The big picture: The complaints included allegations that Kavanaugh made false and partisan statements during his confirmation hearings, lacked judicial temperament and disrespected members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The panel of federal judges behind the decision called the complaints against Kavanaugh "serious," but said the cases had to be dismissed given Supreme Court justices are not bound by the same code of conduct that dictates the process for pursuing complaints against other judges.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters Tuesday that a partial government shutdown is "not a good option" and that he's confident the government will stay open over Christmas.
Why it matters: McConnell said he's been "in consultation" with the White House about how to move forward, and that the administration is “extremely flexible" on the issue of funding for the border wall, which President Trump has said is necessary for him to pass any type of spending plan. Lawmakers have until Friday to reach a deal.
Two months after President Trump threatened to withhold aid from Central American countries for failing to stop a migrant caravan heading toward the U.S. border, the administration has pledged $5.8 billion worth of private and public development funding for Central America and $4.8 billion for southern Mexico, the AP reports.
Why it matters: The goal of the aid is to promote more stable security and economic conditions to encourage potential migrants to stay in their host nations instead of making the dangerous trip to the U.S. border. It's not yet clear if Mexico will provide anything in return for the billions of dollars worth of aid. The Washington Post has previously reported that Mexico and the U.S. have been working on a deal that would force all U.S. asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico until their applications are processed.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel resigned amid a political crisis that began when a right-wing party quit his governing coalition over his decision to sign a UN global migration pact, the Financial Times reports.
Why it matters: A dispute over migration nearly brought down Angela Merkel's government in Germany. Now, in Belgium, it has actually happened. Michel's resignation comes after his government, which no longer commands a majority in parliament, lost a no confidence vote brought by opposition parties.
President Trump has asked every federal agency to contribute to the $5 billion in border wall funding he has demanded from Congress to avoid shutting the government down, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters on Tuesday.
The big picture: Last week, Trump said he'd be "proud" to shut down the government over funding for the border wall. But Sanders said the administration is now hoping they can prevent a shutdown by securing funding from elsewhere. Lawmakers have until Friday to pass a funding bill that will keep the government open.
The Trump administration has officially made bump stocks illegal, nine months after taking steps to ban them by issuing federal guidelines prohibiting "devices that turn legal weapons into machine guns," CNN reports.
The big picture: The new regulation defines bump stocks as attachable devices that "allow a shooter of a semiautomatic firearm to initiate a continuous firing cycle with a single pull of the trigger." Owners will be required to turn them in 90 days after the rule becomes law. Bump stocks faced national backlash last year after a gunman used them to modify his weapons and kill 59 people at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas.
Lawyers for former national security advisor Michael Flynn asked a federal judge to delay his sentencing until his cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller's team is complete — setting the next status report on his sentencing for March 13 — during a heated appearance in D.C. federal court on Tuesday.
The big picture: Earlier this month, Mueller recommended no prison time for Flynn, who pleaded guilty last year to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the former Russian ambassador to the U.S. before Trump’s inauguration, because of his "substantial assistance" to Mueller's investigation.
The Trump Foundation has agreed to dissolve in compliance with a lawsuit from New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, which alleged that the charity was being used for President Trump's personal and political gain.
The big picture: While the closing of the charity is a victory for the AG's office, the broader lawsuit against the foundation, which seeks $2.8 million in restitution and penalties as well as a ban on Trump's children from serving on the board of other New York charities, will continue.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News Tuesday that there are "other ways" to get the $5 billion in border wall funding Trump has demanded from Congress, and that "at the end of the day, we don’t want to shut down the government, we want to shut down the border.”
Why it matters: This is a much softer stance than President Trump's statement last week when he claimed he was "proud to shut down the government" over the border wall. Lawmakers have until Friday to figure out a funding plan before the government shuts down, and some House members, especially those who aren't returning next year, have already left town.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced Tuesday that he has appointed Martha McSally to fill the state's Senate seat that will be vacated by Sen. Jon Kyl at the end of 2018, per the Arizona Republic.
Flashback: McSally lost a close midterm Senate race last month to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema for Sen. Jeff Flake's seat. For the next two years, she will now assume the late Sen. John McCain's seat, which Kyl has occupied since September.
Female politicians and journalists were abused on Twitter every 30 seconds in 2017, according to a report into how women are targeted with hate speech online by Amnesty International and Element AI.
Why it matters: This isn't a new problem. Twitter has faced backlash for not doing enough to curb harassment on its platform before, and has promised to do better. However, progress has yet to show consistent improvement.
President Trump doubled down on his criticism of the Federal Reserve's expected interest rate increase in a Tuesday morning tweet, urging it to "feel the market" before it makes "another mistake."
"I hope the people over at the Fed will read today’s Wall Street Journal Editorial before they make yet another mistake. Also, don’t let the market become any more illiquid than it already is. Stop with the 50 B’s. Feel the market, don’t just go by meaningless numbers. Good luck!"
The big picture: The Journal's editorial board issued an op-ed last night that largely agrees with Trump's position, counseling Fed Chair Jerome Powell to "follow the signals that suggest a prudent pause in raising rates." It added, "Get the monetary policy that best serves the economy, and the politics will work itself out. Get the policy wrong, and Mr. Trump will be the least of Mr. Powell’s political worries."
President Trump's lawyers are negotiating with Robert Mueller's team over whether to provide additional written answers, Rudy Giuliani tells me.
The backdrop: Giuliani said that when Trump lawyers were determining the rules for the first round of written answers that were submitted last month, the prosecutors said: "Suppose we have a few things we want to go over [after receiving the submission]?" So the former New York mayor said that there's an agreement that, after reviewing the answers, Mueller's team could "come back and show us what you need."
In the forthcoming New York Times Magazine, Jason Zengerle tells how Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), incoming chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, will have investigations ready to roll by Jan. 3 on issues ranging from Trump's family separation policy to his family business.
The big picture: While these first targets for investigation provide a look at House Democrats' priorities, the ultimate scope for their oversight power is much wider. Last month, Axios identified at least 85 Trump-related topics that Democrats have publicly said are on the table for investigations or subpoenas.
