captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening and welcome to this pbs newshour special report. i'm judy woodruff.wa we are momentsfrom we are moments away from president trump's announcement of his nominee to the united s statreme court. it is mr. trump's second opportunity to leave his mawk on americanperhaps for decades to come. toni higher than before.ven whoever is chosen will fill the vacancy of retiring justice anthony kennedy, who's often been the determining vote on landmark decisions. it has been widely reported mr. trump narrowed his selection down to four candidates and made

his final decision earer today. we will be looking i pa moment atcture of the east room of the white house where the president will bring the person he's chosen, and we can say ourw reporters have spotted the family of judge brett kavanaugh in the room, which does sound as if it's going to be judge vanaugh, but we will wait and see. he is on the u.s. court of appeals for the d.c. cicuit. he formerly worked in the white house with preside george w. bush and clerked for anthony kennedy, whose seat he will be taking. we are training our camera on the main part of the white house, leading into e east wing, looking for the president to be joined by the person he has selected. right now, we see president trump walking alone.we l find out in a moment who he has named.

president trump. (applause) >> my fellow americans, tonight i speak to you from the east room of the white house regarding one of the most pround responsibilities of the president of the united states, and that is the selection of a supreme court justice. i have often heard at, other than matters of war and peace, this is the mostm iportant decision a president will mak the supreme court is entrusted with the safeguarding of the crown jewel of our republic, the constitution of the united states. twelve days ago, justice anthony kennedy informed me of his

decision to take sentuior sta on the supreme court, opening a new vacancy. for more than four decades, justice kennedy served our nation with incredible passionio and dev i would like to thank justice kennedy for a lifetime ofhe distinguservice. (applause) in a few moments, i will announce my selection for justice kennedy's replacement. this is the second time i have been faced with thissk. last year, i nominated judge neil gorsuch to relace the late great justice antonin scalia.

(applause) i chose justice gorsuch because i knew that he, just lik justice scalia, would be a faithful servant of our constitution. we are honored to be joined tonight by justice scalia's beloved wiufe mareen. (applause) thank you, maureen. both justice kennedy and justice alia were appointed by a president who understood that the best defense of our liberty and a judicial branch, immfrune political prejudice, were judges that apply then itution as written.

that president happened to be ronald reagan. for this eveningou annement, we are joined by nald reagan's attorney general edwin meese. ed. pplause) and, ed, i speak for everyone, thank you for everything you've done to protect our nation's great legal heritage. in keeping with president reagan's legacy, i do not ask abt a nominee's personal opinions. what matters is not a's jud political views, but whether they can set aside those views to do what the law and the constitution require. i am pleased to say that i have found, without dh ubt, suca person. tonigh it is myonor and

privilege to announce that i will nominate judge brett kavanaugh to the united states supreme cou. (applause)

i know the people in this room very well. they taint stand and give applause like that very often, so they have some respect. brett's wy e ashd their two daughters margaret and liza have joined us on the podium. thank you and congratulations to you as a family. thank you. (applause) judge kavanaugh has impeccable credentials, unsurpassed and a provenn commitment to equal justice under the law. a grduate of yale college and yale law school, judge kavanaugh currently teaches at harvard, yale and georgetown.

thl oughout lercles, he is considered a judge's judge, a true thoeader among his peers. he's a brilliant juriest with a clear and effectsive writing style, unversally regarded a one of the feignest and sharpest legal minds of our time. and just like justice gorsuch, he excelled as a clerk for justice kennedy. it's great. thank you. (appluse) judge kavanaugh has devoted his life to public service. for the last twelve years, hes rved as a judge on the d.c. circuit court of appeals with great distinction, authoring over 300 opinions, which have been widely admir for their skill, insight and rigorous adherence to the law among those opinions are more than a dozen that the supreme courtdo has aed as the law of

the land. beyond h great renown as a judge, he is active in hisy. commun he coaches cyo basketball,o serves mealsedy families, and having learned from his mom, who is a school tcher in d.c., local children at elementary schools. there is no one in america moreh qualified fos position and no one more deserving. i want to thank the senators on both sides of eisle, republican and democrat, for their consultation and advice during the selection process. this incredibly qualified minee deserves a swift confirmation and bust bipartisan support. the rule of law is our natios proud heritage. it is the cornerstone of our freedom. it is what guarantees equal

