Sen. Coons: Kavanaugh's Testimony Raises Questions About Nominee's Fitness
*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."
ABC is canceling its hit show 'Roseanne' after the sitcom's star Roseanne Barr made racist comments on Twitter. The company released a statement saying, "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show." Disney CEO Bob Iger chimed in to voice his support for ABC's decision. Barr has apologized for her comments about former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett.
Facebook is reportedly getting ready to launch its WhatsApp Pay service in India. The company could introduce the payment service across the country as soon as next week, according to Bloomberg. WhatsApp Pay was launched in February of this year and has received rave reviews. Around 200 million people already use WhatsApp's messaging service in India.
Budweiser is introducing a new beer to its Reserve Collection. Proceeds from the new Budweiser Freedom Reserve Red Lager will go towards helping veterans. Ricardo Marques, VP of marketing at Budweiser, joins Cheddar to explain why this is an important mission for the company.
Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was arrested last week on charges of rape and a criminal sex act but the New York District Attorney's office may have a difficult time convicting him, says former U.S. prosecutor Jonna Spilbor.
Political turmoil in Italy and U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports dragged down the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 by more than 1 percent on Tuesday. "It's kind of been the one-two punch," says Daniel Ives, chief strategy officer and head of technology research at GBH Insights.
The host of 'The Daily Show' says he loves covering President Trump's proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. "It's just like a fun exercise," he tells Cheddar's Baker Machado.
The host of Comedy Central's 'The Opposition' says he finds opportunities in the paranoia being touted by the fringe right. "We try to embody and show that chaos and kind of live in it," he told Cheddar in an interview.
North Korean General Kim Yong-chol, often referred to as Kim Jong-un's right-hand man, will meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York later this week. This shows "a sense of willingness" on both ides to make the historic U.S.-North Korea summit happen, it's just a question of when, says Martyn Williams, a journalist at IDG News Service.
An Austrian privacy activist filed lawsuits against the tech giants as soon as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect at midnight, accusing the companies of failing to comply. "This is a very hard reality check for companies, not just abroad, but in the U.S.," says Andrew Rossow, internet attorney and Forbes contributor.
Kayleigh McEnany confirms to Cheddar's J.D. Durkin that Michael Cohen remains as Deputy Finance Chair of the RNC, despite being under criminal investigation. "We'll take it step by step, day by day," she says.
A day after President Trump canceled the North Korea summit, Kim Jong-un said he is still willing to sit down with the U.S. president "at any time." This outcome is what "good negotiating looks like," says Kayleigh McEnany, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.
Though President Trump abruptly canceled his planned meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, there's still a possibility the summit could take place in the future if the two sides can tamp down their antagonism and agree to a framework for denuclearization.
