The Senate is scheduled to vote at 10:30 a.m. Friday on whether to move Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination forward to a final vote on Saturday, and Republicans sounded either optimistic or slightly nervous they have the 51 votes to do so. Only one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), has left open the possibility of voting for Kavanaugh, while three Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Jeff Flake (Ariz.) — have not said how they are voting. Flake and Collins appear satisfied with the FBI's report on sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh; Democrats say its scope is too limited to be useful, and Manchin said he will read more of the report before voting on Friday.
If Friday's vote is too close, Saturday's could be postponed. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) will be at his daughter's wedding on Saturday, cutting the GOP's margin to 50-49, with Vice President Mike Pence as the potential tiebreaker.
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.
-
5 loony toons about the Warner Bros. buyoutCartoons Artists take on movie theaters, high quality cinema, and more
-
Political cartoons for December 13Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include saving healthcare, the affordability crisis, and more
-
Farage’s £9m windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