justice. and the senate now has a chance to prtect this glorious heritage by sending judge brett kavanaugh the united states supreme court.d and, now, ge, the podium is yours. (applause) >> thank you. mr. president, thank you. throughout this process, i havei witnessedthand your appreciation for the vital role of the american judiciary. no president has ever cosulted more widely or talked with more people fromore backgrounds to seek input about a supreme court

nomination. mr. president, i am grateful to you, and i'm humbled by your confidence in me. 30 years ago, president reagan nominated anthony kennedy to thm sucourt. the framers established that the constitution is desigd to secure the blessings of liberty. justice kennedy devoted his career to securing liberty. i am deeply nored to be nominated to fill his seaon the supreme court. (applause) my mom and dad are here. i am their only child. when people ask what it's like it be an only child, i say,

depends on who your parents are. (laughter) i was lucky. my mom was a teacher. in the 1960s and '70s she taught history at two lrgely african-american public high schools in washington, d.c., mckih.ey tech and. woodson. her example taught me the alimportance of eqy for all americans. my mom was a trailblazer. when i was ten, she went to law school and became a prosecuto my introduction to law came at our dinner table, when she practiced her closing arguments. her trademark line was, use your common sense -- what rings true, what rings false. that's good advice for a juror and for a son. one of the fe women prosecutors of that time, she overcame

barriers and became a trial ged the president introduced me tonight as judge kavanaugh, but, to me, that title will always belong to my mm. my dad went to law school at night while working ful.l ti he has an unparallele work ethic and passed down to me his passion for playing and watching sports. i love him dearly. the motto of my jesuit high school was "men for others." i've tried to live at creed. i've spent my career in pubc service from the executive branch in the white house to the thu.s. court of appeals fo d.c. circuit. i have served with 17 other judges, each of thm a colleague and a friend. my jdicial philosophy is straightforward -- a judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the

law, a judge must interpret statut as written, and a judge must interpret the constitution as written, informed by hitory and tradition and pere precedent for the past eleven years, i've taught hundreds of studen, primarily at harvard law school. i teach at the constitution's tectsation of powers pro individual liberty, and i remait gratefthe dean who hired an. justice elainea kag as a judge, i hair four law, yes -- i hire fou law clerks each year. i look for the besmyt. lerks come from diverse backgrounds and points of view. i am proud that a majority of my law clerks have been women. rant part of the vib catholic community in the d.c. area. the mbers of that community disagree about maty ngs, but

we are united by a commitmento serve. father john insler is here. 40 years ago, i was an altar boy for father john. these days i help him serve meals to the homeless at catholic charities. i have two spirited daughters, margaret and liza. margaret loves spoerts, and sh loves to read. liza loves sports, and she loves to talk. (laughter) i have tried to create bondsht with my das like my dad created with me. fosethe pasven years, i have coached my daughter's basketball teams. the girls on the team call me coach k. (lteau

i am proud of our blessed sack meant team that juswon the city championship (applause) my daughters and i also go to ots of ges. our favorite memory was going to the historic notre dame-uconn women's basketball game at this year's fal four. unforgettable. my wife ashley is a west texasen, a graduate of abilene teoper public high school and the university oxas. she is now the town manager of our community. we met in 2001 when we both worked ine th white house. our first date was on september 10th, 2001. the next morning, i was a few steps behind her as the secret service shouted at all of us to

sprint out the front gates of the white house because there was an iound plane. in the difficult weeks that followed, ashley was a source of strength for president bush and for everyone in this building. through bad days and so many better days since tn,ehe has been a great wife and an inspiring mom. i thank god every day for my family. (applause) tomorrow, i begin meeting with members of the senate, which plays an essential role inhis process. i will tell each senator that i

