The Morning Briefing: Get Ready for Anita Hill 2.0 and Much, Much More

Good Monday Morning.

Here is what’s on the president’s agenda today:

The president receives an emergency preparedness and response update
President Trump receives his intelligence briefing
The president has lunch with the vice president
President Trump participates in the inaugural meeting of the President’s National Council for the American Worker
The president hosts the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration
President Trump has dinner with supporters

Anita Hill 2.0

The author of a secret letter accusing SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh of some kind of sexual assault 35 years ago was revealed yesterday. Christine Blasey Ford, a professor from California, claims that at a high school party three decades ago, Kavanaugh and a friend locked her in a room where Kavanaugh groped her and tried to take off her clothes.

While his friend watched, she said, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it. When she tried to scream, she said, he put his hand over her mouth.

She says she feared for her life. “I thought he might inadvertently kill me,” said Ford, now a 51-year-old research psychologist in northern California. “He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing.” As of right now, we have no confirmation this event happened, as Ford did not tell anyone at the time or for decades after.

Does this scenario sound at all familiar? A last-minute SCOTUS nominee sexual harassment bomb dropped? After hours and hours of public testimony and private meetings with senators on both sides of the aisle, we learn of a letter with sexual assault allegations against the nominee that the Democrats have known about since July but failed to share with the GOP or ask Kavanaugh about. And now Grassley is supposed to postpone the hearings because of the “credible allegations”? Why did the Dems sit on this information if they consider the allegations to be serious?

Seems like everyone read the same email on Kavanaugh pic.twitter.com/85nuCmdJmY

— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) September 17, 2018

The Democrats have had three months to bring this forward and obtain some kind of verification and supporting evidence. But according to the new rules, a mere allegation is treated as truth… by the media and the Democrats. I reject this new paradigm and I encourage all the spineless RINOs agitating to postpone the Kavanaugh confirmation to do the same. Already the worst of the worst “GOP senators” like Flake and Corker have hoisted their surrender flag. This will be the first of every single GOP nominee getting the same treatment. Instead, the GOP should say, “TOO LATE. You had time to put up or shut up and you chose not to, so we are moving forward.” The fact that the GOP has a history of caving in to the Democrats and throwing their constituents’ interests under the bus is exactly why Donald J. Trump is the president of the United States.

At no time in the last 35 years did Ford feel the need to come forward with her allegations about Kavanaugh, like when he worked in the Bush White House or during his appeals court confirmation? It’s all just too convenient. If Kavanaugh does get derailed after this naked display of partisan desperation, let’s see what turnout for 2018 midterms looks like. It’s sad that allegations of sexual harassment and abuse are now tools in the partisan toolbox. Women who come forward will have to face an extra obstacle now.

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Grassley working to set up calls with Kavanaugh, accuser before vote

Kavanaugh faces his #MeToo test to reach Supreme Court

Right. Cascade of media reports prompted California woman to go public with Kavanaugh allegations

Hurricane Florence aftermath

Hurricane Florence made landfall on Friday. So far, the death toll is at 17 and the region is still suffering from massive floods as many of the rivers are still rising. More than 900 people have been rescued and 15,000 are in shelters, according to North Carolina governor Roy Cooper.

Video shows severe flooding in North Carolina

Kitten named ‘Survivor’ rescued with owner from Hurricane Florence

WAT Coast Guard removes employee from Florence duty over alleged “white power” gesture

Florence death toll at 17 after 3-month-old dies in North Carolina mobile home

Historical picture of the day:

Americas Space Shuttle is shown in the background after its first showing in Palmdale, California, Friday, Sept. 17, 1976. In the foreground is the crew of the television series Star Trek, whose ship was also named Enterprise. From left are Leonard Nimoy who portrayed Mr. Spock, George Takei who was Mr. Sulu, DeForest Kelly who was Dr. McCoy and James Doohan, who was Scotty. (AP Photo)

Other morsels:

Border Patrol agent jailed on $2.5M bond in killings of 4 women in Texas

John Kerry raised some eyebrows after comparing Trump to an ‘insecure teenage girl’

Household disinfectants could be making kids overweight, study says

Philippines landslide: Dozens feared buried in Itogon, Benguet

Meredith Corp. agrees to sell Time Magazine for $190M

Man waves pro-police flag outside Arkansas Nike store. They respond by calling law enforcement.

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Jake Tapper Gives Up On Getting Answers From Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez On Health Care Funding

Nellie Ohr To Testify Before Congress About Work For Fusion GPS

Top Democratic Housing Regulator Mel Watt Refused To Participate In Harassment Probe

Nunes says House Intel will release Russia probe interviews