Trevor Noah and Seth Meyers call strikes and fouls on Day 1 of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearing


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Tuesday was the first day of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and things got off to a rocky start. "Kavanaugh actually has a long résumé," including a decade as a federal judge and years as a lawyer in the George W. Bush White House," Trevor Noah said on Tuesday's Daily Show. "But what makes his possible appointment so crucial isn't who he is but what he believes," Noah added, because his views are much more conservative than those of the man he would replace, Anthony Kennedy.
President Trump is pushing especially hard for Kavanaugh's confirmation, Noah said, suggesting one possible reason: "While he's being investigated, he nominates a guy who thinks presidents shouldn't be investigated. Like, Trump's not even hiding his evil plan. ... Now, people who are not under investigation by a special counsel might want to know more about Brett Kavanaugh, but they can't," he explained, because Republicans are blocking the release of hundreds of thousands of pages of documents.
"Let's just step back for a minute and consider the fact that Trump is trying to appoint to a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court while simultaneously being implicated in a truly staggering number of criminal cases and corruption scandals," Seth Meyers said on Late Night. "That's like Bonnie getting arrested and saying, 'You know who'd make a great judge? Clyde.'" He ran through some of the scandals, then circled back to how "absurd" it is Trump gets to pick any nominee, "let alone a lifelong partisan Republican like Brett Kavanaugh."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Republicans are trying to hide as much about Kavanaugh's record as they can because they know it would be damning," Meyers argued, showing Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) bang his gavel as 2010's Grassley, on split screen, demanded all documents relating to then-Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan and ample time to review them. Watch below. Peter Weber
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Peter Weber is a senior editor at TheWeek.com, and has handled the editorial night shift since the website launched in 2008. A graduate of Northwestern University, Peter has worked at Facts on File and The New York Times Magazine. He speaks Spanish and Italian and plays bass and rhythm cello in an Austin rock band. Follow him on Twitter.
-
Larry the cat: how chief mouser 'won the nation's hearts'
Why Everyone's Talking About Downing Street says resident pet is 'healthy' despite reports of contingency plans for his death
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
The daily business briefing: October 2, 2023
Business Briefing Late-night talk shows return after writers end strike, student loan payments resume, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Withdrawing benefits: 'war on work shy' or 'matter of fairness'?
Talking Point Jeremy Hunt to boost minimum wage while cracking down on claimants who refuse to look for work
By The Week Staff Published
-
Exodus begins from Burning Man after desert mud trapped tens of thousands
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
'Margaritaville' singer Jimmy Buffett dies at 76
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
American Airlines suing website that offers tickets via price loopholes
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Federal agencies investigating near miss between Southwest jet and private plane
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Euphoria' star Angus Cloud dies at 25
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens dies at 70
Speed Read
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Trader Joe's recalls 4 products in a week amid reports of rocks and insects inside food
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Emmys to be postponed for first time since after 9/11 due to strikes
Speed Read
By Brendan Morrow Published