](https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/405500-212-protesters-total-arrested-during-kavanaugh-hearings) ー was initially expected to be a guaranteed confirmation.
"Seventy-two hours ago I would've said that this was a slam dunk," Wegmann said. "At this point, I think it's more of a jump shot in traffic."
"Any chance of Senate Democrats crossing the aisle to vote for Kavanaugh ー I think that's evaporated," he added.
Wegmann said that since Monday's hearing will be televised, both Democrats and Republicans should ready themselves for media fireworks.
"It's a major TV moment," he said. "Not necessarily a moment made to adjudicate the truth."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/kavanaugh-confirmation-thrown-into-question).
Carlo and Baker discuss the sweeping new vaccine mandate in NYC that will target all private businesses. Plus, Trump's media venture gets its CEO and more.
Rebecca Walser, President of Walser Wealth Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she discusses the factors behind Monday's surge on Wall Street and explains why investors will likely experience volatility in the market throughout the month of December.
Cheddar's Chloe Aiello joined "Closing Bell" to break down the progress of the SAFE Banking Act in Congress as cannabis businesses operators struggle to find financial institutions that will service them. Banks face steep federal penalties, including the risk of losing a bank charter, if found to be servicing marijuana businesses even if their state has legalized operations. Aiello reported that while there was some bipartisan support for the measure in the Senate, the bill faces some opposition from conservatives with "longstanding concerns" about cannabis and progressives who prefer a more comprehensive approach to reform.
Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri is slated to testify this week in front of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee after a Wall Street Journal report that found the Meta-owned social media platform is negatively impacting the mental wellness of teen girls.
Chinese regulators are reportedly behind China-based ride-hailing company DiDi exiting from the New York Stock Exchange, just days after listing earlier this year. The regulators stated prior that DiDi had not received the necessary clearances to list in the states. Gordon Chang, Asian affairs expert, joined Cheddar to break down what the delisting says about the relationship between nations. "This really strikes me as an attempt to really to force a decoupling of China and the U.S. in the financial markets," Chang said.
U.S. Futures were pointing to a higher open to round out the week despite a miss on the November Jobs Report, which showed slower job growth than expected-- and as the omicron variant continues to spread across the country. Patrick Healey, Founder & President at Caliber Financial Partners joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Just days after the detection of the Omicron variant, the World Health Organization has agreed to start the process of establishing a global pandemic treaty or accord. Amy Maxmen, senior reporter for Nature, and Dr. Samuel Scarpino, managing director for the Rockefeller Foundation's Pandemic Prevention Institute, joined Cheddar to discuss this effort and what lessons can be learned from the many COVID-19 failures as the world prepares for future pandemics.
