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FOX NEWS FIRST: All eyes on key senators in Supreme vote; FBI Kavanaugh report summary released; New jobs report

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Developing now, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018

  • Four moderate swing-vote senators could determine whether nominee Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed for the Supreme Court as tension is high on Capitol Hill before a scheduled procedural vote on Friday. The final vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation could come as early as Saturday
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee released the executive summary of the FBI's report on Kavanaugh late Thursday, and investigators could not corroborate the sexual misconduct allegations made by accusers Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez
  • In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Kavanaugh blasted the 'wrongful' and 'vicious' attacks against him while admitting he may have been 'too emotional' at last week's Senate hearing
  • A lawyer for the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign provided documents for the FBI's Russia investigation, FOX News has learned
  • The September jobs report will be released Friday morning
  • A Facebook executive's support of Kavanaugh has triggered internal outrage among the social media giant's employees and backlash toward founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg

THE LEAD STORY - KAVANAUGH'S CONFIRMATION HANGS IN THE BALANCE: With tensions boiling over on the eve of a major procedural vote in the Senate on Friday morning on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation, three of four key moderate swing-vote senators are "trying to get to yes," a GOP source told FOX News ... Those senators -- Republicans Jeff Flake of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, and Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia -- have kept their options open throughout the nomination process, but there were outward indications that at least some of them will ultimately support Kavanaugh.

In an unexpected twist late Thursday, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., announced he's going to attend his daughter's wedding back home in Montana on Saturday -- meaning that even though he strongly supports Kavanaugh, he would be unavailable to immediately vote for the judge’s confirmation, which is scheduled to be taken up that evening. But FOX News has learned that Daines made an unusual late-night phone call Thursday evening to Kavanaugh and personally reassured him that "he has made arrangements to be there to get him across the finish line as needed."

Because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., started the clock Thursday evening, Republicans cannot technically delay the final confirmation vote unless they secure the consent of all 100 senators. The GOP could, however, hold the session open overnight and allow Daines to vote Sunday if needed.

'NO CORROBORATION': The Senate Judiciary Committee released an executive summary of the FBI's confidential supplemental background report into Kavanaugh late Thursday, which key swing-vote senators vowed they would continue to review Friday ahead of a major vote on his confirmation ... According to the summary of the secret report, released by the Republican committee majority, FBI agents interviewed 10 people and reached out to 11, focusing only on witnesses with potential first-hand knowledge of alleged sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh. Among those questioned were Mark Judge, PJ Smyth, and Leland Keyser, the three individuals Christine Blasey Ford claimed were present when Kavanaugh allegedly threw her on a bed and sexually assaulted her sometime in the 1980s (Ford has variously claimed the episode occurred in the mid-1980s and early 1980s, before testifying that it occurred in 1982).

The FBI also interviewed two individuals named in Kavanaugh's July 1, 1982 calendar entry, which some observers said could have described the gathering where she was purportedly attacked: His longtime friend Christopher Garrett and Timothy Gaudette, whose house Kavanaugh went to for beers, according to his calendar. Most notably, the FBI interviewed Deborah Ramirez, the woman who claimed in an explosive New Yorker piece that Kavanaugh had exposed himself to her at a Yale party.

The FBI came to the following conclusion after the interviews: "The Supplemental Background Investigation confirms what the Senate Judiciary Committee concluded after its investigation: there is no corroboration of the allegations made by Dr. Ford or Ms. Ramirez," the Judiciary Committee Republicans wrote.

KAVANAUGH MAKES HIS CASE: Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh penned an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, decrying what he described as "vicious" attacks against him while admitting he "might have been too emotional" during his hearing on Capitol Hill last week ... "I was very emotional last Thursday, more so than I have ever been. I might have been too emotional at times," Kavanaugh wrote. "I know that my tone was sharp, and I said a few things I should not have said. I hope everyone can understand that I was there as a son, husband and dad. I testified with five people foremost in my mind: my mom, my dad, my wife, and most of all my daughters."

Kavanaugh described his testimony as "forceful and passionate" — "because I forcefully and passionately denied the allegation against me." He also stood firm in his assertion that, if confirmed, he'd be a trusted associate justice, writing that the U.S. could count on him "to be the same kind of judge and person I have been for my entire 28-year legal career: hardworking, even-keeled, open-minded, independent and dedicated to the Constitution and the public good."

MORE PROOF OF THE 'REAL' RUSSIA COLLUSION SCANDAL? - A top lawyer working with the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign contacted the FBI’s general counsel in late 2016 and provided documents for the Russia probe as federal investigators prepared a surveillance warrant for Trump campaign aide Carter Page, sources close to a congressional investigation told FOX News, citing new testimony ... The FBI official who was contacted, James Baker, revealed the exchange to congressional investigators during a closed-door deposition Wednesday. He said Perkins Coie lawyer Michael Sussmann initiated contact with him and provided documents as well as computer storage devices on Russian hacking. The sources said Baker described the contact as unusual and the “only time it happened.”

Perkins Coie was a key player in the funding of the controversial anti-Trump dossier, which Republicans have long suspected helped fuel the FBI’s investigation. The DNC and Clinton campaign had hired opposition research firm Fusion GPS in April 2016, through Perkins Coie, to dig into Trump’s background. Fusion, in turn, paid British ex-spy Christopher Steele to compile the dossier, memos from which were shared with the FBI in the summer of 2016. Sussmann’s contact with Baker suggests another connection between the early stages of the FBI’s Russia probe and those working with the DNC and Clinton campaign.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER JOBS REPORT: The September jobs report will be released Friday – and expectations are high following a solid private-sector unemployment report and a dip in weekly jobless claims ... Beyond the headline number, economists will look for other key things, such as wage growth – namely, will higher wages and plentiful jobs attract more people back into the market? August’s employment report was positive, with joblessness remaining at 3.9 percent and wage growth, which has been stagnant, moving up to 2.9 percent from a year earlier. But many workers remain on the sidelines.