revere the constitution. i believe that an independent judiciary is the crown jewel of our constitutional republic. if confirmed by the senate, i will keep an open mind in every case, and i will always strive to preserve the constitution of the united states and the american rule of law. thank you, mr. president. (applause) >> woodruff: and there we have have president trump's second

pick for thesunited states eme court, judge brett kavanaugh of the d.c. appellate circuit court, with his wife ashley and two daughters. we just heard a little persona story aut them. but before that, we heard president trjup say thadge kavanaugh has impeccable credentials. he said he is a judge's judge, and he said he's a thought leader. he went on to say he's written over 300 opinions on the circuit and had a great deal of praise for the record of this judge. let's turn now to our john yang who's there at the white house on the north lawn. john, they tried to keep this secret, but i guess, in the last few hours, the word started tou leak >> that's right, judy. actually, white house officials are now saying that theen presmade his decision last night and called kavanaugh to tell him of hisecision. he also called don mcghan, his white house counsel, who has been championing kavanaugh as a candidate for the supreme court. it's been widhaely reported

theth also had to overcome some reservations about kavanaugh, particularly his ties -- his close ties -- to the bush family. he served as staff secretary to president george w. bush, that means he managed the pper flow across his desk, across thede president'k in the oval office, and some social conservatives have also been a bit cool on kavanaugh because of two opinions he wrote, recentl one on the affordable care act, and onn immigration and abortion, that they felt lacked the sort of idea of ideological. one of the groups campaigning for amy coy barrett distributed a picture of kavanaugh with the arms -- the arm of karl rove around his shoulders. karl rove, president george w.

bush's political advisor, who has been keenly, sharply critical of president trump during the campaign and during his presidency, and whom president trump has said not to like very much. but, clearly, he overcame those objections and has nominated brett kavanaugh to be on the supreme court. >> woodruff: and, john, we seery a lowing statement from h,rmer president george w. b who has been relatively quiet, but tonight make it clear he thinks the choice of judge kavaugh is a good one. we should point out on a more personal note, we know that judge kavanaugh's wife, who heuc intr ashley, was a personal secretary to president george w. bush. let's learn a little bit more about the pick and the fight to come, if you will, in the congress, and for that le's turn to david rivkin, an attorney here in washington who served as associate white house counsel for president george

he's also argued before judge kavanaugh on the court ofap als for the d.c. circuit. and elizabeth wydra, presidee of t constitutional accountability center, a progressive law firm and think thank here in washington. thank you to both of you. elizabeth wyd,, to you fir we knew, i guess in the hour or so leading up to this that it was probably going to be judge kavanaugh, the president glowing in his description of him. you heard what judge kavanaugh had to say. what is your take? >> certainly the stakes could not be higher in this fight. justice kennedy was the decisive vote in abortion access, lgbtq equality, racial justice,ta environmprotection, so l eyes will be on judge askavanaughas record, he substantial one, and trying to make sure that he will follow the law and the constitution, incling the 14th amendment which today separates its 0th anniversary and its guarantees of equality, personal

dignity and liberty for all. so we're going in with high stakes that makes the battle particularly pitched. judge kavanaugh, as yosaw, is a very affiable and con genialma but he has a high burden because of president trump's statedng litmus test gonto his campaign that he would put someone on the ben who would automatically overrule roe v wade and expand gun rights. >> woodruff: david rivkin, we heard personalomments, introduced his family, the comments from the president were quite general, what do we kno about brett kavanaugh? >> we know in addition an excellent background, she a judge's judge, he is somebody who calls the cases based upon the law and the constitution. we look at his opinions, there is absolutely no basis to

conclude he is going to overturn roe which is well-entrenched, eot just roe but cases lik casey >> woodruff: cases that have to do with legalized abortion.o >> legalizatio abortion. frankly, this is not the issue. the impressive thing about justice kavanaugh is he's committed in the same way as justice kennedy because -- the critics have talked about changing the balance to have the court, i don't agree that's necessarily the issue, but kennedy was the great tion justice in place who cares about structural separation of powers provisions which is the best wad to protect ividual liberty. justice kavanaugh is exactly in the same place. what is intereing about it is he calls the shots in this area irrespective of the policy outcomes. for example, in an 2008 case where he dissent and the supre court eventually upheld it in a public accounting oversight board, he held the, the way the

