Chief Justice John Roberts, right, administers the Constitutional Oath to Judge Brett Kavanaugh in the Justices' Conference Room of the Supreme Court Building. (Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States via AP)
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Developing now, Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, Columbus Day.
- Democrats have vowed to channel their anger over Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation into votes in November's midterm elections as Kavanaugh prepares to take his seat on the high court on Tuesday
- Florida has declared a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Michael is forecast to become a hurricane when it makes landfall later this week
- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said 'significant progress' was made in denuclearization talks in his meeting with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday
- The Department of Homeland Security backs denials by Apple and Amazon of a report that China is spying on Americans through their software
- Pop star Taylor Swift, who normally avoids making political statements, slammed Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn in an Instagram post Sunday and said she would be supporting Tennessee Democrats in the midterm elections
THE LEAD STORY - DEMS VOW KAVANAUGH FIGHT IS NOT OVER: Democratic politicians appear eager to try and channel voter anger over the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to voter turnout in November ... The realities are that Democrats have a better chance at regaining control of the House than they do the Senate. They need to win 23 more seats to take over the House. The hope is that women – already frustrated with President Trump – turn out in droves for the midterms. "I really think this is going to drive women out to the polls in unprecedented numbers," Katie Hill, a Democratic House candidate in California, said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she will request that the government make public the FBI's supplemental background report into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, indicating the Democrats' fight against Kavanaugh is not over ... In a letter to her Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said her Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request also would cover "transcripts of interviews, instructions from the White House, and any communications to the FBI from Senate Republicans regarding the scope of the investigation," production of which she said was "important to set the record straight." The Senate narrowly confirmed Kavanaugh's appointment to the high court on Saturday, days after the FBI completed its report. Kavanaugh was sworn in shortly afterward.
Democrats have complained that the bureau was not given time to thoroughly explore the allegations against Kavanaugh, which dated from his days in high school and college in the early 1980s. Republicans have argued that the supplemental FBI investigation instigated by wavering GOP senators and ordered by the White House turned up no corroborating witnesses to the claims. Democrats have threatened to investigate and impeach Kavanaugh if they retake the House and are using his Supreme Court confirmation to rally their angry base and women's groups and bring voters to the polls for next month's midterm elections.
- Charlie Kirk: The Kavanaugh fight isn’t over -- the radical left is just getting started
- Steve Hilton: After the Kavanaugh confirmation, look for the next Democratic president to ‘pack the court’
- Susan Collins slams anti-Kavanaugh activists for 'trying to buy votes' | Obama official calls Collins 'fake' feminist
- Some anti-Kavanaugh protesters were paid to help make 'viral moments,' Vice News editor says
FLORIDA IN TROPICAL STORM MICHAEL'S CROSSHAIRS: Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced Sunday that he had declared a state of emergency in 26 counties in the state's Panhandle and Big Bend regions as forecasters predicted Tropical Storm Michael would make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane later this week ... Scott also announced that he was activating 500 members of the Florida National Guard to assist with planning, logistics and storm response. The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said Michael had maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour and warned that the threat to residents along the northeastern U.S. Gulf Coast was "increasing." The forecast called for the storm's eye to move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico between Monday night and Tuesday night and approach the Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
'PROGRESS' IN NORTH KOREA: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he and Kim Jong Un made "significant progress" in negotiations for North Korea to denuclearize and that he expected more developments in yet-to-be-scheduled second summit between President Trump and Kim ... "It's a long process," Pompeo told a small group of reporters in the South Korean capital of Seoul where he traveled after meeting with Kim in Pyongyang on Sunday. "We made significant progress. We'll continue to make significant progress and we are further along in making that progress than any administration in an awfully long time."
Pompeo was not specific about the details of his meeting with Kim. He has repeatedly refused to discuss details of negotiations, including a U.S. position on North Korea's demand for a declared end to the Korean War and a proposal from Seoul for such a declaration to be accompanied by a shutdown of the North's main known nuclear facility. The U.S. and Japan have pushed for the North to compile and turn over a detailed list of its nuclear sites to be dismantled as a next step in the process; the North has rejected that demand.
CHINA SPY GAMES: The Department of Homeland Security said this weekend it had "no reason to doubt" denials from Apple and Amazon of a report that Chinese spies placed surveillance chips in their server hardware ... The report by Bloomberg News, which cited unidentified U.S. officials, said the malicious chips were inserted into equipment supplied by Supermicro Computer Inc. to American companies and government agencies. It also said Chinese military operatives added components to Supermicro products made at factories in China, including code that caused the products to accept changes to their software and to connect to outside computers. Apple denied the report on Thursday, telling FOX News that the story was "inaccurate" and its sources "wrong or misinformed." In a statement of its own, Amazon said it had found "no evidence to support claims of malicious chips or hardware modifications." In a statement released Saturday, the DHS said that it was "aware" of the report, but added: "Like our partners in the UK, the National Cyber Security Centre, at this time we have no reason to doubt the statements from the companies named in the story."
