Friday Scoop: Decisions, Decisions

Initial Senate Vote on Kavanaugh to Take Place Today, Final Vote Tomorrow

One of the many against Kavanaugh’s confirmation, which could happen tomorrow. (Image: Flickr)

The Senate Judiciary Committee is gearing up this morning to take a vote on the status of Brett Kavanaugh, Supreme Court nominee accused of multiple counts of sexual assault. After testifying before the Senate committee last week, defending himself against accuser Christine Blasey Ford, Kavanaugh was investigated by the FBI. The FBI background report was distributed yesterday to White House staff and Senate in preparation for a possible SCOTUS confirmation.

While no specific details about the report have been released, Democrats have been quick to call the FBI’s assessment of Kavanaugh as “too narrow” and lacking a perspective from key witnesses. According to Reuters, no Republicans have stated that they will vote against Kavanaugh, although Senators Jeff Flake, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins are all notable swing votes.

The initial vote is set for 10:30AM EST today, and the final confirmation decision will be made tomorrow, Saturday, October 6.

Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Fighters of Sexual Violence

The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded early this morning to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad  “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict,” according to The Associated Press.

Mukwege is a Congolese gynecological surgeon known for treating victims of sexual violence, especially those affected by Congo’s ongoing civil war. Dr. Mukwege has been notoriously critical of the Congolese government for their use of mass rape as a war strategy. Murad is a Yazidi once captured by ISIS in her homeland of Iraq, and was sexually abused by ISIS leaders for the duration of her three months in captivity. Since being released, Murad has become an international spokeswoman against sexual violence and human trafficking.

Their respective awards are intended to draw attention to the fact that women are frequently used as weapons of war. They send “a clear message that sexual violence in wars is unacceptable and must stop.”

Amy Schumer and Emily Ratajkowski Amongst Many Arrested at Capitol Hill ‘No Kavanaugh’ Protest

On Thursday, Emily Ratajkowski and Amy Schumer were arrested during a protest where thousands of people descended on the Hart Senate Office Building to protest the potential Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who faces a plethora of sexual assault allegations.

According to Rolling Stone, “Earlier in the day, Schumer spoke to protesters alongside Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and model-activist Emily Ratajkowski. “That’s what we’re going to do: We’re going to keep showing up and no matter how this goes, they cannot keep us down,” Schumer told the crowd. “We will win. A vote for Kavanaugh is a vote saying ‘Women don’t matter.’ Let’s stay together. Let’s fight. Let’s keep showing up.”

Find out what happened to the Hollywood stars in Erin Whitten’s report here. 

Today in a Tweet: #JobsReport

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that unemployment has dropped in September–bringing it to a 49-year record low of 3.7 percent. ‘Murica!

Last But Not Least: Australia Might Become the First Country in the World to Eliminate Cervical Cancer

Australia is set to become the first country in the entire world to eliminate cervical cancer in the near future, according to a recent study published in The Lancet medical journal by the non-profit Cancer Council New South Wales.

By focusing on increasing HPV vaccinations, health screening rates, and other national prevention programs, the medical study predicts that by 2028, less than four in 100,000 Australian women are expected to contract cervical cancer and between the 2030s and beyond, the cancer rates could be as low as one woman per year nationwide if the prevention methods and policies are still in place as well as effective.

Duane Murphy explains the study in his story here. 

This Friday Morning Scoop was made possible by Erin Whitten, Duane Murphy, and the CMN Staff. Our scoop looks very wordy today, but we’re overcompensating for only reading picture books until the age of 17. We read chapter books now, we promise.