statute was written, vlated the constitution because it was too -- the statutory language was unduly diminishing of apr idential accountability. so he hit article 1, congress, for putting somethit that was not constitutional. in 213, he -- >> woodruff: we can get to but of those nips a minut i want to get to the larger point that we have been hearing in the last day sce this all came about that justice kennedy announced that he was stepping down, elizabeth wydra, people, virtually everyone is saying this is someone who will be more conservative in the way he hands downiond writes dec than has been justice kennedy. how do you see that? i think that's right. you know, president trump said that clearly. he didn't want someone who is going to be like justice kennedy or chief justice roberts. he wanted someone more like justice scalia. that was his mold.

you know, i think david's descrieion is nice of th justice that he would see, but that's not how trump described wthe justice that heas going to nonominate to the supreme court. he was very clear about issues like overturning the right to abortion and expanding gu rights and being willing to strike down the affordable care act and protections for ie-existing conditions an that sense he would have something in common with justice kennedy. but it does change the center of the court. now the center is pbaroy chief justice roberts which is very far to the right. >> woodruff: that's assuming he gets confirmed. i want to go to capitol hill correspondent lisa dsejardins for se, quickly, lisa, of what the reaction will be among republicans an democrats to judgean kavgh. >> no surprise, republicans by and large are ecstatic. there are some who say they're oking forward to the process but are warm still to the judge, in particularly, of course, senator mcconnell and house speaker paul ryan have been

extolling this candidate. om the democrats, no surprise, we see the opposite. chuck schumerdemocratic leader in the senate, writing he thinks this no, ma'am nays puts reproductive rights and freedoms and health for many americans on the judiinal choblock. so that's what i think you will see the debate over these core issues hapening now. no coincidence democrats will prial probably raise for the med terms election. ahead ofaint's announcement, democrats thought this was the candidate they had most shot atu raisintions about because of his lengthy paper trail, as john yang has spoken about, but it's not clear what exactly that means. they just think that, in all of those records, in all of those orders and rulings that they will find somethinghat wil raise doubt about this candidate. they haven't said what it is, but that's their one hope. >> woodruff: it's interesting that it's been reported in the last few days that the majority leader mitch mcconnell was reported to have td the

president he would be better off not appointing judge kavanaugh for that reason, arguing he did have such a long paper trail,e thuld be a lot of material to dig through, opinions, speeches, so forth. lisa desjardins at the capitol, thu very much. actually, lisa, i'm going to stay with you just a minute k because, yw, we heard -- we heard judge kavanaugh sayv there, i re the constitution, i believe in an independent judiciy, i'm going to call -- you know, make decisions one by one. we also ow that president trump said, during the campaign, that he planned to point justices to the supreme court who would overturnde roe v so how are republicans and democrats at the capitol looking at that? >> i think your panel will speak to this more but i think judge kavanaugh's relatively recent decision in the garza case which dealt with an unaccompanied minor seeking an abortion, we covered that story o "newshour", and he was a key judge, and there are audio

iorecordings of his que and his approach to that case. some on the right feel that he allowed too much leeway for abortion to exist as a legal eltion in this country, but those on the left that he was not giving that minor childt why felt was her right to a quicker option for abortio so both sides have questions about that case. there is a middle, i thi, on the right that says he was upholding precedent as an appeals court juda and tht may not reflect on what he would do on the supreme court. >> woodruff: all right, lisa desjardins. we're going to have days and even weeks to look at this but we know that the senate is -- >> it starts tomorrow. that's right. they said we'll start working on this right away. lisa desjardins, thank you. i need to say we are going to pause right we need to pause here. pbs newshour will continue in a moment in the west. many of our pbs stations in the east will now return to their regularly scheduled programming.

