New Orleans Immigration Crackdown Sparks Fear as Federal Arrests Intensify 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
Trump Claims He Will Void Biden Documents Signed with Autopen 
Drones Spotted Near Zelenskiy’s Flight Path in Ireland Trigger Security Alert 
U.S. Justice Department Orders Intensified Probe Into Antifa and Domestic Extremist Groups 
Trump Administration Halts Immigration, Green Card, and Citizenship Processing for 19 Countries 
U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel 
Australia Progresses AUKUS Review as U.S. Affirms Strong Support 
California Launches Portal for Reporting Alleged Misconduct by Federal Immigration Agents 
U.S. Repatriation Flight Carrying 266 Venezuelan Migrants Lands in Caracas 
U.S. Expected to Expand Travel Ban to More Than 30 Countries 
UN Chief Says Gaza Operation “Fundamentally Wrong” as Concerns Over War Crimes Grow 
Taiwan Signals Openness to Renew Ties with Honduras as Election Unfolds 
Hong Kong Faces Low Turnout in “Patriots-Only” Election Amid Public Grief After Deadly Fire 
Israel Receives Body of Deceased Hostage as Rafah Crossing Reopening Hinges on Final Returns 
Honduras Election Turmoil Deepens as Nasralla Alleges Fraud in Tight Presidential Race 
Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns 
Several Republican lawmakers used the opportunity in the confirmation hearing to complain about the treatment then-nominee Brett Kavanaugh received from Democrats in the Senate. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy pushed back on the complaints, citing the Republicans’ treatment of Merrick Garland.
Top Senate Democrat Patrick Leahy pushed back on the complaints by several Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee during the confirmation hearing of Ketanji Brown Jackson. Leahy touched on Texas GOP Senator Ted Cruz’s comments the previous day regarding the Senate Democrats’ opposition to then-candidate Neil Gorsuch, with other Republicans citing what occurred during Kavanaugh’s hearing.
Cruz claimed that Democrats had a political agenda to carry out when they opposed Gorsuch’s confirmation. Leahy pushed back, citing the Senate Republicans’ treatment of now-Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was previously nominated by Barack Obama for the Supreme Court, only to not receive a hearing or a vote.
“I was going to respond to something the junior senator from Texas said yesterday,” said Leahy during the hearing. “He suggested Democrats exacted a political agenda by opposing the nominations of Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. I kind of chuckle at that because along with others, others repeatedly and clearly stated substantive concerns with Justice Gorsuch’s nomination.”
“There’s no political agenda. I contrast that with Republicans’ treatment of Judge Merrick Garland. We’re still waiting for the substantive concerns with Merrick Garland. They blocked him for over a year and wouldn’t even allow a vote on his nomination, apparently because of a politically driven agenda.”
To note, Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual assault by a woman he knew during their childhood. The FBI never did a full background check on Kavanaugh, and there are still questions surrounding the debt Kavanaugh incurred that were mysteriously paid off.
A heated clash between Republican and Democratic members also occurred during the hearing, when South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham walked out of the room when Senate Judiciary chair Dick Durbin fact-checked his claims over the legal disposition of the remaining inmates of the Guantanamo Bay facility.
Graham yelled over Durbin, who was calmly correcting the South Carolina Republican, saying that “the system failed miserably” and that the US is “at war, we’re not fighting crime!.” Graham even expressed that the remaining detainees at the Guantanamo Bay facility should remain until they die rather than release them.
