dr. blasey ford, this testimony was their voice. for many of them, dr. blasey ford's courage gave them courage to come forward with their own stories. on the date of her testimony, my office received over 100 calls from survivors who courageously shared with my staff the painful details of their own assaults. many of these men and women were telling their stories for the first time. women have stopped me at the airport, on the street to tell me their stories. dr. blasey has given them the courage of to come forward so that they can share their own experiences. dr. ford's courage opened a wellspring of emotion. a pplaud her. we owe her a deep debt of gratitude. she was a role modeled for all of us, for the children of the country, and for future generations. she has given new meaning to what it means to be a good citizen. dr. ford was compelling. she was convincing. she was courageous. she had nothing to gain and everything to lose. no reasonable, open-minded person could have listened to dr. blasey ford and concluded anything other than she is telling the

in fact, only 48% of white women actually believe dr blasey ford.ap in american society now than a gender gap. that doesn't mean that gender is insignificant, that doesn't mean that patriarchy isn't working... sure. ..and it doesn't mean we don't need intersectional politics to fight both of them at the same time. you described the problem. i get the intersectionality argument that you can bring different groups of oppressed people together to make common cause and that can make a very big difference, i get that. what i'm moving toward is how you reach out, if you can reach out at all, to those particular groups and particularly maybe white working class people, men and women interestingly, because let's not forget, a majority, albeit a small one, a majority of white women voted for donald trump. is there any way that you can see that you can use your arguments and powers of persuasion to make inroads amongst those groups if we call them groups? many of us are. i think one of the challenges is to recognise when we're hearing the talking points from

dr. christine blasey -- in 1982. we will speak with ana maria archila, one of those who confronted flake in the elevator. meanwhile, democrats say the progress to limited. critics say kavanaugh committed perjury, lying during his testimony. thehe question before senate should not be whether he should be elevateded to a lifete position for the next several decades, d deciding cases that affect everyone, but whether he should even be on the federal bench. amy: we will speak with lisa investigating corporate democracy and talk to professor kimberle crenshaw of the african-american policicy forum whwho advised anita hill in 1991 when she accused clarence thomas of sexual harassment all stop crenshaw says we still have not learned from anita hill's testimony. >> this'll two-week effort has been a a calcuculated and orchestrated political hit. revenge on behalf of the clintons and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups. this is a circus. is s a circusus. a national disgrgrace. as far as i'm c

dr. blasey ford. you have a situation where kavanaugh, who lied under oath numerous times outside the scope of this issue of the sexual assault, but on many other issues, was not being put under oath by the fbi. and if you watched the hearing, when he was questioned repeatedly -- i think was by dick durbin and several others -- would you call for an fbi investigation, he remained silent. so he clearly did not want to be put under oath and he did not want other people to be interviewed. and let's face it, he's spent the better part of the two weeks before the fbi investigation in the white house with don began. so there was no way there was going to be a fair and thorough fbi investigation because he was part of the group calling the shots. i think the key thing here to realize is if you want to justice and if you wanted to really understand if dr. blasey ford had merit and credibility and her claims were credible, then you would want to do a thorough investigation and you would want to remove any ques

dr. christine blasey ford that kavanaugh attended to rape her in 1982. kavanaugh committed perjury, lying during his testimony. a friend of kavanaugh's from yale as accused him of lying about his striking habits and college in testimony must for testimony. charles ludington said -- "when brett got drunk, he was often hundred and aggressive. on one of the last occasions are purposefully socialized with him, not by diffusing the situation, but by throwing a beer in the man's face and starting a fight with that ended with one of our mutual friends in jail." a number of kavanaugh's remake -- classmates at yale have made similar remarks about kavanaugh's drinking. group of alumni from kavanaugh's all-male school high school has issued a call for fellow graduates to come forward if they have information about any sexual assaults possibly committed by the supreme court nominee, saying in a petition -- "please do not remain silent, even if speaking out comomes at some personal cost." for more, we go to washington, d.c., where we are joined by lisa graves, co-dir