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>> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> oodruff: the political implications of judge kavanaugh's nomination spread beyond washington. i'm joined by amy walter, national editor of the "cook political report," and susan page washington bureau chief for "usa today." y, we now know it's brett

kavanaugh, the name was rising in the past few days, the president made it cear. i think what we saw just now was a pretty personal introduction this man. he certainly made his own comments about his family, his mother his father. you get more of a portrait of who he is. >> exactly. >> woodruff: does that -- whato does that --s that help him as he tries to sell himself? >> right, it's the one time these justices can humanize themselves, they don't jbest me an e-mail ga emalgamation ofr cases. he will introduce himself once more to the american public but between now and then, there is going to be a lot of ffu- protests on the left, consolidation on the right aroundim, you will see a lot of money spent on adds i these -- ads in these states where oppones or supporters of judge kavanaugh think they can swinora senatowo, then we

go to the real showdown which will bthe hearings, and wn those begin is going to be really interesting. this was one of the reasons senator mcconnell wanted this to happen very quickly is because he wants to get this done before the midtermlections. with a lengthy record kavanaugh halo it may take ng time to get all the documents together. an page, whats does brett kavanaugh have going for him in this confirmation process and what does he have to worry about? >> he has a lot going for him. he's a well knn gure in washington. he has a lot of experience in washington including working ton white house staff of george w. bush, working frecial counsel kenneth staerr, on t federal court of appearance sondling a lot of high-profile cases. hat's an advantage for him. he knows a lot of people. he's not seen as somebody the fripg of american politics. he is a conservative, to be sure, but not someone who seems like out o sthe maream.

i think he will have some problems -- the saane problems one of these nominees would have had, within seconds of his nameeeing uttered by th president, the flood of email started from conservative groups supporting him, from liberal groups opposing him. interestingly, within the first couple of minutes, there were supporti statements from george w. bush, from jeb bush and from george p. bush, the land commissioner in texas, the next generation of bushes, and the bush family has no be supportive of president trump on all kinds of fronts. on this oneli, the repn party, looks to me, will be very united. >> woodruff: which is significant, aimy. you said the republican partyso will cdate around him. >> right. >> woodruff: it looks like that was one of the aims of the president in this pk. >> that's right, which was to eliminate any defections from republicans and to make it harder for some of the red state democrats to have a good excuse for why thengy with respect g to vote for him. they can't argue he's not

qualified or desn't have the s ecredentials. the issue democratll go after, abortion, guns and th affordable care act, where even some conservatives have said that kavanaugh isot conservative enough on those issues, democrats are saying he's too far out to have the mainstream. >> woodruff: surely, susan, the white house had in mind, fo all the talk we've heard, and we understand what they said, they have tohave in mind in t the senators who are goingake a difference when it comes down to the vote. the two replican women senators susan collins of maine, lisa mkowski of alaska, who are believed to be maybe persuadable to go in another direction because they happen to be pro-choice on abortion, and then, of course, te so-called red-state democrats, democrats from states where donald trump did very well in 2016. so you have believe that there was a sense of thosese voices, thars out there listening. i but, you know, do you think that this nomin going to speak in a candid and full-fledged w about his views

on roe v wade? i would be stunned, this came up in his previous confirmation hearings, in which he did the judicial thing, which is to say he'll handle the casest come before him, he hasn't made a clear decision on that particular issue. there was a recent case involving an immigrant, 17-year-old who wast. pregn it doesn't go quite to whether u would overturn roe v wade. so i expect him not to give a clear tswer to that bu say he s respects pert, may be enough to keep the two republican senators in the fold. democrats running red states hard to run against him in partt because to have personal introduction. he had his wife, two cute taughters there, he gave a tribute to his r who sounds like a remarkable woman, talked about how a majority of his law clerks are fe.m these steps that introduce him to americans in a way that makes him acceptable. >> woodruff: he said, when i

hear juavanaugh, i through of my mother who, clearly, went back to law school after having him, an on child. amy, how much is abortion going to be a part of the conversation these confirmation hearings go foard? the president said -- we mentioned it with lisa desjardins, a minute ago -- the president said during the campaign, when i appoint bstices of the supreme court, they are going te people who want to have overturn roe v wade. w> i can't remember if this was an interview or aet when he said most recently that, you know, these judge going to talk about abortion, that's what i have been told, it's probly a good idea for them really not to have that discussion. so i think, susan, that's right, he's nt going to mak definitive statement. it's pretty clear that's where the position is going, that this is a fundamental attack on roe v wade, they're pointing specifically to the case of ths immigrant, 17-year-old, who he had a dissent in that case to

