i assume lisa murkowski is top of your list. >> reporter: i think lisa murkowski is going to do what lisa murkowski does so well is not talk about this decision. she will talk to alaska press first. she is very, very focused on her home state at all times. that's why she makes a lot of the decisions that she did. remember, she voted for the tax bill and went home and told everybody she voted to open anwar, getting oil access in anwar was why she voted for the tax bill. she is the most local senator you could possibly imagine. i want to talk to jeff flake. i've been fascinated now. i think he's the next most critical person here. he's the person with the least to lose politically on any vote he decides to make. he's a person that seemed the most comfortable voting yes. this is now the second yes vote he's cast for brett kavanaugh. he voted in committee to move him to the floor. he continues to vote to move him forward but also continues to not come out with a full statement of support. i think he's probably the next most interesting person to talk to here. and jeff flake in the panthe

lisa murkowski, susan collins, jeff flake, joe manchin. based on my own reporting, i think lisa murkowski feels least likely to vote for judge kavanaugh. if you recall, there's the native alaskan issue. it feels like manchin and collins will go together. the one i have a doubt about is jeff flake. i think he's -- i think -- i'm less -- i'm more convinced he votes yes today, but i wouldn't assume a yes today for him would be a yes tomorrow. today, remember, this is just breaking the filibuster. >> this is ending the debate to move on. >> it used to be 60 votes, today

>> yeah, i think lisa murkowski has tell graphed from the beginning her concerns.nterested collision up there. she's a republican/independent, so i think her calculus -- look, i give them all the benefit of the doubt. i don't believe it's always all political, but i can see how her independent stand gives her room to do that in alaska. the three really that took risk, heidi heitkamp, got in worse trouble. people give he some salute for the, quote, occurrence. susan collins took a very hard vote with a lot of courage. in her state, maine, which tilts blue. she's up for reelection in 2020. and finally manchin, he's good et a pass on the criticism from the democrats, which surprises me, because he's the only democrat to support kavanaugh, an incredibly partisan battle, but in west virginia, he's managed to stay five, six points ahead by become a democrat who talks a lot like a republican, so maybe some democrats will stay home to punish him. there is got to be some disappointment in the democratic base back in west virginia. >> how do you think the president handled h

lisa murkowski, the republican senator from alaska, votes no. there are 51 republicans, 49 democrats, with manchin now voting yes to move this legislation forward, allowing a full scale vote tomorrow in the senate floor. it looks like they do have the votes to move the kavanaugh nomination forward. lots of people are going to be analyzing this. let's listen in for a moment. i think the official announcement is coming. >> are there any senators in the chamber who wish to change their vote? as a reminder to our guests in the galleries, expressions of approval or disapproval are not permitted in the senate galleries. on this vote, the ayes are 51, the noes are 49. the motion is agreed to. >> the judge kavanaugh nomination now moves to the next and final stage, a full vote in the senate. that's expected tomorrow. but this was a critically, critically important move. 51/49. the only democrat voting in favor, once again, joe manchin, the democratic senator from west virginia, who is in a tough re-election battle right now in his home state. let's get

lisa murkowski looks like she will be a no.leaves to susan collins, republican from maine and joe manchin from west begin, if either one of those individuals were to vote no, this effectively could be over and be no need for a tiebreaker on the part of the vice president. having said all of that, what does your gut tell you, senator? >> instincts tell me once you vote for the motion to cloture as just happened, unlikely you change your vote and that would be the circumstance in most instances but this is a unique circumstance but i still would analyze it saying that people who voted yes to move forward are people who are going to vote yes for confirmation. neil: okay. we will get an indication of that from susan collins. you're pretty good at reading the tea leaves and sentiment of a lot of your colleagues. most people thought last week at this time we wouldn't see a delay in the vote. of course jeff flake moved by some passionate demonstrators outside of an elevator did add this one week extension so the fbi could talk to witn

indigenous people who live in alaska and past senate elections they have voted overwhelmingly for lisa murkowskiing if brett kavanaugh ammunition it to the supreme court. everyone we talked to in this village strongly supports murkowski, because, they say, she understands their way of life and challenges. >> we're experiencing rates of sexual abuse and domestic violence at higher rates than anywhere else in the country. and our senator, lisa murkowski, she knows that. >> reporter: so there is great sympathy for christine blasey ford among many in the native community and among everyone we talked to in this remote village. >> as a survivor of sexual abuse, i think it takes years for people to come out with this. you know, some victims, as some victims come out with it immediately, but i think that some victims, it takes them a while before they're able to talk about it. and i think this is what happened with this lady. >> i think he is against women's rights and including native rights. >> reporter: and that's the other huge issue working against kavanaugh, and likely weighing on senator murkowsk

