Republican Sen. Tim Scott announced Thursday he would oppose President Donald Trump's nominee to be a US district judge in North Carolina, effectively ending the nomination that had been plagued with accusations that Thomas Farr supported measures that disenfranchised African-American voters.
Guests: Lindsey Graham, Mazie Hirono, Jerry Nadler, Alex Castellanos, Amanda Carpenter, Karen Finney, Julie Pace
In an extraordinary day of testimony, Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh came to embody a fractured nation.
Friday on the NewsHour, the Senate Judiciary Committee gives a green light to confirming Brett Kavanaugh but joins the White House in calling for an FBI investigation into the sexual assault allegations he faces. Also, why the U.S. will be engaged in Syria for the foreseeable future, Shields and Brooks discuss Kavanaugh and how one television show is handling today’s contentious politics.
There was a striking difference in style — and substance.
Thursday on the NewsHour, Christine Blasey Ford testifies she is 100 percent sure Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her and the Supreme Court nominee vehemently denies her claims. We examine the day-long hearing and its significance.
Republicans and Democrats are expected to take very different approaches to the questioning of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.
The law professor testified against Judge Clarence Thomas during his confirmation hearings in 1991. What has changed since?
We look at three stances taken on the accusations against the Supreme Court nominee.
Gina Haspel, President Trump’s pick for C.I.A. director, faced the Senate Intelligence Committee for the first time on Wednesday as her confirmation hearings began. Lawmakers addressed her with an unusual line of questioning: What is your moral character?
On today’s episode:
• Matthew Rosenberg joins us from Washington, where he covers intelligence and national security for The New York Times.
Background reading:
• Ms. Haspel defended the C.I.A.’s torture of terrorism suspects after the Sept. 11 attacks, but vowed that she would not start another interrogation program.
• Among the issues raised in the hearing were Ms. Haspel’s involvement in a black site in Thailand where Qaeda suspects were tortured, her role in carrying out an order to destroy videotapes of C.I.A. interrogations, and her willingness to defy a president who has supported waterboarding.
They stopped far too short here in opening up questions of harkening back to the Third Reich and Hitler and his government commanding people to commit genocide. We all know there’s a line one can’t cross and use the defense that “I was commanded to by the authorities.”
So the real question is: will Haspel stand up to Trump to prevent moral atrocities which Trump may want to inflict, whether this may extend to areas like torture or, perhaps, far worse?
