memeorandum: ‘Grow up’: Orrin Hatch waves off female protesters demanding to speak with him (Eli Rosenberg/Washington Post)

11:15 AM ET, October 5, 2018

Top Items:

Brett M. Kavanaugh / Wall Street Journal:

I Am an Independent, Impartial Judge — Yes, I was emotional last Thursday. I hope everyone can understand I was there as a son, husband and dad. — I was deeply honored to stand at the White House July 9 with my wife, Ashley, and my daughters, Margaret and Liza, to accept President Trump's nomination …

Wall Street Journal:

Friend of Dr. Ford Felt Pressure to Revisit Statement — At issue is statement to committee that she knew nothing about alleged sexual assault by Brett Kavanaugh. — A friend of Christine Blasey Ford told FBI investigators that she felt pressured by Dr. Ford's allies to revisit …

Charles Ludington / Washington Post:

We were Brett Kavanaugh's drinking buddies. We don't think he should be confirmed. — Charles Ludington, Lynne Brookes and Elizabeth Swisher attended Yale University from 1983 to 1987 with Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh. — We were college classmates and drinking buddies with Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo, Above the Law, HuffPost, POLITICUSUSA, Mashable, Raw Story, NPR and Mediaite

Anna Staver / Denver Post:

Colorado's Cory Gardner reviews FBI report on Kavanaugh after listening to sexual assault survivors — A Politico report late Thursday featured a statement that said Gardner “remains supportive of Judge Kavanaugh's nomination.” … Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colorado, hasn't decided how he'll vote …

Discussion: Political Wire

Washington Post:

Vote ‘no’ on Kavanaugh — AS SENATORS prepare to vote this week on Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh, they, and the rest of the country, must wonder: Which Brett M. Kavanaugh are they evaluating? Is it the steady, conservative jurist he was reputed to be before his confirmation saga?

Discussion: Shareblue Media, RedState, HuffPost, The Constitution, Joe.My.God., Daily Kos, Common Dreams, POLITICUSUSA, Axios, Political Wire and The Atlantic

Mike Allen / Axios:

2. “We don't have 50” — Sources involved with Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation were nervous going into today's 10:30 a.m. test vote, Jonathan Swan reports: — Four senators are undecideds: Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

Discussion: Raw Story, New York Times, The Daily Caller and Mediaite, more at Techmeme »

David Brooks / New York Times:

A Complete National Disgrace — The Kavanaugh hearings as American nadir. — Over the past few years, hundreds of organizations and thousands of people (myself included) have mobilized to reduce political polarization, encourage civil dialogue and heal national divisions.

Discussion: The Week, Hot Air, Vox and Rewire.News

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

GOP nervous ahead of Kavanaugh vote: “We don't have 50 right now” — Sources involved with Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation are nervous going into today's 10:30 a.m. test vote. — Four senators are undecideds: Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

Discussion: Politico, No More Mister Nice Blog, Outside the Beltway, The Week and POLITICUSUSA

New York Times:

How Brett Kavanaugh Failed — And why the Senate should vote to keep him off the Supreme Court. — The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher. It is separate from the newsroom and the Op-Ed section. — The nomination of Brett Kavanaugh …

Discussion: Hartford Courant, Daily Kos, Breitbart, Cronkite News, The Resurgent, The Week, Splinter, Daily Wire and CBS San Francisco

Aaron Mesmer / FOX13news:

Man threatened to kill members of Congress over Kavanaugh votes, deputies say — WINTER HAVEN (FOX 13) - A Polk County man is behind bars after he allegedly threatened to shoot members of Congress and their families, along with law enforcement and “liberals,” depending on how the Supreme Court confirmation …

Stephanie Gutmann / USA Today:

Democrats' big miscalculation: Conservative women like me won't abandon Brett Kavanaugh — Democrats turned the Supreme Court confirmation process into a campaign ad. But identity politics and “war on women” tropes only push GOP women away. — CONNECT — There are so many of us.

Discussion: Instapundit and National Review

Bloomberg:

Bloomberg Terminal Demo Request — The headlines alone are dizzying. Since the New York Times reported allegations of serial predation by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein a year ago, at least 425 prominent people across industries have been publicly accused of sexual misconduct …

Discussion: New York Times, IndieWire and The Daily Beast

Tal Axelrod / The Hill:
GOP senator may miss Kavanaugh vote for daughter's wedding

Discussion: Politico, Axios and The Week

Lulu Ramadan / mypalmbeachpost:
Retired Supreme Court Justice: Kavanaugh does not belong on high court

USA Today: Vote no on Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation

Politico:
GOP leaders all but guarantee Kavanaugh confirmation

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Chicks On The Right, Conservative Intelligence …, LifeNews.com and Breitbart

