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Capital Journal |
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Trump's Day: President Trump addresses the U.N. General Assembly this morning. He will advance his view of U.S. sovereignty and international cooperation, U.S. officials said. He also has several bilateral meetings.
Iran Policy: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, also in New York, will focus on U.S. policy toward Iran in a speech at the United Against Nuclear Iran Summit. National security adviser John Bolton will also speak.
EU-U.S. Relations: U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer meets with European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom in New York. In July, the two sides agreed to increase trade in several areas and products.
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Protestors rallied against the Supreme Court nominee in Washington, D.C., yesterday. PHOTO: DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES
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Republicans are rallying around embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, report Natalie Andrews and Kristina Peterson, even as a new allegation of sexual misconduct emerged. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) took to the Senate floor to call the allegations a “smear campaign” and promise a vote to confirm the judge “in the near future.” President Trump said, “I am with him all the way.” But it wasn’t clear if there will be enough support to confirm Judge Kavanaugh.
The judge and his wife sought to combat depictions of him as a predatory high school and college student. In a Fox News interview yesterday, Judge Kavanaugh denied the allegations against him and said that he was a virgin into his 20s.
Up Next: Some details of the hearing Thursday are still being negotiated, including the rounds of questions, but it appears set to happen.
The nomination fight is likely to leave the Senate and the court on the growing list of institutions in which Americans are losing confidence, Jerry Seib writes in his latest column. Perhaps the solution is outside the Beltway.
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GOP's Choice: Back Kavanaugh or Return to Short List |
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Two days before a planned hearing with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of a sexual assault at a party in high school, Republicans face a choice: They can stick by the nominee or ditch him in favor of an alternative choice.
For now, the White House and heavyweights in the Republican Party have decided on a strategy of staunch support.
But the people whose opinions will matter most are likely a small group of Republicans whose decisions could determine Judge Kavanaugh's fate in the narrowly divided Senate.
With Republicans controlling 51 out of 100 seats, the GOP can lose only one vote and still confirm the nominee, with Vice President Mike Pence brought in to break a tie. That is why the hallways near the offices of retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz)—a Senate Judiciary Committee member with a frosty relationship with Mr. Trump and viewed as a possible swing vote—were packed on Monday. And it’s also why Sens. Susan Collins (R., Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska)—also seen as potential swing votes—are likely to be under intense scrutiny in coming days.
"We've got a hearing coming up on Thursday and I'm going to be listening to the hearing," Ms. Murkowski said when asked how the allegations would affect her support of Judge Kavanaugh.
Judge Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the accusations against him. Kavanaugh’s Republican supporters hope their strong support will win the day.
President Trump on Monday said that “we hope he's going to be confirmed and that it would be "sad indeed if something happens to reroute that.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said that Judge Kavanaugh was the victim of a "shameful smear campaign" and that the judge would receive a vote on the Senate floor, no matter what.
Even House Republicans weighed in, with Rep. Steve Scalise (R., La.)—a possible contender for the job of House speaker, saying the allegations have to be weighed against the number of women who have offered their support for the judge.
Judge Kavanaugh opponents would cheer the demise of a nominee under a cloud of allegations of sexual assault. But the victory would likely be short-lived.
So far unspoken in Republican circles: The White House has a ready-made set of options if Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination falters. The Trump administration has a bench of candidates from whom it could select a replacement, given that Judge Kavanaugh was one of four finalists culled from a larger group of potential nominees—all of whom are politically unpalatable to Democrats.
Write to Siobhan Hughes at siobhan.hughes@wsj.com
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PHOTO: Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
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The White House said Rod Rosenstein and Mr. Trump will discuss "recent news stories" on Thursday. The announcement came amid conflicting reports about whether the deputy attorney general is set to depart, report Aruna Viswanatha, Michael C. Bender and Sadie Gurman. Both sides said conversations about Mr. Rosenstein’s potential departure had unfolded over the weekend.
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Background: Reports last week said Mr. Rosenstein, who oversees Robert Mueller’s Russian investigation, in spring 2017 suggested secretly recording Mr. Trump and recruiting cabinet members to remove him from office, according to memos by Andrew McCabe.
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Mr. Rosenstein’s complex portfolio, including the Mueller Russia probe, could limit Mr. Trump’s choices for a successor.
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Special counsel Mueller asked questions about the Mr. Trump's relationship with the billionaire Agalarov family, reports Rebecca Ballhaus. Publicist Rob Goldstone, who arranged Trump Tower meeting in June 2016 with Donald Trump Jr., spent roughly eight hours with the special counsel team in March.
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The Trump administration is turning to allies in Asia and Europe for trade deals as U.S. relations with China deteriorate. President Trump signed a revised free-trade pact yesterday with South Korea, and hopes by Wednesday to persuade Japan to enter formal bilateral trade talks—an effort to show he can strike new market-opening deals and isn’t antagonistic to trade, Jacob M. Schlesinger and Vivian Salama report.
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President Trump came into office with a bold plan to renegotiate old trade agreements and usher in new deals. Here's how things stand.
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Mr. Trump addresses the U.N. General Assembly this morning. World leaders plan to confront a burgeoning debate at the assembly over two competing world views, national sovereignty and multilateralism, as well as global problems. Mr. Trump met yesterday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and said he would be holding a second round of denuclearization talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “very soon.”
This morning, Mr. Trump said he had no plans to meet Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani. He held out the possibility a meeting could happen “maybe someday in the future.” Mr. Rouhani also addresses the assembly this morning.
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U.S. relations with North Korea are better now than a year ago due to a thawing of tensions between the countries' leaders, said CIA Director Gina Haspel. “There does seem to be a suggestion that Kim Jong Un, Chairman Kim, understands and wants to take steps to improve the economic plight of the North Korean people,” she said.
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A U.S. foreign service officer died while serving in Madagascar, the State Department said. A suspect is in custody and investigations by local authorities and U.S. officials are under way, Courtney McBride reports.
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An overwhelming majority of voters—77%—said corruption and malfeasance in the federal government was a top issue facing the country, according to the latest WSJ/NBC News poll. Of those, more than half want Democrats to control Congress.
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The White House set up Brett Kavanaugh's interview on Fox News, and some in the judge's camp were "queasy" about the unusual move for a Supreme Court nominee. (Daily Beast)
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National Security Council aides drafted a step-by-step “program of escalation" for Venezuela including potential military intervention, after President Trump took office. (Axios)
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Nine professional sports franchises, from baseball, basketball and football, are asking fans to register to vote. (Associated Press)
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This newsletter is a production of the WSJ Washington bureau. Our newsletter editors are Tim Hanrahan, Kate Milani and Troy McCullough. Send feedback to capitaljournal@wsj.com.
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