- Pence accuses Beijing of meddling in U.S. elections
TAYLOR SWIFT CAN NO LONGER 'SHAKE IT OFF': Taylor Swift — the pop star who notably has strayed from politics — broke that silence on Sunday, writing on Instagram that she'll be voting for Tennessee Democrats in the midterm elections ... Swift, 28, slammed Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn in an Instagram post, saying she does not represent her Tennessee values. "As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn," Swift told her 112 million Instagram followers. "Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me." The Grammy award-winning singer concluded she'll be voting for Democrats Phil Bredesen for the Senate, and Rep. Jim Cooper, who's running for re-election.
- FLASHBACK: Steve Kurtz - Dear Taylor Swift, thanks for NOT telling me about your politics
- Stephen Colbert 'Late Show' writer: 'I'm just glad we ruined Brett Kavanaugh's life'
AS SEEN ON FOX NEWS WEEKEND
KAVANAUGH CONFIRMED, 'TRUMPISM' REAFFIRMED - "Trumpism has been entirely vindicated." – Dan Bongino, on "Justice with Judge Jeanine," on the meaning of Brett Kavanaugh's successful Supreme Court confirmation. WATCH
ABSOLUTELY SURREAL, EVEN FOR WASHINGTON - "It's almost an out-of-body experience, I must say." – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, on "FOX News Sunday," on receiving praise from frequent critic Steve Bannon for his leadership during the Kavanaugh confirmation battle. WATCH
ACROSS THE NATION
Heartbroken families ID victims of New York crash, including two newlywed couples.
Two years after pastor Andrew Brunson was jailed in Turkey, Sen. Lankford demands his release.
U.S. service member killed in Afghanistan is identified.
TRENDING
Strange glow in Southern California sky sets social media abuzz.
WATCH: Cyclist almost taken out by flying deer.
Louisiana fire department celebrates baby boom.
THE SWAMP
Kavanaugh accuser Julie Swetnick unloads on media, GOP.
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner reveals wife received graphic text of beheading after Kavanaugh vote.
Melania Trump: Talk about my actions, not my fashion.
MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
Bank earnings, inflation reports headline the week ahead.
ICYMI: U.S. unemployment rate lowest since 1969.
Bond market's velocity threatens to throttle stocks.
Connell McShane: The midterms and your money.
Walmart partners with MGM to boost video-on-demand service.
Mattress Firm files for bankruptcy, could close up to 700 stores.
Elon Musk's SEC twitter taunts may backfire.
10 tips for setting up a holiday budget.
FOX NEWS OPINION
John Fund: Winners and losers in the Kavanaugh confirmation fight.
Bryan Dean Wright: Post-Kavanaugh, Democrats have no Plan B -- they thought the Culture War would work.
Michael Goodwin: Hillary Clinton keeps finding ways to denigrate democracy.
HOLLYWOOD SQUARED
Tatum O'Neal reveals she survived multiple sexual assaults when she was young, slams Donald Trump.
'Saturday Night Live' star addresses Kanye West's pro-Trump rant.
Bill Cosby wants out of prison, lawyers want case tossed: report.
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?
PICS: Alaska national park shares time-lapse of brown bear gaining weight.
Alligator snapped in unexpected position outside Louisiana home.
Hairy new nail art is creeping people out on Instagram.
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On FOX News:
FOX & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk gives the inside story on his new book, "Campus Battlefield." A special look at how Justice Kavanaugh will impact the Supreme Court. Analysis on how the GOP can keep its momentum with the midterm elections one month away. Special guests include: Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza and more.
On FOX Business:
Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: Adrienne Elrod, Democratic strategist; Mark Avallone, president and founder of Potomac Wealth Advisors; $Robert Ray, former Whitewater independent counsel; Andy Lipow, Lipow Oil Associates president; U.S. Rep. Mark Wayne Mullin, R-Okla.
Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.; Boyd Matheson, former chief of staff for Sen. Mike Lee; Curtis Ellis, former Trump campaign trade and jobs adviser.
Cavuto: Coast to Coast, Noon ET: Robert Charles, former Assistant Secretary of State under President George W. Bush
Countdown to the Closing Bell, 3 p.m. ET: Ron Kirk, former U.S. Trade Representative.
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The Tom Shillue Show, 3 p.m. ET: Comedians Joe DeVito and Alli Breen join Tom Shillue's nightly panel to discuss Kanye West deleting his Twitter and Instagram accounts and the latest news of the day!
#OnThisDay
1998: The House triggers an open-ended impeachment inquiry against President Bill Clinton in a 258-176 vote; 31 Democrats join majority Republicans in opening the way for nationally televised impeachment hearings.
1956: Don Larsen pitches the only perfect game in a World Series to date as the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5, 2-0.
1871: The Great Chicago Fire erupts; fires also break out in Peshtigo, Wis., and in several communities in Michigan.
FOX News First is compiled by FOX News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Enjoy your Monday! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Tuesday morning.
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