lana zak has the latest from capitol hill. >> reporter: good morning. president trump saying he found the testimony brutal and hard to watch. and across the country, reverberations, a 140% increase in a number of calls made to a sexual assault hotline. senators on capitol hill tried to reconcile two ease phoerblly char or emotionally charged testimonies. judge kavanaugh defending his reputation. >> you may defeat me in the final vote, but you will never get me to quit ever. >> the laughter. the uproarious laughter between the two. >> i have never sexually assaulted anyone. >> reporter: but both certain. >> none of these allegations are true. zero. >> do you believe brett kavanaugh assaulted you? >> 100 percent. >> reporter: republicans frustrated that the allegation was revealed so late in the process. >> what you want to do is destroy this guy's life, hold this seat open, and hope you win in 2020. >> reporter: kavanaugh at times joining in the partisan fight. >> this whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit fueled by a

team coverage with abc news lana zak in washington. >> reporter: dr. ford's attorney tells cnn her client will cooperate but that the call for a hearing on monday is premature. >> there's no reason we should have a public hearing on monday given what has occurred and when it occurred. this is too important to be rushed through. this is a serious situation. >> reporter: her allegation tags nominee bret kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when drunk at a high school party in the 1980s upaccepteded washington. democrats want the fbi to investigate before the hearings proceed. >> there must be an agreement on witnesses and the fbi should be given time to reopen its background collect investigation into judge kavanaugh making it much less likely that it will devolve into a he said, she said affair. >> reporter: and even though the fbi is charged with background checks, president trump says he will not order them to follow up. >> i don't think the fbi really should be involved because they don't want to be involved. they say this is not really their thing, but

reporting from the senate, lana zak, abc news. >> lana, thank you.an you tell us anything more about that poli graph text that dr. blasey ford submitted to the senate. >> a lot of people talking about that. it was administered in august by a former fbi agent. along with her testimony, there were two questions. one, is anything within this statement false? and, two, did you make up anything in this statement. in both cases, she passed. matt, jessica. >> lana zak reporting live from the capitol. thank you so much. and the hearing starts at 7:00 our time. opening remarks from senator grassley and dianne feinstein. then blasey ford will give her opening remarks and then questions from senators. blasey ford will then leave and kavanaugh will enter to give his statement and answer questions. >> abc 7 will carry the hearing live. we will be be streaming at abc news 7.com. and the abc 7 news op. >> dion lim is in washington, d.c. look for her reports all day on abc 7 and online. >>> a lot of uncertainty about what's next for the salesforce transit center. >>

abc's lana zak has the new tash overnight. lana, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, kendis and stephanie. for days the credibility of dr. christine blasey ford has been in question and now a second woman is coming forward saying she too wants the fbi to investigate. just after the senate announced the details of christine blasey ford's testimony, a second person announced she had a me too moment with the nominee for supreme court. this woman, deborah ramirez, a former yale university classmate of kavanaugh's says he exposed himself to her at a party 35 years ago, according to "the new yorker." ramirez says her incident happened at a drunken dormitory party. she says she was forced to push >> his body part away from her. when someone steps forward and accuses another person of this kind of sexual assault, it needs to be taken seriously. >> reporter: earlier democrats had been urging chuck grassley to slow down kavanaugh's nomination. together with blasey ford, they asked for additional witnesses at thursday's

reporting live from the capitol, lana zak, abc 7 news.ssica. >>> the testimony affected a lot of americans, especially judging by that stat that you just gave us. but were any minds inside that chamber changed? >> reporter: that he wants the question. republicans right now, for the most part, the undecided republicans are holding their cards close to their chest. we have to wait and see what happens with today's vote. we do know other minds were changed, including the american bar association, which had endorsed kavanaugh. they pulled that back and said instead of a vote, there needs to be a full fbi investigation. we'll see if that has any impact on those republican undecides. reggie, jessica. lana zak, abc 7 news. thank you. >>> reaction to the hearing has been pouring in on social media. president trump said kavanaugh's testimony was, quote, powerful, honest, and riveting. he calls this process a total sham and an effort to delay, obstruct, and resist. alyssa milano was in the hearing to show support for dr. blasey ford. she asked jeff

