The Note: Kavanaugh fight takes politics a step backward

The TAKE with Rick Klein

Amid the hyperspeed of politics these days, this week inched by slowly – even seeming to move backward at times.

Robert Mueller’s probe showed signs of advancing, given the news of Michael Cohen’s multiple sessions with Mueller’s team, and with prosecutors based in New York City.

Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination moved not at all, with the question of whether and when Christine Blasey Ford will speak publicly about her allegation still open amid restarted negotiations.

"So we will let it play out, and I think everything is going to be just fine," Trump said Thursday night in Las Vegas. "This is a high quality person," he said of Kavanaugh.

But the capacity for national discussions over episodes of alleged sexual violence seems stuck in the past. Old footage of Anita Hill has served as a reminder of how little the process has adjusted to changing times.

With the midterms approaching, it’s rare that any story consumes as many days as this has. It’s rarer still to say that so much time has moved things so little.

The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks

Republicans might be playing with fire.

According to ABC News/Washington Post polls, President Trump’s approval rating among women is at a low 30 percent.

Among college-educated, white women, his approval rating fell by 11 points between April and August alone, to just 23 percent.

Still, despite that tenuous political footing, Republican senators this week seemed to make unforced blunders that ranged from confusing to insensitive to offensive.

GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said that Ford was "mixed up" before hearing her side; Sen. Dean Heller, a Nevada Republican, referred to the allegation of sexual assault as a "hiccup" in the confirmation process; South Carolina GOP congressman Ralph Norman joked about sexual assault during a debate.

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee have repeatedly acted dumbfounded by the requests for an independent investigation, leaving Democrats and voters confounded by a lack of procedures or planning for this moment.

The TIP with Cheyenne Haslett

Jay Webber, a Republican running for Congress in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, is the latest recipient of a Trump Twitter endorsement.

But he’s in a district where the president squeaked out a win in 2016 by less than a percentage point. So, will his backing help or hurt?

Webber, a Harvard law grad and father of seven, is vying for a seat that’s a prime target for Democrats, even though it’s been Republican-held for more than 20 years. He’s facing a "blue wave" opponent in Democrat Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, federal prosecutor and mother of four who’s broken fundraising records for the New Jersey House twice this election cycle.

In his statement about the endorsement, Webber first mentioned his New Jersey race platform — taxes, jobs and "strong but fair immigration laws" — only then adding, "I’m pleased to have the support of President Trump in pursuit of those objectives…"

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I will be there." — Judge Brett Kavanaugh, in a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley Thursday evening, confirming that he is willing to testify next Monday, when Grassley had invited both him and Christine Blasey Ford to appear.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' daily podcast, "Start Here." Friday's episode features ABC News' Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on Michael Cohen sitting down with special counsel Robert Mueller for hours of questioning, and Brad Garrett, an ABC News crime and terror analyst and a former FBI agent, on how investigators might build a behavioral profile of Kavanaugh and his accuser. https://bit.ly/2Ohkpz8

NEED TO READ

Michael Cohen spoke to Mueller team for hours; asked about Russia, possible collusion, pardon: Sources. The special counsel's questioning of Cohen, one of the president's closest associates over the past decade, has focused primarily on all aspects of Trump's dealings with Russia — including financial and business dealings and the investigation into alleged collusion with Russia by the Trump campaign and its surrogates to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News. (George Stephanopoulos, Eliana Larramendia and James Hill) https://abcn.ws/2OFsa1u

At Las Vegas rally for Heller, Trump says Kavanaugh 'is going to be just fine'. In front of a friendly crowd at the Las Vegas Convention Center, President Donald Trump, who flew out to show support for Republican Sen. Dean Heller, said that his Supreme Court nominee "is going to be just fine." (Meridith McGraw) https://abcn.ws/2NtXBzn

Judiciary Committee Republicans have maintained open line of communication with Ford lawyers. Emails between Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley's staff and the legal team of Brett Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford, obtained by ABC News, show that Republican staffers reached out the day after Ford's identity was made public and offered to have her testify later that same week or the following Monday at an upcoming hearing on the Supreme Court nominee. (Ali Rogin) https://abcn.ws/2xncKs7

Christine Blasey Ford 'prepared to testify next week,' her lawyer tells senators. Lawyers for Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has alleged Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both teenagers, told the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday that she "would be prepared to testify next week." (Mariam Khan and Trish Turner) https://abcn.ws/2MJQIoh

Christine Blasey Ford nets support. Female senators speak out about Republican 'bullying' of Kavanaugh accuser. Several female lawmakers spoke out on Thursday about what they see as the rushed confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh in the wake of a sexual assault allegation. (Angelique Yack) https://abcn.ws/2xxHLbS

White House wants 'swift, transparent consequences' for malicious cyber acts, new National Cyber Strategy says. In its newly published National Cyber Strategy, the Trump administration says it plans to work with international partners to develop agreed-upon "swift, transparent consequences" in hopes of deterring malicious behavior online from the likes of Russia and China, in addition to its own new aggressive use of cyber weapons. (Lee Ferran and John Parkinson) https://abcn.ws/2pnGQqO

Google warns senators and staff of foreign phishing attempts. Google has been alerting U.S. senators and aides in the past year of hacking attempts by foreign governments targeting their personal email accounts. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., sent a letter to Senate leaders Wednesday noting the attacks and warning that Senate security staff have declined to help. (Chris Good) https://abcn.ws/2QMyG7R

Remains of two US soldiers identified from boxes turned over by North Korea. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the remains of two U.S. Army soldiers missing in the Korean War nearly seven decades ago have been identified from the 55 boxes turned over by North Korea this summer. (Luis Martinez and Elizabeth McLaughlin) https://abcn.ws/2QMMBe7

Democrats are worried that Republicans trying to undermine Russia probe "are teeing up a series of document dumps meant to gin up GOP voters ahead of the midterm elections," Politico reports. https://politi.co/2OEIH5J

Facebook plans to reduce "the kind of on-site support it gave Donald Trump" during the last presidential election, Bloomberg reports. https://bloom.bg/2xywgRu

The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the key political moments of the day ahead. Please check back Monday for the latest.