Trump likely to win whether or not Kavanaugh is confirmed

If Kavanaugh is confirmed by the Senate in a vote planned on Saturday, Trump will have succeeded in placing his second justice on the top U.S. court and fulfilled his pledge to solidify its conservative majority. "This has done more to wake up complacent Republican voters than anything I have seen," said Robert Cahaly, a pollster and senior strategist at The Trafalgar Group, a Republican-leaning consulting and polling firm. Trump's pugnacious style was well suited to the messy drama, and his decision to stick by Kavanaugh, mock the woman who accused the nominee of sexual assault and use the controversy to fire up supporters could help Republicans in key Senate races in conservative states - even if it turns off independents and women voters in suburban House of Representatives districts that were already trending away from Republicans.

Indonesia battles fake news after quake-tsunami disaster

Indonesia has cracked down on "fake news" about its deadly quake-tsunami disaster, with police arresting nine people for spreading hoaxes in a bid to prevent further panic spreading among survivors. Another Facebook post used a photo of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami aftermath to depict what it claimed was a scene from the seaside city of Palu. Setyo Wasisto, Indonesia's national police spokesman, told Kompas TV on Thursday that nine people had been arrested on suspicion of spreading false news.

Toyota announces new recall of 2.4 million hybrid cars

Japanese car giant Toyota said Friday it is recalling more than 2.4 million hybrid cars over a fault that could cause crashes, just a month after another recall affecting hybrids. The firm in September said it was recalling more than one million hybrid cars globally after uncovering a technical problem that could cause fires. The latest announcement affects several models of the Prius and its Auris hybrid vehicles produced between October 2008 and November 2014, with more than a million of the affected cars in Japan.

When Will the Next War Erupt in the Middle East?

The Middle East is sitting on a powder keg. No one knows when it will blow up. What is certain is that it’s likely to do so sooner rather than later.

Florida governor's race: a microcosm of polarized US politics

A charismatic black Democrat versus an anti-immigrant white Republican -- the race for the governorship of Florida in next month's US midterm elections is a microcosm of America's bitterly divided politics, and possibly a sign of things to come in 2020. Andrew Gillum, 39, mayor of the state capital Tallahassee, is the Democratic candidate -- to his fervent supporters, he is an inspirational figure reminiscent of Barack Obama. It's as if Trump had run against far-left independent Senator Bernie Sanders -- not Hillary Clinton -- in the 2016 presidential elections.

Confusion, chaos hit Capitol Hill in wake of FBI report on Kavanaugh

As the full Senate vote on Brett Kavanaugh nears, the public rancor that has surrounded his nomination shows no sign of abating.

Republicans: Letters From Kavanaugh's Friends Clear Up The 'Mystery' Of 'Boofing'

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee said Thursday they've gotten to