memeorandum: I watched a rape. For five decades, I did nothing. (Don Palmerine/Washington Post)

12:55 PM 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 …

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, New York Times, Shareblue Media, Fox News, The Atlantic, Fox News Insider, Hit & Run, CNBC, Washington Free Beacon, The Guardian, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, CBS News, LifeNews.com, Joe.My.God., The Constitution, Daily Kos, Shakesville, Raw Story, NPR, Daily Caller News Foundation, CBS Baltimore, Vox, alicublog, CNN, ABC News, The Week, Mashable, Just Security, Outside the Beltway, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washingtonian, Bangor Daily News, Conservative News Today, BloombergQuint, WHYY, Conservative Intelligence …, fox8.com, New Republic, Townhall, Common Dreams, SCOTUSblog, NTK Network, Chicks On The Right, Jamie Dupree - AJC, The Moderate Voice, LifeZette, The Right Scoop, Jezebel, Washington Times, The Daily Caller, Politico, KRTV-TV, TheBlaze, Mediaite, Daily Wire, Balloon Juice, CBS Philly, Althouse, Law & Crime, HuffPost, Mother Jones, AOL and RedState

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, The Intellectualist, Above the Law, POLITICUSUSA, HuffPost, Mashable, CBS Dallas, Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, NPR, TheBlaze, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Mediaite

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, The Resurgent, The American Conservative, Slate, Hot Air and Vox

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: Salt Lake Tribune, Hartford Courant, Daily Kos, Cronkite News, Breitbart, The Resurgent, Splinter, The Week and Daily Wire

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: Outside the Beltway, The Intellectualist, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Week, POLITICUSUSA and WDAY-TV

Washington Post:

Senate votes 51 to 49 to advance Kavanaugh nomination to the Supreme Court — The Senate advanced Brett M. Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination in a key procedual vote Friday morning, putting him one step closer to confirmation and ending a deeply partisan and rancorous fight.

Discussion: CNN, New Republic, ABC News, TheBlaze, The Root, Balloon Juice, Patterico's Pontifications and Vox

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, Metro Weekly, The Constitution, Joe.My.God., Daily Kos, POLITICUSUSA, Common Dreams, Axios, Political Wire and The Atlantic

John Bresnahan / Politico:

Flake indicates he'll back Kavanaugh in final vote — Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh advanced to a final confirmation vote, narrowly clearing a key procedural hurdle on Friday morning, 51-49. — The vote was mostly on party lines, though Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voted “no” and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) voted “yes.”

Discussion: CNN, Conservative News Today, Daily Kos, VICE and The Week

Gregg Nunziata / New York Post: FBI's Kavanaugh investigation was by the book — just like Democrats demanded

Wall Street Journal:
Murkowski: Kavanaugh a Good Man But ‘Not the Best Man for the Court at This Time’

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Resurgent, The Other McCain and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Stephanie Gutmann / USA Today:
Democrats' big miscalculation: Conservative women like me won't abandon Brett Kavanaugh

Discussion: Instapundit and National Review

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

Discussion: Axios, Politico, Common Dreams, Outside the Beltway and POLITICUSUSA

Erica Y King / ABC News:
Kavanaugh's nomination advances to final floor vote in Senate

Discussion: RedState, New York Times, thenewcivilrightsmovement.com and Breitbart

Adele Scalia / The Federalist: I'm An Immigrant, Minority Woman Going Republican Over Democrats' Treatment Of Kavanaugh

Tim Kenneally / The Wrap:
Kathy Griffin Snipes at Michael Moore Over ‘Stop Hoping’ Tweet: ‘Michael...WE LOST’

Discussion: Daily Wire, USA Today and Breitbart

Michael Lista / New Yorker:
The Tears of Brett Kavanaugh

Discussion: TheBlaze and Chicks On The Right

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

Discussion: RedState, IJR, Fox News, Roll Call, CNN, Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Wire, KTVQ-TV and Political Wire

Windsor Mann / The Week:
Brett Kavanaugh is in the wrong branch of government

Discussion: Slate, HuffPost and ThinkProgress

Politico:
GOP leaders all but guarantee Kavanaugh confirmation

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, New York Times, Joe.My.God., Washington Free Beacon 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

USA Today:
Vote no on Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation

Discussion: New York Times

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

New York Post: End the farce and confirm Kavanaugh

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

Don Palmerine / Washington Post:

I watched a rape. For five decades, I did nothing. — Many men have stories to tell and confessions to make. This is mine. — Don Palmerine is a former reporter and columnist living in Pittsburgh. — I was both an observer and a participant in a teenage rape.

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: Washington Post, New Republic, Slate, New York Times, IndieWire and The Daily Beast

Roxane Gay / New York Times: I Thought Men Might Do Better Than This

Lisa Ryan / The Cut: Our Year of Reckoning: An Exhaustive Timeline

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: Reuters and The Week

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

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

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

Discussion: ABC News, Politico and CNN

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, Capitol Fax.com and Political Wire

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, The Daily Caller and Wall Street Journal

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

Elaina Plott / The Atlantic:

Mitch McConnell's Legacy Is Riding on Kavanaugh's Confirmation — Picture this: Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C. Early July 2017, a punishing 86 degrees. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walking alongside his wife, Elaine Chao. His casual comment to her, overheard by a reporter …

Julia Davis / The Daily Beast:
The Kremlin's For Kavanaugh: Russian State Media Back Trump's Supreme Court Nominee

Discussion: Raw Story

Christopher R. Browning / The New York Review of Books:

The Suffocation of Democracy — As a historian specializing in the Holocaust, Nazi Germany, and Europe in the era of the world wars, I have been repeatedly asked about the degree to which the current situation in the United States resembles the interwar period and the rise of fascism in Europe.

Discussion: Vox, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Raw Story