Benjamin Brown / Fox News:
Friend of Christine Blasey Ford reportedly felt pressure to revisit statement on allegations

Discussion: RedState, National Review, The Daily Caller and twitchy.com

Christina Cauterucci / Slate: Christine Blasey Ford Changed Everything

New York Times:
Trump Mocks Al Franken for Quick Resignation Over Claims of Sex Misconduct

Discussion: Politico and Talking Points Memo

Salt Lake Tribune:
Tribune editorial: Hatch attack on alleged witness is despicable

Discussion: thenewcivilrightsmovement.com

Ruth Graham / Slate:
The Kavanaugh Hearings Have Women Fired Up ... to Vote Republican

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, The Week, CNN, Althouse, Washington Post, The Atlantic and Daily Kos

Tal Axelrod / The Hill:
Trump mocks Al Franken over resignation: He folded ‘like a wet rag’

Discussion: Washington Post, Breitbart and TheBlaze

New York Post: End the farce and confirm Kavanaugh

Justin Wise / The Hill:
Capitol Police make over 300 arrests during anti-Kavanaugh protests

Discussion: Breitbart

Kevin Wallevand / WDAY-TV:
EXCLUSIVE: Heitkamp reveals Kavanaugh vote and reasoning to WDAY News

Sarah K. Burris / Raw Story:
Trump supporter arrested for threatening to slaughter senators and their families for not supporting Brett Kavanaugh

Discussion: Ledger, skippy the bush kangaroo and The Intellectualist

Associated Press:
Sen. Steve Daines will be at daughter's wedding in Montana — Kavanaugh vote or no

Discussion: Townhall, Roll Call, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Wire, KTVQ-TV and Political Wire

Ben Terris / Washington Post:

Why is Lindsey Graham acting like this? — Lindsey Graham learned the benefits of acting audaciously at a young age. — As a boy, no older than 6, he hung around his mom and dad's bar in Central, S.C., dressing up as a cowboy and yukking it up with drunks for laughs.

Discussion: Political Wire and Splinter

Eli Rosenberg / Washington Post:

‘Grow up’: Orrin Hatch waves off female protesters demanding to speak with him — Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) raised the ire of protesters on Thursday after telling a group of mostly women who confronted him in one of the Senate buildings that he would talk to them when they “grow up.”

Discussion: Vox, Axios and Townhall

Matthew Choi / Politico:
Trump calls Kavanaugh protesters ‘rude elevator screamers’

Discussion: ABC News and Politico

Gregory Eady / Washington Post: Trying to understand how Jeff Flake is leaning? We analyzed his Twitter feed — and were surprised.

CNN:
Cory Booker says report had “hints of misconduct”

Discussion: Politico and One America News Network

Jennifer E. Duffy / The Cook Political Report:

Governors: Rating Changes Four States — If political geography is helping Senate Republicans, it isn't doing much for the party's quest to hold their losses in gubernatorial contests to a minimum. There are a handful of races in very red states that have inched from the Likely …

Discussion: National Journal and Political Wire

Associated Press:

Interpol president reported missing during trip to China — PARIS (AP) — The president of Interpol, a former senior Chinese security official, has been reported missing after he traveled to his native country at the end of September, a French judicial official said Friday.

Discussion: The Week

Chris Baynes / The Independent: Interpol chief missing: French police launch investigation into President Meng Hongwei's disappearance

Jeff Cox / CNBC:

Job growth slumps in September, but the unemployment rate hits the lowest level since 1969 — The unemployment rate fell two-tenths of a percentage point to 3.7 percent, the lowest level since December 1969 and one-tenth of a percentage point below expectations.

Discussion: National Review, The Hayride, Scared Monkeys and NTK Network

Christopher Rugaber / Associated Press:
US unemployment rate falls to 49-year low of 3.7 percent

Discussion: Conservative News Today and Wall Street Journal

New York Times:

2018 Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Congolese Doctor and Yazidi Activist — In the midst of a global reckoning over sexual violence, a Congolese gynecological surgeon and a Yazidi woman who was a captive of the Islamic State were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their campaigns to end the use of mass rape as a weapon of war.

Discussion: CNN, Common Dreams, The Guardian, Althouse and ImmigrationProf Blog

Mike Isaac / New York Times:

Rifts Break Open at Facebook Over Kavanaugh Hearing — SAN FRANCISCO — “I want to apologize,” the Facebook executive wrote last Friday in a note to staff. “I recognize this moment is a deeply painful one — internally and externally.” — The apology came from Joel Kaplan, Facebook's vice president for global public policy.