1/ The U.S., Mexico, and Canada reached a deal to revise the North American Free Trade Agreement, which will be known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Trump called the agreement “historic news,� “an extraordinary agreement,� and “a new dawn,� claiming that it “solves the many deficiencies and mistakes in NAFTA� and that it’s “the most important� trade deal ever agreed to by the U.S. The new trade deal leaves much of the old NAFTA deal intact. Congressional approval, however, is uncertain if Democrats retake control of the House since Congress won’t vote to ratify the agreement until 2019. The deal was reached with Canada shortly before a midnight Sunday deadline imposed by the Trump administration. (New York Times / Washington Post / CNBC / Politico / BBC)

2/ Trump said he supports a “very comprehensive� but “quick� FBI investigation into the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh as long as it’s “within reason,� because “we don’t want to go on a witch hunt, do we?� Trump, the White House, and Senate Republicans initially asked the bureau to limit interviews to four people: Mark Judge and P.J. Smyth, high school friends of Kavanaugh’s; Leland Keyser, a high school friend of Christine Blasey Ford; and Deborah Ramirez, another of the accusers. The White House, however, has reportedly authorized the FBI to expand its investigation, which Trump wants completed by the end of the week. In a letter to the White House and FBI, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee listed more than two dozen people they wanted interviewed as part of the investigation. (New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / The Guardian)

3/ Sens. Jeff Flake and Chris Coons said that if the FBI investigation finds Kavanaugh lied to the Senate Judiciary Committee then his nomination would likely not move forward. During an interview, Flake and Coons were asked, “If Kavanaugh is shown to have lied to the committee, nomination’s over?� Flake responded, “Oh yes.� Coons added: “I would think so.� (CNN / Washington Post)

4/ Trump called the FBI investi...

1/ The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 to approve the Kavanaugh nomination, sending it to the full Senate for consideration. Jeff Flake asked that the full Senate “delay the floor vote […] in order to let the FBI continue to do an investigation,� suggesting that he would not vote for Kavanaugh on the Senate floor without an investigation. He suggested that there were other Republicans who felt the same. Chairman Chuck Grassley abruptly adjourned the committee citing the “two-hour rule� despite confusion by senators about what they had voted for, including Dianne Feinstein, who asked: “What?� (New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post)

Dianne Feinstein described Kavanaugh’s testimony as “aggressive and belligerent,� adding that she’s “never seen a nominee for any position behave in that manner.� (CNBC)

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee plan to investigate Kavanaugh if they retake the House majority in November. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) would become chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, which has the authority to subpoena witnesses and documents related to Kavanaugh. (HuffPost)

Leaked emails show a Republican aide declined to take phone calls from Deborah Ramirez and her legal team, who alleges that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a party in college. Republicans on the Judiciary Committee claimed that they had “made eight requests� for evidence from Ramirez only to be “stonewalled� by her attorneys. Mike Davis, the senior Republican committee staffer, demanded that Ramirez produce evidence in written form before any conversation about her testifying would be allowed to proceed. (New Yorker)

2/ Trump agreed to order the FBI to investigate the allegations against Kavanaugh. “I’ve ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh’s file,� Trump said in a statement released by Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week.� (CNN / Reuters / Axios)

Statement from President @realDonaldTrump:
“I’ve ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh’s file. As the Senate has requested, this update must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week.�

1/ Christine Blasey Ford testified that she is “100%� certain that Brett Kavanaugh was her attacker, and that she believed he “was going to rape me� and “was going to accidentally kill me.� Ford began her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee by telling senators: “I am here today not because I want to be. I am terrified.� (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / CNN)

Ford’s testimony in one sentence: Ford broke her silence after 36 years; described how she was “100%� sure that it was Kavanaugh and Mark Judge who locked her in a bedroom before Kavanaugh “got on top� of her; called it her “civic duty� to come forward despite feeling “terrified�; and described the “uproarious laughter� that Kavanaugh and Judge had at her expense.

READ: Christine Blasey Ford’s opening statement (NPR)

🔥 LIVE BLOGS: Washington Post / Bloomberg / CNN / New York Times / NBC News / ABC News

2/ In a fiery 45-minute opening statement to the committee, Kavanaugh called the confirmation process “a national disgrace� and said that the sexual assault allegations against him are part of “a calculated and orchestrated political hit.� Kavanaugh claimed that his family and his “name have been totally and permanently destroyed� by this process, but he “will not be intimidated into withdrawing.� Kavanaugh said he prepared his remarks himself. (Politico / Washington Post)

Kavanaugh’s testimony in one sentence: Kavanaugh was combative with Democrats, refused to answer questions directly; claimed he’d “do whatever the committee wants� regarding an FBI investigation, but rolled his eyes and stayed quiet for a long time when asked if an investigation was a good idea; denied ever blacking out from drinking; denied every being alone in a room with Ford and his friend Mark Judge; and called Swetnick’s allegations “a joke� and “a farce.�

READ: Brett Kavanaugh’s prepared remarks (CNN)

3/ Trump called the accusations against Kavanaugh “all false,� but that he could “always be...

