HC Wake-Up Call: Brett Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearing, Nike Pushback, & Bob Woodward's Bombshell Trump Book

Good morning Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.

But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)

Day One of Kavanaugh's Confirmation Hearing Results in Chaos

Monday marked the first day of Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Republicans' efforts to quickly confirm the Supreme Court nominee were hindered by protesters, Democrats' requests for more information and time, and more.

The day began with women dressed as handmaids — in red robes mimicking costumes from The Handmaid's Tale— lining the halls outside the hearing room. According to The Hill, the protesters were with a liberal advocacy group, Demand Justice. "Brett Kavanaugh is an extremist ideologue who, if confirmed to the Supreme Court, will take away women’s basic rights," the group said in a statement, specifically calling out Kavanaugh's "anti-abortion, anti-healthcare, and anti-women" views. Other protesters included actor Piper Perabo and Women's March co-founder Linda Sarsour, who were among those later arrested. 

Throughout the hearing, Democrats continued their demands for records from Kavanaugh's time working in the George W. Bush administration. "The committee received just last night—less than 15 hours ago—more than 42,000 pages of documents that we have not had a chance to read or review or analyze," California Senator Kamala Harris said, referring to the thousands of pages released just the night before the hearing. "We cannot possibly move forward." Harris and other Dems repeatedly called to adjourn the hearing until they can better review all relevant documents. 

Perhaps the most talked-about moment of the day was Kavanaugh appearing to ignore the father of a victim of the Parkland school shooting in Florida. According to Fred Guttenberg, Kavanaugh "pulled his hand back, turned his back, and walked away" after he tried to introduce himself as the father of a Parkland victim. Videos and photos clearly show the moment. Parkland student and activist David Hogg later tweeted one of the photos, saying the incident was "worth thousands of lives." He added that "the NRA has spent millions of dollars to appoint Kavanaugh it's going to take 1000s of phone calls to stop this man." 

White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah later dismissed the moment as security trying to intervene because a "unidentified individual" approached Kavanaugh. 

The hearing is set to resume this morning. 

Nike Faces Backlash for Colin Kaepernick Deal

For the 30th anniversary of Nike's "Just Do It" campaign, the company unveiled an ad campaign featuring former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and activist Colin Kaepernick. He garnered national attention after becoming the first player to take a knee during the national anthem during the 2016 NFL season, prompting others to follow suit. This resulted in some fans, along with President Trump, publicly criticizing the resulting moment. Though the protests were intended to address police brutality, many thought that they were disrespecting members of the armed forces. Following Kaepernick's pregame displays, he became a free agent who's since remained unsigned. The advertisement released on Monday includes a close-up photo of Kaepernick wih the words, "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything." 

His critics have responded by promising to boycott Nike. Some even destroyed their shoes, socks or other Nike apparel by lighting them on fire. Trump himself weighed in on the ad on Tuesday, in an interview with The Daily Caller. “I think it’s a terrible message that they’re sending and the purpose of them doing it, maybe there’s a reason for them doing it," the president said. "But I think as far as sending a message, I think it’s a terrible message and a message that shouldn’t be sent. There’s no reason for it."

However, Trump also acknowledged that Nike is well within its rights to choose Kaepernick for an ad campaign. "As much as I disagree with the Colin Kaepernick endorsement, in another way — I mean, I wouldn’t have done it," he said. "In another way, it is what this country is all about, that you have certain freedoms to do things that other people think you shouldn’t do, but I personally am on a different side of it." He also mentioned that Nike is "a tenant" of his, since the company has a store at one of Trump's property in New York.

The NFL addressed Kaepernick's ad on Tuesday, too. A spokeswoman for the league, Jocelyn Moore, said in a statement that the issues raised by Kaepernick "deserve our attention and action." She continued, "The National Football League believes in dialogue, understanding and unity. We embrace the role and responsibility of everyone involved with this game to promote meaningful, positive change in our communities. The social justice issues that Colin and other professional athletes have raised deserve our attention and action."

Bob Woodward's New Book Full of Trump Revelations

A Washington Post journalist who helped uncover information in the Watergate scandal is behind the latest tell-all book about the Trump administration. In Bob Woodward's Fear: Trump in the White House, Trump is described by numerous current and former aides as an "idiot" and a "liar." Some even claimed they had to "pluck papers off his desk to prevent him from withdrawing from a pair of trade agreements, The Associated Press reported. 

Trump is also accused of calling Attorney General Jeff Sessions "mentally retarded" and "a dumb southerner." A number of the claims in Fear: Trump in the White House are backed up with taped interviews— one of which is with Trump himself, who called Woodward last month to discuss the release of the book. Though the president criticized the book and its authenticity in a series of tweets on Tuesday, a transcript of the phone call reveals that he actually praised Woodward during their phone call. "You know I'm very open to you," Trump tells him. "I think you've always been fair."

The book is set for a September 11 release. 

What to look for...

An excuse to sleep in. It's National Be Late for Something Day.