*By Conor White*
The race to fill Justice Anthony Kennedy's seat on the Supreme Court is just beginning, but a front runner has already emerged, according to Heather Timmons, Quartz's White House correspondent.
"The name you're hearing the most in Washington has been Brett Kavanaugh," she explained. "He's a U.S. District Court of Appeals judge in DC, he clerked for Kennedy. Trump made a point of saying he's consulted with Kennedy about who his replacement should be, and it's expected that Kennedy is going to recommend Kavanaugh."
Despite reportedly being a late add to the president's list of potential nominees, 53-year-old Kavanaugh checks a lot of boxes for conservatives: he represented George W. Bush in the 2000 Florida recount, was a lawyer for Ken Starr during the investigation into Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky, and most recently he dissented when his court upheld an opinion requiring the government to facilitate an abortion for an undocumented teen in U.S. custody.
In an interview Thursday on Cheddar, Timmons dove even deeper into why Kavanaugh could be Trump's pick.
"He has a history of pro-business rulings, he decided a case that said the Consumer Finance Protection Board was unconstitutional, which allowed Trump to replace the head of that with Mick Mulvaney."
And while many expect President Trump to attempt to ram through a nominee with a very conservative history in an effort to overturn Roe v. Wade, Timmons said that might not be the best move when it comes to the midterm elections.
"Right now support across America for legal abortion in most cases is at 57%, it's as strong as it's been in 20 years. Although Trump has indicated he wants to pull this court to the right, America and American voters are not going towards the right. So to put somebody in one of these seats that is considered a very far-right person could ultimately hurt the Republicans in the midterms."
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/may-i-have-this-seat-predicting-next-supreme-court-justice)
As the US braces for the what's the follow after the end of the Title 43 pandemic-related restrictions, experts discuss the ramifications with Cheddar News.
A man who kept a chokehold around the neck of an agitated fellow passenger in the New York City subway has turned himself in on a manslaughter charge.
New York State Senator John Liu spoke with Cheddar News about Asian-American representation in politics, his bill to make Asian-American history mandatory in schools, and the ongoing hate crimes against his community. State Sen. Liu also discussed the debate over student loan forgiveness and gave his take on artificial intelligence in education.
The Senate Banking Committee held a hearing Thursday on the cannabis bill the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking — a first step toward what advocates hope will be a full vote on the Senate Floor.
New blood donations rules will allow sexually active gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships to give in the FDA guidelines ease decades-old restrictions put in place to protect the blood supply from HIV.
During a contentious CNN town hall Wednesday night, former President Donald Trump dug in on his lies about the 2020 election, downplayed the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, and repeatedly insulted the woman whom a civil jury this week found him liable of sexually abusing and defaming.
Criminal defense attorney Tamara Holder joined Cheddar News to break down the charges that New York Republican Congressman George Santos is facing. "When the feds come after you -- and this is for anyone, a politician or not -- they generally have already built their case before they indict you," Holder said, regarding the timeline of Rep. Santos' arrest.
Officials in Missouri's largest city are moving to declare it a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care, defying state officials who are intent on banning it for minors and restricting it for adults.
The Biden administration on Thursday will begin denying asylum to migrants who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border without first applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through.
Federal health advisers said Wednesday that a decades-old birth control pill should be sold without a prescription, paving the way for a likely U.S. approval of the first over-the-counter contraceptive medication.