be about lisa murkowski?she won't have my support in the future? >> how do you feel about that? >> she won't have my full support either? >> reporter: what about you? >> i would not write her name or put a check mark by her name. >> reporter: would any of you still vote for lisa murkowski? >> no. >> reporter: so you're counting on her to vote no on kavanaugh? >> yes. >> reporter: would you be surprised if she did vote yes? >> very. >> reporter: last week senator murkowski said she could not support kavanaugh if there was no fbi investigation. well, now there is an investigation. as you said, she is not showing her cards. last week this didn't get a lot of attention, but last week the senator in washington talked to a local reporter with alaska public media. that reporter asked the senator about the me too moment and asked the senator have you ever had a me too moment? senator murkowski said yes but did not elaborate. that could prove to be significant. brooke? zounds li >> sounds like it. thank you for that.

and later, two women who traveled all the way to alaska to try to be heard by senator lisa murkowski, they were definitely heard by senator m murkows murkowski. welcome to the xfinity store! thanks janet! it's my happy place. you can learn how to switch to xfinity mobile, a new wireless network that saves you cash. ...and you can get five lines of talk and text included with your internet! and over here, i'm having my birthday party. dj fluffernutter, hit it! simple. easy. awesome. ask how to get $200 back when you sign up for xfinity mobile and purchase a new samsung phone. visit your local xfinity store today. sickening. >> that is the word i kept hearing this week from sexual assault survivors who felt they were being ignored by the majority in the occupation senate. >> that is the word i kept hearing from women who never experienced sexual assault but felt the majority in the united states senate does not believe the word of a woman is of equal value to the word of a man. sickening is the word i kept hearing from the people that opposed bres kavanaugh's information, which is a muc

. >>> and later, two women who traveled all the way from alaska to try to be heard by senator lisa murkowski, they were definitely heard by senator murkowski. rd by senator murkowski. ok here we go guys, you ready? hi! cinturones por favor. gracias. opportunity is everywhere. ♪ it's gonna be fine. it's a door... ♪ it's doing a lot of kicking down there. waiting to be opened. ♪ whatever your ambition... ♪ whatever your drive... ♪ whatever you're chasing... driver, are we almost there? we're gonna have a baby! ♪ daddy! daddy! opportunity is everywhere. ♪ all you have to do to find it is get out... here. ♪ got it? got it. nooooo... nooooo... quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty picks up messes quicker and is 2x more absorbent. bounty, the quicker picker upper. >>> sickening. that is the word i kept hearing this week from sexual assault survivors who felt they were being ignored by the majority in the united states senate. that is the word i kept hearing from women who have never experienced sexual assault but felt that the majority in the united states senate does not believe that the word o

they have voted overwhelmingly for lisa murkowski. we talked to in this village strongly supporting murkowski because she say they understands their way of life and changes. >> our senator, lisa murkowski, knows that. >> so there is great sympathy for kries teen blasey ford among many and among everyone we talked to in this village. >> as a survivor of sexual abuse, i think it takes years for people to come out with this. you know, as some victims come out with it immediately. but some victims it takes them a while before they are able to talk about it. i think this is what happened this with lady. >> i think he is against women's rights and including native rights. >> and that's the other huge issue working against brett kavanaugh. in a case that went to the u.s. supreme court, brett kavanaugh questioned whether the constitutional protections given to native american tribes should also be given to native hawaiis. people here think that bodes boar l poorly for them. >> we are very concerned. it is our way of life. >> alaska natives co

. >>> and later, two women who traveled all the way from alaska to try to be heard by senator lisa murkowski, they were definitely heard by senator murkowski. this is your wake-up call. if you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, month after month, the clock is ticking on irreversible joint damage. ongoing pain and stiffness are signs of joint erosion. humira can help stop the clock. prescribed for 15 years, humira targets and blocks a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. help stop the clock on further irreversible joint damage. talk to your rheuma

