*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).
President Trump's comments about pardoning himself are odd since the president keeps saying he did nothing wrong, says Republican Sen. James Lankford.
Howard Schultz's philanthropic efforts and commitment to liberal causes may make him an appealing Democratic candidate. But the outgoing executive chairman of Starbucks could face pushback from some liberals because of his corporate background.
Apple is introducing new tools to fight tech addiction. At the company's annual developer conference, Apple unveiled a new feature called 'Digital Health' that allows users to track how much time they spend on their phones and on certain apps. Tim Cook and other Apple executives also took some not-so-subtle jabs at Facebook during the keynote address, calling out the social media company for its data practices.
Starbucks founder and executive chairman Howard Schultz is leaving the company after nearly 40 years. He helped grow Starbucks into an international brand with around 28,000 locations worldwide. Many speculate that Schultz is considering a presidential run in the coming years.
And Hope King sits down with stand-up comedian Nikki Glaser at Comedy Central's Clusterfest. Glaser talks the challenges of being a woman in comedy and how President Trump has changed the industry.
The California city banned scooters from its streets on Monday, insisting that companies get permits for the two-wheelers first. Cheddar's Nora Ali and Baker Machado look at how the scooters rolled into San Francisco's bad graces.
The Democrat from New York is pushing Congress to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which would ensure women are treated the same as men under the law. "If your rights are guaranteed in the Constitution, then they're enforceable," says Maloney.
Actress and activist Alyssa Milano joined forces Monday with Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat from New York, to push the Equal Rights Amendment. The Constitutional guarantee of women's rights was passed by Congress in 1972, but still needs to be ratified by states to become the law of the land.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School's newest graduates carry with them a tragic burden, but the memory of the deadly mass shooting should not hold them back, said Darren Levine, an English teacher at the school. The senior class graduated on Sunday with a surprise visit from Jimmy Fallon, host of "The Tonight Show."
Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld called on President Trump to change the federal classification of marijuana so researchers can explore the drug's ability to treat diseases.
Comedian Samantha Bee may be too valuable to TBS for the network to scrap her show, despite vulgar comments about the president's daughter Ivanka Trump. "TV networks always want to protect the big-ratings stars," said the Hollywood Reporter's Jeremy Barr. The lack of action, just days after ABC canceled 'Roseanne' for that star's racist tweet, is seen by many as emblematic of the media's liberal bias.
The NFL's decision to ban players from taking a knee during the anthem propagates the narrative that the athletes belong at the bottom of a hierarchy and are just supposed to "do as we say," says ex-Giant Victor Cruz. "I think you'll still see some kind of protest," he tells Cheddar.