not allow her to have an abortion as an example of what his views are on abortion as well as his views on guns and gun control. again, how that plliys ineral parts of america is probably going to be pretty good. how that lays in rural red states, especially when you're talking about guns, probably not going to be as per swa >> but even if you can't stop this nomination, even if democrats e going to have a tough time keeping him from being confirmed, they can galvanize their backers and base of voters on the issues in theh way they'reeatened by this republican administration and by this new coatmunity consee court and republicans can do the same thing. this can be a huge organizing principle for republicans saying this is why you need to vote midterm elections because theyqu have conces. >> woodruff: rally the base for elections. koch medication hearings wille come lgust, september, weeks away from the midterms. for now, we say thankou. we will see you in a few days.

amy walter, susan page, thank you very much. you're welcome. >> woodruff: so this confirmation fight will soon consume capitol hill. as we have been hearing, senator majority leader mitch mcconnell said he would like the new jthustice ocourt at the start of the new session, that's in october. senator cory booker is a democrat on the judiciary committee and joins me now from capitol hill. senator booker, welcome to the "newshour". what's your reaction? >> i'm a little surprised that beis was the piccause i guess, if you look at all the people on that list, he literally selected the one person who has a pretty good written record of saying, hey, if you are a president under tvestigation, i don't think you should be allowbe in a criminal investigation. the one guy who could in many ways indemi fy'him of the many challenges donald trump could see go befo the supreme court. can he pardon himself? can he be the subject of a criminal investigation? there's a whole bunch of issues within this mueller investigation that might be decideid the court, and he

picked the one guy that could have a lot of confidence, based upon his written record, that would protect him through the process. >> woodruff: and as i understand it, thata law review article brett kavanaugh wrote. what about his opinions on the court that he served on both as district judge and especially as an appeals court judouge, wht doee there that troubles you? >> i just want to emphasize that that's a significant constitutional issue that could ve this country in a constitutional crisis. this is somebody we shouldn't go forward wih a nome nation and if we do he couldecuse himself from any matters. but there is a host of things he decided that give a shadow over a lot of issues i'm concerned are basically individual rights. his decision he made about an undocumented young woman to be able to get access to abortiono care sws again that president trump is fulfilling

his campaign promise to put people on the court that will erturn roe v wade. i haven't read the full opinions yet, the surtvey geting ready for the moment he would make a choice, everything from workers rights to individual rights on voting, a lot of things concern me that will continue the trend of the court or be the balance brear of the court that they will take after 50 years of asserting indivghual , whether rights of privacy or voting, whether it's right for workers to organize and, now, suddenly, start to turn back the clock on the gains of individual rights over these last 40rbgs 50 years. >> woodruff: senator, you going to keep an open mind? are you prepared -- do you go into this confirmation hearing willing to hear what he has to say or are you already set to vote against him?he >> i'm onecord already as saying this is a very problematic moment for this country constitutionally. we have a president who has

people around him, i guess 76 charges in the muelln, investigatver 20 individuals and corporations have been charged, five guilty pleas, one person sentenced. there isng swirl goiround this president on an issue of the united states being attacked by the rsians. for him to be able to now put hemebody on the court, again, chose the one person who has specific writings that in manye ways et him from not just investigation but go as far as to say he shouldn't even be the subject of such a matter. that alone to me is reason to oppose and with some conviction, now, especiay seeing the person he chose, to say we should not be moving forward as a senate with somebody who can ultimately undermine the rule of law and undermine the current proceedings that knead to go forward in the mueller investigation. >> woodruff: so for yo, i mean, you can assume that the republicans on the judiciary committee are going to support him. what hurp do these hearings serve, if you've already made up your mind and other senatorshe