>> lisa murkowski desperately wants to vote no. so if the others, if they know they have collins and they have flake, they'll let her vote no. but there is a level of cynicism here we have never seen before. the supreme court nominees don't go out and do interviews. they don't write op eds because they are not running for something, and that's going to have an impact on the court. and the court is becoming so politicized. you know, chuck grassley doesn't seem to care. the second thing is republicans i think will have a fundamental problem going forward with women. i was struck this morning when you were talking to ken star. here we have a character witness for someone accused of sexual assault who was forced from his job because he chose to believe his football players at baylor university who committed multiple and repeated sexual assaults, a character witness here. that's how blind they are to this. so this -- they may win the battle, but they are going to lose the war. i have no doubt about that. >> in terms of that war, i do al

senator lisa murkowski, though, a no. remember, though, this is the first of two big votes and there appears to be real uncertainty for this nomination right now. about four hours from now, one of the key swing votes is scheduled to announce her decision on a vote for or against judge kavanaugh. you heard correctly, even after this key vote republican senator susan collins of maine holding open the possibility that her yes today may not necessarily be a yes tomorrow. there is also some question as to whether she is the only one. we've got msnbc's garrett haake on capitol hill for us. also with us aaron blake senior political reporter for "the washington post" is with me as well. garrett, let me start with you, sir. walk us through what the next few hours and next day or so is going to look leek. again, we should note for our viewers and listeners that the debate over judge kavanaugh could start any moment there on the floor? >>. >> reporter: craig, the tension level on capitol hill has been at an 11 for the last few days

what do you say to lisa murkowski? >> i haven't had a chance to talk to lisa. she was also in the room with us yesterday for about 2.5 hours as we went through the information and the testimony. i think she is trying to do her best to make a decision. once again, we are all united states senators and have an obligation to do what we think is right. there is a sense that senators arm twist and we really don't do that. we share and are there to talk with one another. we have points of view that we try to share, but you have to respect each other's rights to make the decision and allow that to happen. we all want that opportunity ourselves and we all want to protect that for our other members as well. it's up to lisa and we understand she has a tough decision to make. we wish she would come the other way, but she is working hard to do what she thinks is right. >> joe manchin of west virginia. >> same thing with joe. >> these are tough decisions for all 100 u.s. senators and we appreciate you joining us. >> thank you, wolf. >> in just over an hour or so from now, w

alaska's lisa murkowski saying she's made no decision. the senate judiciary chairman sounds like he's fed up and eager to wrap it up. >> what i've been dealing with since july 10, the downhill slope that schumer has put us on is really dealing with a demolition derby. they just about destroyed a good person to be on the supreme court. >> senators continue filing in to the secure location in the united states capitol to read the report ahead of a critical vote tomorrow. neil? >> neil: thanks, michael very much. in the middle of this drama, do you remember any of this little side drama? >> kept in a safe and judiciary committee and all 100 senators will be able to read it. >> i'm not sure that is accurate. >> neil: chad pergram second guessed by the united states senators saying there would be more than one copy. chad says no, one copy. end of story. we heard from senators and their staffs. guess who was right? chad was right. chad pergram on capitol hill. >> it wasn't just me. mike emanuel as well. he reported that as well. >> neil: fine,

no word at this time from senator lisa murkowski. the senate judiciary committee saying there is nothing we didn't already know and no hint of misconduct. ranking member dianne feinstein said the white house obstructed a full investigation. >> democrats agreed that the investigation scope should be limited. we did not agree that the white house should tie the fbi's hands. in my view from what i saw, the investigation was very limited and it will be interesting after all of the members have an opportunity to read the documents and we have an opportunity in public to discuss our conclusions, what the findings are. >> outside on the streets of washington, d.c., protesters are marching in opposition to the nomination of judge kavanaugh. we are going to go there live shortly. you can see lots of people have gathered in the nation's capital to protest. phil mattingly is joining us live from capitol hill. what are you hearing there, phil, especially from the three republican senators who were undecided, at least before today. >> basically t

. >>> and lisa murkowski was the only rep to vote against brett kavanaugh. she tried late last night to explain that vote. here is part of her speech. >> i am really worried that they becomes the new normal, where we find new and even more creative ways to tear one another down. it's got to end. this is not who we are. >> so, alex, that's lisa murkowski pushing back against a process that both senators have essential seen as a circus, now what we want confirmation politics to look like. we'll see this come to a conclusion in about four hours. >> can i ask you to clarify something? it's expected that lisa murkowski will use the word "present" not actually cast her vote. is that to counter steve daines, because he's at his daughter's wedding? >> this is an old-school senate procedural move in which a pairing, where two senators make a deal. so steve daines will stay in montana, and murkowski who said she was a no on the procedure vote, would have been a no today, will instead record her vote as present. it doesn't change the ratio, though it does change of tot