1/ In a sworn declaration, a third accuser said that between 1981 and 1983 she witnessed efforts by Brett Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge to get girls “inebriated and disorientated� so they could be “gang raped� in side rooms at house parties by a “train� of boys who were lined up and waiting for their “turn� inside the room. Julie Swetnick swore that Kavanaugh and Judge would “‘spike’ the ‘punch’ at house parties� with “drugs and/or grain alcohol,� and that she witnessed Kavanaugh “being overly aggressive with girls,� not taking “No� for an answer, and being “verbally abusive towards girls by making crude sexual comments� intended to demean them. In her declaration, Swetnick describes an incident in 1982 in which she alleges she was the victim of a “gang rape� Kavanaugh was present for. “During the incident, I was incapacitated without my consent and unable to fight off the boys raping me,� Swetnick says. “I believe I was drugged using Quaaludes or something similar placed in what I was drinking.� Kavanaugh’s first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, said Judge was present when Kavanaugh allegedly sexually assaulted her 36 years ago. All 10 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee called for Trump to “immediately withdraw the nomination or order an FBI investigation into all the allegations.� (New York Times / CNBC / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / CNN / Yahoo News / ABC News)

Read the sworn declaration by Kavanaugh accuser Julie Swetnick: “In approximately 1982, I became the victim of one of those “gang� or “train� rapes where Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh were present.� (NBC News)

Below is my correspondence to Mr. Davis of moments ago, together with a sworn declaration from my client. We demand an immediate FBI investigation into the allegations. Under no circumstances should Brett Kavanaugh be confirmed absent a full and complete investigation. pic.twitter.com/QHbHBbbfbE

2/ Kavanaugh dismissed Swetnick’s allegations as “ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone,� claiming he is the victim of “grotesque and obvious character assassination.� “I don’t know who this is and this never happened,� Kavanaugh said. In prepared testimony ahead of Thursday’s Senate hearing, Kavanaugh admits that he was “not perfect� in high school and “in retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now.� Kavanaugh denied Ford’s allegation “immediately, unequivocally, and categorically.� (

1/ Brett Kavanaugh’s high school yearbook page lists him as the treasurer of the “100 Kegs or Bust’ club� and a “Renate Alumnius� – a reference to Renate Schroeder, then a student at a nearby Catholic girls’ school. “Renate� appears at least 14 times in Georgetown Preparatory School’s 1983 yearbook, including on individuals’ pages and in a group photo of nine football players. Two of Kavanaugh’s classmates say the Renate mentions were football players’ boasting about their supposed sexual conquests with girls. (New York Times / CNN / Washington Post)

2/ Kavanaugh claimed he “never sexually assaulted anyone� in high school because he was a virgin at the time and “did not have sexual intercourse, or anything close to sexual intercourse, in high school or many years thereafter.� Kavanaugh appeared on Fox News with his wife at his side to fight the “smears� against him and declare: “I’m not going anywhere.� (New York Times / ABC News / USA Today / NBC News / Washington Post)

3/ Trump accused Democrats of playing “a con game� and using “false acquisitions� to derail Kavanaugh’s nomination. Trump also dismissed the allegation of Deborah Ramirez – the second woman to accuse Kavanaugh of wrongdoing – saying “she was totally inebriated� and “all messed up� when Kavanaugh allegedly exposed himself at a dorm party and “thrust his penis in her face and caused her to touch it.� Trump later deleted his misspelled tweet and corrected himself to say Democrats are using “an array of False Accusations the likes of which have never been seen before.� Trump called Kavanaugh “a wonderful man,� and urged voters to “REMEMBER THE MIDTERMS!� (Politico / New York Times / CNBC / CNN)

4/ A third woman is expected to publicly accuse Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in the next 48 hours, according to Michael Avenatti, the woman’s attorney. Avenatti is currently representing multiple clients and “at least one� is prepared to come forward “relating to what she witnessed and experienced concerning Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge, and ultimately we’re going to let the American public decide who’s telling the truth.� (The Guardian / CNN)

