1/ The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 to approve the Kavanaugh nomination, sending it to the full Senate for consideration. Jeff Flake asked that the full Senate “delay the floor vote […] in order to let the FBI continue to do an investigation,” suggesting that he would not vote for Kavanaugh on the Senate floor without an investigation. He suggested that there were other Republicans who felt the same. Chairman Chuck Grassley abruptly adjourned the committee citing the “two-hour rule” despite confusion by senators about what they had voted for, including Dianne Feinstein, who asked: “What?” (New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post)

  • Dianne Feinstein described Kavanaugh’s testimony as “aggressive and belligerent,” adding that she’s “never seen a nominee for any position behave in that manner.” (CNBC)

  • Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee plan to investigate Kavanaugh if they retake the House majority in November. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) would become chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, which has the authority to subpoena witnesses and documents related to Kavanaugh. (HuffPost)

  • Leaked emails show a Republican aide declined to take phone calls from Deborah Ramirez and her legal team, who alleges that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a party in college. Republicans on the Judiciary Committee claimed that they had “made eight requests” for evidence from Ramirez only to be “stonewalled” by her attorneys. Mike Davis, the senior Republican committee staffer, demanded that Ramirez produce evidence in written form before any conversation about her testifying would be allowed to proceed. (New Yorker)

2/ Trump agreed to order the FBI to investigate the allegations against Kavanaugh. “I’ve ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh’s file,” Trump said in a statement released by Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week.” (CNN / Reuters / Axios)

3/ Mark Judge said he will cooperate with an FBI investigation. Judge is Kavanaugh’s high school friend, who Ford alleges was in the room during the assault. Judge previously told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he didn’t want to testify in public. (Associated Press)

4/ The Senate will take a procedural vote on Saturday to keep the nomination on track pending the outcome of the investigation. (Washington Post)

🔥 Earlier Today.

  1. Trump told senators “to do what they think is right” regarding Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation vote. “I’m going to let them handle that.” He added that he is “totally reliant” on Senate leaders to determine whether or not to have the FBI investigate the allegations against Kavanaugh. “I don’t know if this is going to continue onward or if we’re going to get a vote.” He called Christine Blasey Ford a “compelling” and “very credible witness.” (Daily Beast / BuzzFeed News / Axios / CBS Philly / CNBC)

  2. Senate Republican leaders agreed to delay Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote one week to allow for a “supplemental” FBI background investigation into sexual assault allegations. Mitch McConnell formally asked the White House to instruct the FBI to do a supplemental background check. Trump is the only person who can direct the FBI to do the additional background investigation of Kavanaugh. (Bloomberg / Politico / CNN / NBC News)

  3. Lisa Murkowski said she supported Flake’s call for a delay and an FBI investigation. Republicans hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, making it difficult for Mitch McConnell to push ahead with two defecting Republican senators. (Washington Post / Politico / Talking Points Memo)

  4. The American Bar Association called on the Senate to postpone a vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation until the FBI can complete an investigation into Ford’s allegations of sexual assault. “The basic principles that underscore the Senate’s constitutional duty of advice and consent on federal judicial nominees require nothing less than a careful examination of the accusations and facts by the FBI,” the ABA wrote in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The ABA previously gave Kavanaugh its highest rating of unanimously “well-qualified” for the Supreme Court. (CNN / CBS News / New York Times / Washington Post)

  5. The Jesuit Review rescinded its endorsement of Kavanaugh and called for his nomination to be withdrawn, stating that it “is no longer in the best interests of the country.” Kavanaugh repeatedly referenced the Jesuit education he received at Georgetown Prep in yesterday’s hearings. (America: The Jesuit Review of Faith and Culture)

  6. The dean of Yale Law School called on the Senate to postpone Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote until the allegations against him can be investigated. In a statement, Dean Heather Gerken said: “I join the American Bar Association in calling for additional investigation” and that “proceeding with the confirmation process without further investigation is not in the best interest of the Court or our profession.” Yale Law School is Kavanaugh’s alma mater. (BuzzFeed News)

  7. Senators Joe Donnelly and Jon Tester, two red-state Democrats, said they would vote against Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation. Donnelly, Joe Manchin, and Heidi Heitkamp were the three Democrats to support Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation. Heitkamp’s stance on Kavanaugh remains unclear. (Washington Post / CNN/ Reuters)

  8. The White House can’t say “for certain” that they have enough Senate votes to confirm Kavanaugh. “We’re getting there,” Raj Shah said. Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, as well as Democrat Joe Manchin, have not yet said how they will vote on the Supreme Court nominee’s confirmation. (Politico)

✏️ Notables.

  1. Trump signed an $854 billion spending bill to keep the federal government open through Dec. 7, averting a government shutdown before the November midterm elections. (Associated Press)

  2. Election machines used in more than half of U.S. states are vulnerable to a cyberattack, which was disclosed more than a decade ago. A company spokeswoman said it stopped manufacturing the systems in 2008. (Wall Street Journal)

  3. The House voted to permanently extend the tax cuts for individuals and unincorporated businesses from Trump’s 2017 tax law. The legislation passed on a vote of 220-191. Three Democrats voted for the legislation and ten Republicans voted against it. (The Hill / Politico)

  4. A Trump Victory Committee donor claimed to be “actively involved” in the presidential campaign and offered to brief a high-ranking Russian official in the final months of the campaign. A series of emails reveal that Simon Kukes, a Russian-born American businessman, requested a face-to-face meeting with Vyacheslav Pavlovsky, vice president of the state-owned Russian Railways. (NBC News)

  5. The House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena for former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe’s memos, as well as “all documents supporting” claims the FBI made in its application to conduct surveillance on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. (Washington Post)

  6. A cooperating witness in Robert Mueller’s probe said he “lives in a constant state of fear” after providing testimony that led to Russian nationals being indicted. Richard Pinedo pleaded guilty to charges of identity fraud in February for his role in unwittingly selling bank accounts to Russians. (ABC News)

  7. The House Intelligence Committee voted to release the transcripts of interviews it conducted as part of its Russia investigation. The 53 transcripts could be released as soon as next week, provided the intelligence community doesn’t take issue with releasing the information. (Washington Post / Reuters)

  8. Farmers said aid from the Trump administration won’t cover the lost sales due to tariffs. U.S. farm income is expected to drop 13% this year, to $66 billion, despite the USDA saying it would pay farmers nearly $5 billion to offset losses from global trade disputes. (Wall Street Journal)

  9. The EPA will combine the Office of the Science Advisor with the agency’s research office in order to “reduce redundancies.” (CNN)

  10. The Trump administration predicts the earth’s temperature will rise by 7 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century. Instead of using the analysis to fight climate change, the administration argued that the fate of the planet is already sealed. (Washington Post)