lisa murkowski also a swing vote.e's a belief she may be a bit more circumspect in her support of the nominee. what about susan collins. what's motivating her today politically as she decides whether to support brett kavanaugh or not? >> you're right. i will say senator murkowski very briefly has been described to me as the wild card, she keeps her own counsel, hardest to whip. behind-the-scenes all eyes are on susan collins. people described her of doing absolutely all of her homework. i believe she's someone who met with judge kavanaugh early on in this process one-on-one for about an hour. she's reading reams of material, talking to as many people as possible. if you're leader mcconnell and sort of believe this is a man who deserves to be on the supreme court there's a slight reassurance in the idea that the more information she gets the more confident ultimately she will feel voting yes. but, again, you're right, no one actually knows right now. >> so noah rothman we can do a post mortem what this process was like

li lisa murkowski of alaska, republican, saying she will vote no. jeff flake fro

lisa murkowski saying no decision, what does that say to you? >> as you've noted earlier, john roberts was reporting, i think senator collins seems inclined to vote yes and senator flake who previously announced his support has seen nothing that it appears publicly is persuading him to change that. that would mean we have at least 50 votes and in the case right now, vice president pence would break the tie in the nomination would move forward. i think there are some outstanding red state democrats that could possibly vote in favor of judge kavanaugh. we can see the high water mark of 53-54, potentially. >> harris: you talk about the democrats, i've heard people saying that if you get the majority of republicans, get to 50, you will see perhaps a couple of them and it's even been spoken about it the white house strategy if you wil will. >> that's right, i thinks once they know it's going to go forward and that he is going to be confirmed, the red state democrats i think want to be on the right side of that vote. if it's going down for example, i

if you're president trump, the three people you don't want to tick off are jeff flake, lisa murkowski and senator collins. the president never had a good relationship with flake. so for the president to say what he said last night and perhaps drive them away from voting for his nominee is an error that the president didn't need to make. some of his other republican colleagues are saying things about it. senator john thune who i'm sure will be a yes for kavanaugh said it's not helpful. lindsey graham who will likely be a yes for kavanaugh said how you make those points matter and says it's not helpful as well, i wish the president hadn't done it. the white house press briefing when sarah sanders took the podium after the national security adviser john bolton departed, i put the first question to her about this. listen here. >> why did the president say what he did last night in the way that he said it? >> the president was stating the facts and frankly facts that were included in rachel mitchell's report. every word judge kavanaugh has said has been picked apart, second by second of hi

and lisa murkowski just couldn't. yesterday afternoon, i ran into a bunch of women from alaska who had been meet with her privately during the day, alone, with just one other aides. women who were in tears saying they had been describing their situation, their own assaults and their own experiences, and they told me to a woman that they really felt like the senator heard them. that she connected with their stories and it resonated with her. i have to think that's the kind of thing still weighing on her conscience when she walked into the chamber this morning and ultimately made that decision. that whatever else she might have felt about judge kavanaugh's judicial record, and we haven't heard a full explanation of her vote yet, she couldn't quite get back to yes as these other three were able to do. >> we're joined today by my colleague katy tur. your thoughts? >> i think this whole process has played out in a depressing way, frankly. and i agree with susan collins when she goes out and says we've made this more partis

the women -- there were survivors of sexual violence in senator lisa murkowski's office for hours yesterday. they came out of her office crying. this is really weighing very heavily on, in particular, collins and murkowski for those reasons. i do think it is important we don't lose sight of that. >> we'll be watching. thank you so much. >>> a programming note, we will have special coverage of this morning's vote. >> it has been one week since that devastating earthquake in indonesia. crews are struggling to reach the hard hitting area. bill is there with the latest. bill, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, guys. at exactly this hour a week ago this place was turned upside down. you can see the rescue efforts going on here now. the earth simply rose up and moved several hundred yards smashing everything in this suburb to pieces. houses, cars over here, family photographs everywhere. bodies still buried in the rubble. overnight there was hope of a rescue, a french team stunned by what they heard in the rubble of a hotel. . under the mangled concrete of this hotel, four rescue dogs detec