abc's lana zak has the new details from capitol hill. good morning, lana. >> reporter: good morning to you, kendis and stephanie. with the country watching, two different versions of the young brett kavanaugh will be presented today, on one side, the choir boy, the high school virgin, on the other, the hard partying drinker and alleged sexual assaulter. brett kavanaugh and the first of his accusers, dr. christine blasey ford, will be grilled in an attempt to find the truth. >> i don't think there's any question in my mind about it. but i'm willing to keep an open mind. >> reporter: a new look at exactly what blasey ford will say paints an emotional picture beginning her opening statement with, i am here today not because i want to be, i am terrified. meanwhile, an excerpt from kavanaugh's statement reading in part, i drank beer on weekends with my friends, sometimes i had too many. in retrospect i said and did things in high school that make me cringe now but remaining adamant saying i have never sexually assaulted anyone, not in high sch

lana zak, abc7 news. back to you. >> lana, we saw kavanaugh's wife sitting next to him.entioned it as well. for our viewers just joining us can you recap about how they're handling this with their kids. >> yeah. it's important to note that they have daughters, and in this interview, kavanaugh's wife said it had been hard on their children. she prepared them beforehand saying things aren't going to be fun in this nomination process but in regards to this specific allegation, she says she told the children to remember that they know their dad. >> lana zak reporting live from washington. thank you so much. >>> abc7 news will be in washington , d.c. >>> b.a.r.t. is exploring a new way to patrol trains. according to "the examiner," the b.a.r.t. police department is asking the board of directors to hire 54 and hire unarmed ambassadors to help. the meeting is set for thursday. >>> happening today, 170,000 people are descending on downtown san francisco for the dreamforce conference. the annual event is put on by salesforce for its customers. the ceo will deliver the keynote add

lana zak joins us live from washington. >> hi there, matt and jessica.tinues to support his supreme court nominee, brett kavanaugh. he tweeted his support overnight, writing that democrats are leveling false accusations, trying to destroy, he said, a wonderful man. judge brett kavanaugh is not waiting until thursday to tell america his side of the story. >> i've never sexually assaulted anyone. i did not have sexual intercourse or anything close to sexual intercourse in high school or for many years thereafter. >> so you're saying that all -- through all these years in question you were a virgin? >> that's correct. >> reporter: with his wife by his side, kavanaugh spoke with fox news. >> i am not questioning and have not questioned that perhaps dr. ford at some point in her life was sexually assaulted by someone in some place. but what i know is i've never sexually assaulted anyone. >> reporter: kavanaugh says he will not bow out. >> i'm not going anywhere. rbd are r >> reporter: on thursday america will hear from dr. blasey ford, his accuser. in a lette

lana zak, abc news, washington. jessica, back to you. >>> lana, thank you.m will be live from washington tomorrow. when christine blasey ford testifies. look for her live reports here on abc 7 and online throughout the day. >>> at 6:39 on our wednesday, the big story today, along with the heat, is also our air quality. there is a spare the air day in effect today. no matter where you live, air quality between moderate and poor. this afternoon, haze in our atmosphere. air quality inland. and the santa clara valley. mixed bag. 40s and 50s. 48 in santa rosa. 57 our current temperature in san jose. hour by hour for you, later on this morning, future tracker temperatures showing you by 11:00, already warming quickly into the 70s and 80s in our warmest spots. so today will be the warmest day we have all week. into the afternoon, bay shoreline, 70s and aeupts. inland well into the 90s. it is a warm day. 80s and 90s in most spots. tomorrow, a degree or two cooler. but the big cooldown really hits us on friday. temperatures kind of back to where they should be this t