dr. christine blasey ford remains to be seen. y are this week, i spoke with her attorneys, lisa katz and deborah banks. i just want to start by asking, how is dr. ford doing after all of this? >> i think she's doing pretty well, all considered. she feels good about the fact she came forward and was able to share her experience with the committee and give them more information in order to make their decision. >> does she have any regrets about coming forward? her life has changed forever. >> i really don't think she has regrets. i think this has been an extremely difficult process for her. but she felt strongly that she needed to bring this information to the committee, and she did that. and then she took the courageous step of testifying in front of the american people. i don't think she has any regrets because she feels it was the right thing to do, and it was important. >> this has been terrifying. her family has been through a lot. they are not living at home. it's going to be quite some time before they're able to live at home

dr. blasey ford. we do have a big dispute here, but i hope -- i hope that in this senate we at least agree on one thing. if dr. blasey ford's testimony was true, i hope we can all agree that kavanaugh has no business on the court. well, i believed her then and i believe her now. and i did not find him credible at all. i found him belligerent and aggressive just as his yale drinking body said he was when he was drunk in college and evasive and nonresponsive. dr. ford's allegations were credible enough to get her here before the senate. her testimony here was quiet, open, and powerful. she was calm. composed and utterly believable. even president trump called her testimony credible and compelling. so did many of my republican colleagues. but then came the smear campaign to discredit and demean her led by the president's sickening taunts and mockery in mississippi. then came the majority leader's criticisms. he knew it wouldn't do to say out right she lied, but his every accusation fell to pieces if she

dr. blasey ford, that survivors of sexual assault should not only be heard but treated with dignity and respect and compassion. you don't have to believe everything dr. ford said, and i do, to refrain from the nasty, vicious attacks riddled with lies in sort of a mobocracy-type way, and yet donald trump shows no restraint, no regulator. he is the prime example of why the norms in america, regardless of politics, regardless of party , are declining. and we don't hear a peep out of my colleagues on the other side, with a few notable and noble exceptions. he's ruining the norms of america. he's so degrading the way people treat each other. it's pathetic. and it does permanent damage to this public unless his own party members or other close to him speak up. anyone who watched dr. blasey ford saw a credible, courageous woman who elected to relive the worst night of her life because she felt civic duty to come forward. she is not the first. that action took courage. it's not unusual anymore. we know thousands of women who were hurt and then afraid to come forward, mainly because they thought they wo

so we were able to see that in the way it, for example, that dr christine blasey ford was questionedy committee, but by rachel mitchell. i think there was a recognition that the optics were important, i think there was a recognition on the democratic side as well. one of the differences that i noticed between what happened with anita hill and dr blasey ford was that the democrats in this instance were very clear that they saw the allegations as credible, they saw her as credible, and they wanted to affirm her. that is not what happened with anita hill, even the democrats more or less, as i said, left hanging to dry. so there is a recognition that these are very important issues and is they cannot be dismissed. on the other hand, the endgame is pretty much the same. and as i look at what we learned two weeks ago, is that a woman still has to run the gauntlet of credibility, she still has to show an appropriate level of trauma, she has to be truthful, she can't be overly resentful or angry, it and dr blasey ford was able to do that. so most of the commentators, even on fox tv, that lea

dr. christine blasey ford at a rally just days after calling her a very credible witness. as the fbi continues its investigation into her claims that judge kavanaugh tried to rape her in high school, mental health experts are calling for kavanaugh to undergo a full psychological and substance abuse assessment before the senate votes on his confirmation. we will speak with dr. bandy lee of the yale school of medicine. >> we feel pressed to warn about the situation where somomeone is not acting within normal range, where one is normalizing what is in one'sa malignancy interpretation. amy: then as brett kavanaugh objects to being held accountable for his behavior and high school, we look at the criminalization of black and brown students that led to what is known as the school to prison pipeline. >> thehe problem has gotteten so severe, that by y the time black students get the high school, the 75% of them would have been suspended or expelled atat some point t in theirir lives. a majority of blackmaiails who fill to graduate in high school will end up in prison at some point

dr. blasey ford. they never interviewed judge kavanaugh. they never interviewed carrie bercham from connecticut. >> has there ever been an explanation for not talking? >> there was no explanation. the white house set parameters, circumscribed the numbers of people and who would be interviewed as well as the time and in fact straitjacketed this investigation. >> final question, one of your colleagues the texas compared judge kavanaugh's plight to thec man accused in "to kill a mockingbird," a black man falsely accused of rape in the jim crow south, and finch ap standing up righteous for him. >> that's a disservice to atticus finch, standing up for someone who needs a defense. and i believe that survivors of sexual assault, survivors who came forward like dr. blasey ford are the real profiles in courage here and they're the ones who should be supported and applauded and really uplifted. and they have come forward, all around the country, to my office and my colleagues' offices. and to mock or ridicule them as the president did the other night