they also thought they were going to have lisa murkowski, as well.i think it put the white house on edge today when they heard lisa murkowski say she was going to be a no on kavanaugh. they thought maybe that could sway senator susan collins, as well. but of course she made that yes decision, came to that on her own. but she is echoing exactly what kavanaugh supporters have been saying. >> it's interesting, susan. she seems so sure of her position throughout that 45-minute speech, as if she had no doubt at all. but she waited for a long time. as kaitlan says, she kept everyone, including her fellow republicans, on edge, wondering what she was going to do. >> right. so senator collins said she actually made up her mind yesterday based on that speech today. that's pretty difficult to believe. she sounded overwhelmingly sure. i think what happened here was she thought that by holding her -- keeping an open mind or at least pretending to keep an open mind, she was going to allow a process to unfold. and this process was going to maybe tamp down on some o

first, alaskan lisa murkowski voting no, indicating she could not support kavanaugh. >> i believe he is a good man. it just may be that in my view, he's not the right man for the court at this time. >> reporter: but arizona republican jeff flake, who originally called for the fbi background investigation, announcing he would vote yes. >> will he be confirmed tomorrow? >> i would think so. >> reporter: then there were two. kavanaugh needing one of them to secure a seat on the nation's highest court. susan collins coming to the senate floor, arguing there was not enough evidence to back up the sexual misconduct allegations against kavanaugh recall including christine blasey ford's claim, an accusation kavanaugh denies. >> none of the individuals professor ford says were at the party has any recollection at all of that night. i do not believe that these charges can barely prevent judge kavanaugh from serving on the court. >> reporter: collins will vote yes. >> i will vote to confirm judge kavanaugh. >> reporter: republican applause in the chamber. moments later, democratic vote, joe man

lisa murkowski said she department make it about that. she made it about the court and what's going on with the court. kavanaugh will bring with him this scandal. it doesn't disappear if he gets confirmed. the controversy will continue to follow him and after the hearing, there were questions about temperament and candor and things like that. it hasn't really been proving or disproving the allegation that seemed to be what is sticking in these people's decisions well ahead of time. >> with respect to most of the people who made up their mines before he testified, many democrats certainly. >> 95%. >> they are movinging on thi on. >> flake mentioned the issue after last week's testimony. he it you wilactually made it cs not going to decide the vote if he thought kavanaugh was too heated. the temperament issue is a real one and explains why brett kavanaugh is trying to cover his tracks, but i'm not convinced that that is enough for collins and murkowski to decide to vote against him in spite of everything. >> stand by for one second. we have

susan collin, jeff flake, lisa murkowski, joe manchin.o -- heidi heitkamp has announced that she is voting no. so still up in the air. >> it is up in the air because none of the four have committed one way or another. we do know that earlier on in the day flake and collins said that they didn't see any corroborating evidence in what they had read. joe manchin is interesting because he is a democrat. he could become the only democrat to vote yes. he is in a race in west virginia in which he is ahead but if somebody like senator murkowski republican votes no, what is the -- you know, manchin doesn't suffer then and he gets sort of a freebie on voting yes for kavanaugh. flake we know wants to get to yes. he voted yes in the committee. collins again pretty much up in the air. so we have to watch those four. >> heidi heitkamp, the democrat from the red state, she said this, let me play the clip in announcing that she will oppose the nomination. >> if this were a political decision for me, i certainly would be deciding this the other way. but t

tomorrow, i will in the final tally be asked to be recorded as present. >> that's republican lisa murkowski. joining us now is cnn analyst kirsten powers, max boot, author of the soon to be out new book, the corrosion of conservatism, why i left the right. i'm interested to how senator murkowski got to no. >> the thing she seemed to be focused on was the temperament issue, and this was a rarefied position in society. even the most qualified, most brilliant, people with the most wonderful temperaments in the world typically don't get on the supreme court. so there's a very, very high bar. and that's the high bar that she was holding him to, and she says even if she understands that he would be very upset, and this was an attack he felt was an integrity and an unfair attack on his integrity that in the end you can't behave in that manner and be on the supreme court. >> max, i'm wondering what you make of that argument because that's certainly something judge kavanaugh tried to reframe in the op-ed that he wrote to "the wall street journal" last night. >> that's true. i think he realize he mad

and now who knows what's going to happen with susan collins and lisa murkowski and joe mnuchin. we've created a political culture in our country where the center can't survive, okay. and now that that's becoming ingrained in our political culture, it's now being to become ingrained in our judicial culture. that has horrible effects for both the sort of ability of our country to function the way it was designed politically and now legally, both in the short-term and in the long term that i think we're only sort of beginning to wrap our heads around. >> jeff, nyadit, thank you. >>> president trump prepares to cap what may be the biggest week of his presidenty with a campaign rally in can -- presidency with a campaign rally in kansas. >>> and have you seen this man? the president of interpol. he is missing this morning. we've transformed this home to show the new keurig k-cafÉ brewer is so easy, it makes any house a coffee house. rinsky's coffee house is open! pop that in for a coffee or brew a shot and froth fresh milk for a latte or cappuccino. easy peasy. now she's a barista! we

