*By Carlo Versano*
Day one of Brett Kavanaugh's Senate confirmation hearings got off to a raucous start Tuesday: protesters interrupted the proceedings, Democrats called for an adjournment, and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said he'd never before seen a hearing "led by mob rule."
It took seven hours before the nominee could deliver his opening statement.
The tactics, while good fodder for television, are unlikely to be very effective for Democrats, said Erin Delmore, a senior political correspondent for Bustle. They also reveal the level of Democrats' desperation, she said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar.
"It does show you how weak their hand is here," she said.
Democrats, in a futile effort to delay the hearing, were responding to growing frustrations from their base that the party has not been vocal enough in protesting the successor to Anthony Kennedy. If Kavanaugh, a staunch Republican, is confirmed, he may well tilt the court's ideology right-ward for at least a generation, as he'd replace a man who often acted as a swing vote on landmark decisions.
Justice Kennedy authored the majority opinions for [*Lawrence v. Texas*](https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/539/558/), which lifted the state's ban on sodomy, and 2013's [*Windsor v. U.S.*](http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/windsor-v-united-states-2/), the landmark decision that granted same-sex couples the right to marry in certain states.
The ever-polarizing *Roe v. Wade* is among the cases Kavanaugh's vote could turn. He has been asked about where he stands on choice by several moderate female senators, including Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who both said Kavanaugh told them he considered Roe to be "settled law."
The key question is, "does he believe *Roe v. Wade* was settled correctly," said Delmore. That's one interrogative he's unlikely to answer in this hearing.
"If \[Collins and Murkowski\] seem like this is enough for them, then this is over," Delmore said, referring to the chance that Kavanaugh could not be confirmed.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-women-who-will-determine-brett-kavanaughs-fate).
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Aug. 9, 2019.
The Golden State's so-called "resistance" strategy, Alex Padilla said, is rooted in a three-pronged approach: legislation, legal challenges, and civil society organization.
President Trump traveled to El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio on Wednesday, two cities grieving after separate mass shootings killed at least 31 people over the weekend. The president, however, was greeted with large protests in both cities as residents and lawmakers expressed their anger over Trump’s divisive leadership and refusal to support stricter gun control measures.
The rule would be the latest move by the White House against Huawei. The Chinese tech giant was deemed to be a threat to U.S. national security in May and has since been a central component of the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China.
China has historically been one of U.S. farmers' largest buyers, making the sector a prime target for Beijing's retaliatory tariffs.
On this episode of 'Your Cheddar': how one entrepreneur leverages technology to build her brand and monetize her expertise, and the CEO and co-founder of Pillar joins the show to discuss how his platform helps others manage their student loan debt. Cheddar also hits the streets to ask New Yorkers how they would decide between easy money and spending quality time with their favorite celebrities.
President Trump is scheduled on Wednesday to visit El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, two cities still grieving after separate mass shootings killed at least 31 people over the weekend. The president’s visits, however, have created an atmosphere of angst and unease.
President Trump and the Republican party filed multiple lawsuits on Tuesday to block California’s recently implemented law that requires presidential hopefuls to release their tax returns in order to appear on the state’s primary ballot.
Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and Republican Rep. Peter King publicly called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to hold a vote on a bipartisan background check legislation, just days after two back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton killed over 30 people.
Congressman Matt Gaetz told Cheddar Monday that a focus on mental health is the answer to stop domestic-based gun violence, not gun control or background checks.