reporting live from washington, lana zak, abc 7 news. >>> lana, thank you. dion lim will be live from washington tomorrow. when christine blasey ford testifies. for for her reports online throughout the day. >>> a proposed ikea store is getting pushback this morning. >> the commission voted 3-1 to not recommend building the new y.ore che tit final say next month. ikea wants to build on an empty plot of land it owns near 580 and hacienda drive. while some say they would welcome the new store, opponents worry it could cause traffic congestion. >>> approaching 5:38 on this wednesday morning. temperaturewise, a mix. napa in the 40s. oakland, san jose, mid if not upper 50s at this early morning hour. but the warming process will be very quick later this morning. hour by hour to show you the temperatures. by 11:00 this morning, well into the 70s, if not low a 80s in our warmest spots. a lot of sunshine today away from the coast. as we advance the clock, by 4:00 later this morning, a lot of 70s and 80s around the bay shoreline. inland, it will be a hot day today if

larry, ama. >> lana zak reporting live from washington, d.c. if valid, why weren't they discovered earlier? vetting is intense. reporter wayne friedman has finished speaking with a local retired federal judge who describes the ordeal in great detail. wayne? >> reporter: in deep detail. longer than we have time for. the chief judge for the ninth district court. when he was appointed, he went through the vetting process by the fbi. they asked all kinds of questions about him. to this day, he has not seen the file, does not know what's in it. >> i wouldn't say it's painful. i think it's interesting. i think it's very interesting to watch because it's democracy in action. >> to understand how our system vets nominees for federal judgeships, best to ask someone who has gone through it twice. >> is it fair? >> it's proven itself to be worthy of a fair process over time. >> retired ninth district federal judge james ware confirmed after a nomination by president bush in 1990 and withdrew a second nomination to the circuit of appeals after nomination b

and he's even offered to send staffers out to california to meet with her. >> all right, lana zak, thank you. >>> abc news just received this news statement from lisa banks, attorney for dr. christine blasey ford. dr. ford was reluctantly thrust into the public spotlight only two days ago. she is currently unable to go home and is receiving ongoing threats to her and her family's safety. fairness and respect for her situation dictate that she should have time to deal with this. she continues to believe that a full nonpartisan investigation of this matter is needed, and she is willing to cooperate with the committee. however, the committee stated plan to move forward with a hearing that has only two witnesses is not a fair or good faith investigation. >> as the statement just mentioned, blasey ford says she's been the target of death threats since going public. gillibrand spoke about that situation. >> and the fact she is receiving death threats today, the fact she had to move her residency, has to protect her children from death threats and this kind of assertions online about her is exa

lana zak joins us live from washington. >> president trump overnight continued to tweet his support for judge kavanaugh. he accused the democrats of playing politics, saying they're trying to destroy a wonderful man with false accusations. judge brett kavanaugh is wanot waiting until thursday to tell his side of the story. >> i did not have sexual intercourse or anything close to sexual intercourse in high school or for many years thereafter. >> so, you're saying through all these years in question you were a virgin? >> that's right. >> reporter: with his wife by his side, kavanaugh spoke with fax news. >> i am not questioning and have not questioned that perhaps dr. ford at some point in her life was sexually assaulted by someone, some place. what i know is i've never sexually assaulted anyone. >> reporter: kavanaugh says he will not bow out. >> i'm not going anywhere. >> reporter: on thursday america will hear from dr. christine blasey ford, his first accuser. in a letter to the republican chairman, chuck grassley, impfo writes, while i am frightened, please know i will testify. grass

lana zak, abc news, washington. >>> president trump's november trip to ireland is up in the air.announced today that the visit has been postponed siting scheduling reasons. but then the white house said details are still being finalized. the president was scheduled to go to ireland beforegoing to paris to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of world war i. >>> it's election night again, this time in new hampshire. one race is considered a bellwether to what happens in the midterm elections. that's the open congressional seat in a swing district. 17 candidates are vying for it, including bernie sanders'srepubr house democratic and a democratic opponent for the incumbent governor. the fight takes place eight weeks before the general election. >>> a surprise move today in utah. the woman convicted in the 2002 kidnapping of elizabeth smart is being freed from prison. authorities announced today that 17-year-old wanda barzee will be allowed to go free because they miscalculated the time previously served. barzee pleaded guilty to kidnapping smart from her salt lake city bedroom and

