Politics roundup: Kavanaugh confirmation moves on in Congress

Against some expectations, the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court moves forward. This, plus other news in this week’s politics roundup.

Kavanaugh confirmation likely to happen

Brett Kavanaugh, nominee to the Supreme Court, is likely to be confirmed as the next Justice later this week. Perhaps this doesn’t quite come as a surprise, even though the dramatic and historic hearings of last week may have given some people hope for an equally dramatic upset. Christine Blasey Ford, a professor of psychology, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last Thursday. She detailed allegations that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her while both were in high school.

Though Ford’s words struck many, the comments and analyses that soon followed sowed doubt. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) told reporters that “I don’t think [Ford is] uncredible. I think she’s an attractive, good witness.”

Kavanaugh’s own testimony later in the day drew many remarks for his angry demeanor, complete with crying, shouting, evasive answers, and odd questions redirected towards some senators. He even pointed, however obliquely, towards a partisan conspiracy: “a long series of false, last-minute smears designed to scare me and drive me out of the process before any hearing began.”

Then, of course, there were doubts raised. There were reports from ex-partners and former associates as to the veracity of either side’s claims. There was the nigh frantic courting of three critical senators who hadn’t said how they would vote — those were Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Jeff Flake (R-Arizona).

On Thursday, both Senators Collins and Flake indicated that they were happy with an FBI investigation into Kavanaugh, thus indicating that they would vote to confirm him. Flake told journalists that he had seen “no additional corroborating information” to bolster Ford’s allegations.

Murkowski still has not said how she will vote. Still, with two of the three almost certainly voting for Kavanaugh, the Republican-held Congress will no doubt be resting much more easily tonight.

The Senate voted on cloture earlier today, and it passed, meaning that a confirmation vote can happen as early as Saturday. By Monday, then, we could have a new and still highly controversial Supreme Court Justice.

China may have spied on Apple and Amazon

With all of the news about Christine Blasey Ford, Brett Kavanaugh, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and everyone else involved in this week’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings, you might think nothing else happened. Of course, plenty of other news items made their way into your feed, and it’s worth paying attention to them.

Perhaps most shocking is the revelation that Chinese companies implanted a microchip on servers manufactured overseas. Those servers then made their way to at least 30 major U.S. companies, including tech giants like Apple and Amazon.

The whole issue became even more dramatic when those tech companies began talking out. Quite a few have vehemently denied that they’ve encountered any sort of spyware, bugs, or malware on their computers. That would certainly be in their best interests, given how precarious stocks and shares could behave if consumers get a whiff of international spying on their own devices.

New trade agreement to replace NAFTA

After a series of talks and negotiations with Canada, NAFTA is (probably) no more. In its place will be the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA). With this change, the current president will fulfill one of his campaign promises made during the 2016 election season.

Under the new agreement, Canadian and Mexican automakers will be exempt from some of the tariffs on metal and auto imports. Meanwhile, U.S. dairy farmers will have some more access to the highly protected Canadian dairy market, which could be a big deal for U.S. agriculture. Many Canadians, however, have a pretty dim view of the current U.S. government. Could rocky trade agreements and ideological tensions completely undermine this whole business?

Right now, the USMCA has to be approved by the legislatures in all three countries, which could make its passage tougher than some may hope. Until then, all existing NAFTA regulations will remain in place.

And, finally, your palate cleanser

Maybe this is too neat, too perfectly made for a movie of some sort, but a story like this bears repeating. An eight year old girl has unearthed an ancient Viking sword from a Swedish lake. Prepare your tributes in, let’s say 10 years or so.

This girl in question, the awesomely named Saga Vanecek, is a recent transplant to the region, having moved there with her American family to be closer to relatives. Saga found the sword while swimming in a lake, where drought had lowered the water levels. She initially thought it was a stick, but rethought it all when she realized that the presumed stick had a handle and a pointy end. Her father helped Saga get in contact with local historians and archaeologists, who told them that the weapon was about 1,500 years old.

Saga may join forces with Matilda Jones, the 7-year-old Yorkshire girl who pulled a four-foot sword from a Cornish lake. It was also a body of water called Dozmary Pool, traditionally considered to be the home of the Lady of the Lake, who granted King Arthur his own legendary sword, Excalibur.

Sure, the extraordinarily well-preserved sword may be more recent than 1,500 years (and Jones’ father did speculate that it was a prop), but the story is cool nonetheless.

Speaking of Viking swords, check out the honestly great Nova documentary, “Secrets of the Viking Sword“. The film investigates the fascinating story of the Ulfbehrt swords, super-strong Viking swords that flourished for a short time.