The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled the vote for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh for Friday morning.
Why it matters: The key vote for Kavanaugh will be held a day after testimonies from both Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, are heard by the committee. Thursday's hearings could swing essential votes from senators on Trump's second Supreme Court nominee.
President Trump spent part of his day at the UN General Assembly saying Brett Kavanaugh's second accuser lacked credibility because she was drunk at the time of the incident, while a female Republican senator warned her colleagues against pushing through the nomination without seriously vetting the accusations.
Why it matters: Republicans have only one vote to spare, down from 52 after sexual misconduct allegations cost them a traditionally safe seat in Alabama.
President Trump's speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday morning depicted a United States under siege, finally pushing back after years of unfair trade pacts and free riding among allies. Clear warnings were issued: He rejected the International Criminal Court — echoing John Bolton’s speech two weeks ago — and the new global migration compact; from now on, foreign aid would go only to those the secretary of state deems friends.
The big picture: President Trump put his America First doctrine forward as a model not just for the United States, but for other countries. He advised them to embrace nationalism over internationalism. The rest of his address hit familiar talking points: boasting about the American economy; praising sovereignty; denouncing globalism, unfair trade, the UN Human Rights Council, OPEC and the Iran nuclear deal; and vilifying China, Iran and Venezuela.
President Trump defended his foreign policy today at the United Nations General Assembly, pledging more sanctions on Iran, further steps in the trade war with China, and a review of U.S. foreign assistance because "few give anything to us."
The big picture: The theme of Trump's speech was sovereignty, a point he summed up by saying the U.S. will not "tell you how to live and work and worship" so long as "you respect our sovereignty in return." He went after global institutions like the International Criminal Court and UN Human Rights Council, saying, "We reject the ideology of globalism and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism."
Sen. Ted Cruz was chased out of a D.C. restaurant on Monday night by a group protesting Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in the latest public confrontation between liberal protestors and GOP figures.
The details: Chanting "We believe survivors," the protestors from a collection of D.C. liberal groups targeted Cruz because of his seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will be hearing testimony on Thursday from both Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who is accusing him of sexual assault.
The full text of the Rod Rosenstein exit statement, drafted by Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores in the voice of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and sent to the White House Monday morning, has been reviewed by Axios.
Its veracity has been confirmed by three sources close to the White House with direct knowledge.
Stefan Löfven, Sweden's prime minister since 2014 and leader of the center-left Social Democrats, has been ousted after a no confidence vote in parliament, reports The Local Sweden.
The big picture: After a Sept. 9 election saw the establishment Social Democrats finish with their lowest vote share since World War I, the Swedish government was left in a state of flux, with no party receiving an absolute majority. The turmoil has been exacerbated by the rise of the far-right, anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats, who had their best election performance ever and now wield significant power in parliament. Leaders of the center-right and center-left coalitions have ruled out working with SD, who have roots in neo-Nazism, but the ousting of Löfven has raised more questions about the potential need for cooperation.
Before meetings and calls with world leaders, President Trump receives briefings of only "about two minutes... and sometimes that gets cut by a bit," a recently departed White House official said today.
What they're saying: Fernando Cutz, who left the White House in April and served on the National Security Councils of both Trump and Barack Obama, said Obama would read detailed pre-briefs — highlighting key passages and scribbling notes in the margins — before an oral briefing ahead of such meeting. Not so for President Trump.
Shortly after Axios published its story this morning, saying that Rod Rosenstein had "verbally resigned" to John Kelly, Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores drafted a statement that would announce Rosenstein's departure, written in the voice of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Driving the news: The White House received the statement within an hour of the Axios story being published online, according to a source close to the White House. Flores would not comment on the record about her statement.
President Trump will meet with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein at the White House on Thursday, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a Monday statement.
Driving the news: Axios reported Monday morning that Rosenstein verbally offered to resign to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has verbally “offered to resign” in discussions with White House Chief of Staff Kelly, according to a source close to Rosenstein, but as of now, it’s unclear whether his resignation has been accepted.
Background: Rosenstein talked last year about invoking the 25th Amendment and wearing a wire during Trump meetings, the N.Y. Times' Adam Goldman and Michael S. Schmidt reported last week. He denied both allegations.
Clarification: This article and headline have been updated to add that it's unclear whether the resignation offer has been accepted.
"I represent a woman with credible information regarding Judge Kavanaugh and Mark Judge. We will be demanding the opportunity to present testimony to the committee and will likewise be demanding that Judge and others be subpoenaed to testify. The nomination must be withdrawn."
After several days of what Hill sources called a never-ending game of pingpong, Christine Blasey Ford's attorney told the Senate Judiciary Committee her client will testify in an open hearing on Thursday.
Why it matters: The uncertainty and sensitivity of Thursday's showdown has key senators scrambling to prepare for the moment.