dr. blasey ford, and all survivors of sexual assault. as brett kavanaugh's supreme court nomination process is nearing its end, some residents in palo alto, the hometown of christine blasey ford are looking forward to their next steps. >> the fight will continue for women's equality in this country. and get mortgage and more women in soyfs the way to do that, which the fbi investigation icomplete, some are calling on the white house to release its directive to the agency so the public can know if the agents faced any restrictions when they started their investigation. palo alto mayor liz ness is a survivor of sexual assault herself. >> it makes me wonder does this president really feel a kinship with kavanaugh. does he perhaps see something very similar in their own backgrounds? >> across the country, more than 1700 law professors have signed a letter urging the senate to deny judge kavanaugh's confirmation saying he displayed a lack of judicial temperament during his hearing last week that would be disqualifying in any court. >> it's dan

dr. blasey ford and step back and say, listen. be focusing on his overall demeanor. >> when you're saying overall demeanor, you're getting away from the investigation. that's just saying politically that's not confirming. >> the investigation gave him an out. it gave the republicans something narrow to focus on that they could use to justify the nomination of this candidate and allow them to escape the larger question of does this person have a judicial temperament, does this person deserve to be on the supreme court? >> so mary ellen o'toole, your background you have in the fbi, take us through mechanically what played out over the last week. given in terms of a mandate, in terms of a task, what went into the work they did. what was the last week like for the agents who were tasked with this? >> well, it's hard to say specifically and i'll tell you why. because we don't know what, if any, restrictions were put on that suitability background check. but i can say this because there was a short deadline, the interviews would have be

dr. christine blasey ford. i do not believe a man who could have is stifled a frightened woman's screams while he felt entitled to put his hands on her body without her permission. i do not believe such a person is fit for one of the highest courts in our country. she took a lie detector test. he did not. she called for an f.b.i. investigation. he did not. she was calm and collected. he was not. as a sexual assault survivor and your constituent, i implore you to stand with women. letter 26 -- thank you for fighting. i was a victim of sexual assault at age 12. i am now 71. i remember it vividly. it has affected my whole life. if kavanaugh is confirmed, we'll put a horrible man on our highest court. letter 27 -- thank you for highlighting the serious deficiencies in the process of president trump's nominee kavanaugh to the supreme court. i am heartened by your efforts and like-minded members of congress who have joined the 21st century, many whose eyes, hearts, and ears and mind have witnessed the scourge of sexu

dr. blasey ford's claims are being taken seriously, and that's good. but we already have a lot of information before us even without the fbi investigation, that suggests brett kavanaugh is unfit for this role. one of those pieces of evidence is dr. blasey ford herself. her testimony is credible. brett kavanaugh's testimony is not credible. and there are reasons for that, and one of those reasons is because he's been misleading and had a hissy fit on national television. that is not what we want in a supreme court justice. and i think that, you know, we should kind of remember that, because rather than fall into the trap of, let's see whether it's possible to prove that dr. blasey ford is telling the truth -- it may be there's no evidence 36 years later that can prove all of the claims that she's brought up. but yet there are lots of reasons to find her testimony credible, and frankly brett kavanaugh's not credible. >> lisa, doesn't that go to the very peculiar maleness or male privilege that he would seem to inhabit, which has been a part of the discus

dr. blasey ford. i believe dr. blasey ford because she was credible and powerful as a witness before us. in what she remembered and what she so candidly said she couldn't remember. i believe deborah ramirez. i believe all of you who have written my office or called us, as you have done many of you in other states to my colleagues, who have recounted the horrors of your personal experience with sexual assault, who have come to me as i've been in airports or rallies or other public meetings and shared with me your horrific stories. i believe you. america believes you. and let me say to dr. blasey ford's sons, you should be proud of your mom. you should be proud of your mom because she is a profile in courage. and to mr. ford, you should be proud of your wife. and to all the men in america, we need to believe survivors of sexual assault. we need to protect and respect them, not just in word but in deed, so that they will come forward and tell us their stories and so that we can concur this scourge. we should be proud o

