*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."
Kristin Koch, digital director of Seventeen.com, discusses why the Parkland school shooting has remained in the public's consciousness while others have faded. The students who survived the attack have played a huge role in keeping the conversation going.
Apple is reportedly working on new AirPods. Twitter alienated conservatives by accidentally freezing their accounts.
The Florida Congresswoman told Cheddar that the upcoming midterms will send a definitive message on gun reform. She says that, if current legislators can't get laws passed to protect this country, we need to elect people who will.
Even with the President's support of stricter background checks and a ban on bump stocks, the Congresswoman says there are so many other laws on the books that prevent comprehensive gun reform.
House Democrats are calling for Equifax to extend its promise to give customers free credit monitoring from one year to three years. Ariel Evans, CEO of Innosec, joins Cheddar to discuss what this means for the company and the consumer.
The indictment of 13 Russians for interfering with the Presidential election has intensified the pressure put on Facebook, which uncovered about three-thousand Russian-linked ads on its platforms before and after November 2016. Cheddar Senior Reporter, Alex Heath, breaks down the the latest developments.
Uber has a new, cheaper feature. Tesla gets hacked. A polar vortex is bringing record weather across the country. Students across the nation push for gun control, while President Trump holds a listening session with survivors and families of mass shootings. Apple looks to buy cobalt directly from miners.
The state representative from Coral Gables, Fla., says now is the time for President Trump to prove he's a leader who can do things differently by banning bump stocks and improving background checks. And if he can't get Congress on board, he should sign an executive order.
The teenage survivors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are genuinely motivated to change gun control laws, says State Representative Jared Moskowitz. The Democrat from Coral Gables, Fla., says that if adults aren't able to get anything done, then we have to listen to our children.
Students across Florida -- and the nation -- held walkouts in solidarity with Parkland, Fla., Wednesday. The protests come one day after Florida House Republicans blocked a move by Democrats to debate a ban on assault weapons in the state. State Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-Coral Springs) explains the response inside Florida's Capitol to the student protests for more gun control.