feelame way? >> the majority of the senate is not on the judiciary committee. also very important, in my -- and my role will be to try to bring a lot of these issues out to light, not just the issues i've dscussed in reard to the conflict he presents, but a lot of issues that are reall important to americans, the issues of individual rights versus corpate rights, like we saw with citizens united, american citizens to dark ney, voting rights rolling back and women's rights that have been roing back. so this is an important airing for the american public as a whole bu also the 100 senators who have to make a decision. you know this from hitory, a lot of times things come out in these judiciary hearings thatdi make a bifference in the ultimate decisions being made by individual senators, or things come out that ultimately scut alnomination altogether. so it's very important that we get down tois and have a thoughtful, thorough vetting of this candidate, doat our

constitutional duty is which is to advice and consent. >> woodruff: we've heard some criticism today from mitch mcconnell and others have said at the very least the president's pick deserves as open mind. senators who say going in they will not listen or give seous consideration, that they are not paying -- they are no giving him the attention, the considerion that he deserves as the president's nominee. >> well, first of all, you know, i'm sitting here before you as an african-american. i'm here because of thera delions of the supreme court. so will i go into this with a strong consideration with owing a debt to history, to folks of all different backgrounds who worked hard whethebrown vs. board of education and in m other cases that made a difference in my and my family's

life, i take it seriously. what i do object is a majority leader saying i'm goin -- that t even give a hearing, telling republicans senators or was said to many republican senators that they shouldn't even meet with merrick garland. so i've seen, now, the very idea of a presint being able to appoint a justice to the supreme court, barack obama almost a year lefin his term, that being undermined by the politi of the senate majority leader and others. so it's frustrating to me as someone who will go into this -- these hearings with all the due d ligence, prepa engage and to try to bring out as much of the truth about this candidate as possible, to be lectured in such a way is unfortunate. we are at a moment in american

history that is sobering to me because this will shift the court inea way we'vver seen it in my lifetime. liready at a point that so many americans are f like the system is rigged, that average workerin this country are getting screwed over by the increasing power of corporations. where theupreme court now could go with this pick is disturbing and should be disturbing to individuals who believe in things, like individual liberty, the ability to make your o nalthcare decisions, the ability to organize for a better salary an wages, the ability to have your voice heard in aac demo especially in the growing power of organizations. >> woodruff: senator cory booker who sits one judiciary committee which will be cotermining the confirmation at least througittee of the president's choice of brett kavanaugh. .enator, thank you very much. >> thank you i respect your program quite a

bit. it's an honor to be on. >> woodruff: thank you. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, the trump administration confirmed that it will not meet tomorrow's deadline to return 102 migrant children under the age of five to theiparents. instead, the justice department told a federal judge in san diego thatnubout half that ber may be reunited. older children museunited with their families by july 26. plate today a federal denied the trurkz's request to allow the long-term detention oi egal immigrant children. in thailand, four more ys were brought out of a cave today, making eight rescued over two days. they'd been trapped by flooding, since june 23. ur other boys and their soccer

coach remain underground, as john irvine of independent televisi news, reports. reporter: ambulances have become guiding lights here, wi the sight of one trundling down the track from the cave confirming they are a boy closer to completing a great escape. it's no wonder the thais are smiling, overconfidence is now asor big a as anything here. today's goal was to emulate thed success of yes, when four were freed before a halt was called because resources were spent. during the 15-hour break before the resumption of the rescue tssion here today, fresh oxygen tanks were placed cave system, guide ropes ucghtened, and lly, the all star team of rescue divers had a chance t get some refore round two. they got down to it aga this morning. dozens of divers entered the

cave system to line the route out, and then meet the needs of each individual boy and his guide as they passed through. now in hospital, all the rescued boys remain officially anonymous, out of sensitivity toward the families of those still trapped. so instead of names they have numbers. today saw 5, 6, 7, and 8 driven to a landing zone and en airlifted to that hospital in the nearest town, chiang rai. after the trials and tragedy of last week, the last two days have been a stunning success. tonight against the odds those in peril have been whittled down to five. >> atwoodruff: eport from john irvine of independent television news.pr ident trump says he believes north korea will give up nuclear weapons, as promised. this, after the north accused

