*By Carlo Versano*
With the clock ticking on a deadline for the FBI to wrap up its investigation into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the Senators who asked for it still don't have an idea of what to expect.
"I don't yet know the scale and scope of the investigation," said. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), a member of the judiciary committee who worked with Republican Sen. Jeff Flake in dramatic fashion on a compromise that led to the FBI reopening its background investigation.
Speaking to Cheddar, Coons said that regardless of the outcome of Kavanaugh's confirmation, the fact that the nomination wasn't voted on immediately following last week's emotional testimony would end up being a good thing for the country.
"I think my friend Jeff Flake did something really positive," Coons said. "He got us to hit the pause button for a week."
"It's got to help the country that we're trying to work for more shared facts," the Senator added.
Investigators are under extreme pressure from Republicans to deliver a report in time for a vote on Friday, a deadline Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has demanded. Sources told Cheddar's J.D. Durkin that a report is likely to be delivered to senators Thursday.
CNN reported late Tuesday that the FBI has actually widened the scope of its investigation, adding a specific party from Kavanaugh's calendar to its inquiry.
Sen. Angus King (I-ME) told Cheddar that, even if Kavanuagh is confirmed to the high court, the nominee has revealed himself to be so partisan that it will be difficult for the judge to impartially decide certain cases. King alluded to a portion of Kavanaugh's testimony in which he blamed the allegations against him on a Democratic witch hunt. The Senator called that moment "very disturbing."
"I don't see how he can sit on a case involving partisan gerrymandering, for example," King said.
Meanwhile, President Trump shed all his prior restraint on the topic of Kavanaugh's first accuser, Prof. Christine Blasey Ford. Days after saying he found her to be a "credible witness" and a "very fine woman, he mocked and questioned Ford's testimony at a rally in Mississippi on Tuesday night to roaring applause from the audience. Earlier in the day, Trump also expressed concern that the #MeToo movement had made it "a very scary time for young men in America."
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), a key swing vote in the Kavanaugh confirmation process, said on NBC's "Today" show he found Trump's comments "kind of appalling."
Scott Pruitt, the former Oklahama Attorney General who sued the agency he was leading, resigned on Thursday after facing a series of accusations of ethical violations. "The Senate confirmed Deputy at EPA, Andrew Wheeler, will on Monday assume duties as the acting Administrator of the EPA," Trump announced in a tweet.
The United States and China are poised to hit goods that cross their respective borders with heavy tariffs. But a trade war would likely hurt the American companies that President Trump is trying to protect and undermine the value of U.S. debt globally, says Sara Hsu, economist and associate professor at SUNY-New Paltz.
Two judges, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Barrett, are widely projected to be the front runners in the race to fill Justice Anthony Kennedy's seat in the Supreme Court. But USA Today's David Jackson tells Cheddar he believes there might be a third candidate on the president's radar -- "a Michigan-based appeals court judge named Raymond Kethledge." All three candidates are expected to support overturning Roe v. Wade.
Business Insider reported that Tesla's CEO Elon Musk asked engineers to halt putting Model 3 vehicles through a standard brake and roll alignment test before leaving the factory floor.
The federal investigation into Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal is expanding. AT&T raising prices on DirecTV Now by $5 a month. Trump’s shortlist for replacing Justice Anthony Kennedy's seat on the Supreme Court.
Seven complaints so far have been filed against the Trump administration’s tariffs on steel and aluminum, but it may be years until a ruling comes down. “Even if they do eventually come to a conclusion, Trump might just say, ‘Well, that’s it. That’s the end of the U.S.’s membership in the WTO,’” Megan Cassella, trade reporter at Politico, tells Cheddar.
Russia's shocking win over Spain in the Round of 16 got the team one step closer to its first ever World Cup championship. But while there's still a lot of game left to be played, The Banter's Jeffrey Marcus says, regardless of the outcome, President Vladimir Putin has already achieved his goal.
The Air Force Veteran is running in Texas's 31st Congressional District to unseat Rep. John Carter, who has served in the position since 2003. Her campaign ad, which features the door of the helicopter she was piloting when shot down in Afghanistan, has gone viral with more than 2.5 million views.
U.S. markets reversed early losses Monday, the first trading day of the third quarter, despite concerns over trade policies. Over the weekend, tariffs from Canada kicked in, and the U.S.'s largest business group criticized the Trump administration for moves it says could spark a global trade war.
The Republican Senator from Maine has said she won't support a Supreme Court pick who explicitly says they want to overturn Roe v. Wade. But to really have an impact on the issue, says Mother Jones's Ben Dreyfuss, she should demand a guarantee that the nominee will maintain abortion rights.
A new California data privacy bill will require companies that store personal information to disclose what types of data they collect. The law also gives users the opportunity to opt out. "There's a certain point where this has maybe gone too far," Dave White, a former national counterterrorism center officer, tells Cheddar about companies collecting data.