lana zak, abc news, washington. >>> lana, thank you. dion lim will be live from washington tomorrow. >>> a proposed ikea store is getting pushback this morning. the commission voted 3-1 to not recommend building the new store in the city. the city council will have the final say next month. ikea wants to build on on an empty plot of land it owns near 580 and hacienda drive. while some say they would welcome the new store, on opponents worry it could cause traffic congestion. >>> air canada is pointing a finger at sfo after it almost crashed into a line of planes on a taxiway. air canada said it is hard to distinguish the right way because of bad lighting at sfo. >> i would view any party's input, including faa, the city of san francisco, who woepowns airport, air canada on finding a defensive position. >> they allow their pilots to fly planes when they are fatigued for 19 hours is very, very troubling and it ought to be changed. >> ntsb will issue its final report in the coming weeks. >>> bart passengers have been seeing homeland securi

we begin our coverage on capitol hill with abc's lana zak. good morning, lana. >> reporter: good to be with you kendis and stephanie. here's what we've learned since the hearing ended yesterday. we know that the committee will note on whether or not to recommend brett kavanaugh to the supreme court in the hearing today, but it's still unclear if republicans have enough votes to confirm president trump's nominee. assuming all democratic senators vote no, the confirmation could be derailed if just two republican senators vote against kavanaugh. and we do know that there are at least three undecided republican senators, but still there's strong confidence within the gop that kavanaugh will be confirmed. >> i thought the judge did well. we gave dr. ford a chance to have her say, and i think it's time to vote. the longer that the nomination remains open, we know that more and more of these anonymous and uncorroborated allegations will be made. unfortunately, that's part of the search and destroy process that frankly i think is an embarrassment to t

reporting from the senate, lana zak, abc news. >> the hearing starts at 7:00 a.m. our time. opening remarks from senator grassley, then blasey ford will give her opening remarks and then questions from senators. placy ford will then leave and kavanaugh will enter to give his statement and answer questions. >> abc 7 will carry the hearing live. we will be be streaming at abc news 7.com. >>> dion lim is in washington, d.c. look for her reports all day on abc 7 and online. >>> it's 4:31. a quick update on traffic and weather where you live. drew? >> this is the big story this morning. the fog is thick in spots. a live look from the exploratorium a top pier 15. cloud deck over san francisco this morning. locally dense fog in the north bay as well. hour by hour. plan out your thursday. future weather showing you rather chilly on the coast, in the 50s. warmer inland. it will be a wide range in temperatures. 60s and 70s around the bay shoreline. inland in the 80s later today. now a check of the roads with alexis. good morning. >>> good morning, drew. here we go. second morning of t

abc's lana zak has the latest from washington. good morning, lana. >> reporter: good morning to you, stephanie and kendis. president trump continues to support judge brett kavanaugh overnight tweeting that democrats are trying to destroy the reputation of a wonderful man with false accusations. judge brett kavanaugh is not waiting until thursday to tell america his side of the story. >> i've never sexually assaulted anyone. i did not have sexual intercourse or anything close to sexual intercourse in high school or for many years thereafter. >> so, you're saying that through all these years that are in question you were a virgin? >> that's correct. >> with his wife ashley by his side, kavanaugh spoke with fox news. >> i am not questioning and have not questioned that perhaps dr. ford at some point in her life was sexually assaulted by someone in some place. but what i know is i've never sexually assaulted anyone. >> ashley, how has this been for the girls, for your family? >> it's very difficult. it's very difficult to have these co