lisa murkowski lost a republican primary way back when, not that long ago. she had an historic write in conversation and a write in vote that allowed her to be a senator. a big part of that was the native population in her state. they helped drive it in a big way and moderates. >> she owes very little to gop leadership. >> except her chairmanship which she very much enjoys. whenever we have a vote, people genuinely usually vote with their friends and other things. senator mcconnell is a driving force in this. if there is a wild card at this moment, i would say the wild card is much more lisa murkowski than anyone else. >> let's talk about mitch mcconnell. he has been increasing in his vinegar in his statements over the past week or so. it certainly was the same this morning. he was incredibly tough on the notion that he said the senate is the one that is on trial, not anything else. let's listen and talk about it. >> we are going to say this is the united states of america. nobody is supposed to be guilty until proven innocent. is that what the senate is goi

we're watching the republican senator lisa murkowski of alaska. she voted against advancing kavanaugh's nomination. normally if you go against your own party in the motion to proceed, you'll stay the course and do it again in the motion to confirm. she also said today kavanaugh is in her view maybe not the right man for the court at this time. the truth is, the republicans don't really need her. if susan collins votes yes, that is likely the whole ball game. down this home stretch, top senators are making a final push on the senate floor. >> what left wing groups and their democratic allies have done to judge kavanaugh so nothing short of monstrous. >> judges are expected to be

lisa murkowski took to the senate floor about 7:45 to explain her lone republican no vote. >> he's a good man, he's clearly a learned judge. but in my conscience i could not conclude that he is the right person for the court at this time. >> former vice-presidential candidate sarah palin tweeted, hey,@lisamurkowski, i can see 2022 from my house. referring to a possible primary challenge in mur could you's stekt -- could you ski's next election. with anti-kavanaugh protesters catching out, capitol police

susan collins, lisa murkowski, and senator snowflake.ows tonight what they are going to do. they are not talking to anybody. signs that some might be questioning moving the bar about temperament, may become a well, did he not tell us exactly how much beer he drank. he threw ice in it incident in a bar when he was at yale. i used to be a bartender. that is probably the least significant thing that i saw what i was 17, 18, 19, and 20 tending bar. >> every single one of these senators on the judiciary committee, you need to read their job description. the judiciary committee was createdde to look out for constitutional issues. they are turning the constitution on its head. let me tell you, senator murkowski, she better be taking notes because she's an attorney, of the three you mention, she's the only attorney, and she should understand that brett kavanaugh walked in there guilty and had to prove his innocence, and she should understand that the court of public opinion can destroy someone, sometimes more than a criminal conviction can. thes

and the democrats are hoping to peel off two or three of the undecided republicans, lisa murkowski, jeff flake or susan collins now seems bleak. senator collins moments ago call calling the investigation thorough, and senator flake saying that he found no additional corroborating information. a source briefed on the fbi probe says that nine people were interviewed and not including kavanaugh or ford, and nor did they interview 40 others who tried to con kocontact the fbi relevant information. and president trump briefed by the fbi is calling all of the

there are only nine seats on the bench of the highest court in the land. >> that was republican lisa murkowski. joining me now, the cnn political editor, and the author of the soon to be out book, the corrosion of conservatism. why i left the right. i am interested to hear how senator murkowski got to know. >> well, the thing that she seemed to focus on the most was the judicial temperament issue and this is a very rarified position in our community. even the most qualified, most brilliant, most, the beam the most wonderful temperaments in the world typically don't get on the supreme court. so there is a very, very high bar and that's the high bar that she was holding him to. she says even if she understands that he would be very upset, that this is an attack he felt was on his integrity, that in the end, you can't behave in that manner and be on the supreme court. >> i wonder what you make of that argument. that is certainly something in the op ed last night. >> that's true. he realized he made a serious mistake in his tone which was very partisan, not very judicious. he tried to walk it back

