After days of speculation, controversy, and protest, Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court has advanced and a final vote on confirmation could take place as early as Saturday.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was the only Republican to vote "no" in a procedural vote Friday while two other swing GOP Senators, Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Susan Collins (R-ME), and Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia all voted "yes."
The 51-49 vote will allow the Senate to debate over the next 30 hours whether Kavanaugh should ultimately be confirmed. Their choices Friday are not necessarily indicative of how they'll vote in the final tally ー Sen. Collins is expected to announce where she'll fall in that confirmation vote when she speaks on the Senate floor at 3 pm ET.
The procedural vote was set up after the FBI closed an investigation into sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh on Wednesday and made the report available to Senators Thursday morning. The probe reportedly found no corroboration of the accusations made by Prof. Christine Blasey Ford, though Democrats and Ford's lawyers criticized authorities for not interviewing her, the judge, or potential witnesses.
Following Friday's vote, President Trump [tweeted](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1048226225196552193) that he was "very proud" of the Senate.
Former President Donald Trump was fined $5,000 on Friday after a disparaging social media post about a key court staffer in his New York civil fraud case was allowed to linger on his campaign website after the judge ordered it deleted.
Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro pleaded guilty to a felony on Friday just as jury selection was getting underway in his trial on charges accusing him of participating in efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election in Georgia.
Republicans dropped Rep. Jim Jordan on Friday as their nominee for House speaker, making the decision during a closed-door session after the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump failed badly on a third ballot for the gavel.
Canada has removed 41 of its diplomats from India as tensions rise between the two nations.
Mitt Romney said he believes right-wing media is the reason for the radicalization of the GOP party.
An Army private who fled to North Korea before being returned home to the United States last month has been detained by the U.S. military, two officials said Thursday night, and is facing charges including desertion and possessing sexual images of a child.
Israel bombarded Gaza early Friday, hitting areas in the south where Palestinians had been told to seek safety, and it began evacuating a sizable Israeli town in the north near the Lebanese border, the latest sign of a potential ground invasion of Gaza that could trigger regional turmoil.
The Justice Department has secured a $9 million settlement with Ameris Bank over allegations that it avoided underwriting mortgages in predominately Black and Latino communities in Jacksonville, Florida, and discouraged people there from getting home loans.
Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes on Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge, and the country's defense minister told ground troops to “be ready” to invade, though he didn’t say when.
Addressing the nation from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden has made his case for major U.S. backing of Ukraine and Israel in a time of war.