the u.s. of making "gangster- like" demands. on twitter today, mr. trump referend his summit with north korea's leader, and said: "i have confidence that kim jong un will honor the contract we signed and ev more importantly, our handshake." but he suggested china may be trying to derail the effort, to retaliate for u.s. tariffs. turkey's president recep tayyip erdogan was sworn in today to new term, with broad new powers. he t enteredhe parliament flanked by ceremonial guards before taking the oath offi . it came as turkey's central bank moved to give erdogan greater control over monetary policy. he also nad his son-in-law, treasury and finance minister. gornment forces in syria closed in today on the last rebel strongholds in the southwesteco part of the untry. the rebels were under heavy fire from syrian guns and russian air strikes. russian officials said more than 90 towns in the region have join a truce.

as a result, thousands of refugees have begun returning home. the death toll from flooding in western japan has reached 114. rescuers were still digging through debris and mud today, after days of heavy rain, especially around hiroshima. pr sime ministnzo abe canceled an overseas trip, to oversee the effort. f ( translated ): the number of the dead and missim these historically torrential rains has reached over 100, and serious d there are still many people missing, we are increasing theer nuf self defense forces to 73,000 members who are doing their utmost to rescue and assist locals. >> woodruff: several million people have been forced to escape the rising water, while some 11,000 households have no power. across the american west, fire crews report progress on containing a wave of wildfires. in california, they've been rsining ground against a fire that killed one and scorched 55 square miles along the oregon border.

a fire three times that size, in lorado, is now mostly contained. there's word the trump administration tried in vain to block an internaonal endorsement of breast-feeding. "the new york times" reports the ofu.s. threatened memberhe world health assembly with trade sanctions and cuts in miliry aid. president trump called the story "fake news." he said the u.s. opposed curbs on infant formula, not breastfeeding. xtarbucks is giving up plastic straws over the wo years, in a bid to cut waste and pollution. ffee chain says it will transition to biodegradable straws and specially designed ds. it's the largest food and beverage company yet, to make that move. on wall street, stocks rallied on hopes for strong second- quarter earnings. the dow jones industri 3 average gain points to close at 24,776. the nasdaq rose 67 points, and

the s&p 500 added 24. >> woodruff: finally on this night. president trump announced his pick for the supreme court, judge brett kavanaugh. let's return to our team at both ends of pennsylvania avenue. john yang is at the white house, lisa desjardins at capito hil so, john, they got the work of getting judge kavanaugh announced. now they have to go to w getting him confirmed. what do they have in mind? >> tt's right. well, judy, they've already rejiggeredhe white house staff to give emphasis on this new immigration of getting kavanaugh conn firmed. line speer herded through the process by forr arizona senator jon kyl. kellyanne conway told our producer shep exts a swift

confirmation. you know, jud kvanaugh said he was going to start the process tomorrow, and as rachel said, the room was filled withua viy every republican senator with two es,cepti susan collins and lisa murkowski, concerned about abortion rights. but he speaking to them, starting the lobrtbying ef talking about his mother, the number of clerks that were a womeeady showing his respect for women and signaling to murkowski and collins that ha would afe vote. >> woodruff: one could hear messages going out to the senators who are going to be the deciding factor. lisa desjardins is at the ca ktol. lisa, whd of reception will the judge rereceive? >> we can sefrom the ticker tape of e-mails, republicans will say this is a ma with broad experience, great intellect and comsemon sethey

will fight against raw emotion we're hearing from democrats. we can see protesters already at the supreme court tonight. it's going to be a very hot summer. >> woodruff: l there to cover it. no vacation for you. lisa desjardins, at the caitol. john yang at the white house, wie thank you both. and that is the "newshour" for and that's the newshour for tonit. i'm judy woodruff. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> babbel. a language app that teaches real-life conversations in a new , language, like spaniench, german, italian, and more. babbel's 10-15 minute lessons are available as an app, or online.ti more inf on babbel.com. >> and by the alfred p. sloan

foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and fina literacy in the 21st century. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. re information at macfound.org go >> and with the g support of these institutions >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org ♪

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