dr. christine blasey ford's story. we should be open to our minds being changed. even donald trump said that in the press conference but what -- what last night revealed in mississippi is that donald trump was never open to changing his mind. that he engaged in this process in bad faith and in some ways called the fbi information and constrainting it also suggests a crisis of legitimacy around the process more broadly. so at the heart of this to my mind, chris is bad faith that suggests the process was broken. >> the republican leaders said the report would only be made available to senators but tennessee republican bob corker argued for making some of the findings public. >> i know what's going to happen to this. the two sides are going to leak out the part that benefit their side of the argument and if there was some way for us to present this to the public, i think it would be helpful. it would help the american people know there was a background check that took place and what came out of it. >> mimi, the president has argued he's the chief law enforcement offi

dr. christine blasey ford testified before the senate judiciary committee. dr. ford's account of the most traumatic event of her life was harrowing. the pain of retelling this story was evident, and she did it for no personal gain whatsoever. in fact, her life has been turned upside down as a result of the decision to come forward. the courage she showed was remarkable. her testimony was credible and compelling. i believed dr. ford. judge kavanaugh's testimony, very different. he spent more than 40 minutes ranting, raving, and peddling fact-free party conspiracy theories, then he insulted senators and screamed at people who had the nerve to question him. he evaded some questions and gave obviously false answers to others. it would have been a performance right at home on talk radio or a republican primary campaign or a trump rally, but it was delivered by a judge who is asking the united states senate to confirm him to a lifetime appointment to a completely nonpolitical position as the swing vote on the united states supreme court. it is the job of the senate to

dr. blasey ford? when the world listened to her describe in detail, having her clothes and be fully present and not angry and not overly emotion and we have to put up with him who is interviewing for the highest -- she can come to that hearing to be poised and fully present and not angry and not, you know, overly emotional in the ways that kavanaugh was and then we have to put up with him, who is in an interview for the highest court in the land not being able to control his emotions. would he allow anybody to come in his courtroom and act the way that he acted? so we have to give him some leeway? that is the epitome of white male privilege. he doesn't deserve leeway because he's angry and has to stand in front of these accusations. i reject that notion. >> and ana maria, i want to know what you think on this. you confronted flake on this and that's why we have an fbi investigation in part, in great part, i would say. what do you make of -- what do you make of that sound bite we just played? >> i agre

dr. christine blasey ford, imitating her while onstage. tonight, the white house now saying he was not mocking her at all. and this evening, the key senators to watch. what each of them said today. their votes will determine the fate of brett kavanaugh. >>> breaking news coming in right now. a house surrounded, after that ricin scare. three envelopes sent. among them, one addressed to the president. another to the defense secretary. tactical teams on the scene right now, and what we know about the suspect. >>> the emergency unfolding a

dr. christine blasey ford hasn't even been approached by the fbi yet so what does that tell us? >> reporter: she wants to see judge kavanaugh submit to a lie detector test like dr. blasey ford took over the summer. >> not believable that judge kavanaugh did this. >> reporter: california national republican committeewoman says the fbi conducted six background checks on kavanaugh and believes there's not enough information from basy ford's testimony to find anything new. >> i think it's a disgrace, i hope we can move forward and not have politicized confirmation battles going to. >> reporter: senator graham wants feinstein's office investigated for how the letter was leaked. >> i'll call for an investigation of what happened in this committee, who betrayed dr. ford's trust, who in feinstein's office recommended katz as a lawyer. >> jackie spyr says calls for another investigation are a distraction from the topic. they have reached out to the fbi and now waiting for a response. live in the newsroom, cornell bernard, abc 7 news. >> we'll see, cornell, thank you. >>> the supreme cour

dr. blasey ford says she will be forever considered a hero. as many of us await the outcome of the brett kavanaugh vote, some residents in palo alto, the hometown of christine blasey ford, say this is just the beginning of changes to come. >> no woman would come forward with this story and disrupt her entire life if it wasn't the truth and her civic duty. >> across the country, more than 1700 law professors have signed a letter urging the senate to deny judge kavanaugh's confirmation, saying he displayed a lack of judicil temperament during his hearing last week that would be disqualifying for the court. 21 are from santa clara's school of law. >> it's dangerous in our judicial system, because someone coming in and watching that judge will always wonder whether revenge or vengeance or retaliation will be part of that judge's thinking. >> with the fbi investigation now complete, some are now calling on the white house to release its directive to the agency so the public can know if the agents faced any restrictions when they started their invest