1/ A second woman publicly accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were both freshmen at Yale during the 1983-84 academic school year. Deborah Ramirez said Kavanaugh exposed himself and shoved his penis in her face without her consent at a dorm party. Kavanaugh’s roommate at the time said he “cannot imagine [Ramirez] making this up� and that Kavanaugh was “frequently, incoherently drunk.� After learning of Ramirez’s allegation last week, Senate Republicans called for the Senate Judiciary Committee to accelerate its confirmation vote. (New Yorker)

Michael Avenatti tweeted that he represents “a woman with credible information� about Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge, who Christine Blasey Ford alleges was in the room at the time of Kavanaugh’s alleged assault. Avenatti said he has “significant evidence� that Kavanaugh and Judge “would participate in the targeting of women with alcohol/drugs.� (Axios / Politico)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein called for the Senate Judiciary Committee to delay the Kavanaugh nomination. In her letter, Feinstein asked “that the newest allegations of sexual misconduct be referred to the FBI for investigation, and that you join our request for the White House to direct the FBI to investigate the allegations of Ford as well as these new claims.� (Washington Post)

2/ Kavanaugh and the White House denied Ramirez’s allegation, calling it “a smear, plain and simple.� Kavanaugh told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he “will not be intimidated into withdrawing� his nomination because of “false and uncorroborated� allegations against him. Ford told lawmakers that “fear will not hold me back from testifying� against Kavanaugh. Meanwhile, Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor to declare that the Senate will move forward with a vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination, accusing Democrats of running “a smear campaign� to derail the confirmation. (CNN / ABC News / Politico / Reuters / New York Times)

3/ Christine Blasey Ford agreed to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Blasey will appear Thursday before a committee of 21 senators for questioning, but no decision has been reached about whether Republicans would use staff attorneys to question Ford about her claim. All the Republicans on the panel are men. (New York Times / Politico)

Sen. Lindsey Graham: Ford’s testimony won’t change my vote....

1/ Trump questioned Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s credibility and contended that if the alleged attack “was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed,� adding: “Why didn’t someone call the FBI 36 years ago?� Trump also challenged Dr. Ford to produce law enforcement reports “so that we can learn date, time, and place!� of the attack. Trump added Brett Kavanaugh is “a fine man, with an impeccable reputation, who is under assault by radical left wing politicians.� (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / NBC News / CNN / Wall Street Journal)

Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a fine man, with an impeccable reputation, who is under assault by radical left wing politicians who don’t want to know the answers, they just want to destroy and delay. Facts don’t matter. I go through this with them every single day in D.C.

I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!

Susan Collins said she was “appalled� by Trump’s tweets criticizing Dr. Ford for not coming forward sooner with her allegations against Brett Kavanaugh. The Maine senator is a key swing vote in the larger Senate vote for Kavanaugh’s confirmation. (Press Herald)

White House officials: “You have no idea� how hard it’s been to keep Trump from attacking Dr. Ford. A few hours before Trump’s tweets, a White House official said: “Hopefully he can keep it together until Monday. That’s only, like, another 48 hours right?� (Axios)

2/ The Senate Judiciary Committee agreed to meet some but not all of Dr. Ford’s conditions in order for her to testify next week about her allegation of sexual assault in the 1980s by Brett Kavanaugh. Republicans have not agreed with Ford’s lawyers that she should only be questioned by lawmakers – not an outside counsel – at Wednesday’s proposed hearing. (Politico /

1/ Dr. Christine Blasey Ford is “prepared to testify next week� as long as senators offer “terms that are fair and which ensure her safety.� In an email sent to committee staff members, Ford’s attorney reiterated that it is their “strong preference� that the FBI conduct “a full investigation� before her testimony. (New York Times)

2/ Senate Republicans plan to move forward with Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation despite sexual assault allegations by Ford. Trump, in defending Kavanaugh, said it was “very hard for me to imagine anything happened� with Ford because Kavanaugh “is such an outstanding man.� Sen. Chuck Grassley said a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing would begin at 10 a.m. Monday, and gave Ford a deadline of 10 a.m. Friday to submit prepared remarks if she plans to testify. While Ford has not officially declined the committee’s invitation, her attorney has asked for a “full, nonpartisan investigation.� (Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / New York Times)

3/ Trump insists there is no role for the FBI in investigating Ford’s claim. Trump said that investigating Ford’s accusation that Brett Kavanaugh covered her mouth while trying to strip her bathing suit off during a high school party in the 1980s “is not really their thing.� Former government officials, however, have come forward to contradict Trump’s claim that the FBI cannot investigate the allegations against Kavanaugh. While Republican leaders in the Senate have echoed Trump’s claim, several officials involved in nomination and background check processes say it’s actually common. (Politico / NBC News)

