Bhinneka News Online: Friday Morning Briefing: Senate panel heads to vote on Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh

Friday 28 September 2018

Friday Morning Briefing: Senate panel heads to vote on Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh

Kavanaugh, Ford Hearing

Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to a lifetime seat on the U.S. Supreme Court hung in the balance after a jarring and raucous hearing into sexual misconduct allegations against him.

In a crowded lounge at Yale Law School, like millions of Americans who tuned into the hearings, the young lawyers-in-training gathered on the New Haven campus hung on every word of the testimony, keenly aware of what the spectacle that was unfolding in Washington would mean for the political direction of the country for years to come.

Christine Blasey Ford began her testimony in front of a Senate committee by saying she was “terrified,” and at times she looked it. But by the time she finished detailing her allegation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers, Ford was being widely praised as credible and brave.

Amanda Becker

@AmandaBecker

Factbox: Kavanaugh's Supreme Court bid hinges on handful of senators https://reut.rs/2DO7WBR

5:21 AM - Sep 28, 2018

World

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards told Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to respect Tehran’s “red lines” or face retaliation, as the United States and its Gulf allies increase pressure on Tehran to curb its regional influence.

A U.S. government probe into Myanmar’s campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority was not aimed at determining whether genocide or crimes against humanity had been committed, but those responsible could still be held accountable for those crimes, a top State Department official said. For the latest updates on jailed Reuters journalists.

The Belgian defense ministry will sue Google for not complying with its requests to blur satellite images of sensitive military sites, a ministry spokeswoman said. Citing national security, the ministry said it had requested that sites such as air bases and nuclear power stations be obscured on Google’s satellite mapping services.

Commentary: At the United Nations General Assembly this week, President Trump praised North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for his courage. Such flattery is no doubt calculated to entice Kim to denuclearize, writes Katharine H.S. Moon, a political science professor at Wellesley College and a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Nevertheless, it’s a radical turnaround for Trump, who last year excoriated Kim for his human rights violations.

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