the motion is agreed to. >> reporter: after senator lisa murkowski split with her fellow moderates on procedural vote in this moment. >> ms. murkowski. >> reporter: murkowski later explaining to reporters, quote, in my view he's not the right man for the court at this time. despite immense pressure from both sides and even from their own colleagues. >> i have reached out to all three, to senator collins and to murkowski and to senator flake, but i also know that they are getting input from absolutely everywhere. >> reporter: and, wolf, with the votes in hand the final confirmation vote on judge brett kavanaugh should come some time tomorrow afternoon, but one of the broader questions even if and when he is confirmed is what happens next. what happens next for the u.s. senate as an institution? what happens next for the conversation the entire country has been having over the cost of the last couple of weeks. even what happens next with the supreme court. those are all questions that aides i've been talking to the last couple of days make very clear they don't have the answers to right

alaska lisa murkowski said she decided how to vote on her way to the senate chamber to cast her vote. now, senator murkowski had women fly down from alaska to try to influence her vote and it seems as though they've succeeded. we will be talking to two of those women later in this hour. senate rules allow the video camera shots of individual senators only when those senators are on their feet speaking. and so there is no video of

she's very thoughtful, as is lisa murkowski and as is joe manchin.k they did what they thought was right by the people in their own state. and i also think based upon the evidence, by and large, it was the right thing to do. it's very hard. a couple times i had to do it. i voted for the feinstein ban on the manufacturer of assault rifles in 1996. the next election i almost got beat. very unpopular at home, but it was the right thing to do. >> what would you have done in this case? >> you know, when i was in the senate, i voted for, i think, two republican supreme court nominees. i voted against three republican supreme court nominees. you got to call them as you see them. and some are pretty conservative. bork, i voted against. justice roberts i voted for. i thought he was a little more moderate conservative. in this case i think i would have voted against judge kavanaugh. all things considered, i think he's a little too partisan. >> and that's what many people said. they were -- the concern was that they were looking at this just as what was the cor

that allowed lisa murkowski to vote present. she is on the record opposing the nomination of brett kavanaugh. we saw the judge leaving his home on the way to the supreme court. he will be given the scowgzal oath, a second oath administered by retired justice anthony kennedy this is the second clerk of kennedy's according to richard wolf to serve on the supreme court. we're getting your reaction to all of this this afternoon. and we were earlier showing you the protesters that have left the court and they went over to the -- they left the capital grounds. they have been outside the supreme court today, and you can see that hundreds of people over there, according to -- 164 people arrested during demonstrations, including 14 in the senate gallery, according to capital police, and many of those arrested disrupted the vote several times this afternoon, when the vice president was prez-iegd over the court. lynn, in los angeles, an independent. hi lynn. >> caller: you have a nice show you do a good job. >> guest: what's your reaction

sof that, you know, really abrupt switch from lisa murkowski and you could see the tension on the floor, and her in conversation with john cornyn who is in charge of counting the votes and then she went and w k walked out of the floor and changed her mind and voted no. that is incredible pressure, and we are outside of senator joe manchin's office and protesters on both sides of issue coming and going, and he is under incredible pressure now, but of course he is waiting on senator s susan collins, and as she goes, so will go joe manchin. i think that there is still incredible difficulty for him to be the 50th vote for this. so if collins were to come out to say she can't vote for him on the final passage that would suddenly put manchin in a difficult bind. if though, she comes out to say that she is a yes at 3:00, it is likely that you would see senator manchin voting as he did earlier today and saying yes to judge kavanaugh, and of course, now that we know where where flake stands and murkowski stands, it is really coming down to this senator from maine. and andrea, you have covered he

one sole republican, lisa murkowski of alaska, the sole republican that will vote against his confirmation. specifically senators collins and murkowski taking to the senate floor and explaining and defending their reasons for each of their votes. they came to two separate conclusions. senator collins felt in the end there wasn't sufficient corroboration for one of kavanaugh's accusers, christine blasey ford. both said they struggled and agonized over the decision. here's both of them yesterday. >> my fervent hope is that brett kavanaugh will work to lessen the divisions in the supreme court so that we have fewer 5-4 decisions, and that public confidence in our judiciary and our highest court is restored. >> i believe that that judge kavanaugh is a good map, but in my conscience -- good man, but in my conscience because that's how i have to vote at the end of the day, is with my conscience, i could not conclude that he is the right person for the court at this time. >> moments after senator collins gave the floor speech, we saw red state democrat joe mnuchin announce his support of kavanaug