4/ Sen. Dean Heller called the sexual assault allegation against Kavanaugh a “little hiccup� and that he hopes “all senators� will address the accusations “in good faith� so they can “get through this� and “off to the races.� The Nevada Republican went on to call Trump “a great leader� despite saying he was “99 percent against Trump� in October 2016. Heller is considered the most vulnerable Senate Republican seeking reelection this year. (Washington Post / The Hill / New York Times)

5/ A former classmate of Ford walked back her claims that she knew about Brett Kavanaugh’s alleged assault at the time it happened. “That it happened or not, I have no idea,� said Cristina Miranda King. “I can’t say that it did or didn’t.� In a now-deleted Facebook post, King previously said: “The incident DID happen, many of us heard about it in school.� (NPR)

6/ Senator Claire McCaskill will vote against Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, but not because of the allegations against him. McCaskill cited Kavanaugh’s “positions on se...

1/ The Trump administration is unable to account for nearly 1,500 additional migrant children who were placed with sponsors after leaving federal shelters. The revelation comes months after a similar admission in April concerning an initial 1,475 children. Since 2016, HHS officials have called sponsors to check on migrant children 30 days after placements. The department has said it is not legally responsible for children after they are released from government custody. (New York Times)

2/ Dr. Christine Blasey Ford wants the FBI to investigate her allegations against Brett Kavanaugh before senators hold a hearing. Ford has not yet confirmed whether she will attend a public hearing on Monday. (Washington Post / New York Times)

Ford’s letter to the FBI says she has “been the target of vicious harassment and even death threats� and has been forced to leave her home. (CNN / Washington Post)

Kavanaugh in 2015: “What happens at Georgetown Prep, stays at Georgetown Prep.� Kavanaugh made the remarks during a speech he gave at Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law. (Politico)

One of Ford’s former classmates wrote a Facebook post saying she remembers hearing about the alleged assault by Kavanaugh. Cristina Miranda King says she has no first-hand information to corroborate Ford’s claims. “I did not know her personally but I remember her,� King wrote. “This incident did happen.� King has since taken down her post. (NBC News / Law & Crime)

3/ Sen. Chuck Grassley canceled a meeting at which members of the Senate Judiciary Committee were expected to vote to advance Kavanaugh’s confirmation. The meeting was originally scheduled for Thursday morning. A new date has not yet been announced. (CNBC / Time)

4/ The FBI and DOJ are expected to defy Trump’s order to declassify and release unredacted versions of Carter Page’s FISA warrant and text messages sent by James Comey and other agency officials. The agencies are expected to submit their documents and propose redactions to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which will package the materials and send them to the White House for approval and release. Doing so would put the agencies in direct conflict with Trump, who has the power to declassify the materials on his own. (Bloomberg /

1/ Trump ordered the declassification of the FISA application targeting Carter Page and the release of James Comey’s text messages related to the Russia investigation. Trump also called for the release of a senior Justice official’s notes from the investigation, as well as unredacted text messages from Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page. (Politico / CNN)

2/ The Trump administration plans to cap the number of refugees allowed into the United States next year at 30,000, the lowest ceiling since the refugee program was created in 1980. The new low represents a reduction of one-third, from 45,000. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the move, arguing the ceiling should not be the “sole barometer� by which one measures the country’s humanitarianism. (New York Times / Politico)

3/ Trump says he feels “terribly� for Brett Kavanaugh and that Kavanaugh is “not a man who deserves this,� in reference to upcoming Senate testimony from Christine Blasey Ford, who says Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when the two were in high school. Trump called Kavanaugh “a great gentleman� and expressed concern for Kavanaugh’s wife and daughters. (Washington Post)

4/ After slapping 10-percent tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on virtually all remaining Chinese imports. “We don’t want to do it,� Trump said, “but we probably — we’ll have no choice.� The threat came after China responded to the latest escalation of the ongoing trade war by imposing tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. goods. (South China Morning Post)

The Senate passed a short-term spending bill to keep the government open through Dec. 7 and delay a fight over Trump’s border wall. The bill was attached to a larger budget package that includes full-year 2019 funding for the Pentagon, as well as the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The House is expected to take up the bill next week. (Washington Post / The Hill)

Mueller’s plea deal with Paul Manafort took unusual steps to prevent Trump from pardoning his former campaign chairman. The deal contains language that would discourage Trump from pardoning Manafort and limit the impact of a pardon if Trump decides to do so anyway. (Politico / NY Post)

Ted Cruz leads Beto O’Rourke by nine points among likely voters, 54–45. One percent of those polled were undecided. (