Make-or-break Senate hearing day for Kavanaugh, accuser

WASHINGTON — With high drama in the making, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh emphatically fended off new accusations sexual misconduct Wednesday and headed into a charged public Senate hearing that could determine whether Republicans can salvage his nomination and enshrine a high court conservative majority.

The Senate Judiciary Committee — 11 Republicans, all men, and 10 Democrats — was to hear from just two witnesses on Thursday: Kavanaugh, a federal appeals court judge who has long been eyed for the Supreme Court, and Christine Blasey Ford, a California psychology professor who accuses him of attempting to rape her when they were teens.

http://www.startribune.com/gop-lines-up-kavanaugh-vote-plan-as-showdown-hearing-nears/494334671/