he's writing that for the moderate replican senators like senator lisa murkowski of alaska.urkowski inhe noolumn. >> it was a big high-profile op-ed with a very limited audience. lisa murkowski of alaska had also been prettylear that s had issued that were -- issues that were very home state. and for her, the affordable care act, preexisting conditions, something very important in alaska and there were reasons to be concerned about that in his record. and native american, indigenous people's a sovereignty, federal lands issue. that does not come up in a lot of places, but in alaska, it matters. it matters so much in her own story, because her write-in election save, one of the .reatest comebac she'd been beaten by a tea party conservative. many of the alaskan indigenous people were among her most strong supporters. so this was predictable. she talked about believing he's a good manut not the right man in this moment for the court. >> what about the red statede crats? you think about senator camp of north dakota. one of her sibling said she had to vote no, because she needed

we can assume that lisa murkowski is a "no" ." if they are both a "no," there is no way that manchin votes yes. >> lisa: i think he cares more about west virginians that he does about his fellow democrats. he is taken positions that i put him in the complete opposite of even president obama on issues like coal. i think he is going to go more with west virginians. >> kennedy: your think is going to put himself out there? are you saying he will still vote yes in order to honor -- >> lisa: i don't know, but i'm saying i think it's possible, absently. >> harris: as we get ready to move on, if, in fact, they start to listen more to the voters at home, maybe they will spend less time in d.c. and they will be home more. if they can't get along with the other democratic senators, wherever they go? i would go home. [laughs] the kavanaugh confirmation drama continuing now, raising concerns about the future of the supreme court nomination. and whether these contentious hearings are now the model going forward. oh, boy. yesterday, senate judic

alaska senator lisa murkowski voted president. montana senator steve daines did not vote. he was attending his daughter's wedding. here is the senate vote. this is approximately 20 minutes. reminder to our guests in the galleries, expressions of approval or disapproval are not permitted in the senate galleries. under the previous question, all postcloture time has expired. the question is on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? the sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery. the vice president: is there a sufficient second? there is a sufficient second. the clerk will call the roll. the sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery. vote: the vice president: the sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery. the vice president: the sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery. the vice president: the sergeant at arms has restored order in the gallery. the sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery. the clerk may continue. vote: the vice president: the sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery. the clerk may continue. vote:

lisa murkowski, the same issue.le given indigenous alaskans, the voting bloc that is important to her. manchin, the same problem. they all have their own individual problems. so i think what you have seen, and we're going to find out exactly once it's all done, is there's been some choreography between them. if you do this -- between the four undecided. they have been talking and if you do this, i will do that. we're going to unravel this at 3:00 this afternoon. when susan collins, susan collins may have decided she's going all in on kavanaugh and wanted to deit in a dramatic so she could go back home and say i was the vote. or she may, knowing where manchin is and knowing that the vice president will break a tie, come out and say to her progressives and the moderates in her state, i voted against him, knowing that her party already had it in the bag. you know, we don't know for sure, but every indication -- >> you codo the math a bunch of different ways. if manchin is a yes, then collins can be a no. >> exactly. >>

that present vote will come from republican lisa murkowski who was against the kavanaugh nomination, but because her friend steve daines who is for the kavanaugh nomination can't be there, she will vote present for him. >> mr. president, i will vote to confirm judge kavanaugh. >> reporter: maine senator susan collins breaking her silence on the senate floor. saying she will vote yes on brett kavanaugh's confirmation. earlier today, collins was joined by arizona's jeff flake and west virginia mo end debate on the matter. >> you plan to vote yes tomorrow? [ screaming ] >> reporter: meanwhile, protestors continued to voice their opposition in washington against manchin, the lone democrat, to support kavanaugh. >> whoo! >> ah!! >> reporter: and for alaska senator lisa murkowski the lone republican to vote against ending debate. >> the motion is agreed to. >> reporter: with cloture invoked, a full senate vote is now expected tomorrow afternoon. >> our vote today was important not only because it will allow us to move forward and conclusion this confirmation process, but it was important b

lisa murkowski from alaska heads early on said ok i'm voting no and against having all but susan collins and jeff flake both said they will be voting for. kevin also confirmation after looking into this f.b.i. report which nobody in the public has seen but they and so the republican party itself or the republican senators in the senate are confident that there was nothing in it we should alter their vote for brett kavanaugh as the new sort of additional supreme court judge just so it's. all right so if this unfolds as we expect how big a victory would it be for donald trump's republican party. yeah it's a huge victory for gold's up in the white house remember two thousand sixteen on the campaign trail he said famously during his speech you can hate me you can love me it doesn't matter if i win i'm going to. alter the history or the future of this country by nominating and putting judges of my liking into into the supreme court and here we go just eighteen nineteen months in his reign or is being president too conservative judges are now on the supreme court given or assuming that mr cava