dr. blasey ford, i found her compelling. i believe her. i want all women to speak her truth. >> i will have to invoke the moderator's option about the specific question of reopening an investigation into the allegations against him, both of sexual misconduct and the allegation of perjury. you have 30 seconds to respond to that specifically. senator baldwin: i don't believe the white house allows a full and fair investigation. i had a chance to review the fbi report on two occasions, and it was clear they limited access to witnesses, there were just a few, and didn't follow tips or clues. i think it is fair when someone against all odds speaks out like dr. blasey ford, that there should be a thorough review. ms. vukmir: i don't believe the investigation should have been opened again. there were seven or eight background investigations done. decided 48dwin t hours after it was announced judge kavanagh was going to be the pick, senator baldwin said she wasn't going to support him. this, to me, is incredible. requires weovement hear from the w

dr. blasey ford. she made the argument, susan collins did while there might have been super evidence, it wasn't quite enough for her. here's how she described that part of her decision. >> fairness would dictate that the claims at least should meet a threshold of more likely than not. as our standard. the facts presented do not mean that professor ford was not sexually assaulted that night or at some other time, but they do lead me to conclude that the allegations failed to meet the more likely than not standard. therefore, i do not believe that these charges can fairly prevent judge kavanaugh from serving on the court. s. >> so wh-- >> reporter: what you heard is she is a hard yes vote, barring some extraordinarily dramatic development, judge could you have gnaw will become associate justice kavanaugh. now, the one would be senator lisa murkowski who is going to allow herself to be marked president. she's using an old senate parliamentary move here as sort of a favor, a good gesture here towards fell

dr. blasey ford, there should be a thorough review. i don't believe that investigation should have been opened again. nore were seven or eight already open and senator boldin decided after 48 hours it was announced, that judge kavanaugh was going to be the pick. she said she's not going to support him. this to me is unbelievable. the me too movement requires that we hear from the woman who made the allegation and give due process to the person who was accused worried you didn't have the decency to even meet with judge kavanaugh. you had your mind made up third where is the due process and that. didn't come up the excuses you call the white house and you tried. are you that in effect to that you could not get the opportunity to meet with somebody is going to be before you to be confirmed. that is your job. that is a job as a senator. the senate has advised and consented. you are responsible for getting that done. you did not get that done. i put that on you. it is wrong. we know that you have not done your job. you miss hearings, you mi

dr. christine blasey ford testified last thursday at her sexual assault accusation against supreme court nominee judge brett cavanaugh. >> i'm here today not because i want to be. i am terrified. >> the fbi now looking into b z blasey ford's claim, but admits she has doubts. >> the accuser here, christine blasey ford had not been interviewed by the fbi yet. so what does that tell us? >> it is not the way at all that judge kavanagh did this. >> california national committee woman has said that the fbi has already conducted six background checks on kavanagh. she believes there's not enough from blasey ford's testimony will not produce anything now. >> lindsay graham is promisingro to investigate dianne fienstein it's office. >> i'm now going to call for an investigation about what happened in this committee, did prayed >> judge kavanagh denies the allegations. meantime dr. blasey ford's legal team told the "new york times" they have reached out to the fbi and are waiting for a response. >> cornel, thanks, after the invests was announced the senate -- the republicans need 51 votes to confir

dr. christine blasey ford. and president trump ordered the fbi investigation after ford's testimony in which she described a drunken kavanaugh putting his hand over her mouth and groping her. kavanaugh denies all allegations. but what once looked like a clear path to the supreme court is for now on hold. here's kyra phillips. >> reporter: tonight, the most closely watched and highly scrutinized background investigation in our nation's history is under way. abc news has learned the fbi has conducted its first interview with deborah ramirez. she alleges kavanaugh exposed himself to her while a student at yale university. an allegation she stood by today. kavanaugh denies the accusation. the president saying the fbi will have free reign in its probe. >> they'll be doing things that we never even thought of and hopefully at the conclusion, everything will be fine. >> reporter: however, sources telling abc news, this one week investigation comes with limits. reinforcing emerging concerns that the probe into allegati

