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September 28, 2018
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President Trump isn't the only one standing by his man.

With Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination coming down to the wire, The Washington Post reports former President George W. Bush in recent days has been calling key senators to whip up support. Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual misconduct by three women on the record, including Christine Blasey Ford, who testified under oath Thursday that he groped her and attempted to rape her in high school. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations and did so under oath Thursday, calling the whole process a "national disgrace."

Although The Washington Post's report doesn't clarify whether Bush made any calls after Thursday's hearing, the former president's chief of staff confirmed to Politico after the testimony that he still supports Kavanaugh, who worked in the Bush White House as staff secretary and assisted in the 2000 Florida recount.

In the Senate, Kavanaugh needs 50 votes to be confirmed, and with 51 Republican lawmakers, only two would need to break from the ranks for the nomination to go up in flames. Some of the key votes include Republican senators who aren't necessarily the biggest Trump fans, which is where the 43rd president comes in. And Bush isn't the only one working the phones, as Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that she has received calls from both the former president and the former secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice. Brendan Morrow

1:17 p.m. ET

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's testimony gave the impression of someone who was rightfully angry, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said in a preview released Sunday of a 60 Minutes appearance he made with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). Flake, who is not seeking re-election, was instrumental in ensuring there would be a week-long FBI investigation, beginning this past Friday, into the sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh.

"To see his family behind him, as Chris said, it was anger — but if I were unjustly accused, that's how I would feel as well," Flake said. "As it went on, I think his interaction with some of the members was a little too sharp. But the statement in the beginning I thought was pretty raw, but in keeping with someone who had been unjustly accused."

Coons had a different impression. "[Kavanaugh] was clearly belligerent, aggressive, angry," he said. "And I thought there was a tough dynamic there. As I watched him, part of me thought, 'This is a man who believes that he did nothing wrong, and he's completely unjustly accused. And he's being railroaded. And he's furious about it.'"

Both senators condemned the partisanship in Kavanaugh's self-defense, though Flake was willing to allow him "a little leeway."

Watch a preview of the 60 Minutes interview below. The full interview airs at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Sunday on CBS. Bonnie Kristian

12:49 p.m. ET

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway appeared on CNN's State of the Union Sunday, where host Jake Tapper attempted to nail down exactly what President Trump believes about the sexual assault allegations made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

After watching Thursday's testimony from Kavanaugh's primary accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, Trump called her a "very fine woman" and ab"credible witness" with a "compelling" testimony. "'Credible' means 'believable.' That's the definition of credible," Tapper said. "Does President Trump believe her?"

Conway responded in typically sly style, noting that "'credible' and 'compelling' are words many of us have used to describe her testimony" before pivoting to reiterate Kavanaugh's denials. The conversation drifted, and when Tapper brought it back around, Conway suggested both Ford and Kavanaugh may be speaking honestly, albeit in her case misinformed by faulty memory.

Later in the conversation, Conway revealed she too is a victim of sexual assault. "I feel very empathetic for victims of sexual assault, sexual harassment and rape," she said. "I'm a victim of sexual assault."

Watch Conway's full interview below. The Trump segment begins about five minutes in, and Conway's personal comments around the 11-minute mark. Bonnie Kristian

10:56 a.m. ET

Kanye West was the musical guest for Saturday Night Live's season opener, and at the end of the show, in a portion that was not aired, he donned a "Make America Great Again" hat and started talking politics. Segments of West's rant were captured and shared by people in the studio audience, including comedian Chris Rock.

West accused black Americans of being duped by a "Democratic plan" to "take the fathers out the home and put them on welfare." Addressing his vocal support of President Trump, West said if he were "concerned about racism [he] would have moved out of America a long time ago." He urged listeners to "follow your heart, and stop following your mind" and intimated he may run for public office in 2020.

Watch two clips of West's comments below. Bonnie Kristian

10:26 a.m. ET
Bay Ismoyo/Getty Images

The death toll from the earthquake and tsunami that hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday grew by Sunday to 832 people, with hundreds of additional injuries. Rescuers have struggled to reach remote areas as communication services remain down.

Dozens of people are thought to still be trapped inside two hotels and a mall that collapsed in the city of Palu. "We are trying our best," said rescue chief Muhammad Syaugi. "Time is so important here to save people. Heavy equipment is on the way."

While initial reports estimated the tsunami at 10 feet tall, updated estimates say waves were up to twice that large. The death toll is expected to continue to rise. Bonnie Kristian

10:17 a.m. ET
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Watching Thursday's Brett Kavanaugh hearings in the Senate, "I thought: Time's up," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Saturday at a town hall event in her home state.

"It's time for women to go to Washington and fix our broken government, and that includes a woman at the top," she continued. "So here's what I promise: After Nov. 6, I will take a hard look at running for president."

Warren is one of several Democratic senators expected to make a play for the progressive vote in 2020. No Democrats have declared their candidacy so far, and Warren pledged in April to serve her full Senate term if re-elected. Bonnie Kristian

10:12 a.m. ET

President Trump denied trying to curtail the FBI probe into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in a Saturday night tweet:

NBC had reported only allegations from Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez would be considered, and the FBI wouldn't examine the accusation from Julie Swetnick. However, two sources told The New York Times Kavanaugh's high school friend, Mark Judge, will be interviewed about Swetnick; and The Washington Post reported late Saturday the FBI is contacting a growing list of people to interview, Ramirez included.

Trump has limited the probe to one week. Bonnie Kristian

8:17 a.m. ET

Saturday Night Live returned for Season 44, launching with a cold open starring actor Matt Damon as Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The scene is Thursday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearings with Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school in the 1980s.

"Now I am usually an optimist," Damon's Kavanaugh says in his introductory speech. "I'm a keg-half-full kind of guy, but what I've seen from the monsters on this committee makes me want to puke — and not from beer!" He lays out a two-prong defense: One, look at his "beautiful, creepy calendars," which never mention sexually assaulting anybody, and two, in high school, he was "the proudest, drunkest virgin you've ever seen."

Watch the full sketch below. Bonnie Kristian

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