abc's lana zak busy overnight following the new details for us from d.c. good morning, lana. >> reporter: good morning to you, kendis and stephanie. busy, indeed. there are a lot of details to get to. you know, at the same time that chairman grassley was saying how he was trying to depoliticize tomorrow's hearing, president trump went hard on the politics accusing democrats of laughing behind the scenes. president trump has let go of the appearance of detachment tweeting overnight, the democrats are playing a high level con game in their vicious effort to destroy a fine person. pray for brett kavanaugh and his family. the president casting aspersions on the sexual misconduct claims made by dr. christine blasey ford and deborah ramirez. >> they don't believe it themselves. >> reporter: but the lawyer for ramirez who is not yet scheduled to testify tells cnn the republicans are engaged in politics. >> it feels like there's a lot of game playing that's going on right now by the majority of the party. >> reporter: with only gop men on the committee, republicans

here is lana zak. >> reporter: in a letter to the democrats on the senate judiciary committee, chairmancess and now the senate is divided, should they hold a vote or press the pause button. at's wstthsuartsnd i think we o meet it. >> this nomination has been pushed and pushed and pushed with artificial deadlines. >> reporter: the attorney of blasey ford says a hearing that has only two witnesses is not a fair or good faith investigation. >> it's as though the republicans have no sense, having never dealt with sexual assault victims. do they not read anything? do they not know how hard it is for someone to come forward? >> reporter: democrats still stung by republicans refusing to even meet with merrick garland, president obama's supreme court nominee in 2016, are upset that republicans are now rushing to get brett kavanaugh's confirmation done before the midterm elections and president trump is urging both patience and speed. >> i want to give it all the time they need. they've already given it time. they've delayed a major hearing. >> chairman grassley is under increased pressure from

let's continue our coverage with lana zak live on capitol hill. lana?rter: good morning to you, reggie and jessica. this is a major breaking news development. the fact that jeff flake, the senator from arizona, who is the person most likely to be on the fence about judge kavanaugh's vote within the senate judiciary committee, the fact that he now says he intends to vote for him, means it is most likely he will get a positive recommendation out of the committee. that pro tells him the next couple of days before the full senate. and it seems like he is now back on track to potentially become the next supreme court justice. senators on capitol hill have spent the night trying to reconcile two emotionally charged and diametrically opposed testimonies. dr. christine blasey ford the reluctant accuser and judge brett kavanaugh fighting for his reputation. >> you may defeat me in the final vote, but you will never get me to quit ever. >> reporter: the tension at times spilled over. democrats frustrated by the lack of an fbi investigation. >> reporter: republica

here is lana zak. >> reporter: dr.hristine blasey ford's attorney tells cnn her client will cooperate but the call for a hearing on monday is premature. >> there is no reason we should have a public hearing on monday given what has occurred and when it has occurred. this has been rushed through. it's too important to be rushed through. this is not a game, it's a serious allegation. >> reporter: blasey ford's allegation that supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when he was drunk at a party in the 1980s has upended washington. democrats want the fbi to investigate before the hearings proceed. >> there must be an agreement on witnesses. and the fbi should be given time to re-open its background check investigation into judge kavanaugh, making it much less likely that it will devolve into a he said/she said affair. >> reporter: and even though the fbi is charged with background checks, president trump says he will not be ordering them to follow up. >> i don't think the fbi really should be involved

reporting live from the capitol, lana zak. ? the hearing starts in less than 30 minutes.s at 7:00 a.m. krubg grassley and dianne feinstein will give opening remarks. then blasey ford will give her opening remarks and then questions from senators. blasey ford will leave and kavanaugh will enter to give his statement and answer questions. you heard earlier from dion lim, live in washington, d.c. for us today. tune in and look for her reports all day long here on abc 7 as well as online. >>> a lot of uncertainty about what's next for is the salesforce transit center. a second crack has been found in another steel supporting beam. amy hollyfield joins with us a better timeline of when this could have a possible timeline. amy? >> reporter: they will be closed until at least the end of next week. here's where the impact is felt. on fremont street, as the cars get off the bay bridge. that is where the backup is happening right here at howard. you want to avoid this area for the next week if you can. they will keep fremont closed until they can be sure it should be shored up and