dr. christine blasey ford say they stand with her.roup gathered here in palo alto last night among a lot of other protestors across the country that were gathered for so-called cancel kavanaugh demonstrations. this is a live picture of washington, d.c. this morning of the capitol building where demonstrators are expected to meet in defiance of brett kavanaugh's nomination and the fbi investigations that were just wrapped up. n,last night. thousands stood outside the federal courthouse near the u.s. capitol and inside the senate office building. republican leaders felt confident going into the morning procedures. >> what we know for sure is the fbi report did not corroborate any of the allegations against judge kavanaugh. >> i feel very good about where this nomination is right now. >> reporter: those who gathered in palo alto said they don't believe judge kavanaugh has the temperament or the integrity to be seated on the supreme court and think he would show hostility toward minorities if nominated to the supreme court. people in dr.

dr. blasey-ford's testimony. they heard judge kavanaugh got angry and really disregard senators like senator feinstein and klobu drchlt har in an inappropriate way. i think they want to know the rest of the information and if these stories are being corroborated by other people. i think it should be made public. >> have you had a chance to talk with senator murkowski, senator collins and senator flake? have you had a chance to speak with them and express your concerns? >> i've talked to all of my colleagues, including those three. this is an important moment for america. the reason why president trump's comments were so disgraceful is because he was mocking a survivor. it wasn't just about dr. ford but every other survivor in america who heard our president, our commander in chief mock her with such disdain. it's been a painful few weeks for a lot of people, certainly in my state. they're reliving their worst moments as well. to have our president be so dismissive and insulting is not only a slap in the face of d

dr. blasey foe. i think she's inspired millions of women. >> reporter: others showing support for kavanaugh. >> i think it would be a travesty to not nominate him base odd a flimsy claim. >> reporter: senators made their comments ahead of the vote and the controversy the nomination created. >> judge kavanaugh's confirmation is a low moment for the senate, for the court, for the country. >> ignored in the media circus that the democrat leaders created was judge kavanaugh's extraordinary record as a judge. >> reporter: after a confirmation battle that lasted months and divided a nation, both sides now look to another place where they can make a difference -- the midterm election. >>> california senator kamala harris has been one of the most outspoken lawmakers from the beginning. after his confirmation, she released a scathing statement reading in part -- millions of americans are rightly outraged at this hasty and unjust process, which threatens to cloud the legitimacy of the supreme court of the unit

dr. christine blasey ford. now, dr. ford is willing to testify, but she wants an f.b.i.on first. that idea was shot down by senate judiciary committee chairman and geriatric meerkat... ( laughter ) ...chuck grassley. >> jon: wow. >> stephen: who said, "it's not the f.b.i.'s role to investigate a matter such as this." of course not, i mean... it's right there in their name: the federal bureau of "i don't know what that last letter stands for." ( laughter ) ( piano riff ) no one knows. ( cheers and applause ) but grassley wants to assure her that someone's on the case, writing, "i certainly understand and respect dr. ford's desire for an investigation into her allegations. that is precisely what the senate is doing." okay, maybe, but have you seen who's on the senate judiciary committee? i wouldn't trust those geezers to investigate a restaurant menu. ( laughter ) "i would like a scoop of chicken salad served in half a cantaloupe." "uh... sir, you're speaking to a mailbox." ( laughter ) ( piano riff ) "okay, tuna salad on pineapple." ( laughter ) now, grassley says it's no

dr. christine blasey ford. and we know dr. ford's team says she has not been interviewed. what did the white house say about? >> reporter: well, david, remember, it is the white house that gives the order on who the fbi can interview. sarah sanders made it very clear today the position here, she said, if the senators voting on kavanaugh's nomination have more questions for him or for christine blasey ford, they should have asked though questions during last week's hearing on capitol hill. >> all right, cecilia, thank you. >>> and as the president awaits the results of that fbi investigation, so do senators on capitol hill. and all eyes tonight on three undecided republicans, jeff flake, susan collins and lisa murkowski, and on democrat joe manchin, all who reacted today to the president and his words about dr. ford. mary bruce tonight, chasing down the senators on capitol hill, and what they're saying tonight. >> reporter: to the senators who matter most, president trump's comments about christine blasey ford are no laughing matter. >> the president's comments were just pl

dr. blasey ford came into the spotlight. and i know that some of the questions before the court have related to clinics and their hospital licensing and other things that tend to limit access to abortion. is there a legitimate claim to the fundamentals or a potential change to the fundamentals of that decision that the court may see in the coming years? >> well, there will certainly be a renewed effort to try to get roe v. wade in front of the court. the cases challenging the court hold have fizzled out in the last couple of years and the emphasis has been more on restricting access to abortions, requiring that clinics be built like ambulatory care centers. but now that there's a 6-5 court, states passing laws, for example, intending to get this before the supreme court. but i think it's unlikely, that the supreme court, for the very reason that professor rosen just sketched out, that the supreme court is unlikely to completely overturn roe v. wade. it seems pretty obvious that the court will continue to uphold restrictions

dr. christine blasey ford who accused kavanaugh of sexual assault when both were teenagers. at the end of the day, she said the certainty wasn't there. >> the four witnesses she named, could not corroborate any of the events. >> moments later, democrat joe manchin said he would vote yes. reporter: alaska senator lisa murkowski was the only republican to say she opposed kavanaugh. >> a judge should about at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence. reporter: even with brett kavanaugh's confirmation all but certain, senators argued through the night to a mostly empty senate chamber. >> is he fit to be a jurist in the place where we have set justice in our country occurs? >> we cannot set a standard of guilty until proven innocent because then anybody can make any charge at any time. reporter: if confirmed, kavanaugh could be seattleed on the high court in the coming week. their client would have provided corroborating evidence had the fbi inte d her. . >>> attorneys for dr. blasey ford released a statement saying their client would have provided corroborating evid

dr. christine blasey ford. i do not believe a man who could have is stifled a frightened woman's screams while he felt

dr. blasey ford. what we've heard from numerous people over the last few days seeking to provide information to the fbi, we have seen even more press reports of witnesses who wanted to speak with the fbi but were not interviewed. deborah ramirez's lawyer said he was unaware of any corroborating witnesses who were interviewed. candidly, what we reviewed today in a very limited time i was there, i had to leave. the report is in parts, and i had the opportunity to read some but not all of it. it looks to be a product of an incomplete investigation that was limited perhaps by the white house, i don't know. but the white house certainly blocked access to millions of documents from judge kavanaugh's record. i know that and ensured that 90% of his e-mails and memos weren't available for the senate or the public in the hearings. it now appears that they also blocked the fbi from doing its job. democrats agreed that the investigation's scope should be limited. we did not agree that the white house should tie t

dr. christine blasey ford. it is a week ago today that judge brett kavanaugh delivered his forceful rejoineder and rebuttal. but today, i want to take a moment and share with members of this chamber and folks who may be watching, something else that was happening during that entire appearance that i did not expect that was powerful and unique and special in my experience as a public servant and i've heard as i've listened to other senators of both parties who were present and who i've talked to afterwards, was their experience as well. this conversation is bigger. it's bigger, it's more pressing and i'd say it's more important than the question of one supreme court seat and one current nominee, this is a question about whether we as a country, at the highest levels of power, believe victims and survivors of sexual assault and are willing to listen to them to believe them and to take action. so what was it that happened last thursday? as i tried to pay attention to the remarkable testimony of dr. ford, my phone

dr. christine blasey ford. >> i believe dr. ford. i believe her story.er testimony to be incredibly credible. and i found his presentation to lack the impartiality and the judicial temperament that i have come to expect from a supreme court justice. >> politically brave votes are rare in the united states senate. sometimes years pass without seeing one from either party. today senator heitkamp had another senator's words in mind when she made her decisions. >> when you make decisions about what you're going to do in your life, history will judge you but more importantly you'll judge yourself. >> here is the full text of that passage of a 1966 speech by senator robert kennedy that senator heitkamp quoted today. "history will judge you, and as the years pass you will ultimately judge yourself. on the extent to which you've used your gifts to lighten and enrich the lives of your fellow man. in your hands is the future of your world and the fulfillment of the best qualities of your own spirit." heidi heitkamp might lose her senate seat because of her vote on