FACEBOOK EMPLOYEES DON'T 'LIKE' KAVANAUGH SUPPORT: Hundreds of Facebook employees have criticized a top executive after he attended Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's hearing last week in a show of support for the federal judge, the Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday ... Joel Kaplan, Facebook's vice president of global public policy, is a longtime friend of Kavanaugh, whose nomination has been threatened by sexual misconduct allegations dating from his time in high school and college in the early 1980s. Kaplan attended the dramatic Sept. 27 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in which lawmakers heard testimony from Kavanaugh and one of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford. The Journal reported that Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was asked about Kaplan's attendance at a weekly Q-and-A session with employees last Friday. Zuckerberg said that he wouldn't have made the same decision as Kaplan, but that the executive had not violated any company policies. However, Zuckerberg's response has failed to quell the furor, with employees taking to an internal discussion thread to criticized Kaplan's decision.

AS SEEN ON FOX NEWS

FBI KAVANAUGH PROBE A 'SHAM'? -  "The only whitewash was... when [Democratic Sen.] Dianne Feinstein decided she was going to sit on [Ford's allegation] for two months, then bring it when they realized there was no other way they could stop [Kavanaugh] from getting to the Supreme Court."  – Judge Jeanine Pirro, on "The Five," sparring with Juan Williams over whether the FBI's one week background investigation of Kavanaugh was a "whitewash" and a sham. WATCH

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
'There's nothing more delicious ...': Gutfeld on Ted Koppel ripping CNN in front of Brian Stelter.
Tucker Carlson: Is Ford's Kavanaugh story rooted in a 'recovered' memory?
Laura Ingraham: War on Kavanaugh might prove to be a gift for Republicans.

TRENDING
WATCH: 'You're a hack': Tucker battles ACLU director over ad linking Kavanaugh to Cosby.
Volkswagen Beetle not driven since 1964 on sale for $1 million.
Mysterious hole shooting out flames in Arkansas stumps officials.

THE SWAMP
Trump may boot Air Force secretary over Space Force opposition, report says
Beto O'Rourke: 'Don't think we're interested' in an Obama endorsement.
Washington Free Beacon: New White House counterterrorism strategy singles out 'radical Islamists.'
Cops probe doxxing of GOP senators, as left-wing escalates confrontational tactics.

ACROSS THE NATION
New U.S. nuclear bombs and futuristic stealth aircraft to provide mind-boggling military might.
Michelle Carter, woman convicted in suicide texting case, committed no crime, lawyer argues.
Reputed mobster gunned down at McDonald’s drive-thru.

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
Tesla CEO Elon Musk mocks SEC as 'Short-Seller Enrichment Commission.'
U.S. plans to rewrite rules that put the brakes on self-driving cars.
Verizon's severance offer goes to about 44,000 employees.
Sears is 'finished,' retail expert says.
Toyota recalling 2.4 million hydrid vehicles over stalling issue.
Forget cars, Boeing-backed startup to bring electric planes to market by 2020.
Rare whisky fetches record-setting $1.1M in auction.

FOX NEWS OPINION
Marc Thiessen: Ford's case against Kavanaugh is eroding, but Trump should still keep his mouth shut.
Leah Vukmir: Kavanaugh madness echoes time when Democrats tried to take over my state with craziness.
George A. Nation III: Judge Kavanaugh should become Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh – Here’s why.

HOLLYWOOD SQUARED
Alyssa Milano now says Bill Clinton 'probably should've' faced sex misconduct investigation.
These stars are tapped to play Hillary and Bill Clinton on Broadway.
Emily Ratajkowski and Amy Schumer detained at Kavanaugh protests.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?
Oklahoma man faces charges for shooting deer hours before hunting season starts.
Honeybees, in decline for decades, finding new homes in unusual places.
Minnesota city sees influx of 'drunk' birds flying into cars, windows, officials say.

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On FOX News: 
 
FOX & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests will include: Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley; Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Trump; Alan Dershowitz; Geraldo Rivera; Diamond & Silk; Steve Doocy kicks off "The Happy Cookbook" tour by having breakfast with "Friends."

FOX News @ Night, 11 p.m. ET: Actress Kristy Swanson takes on liberal Hollywood and reveals why she supports Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

On FOX Business:

Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: Peter Navarro, director of the White House National Trade Council; Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley; House Majority Whip Steve Scalise; MacroMavens President Stephanie Pomboy.

Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: Larry Kudlow, National Economic Council director; Curtis Ellis, former Trump campaign trade and jobs adviser; Paul Conway, former Labor Department chief of staff; Ed Rensi, former McDonald's USA CEO.

Cavuto: Coast to Coast, Noon ET: David McIntosh, president of the Club for Growth.

The Intelligence Report, 2 p.m. ET: Bill Daly, former FBI investigator; U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis.; Lindsey Piegza, chief economist for Stifel; Capri Cafaro, Democratic strategist.

On FOX News Radio:

The FOX News Rundown podcast: On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee received the FBI's report on sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. Alan Dershowitz, author of "The Case Against Impeaching Trump," weighs in. Todd McFarlane is a comic book legend who first came to fame for his illustrations of Spider-Man for Marvel comics. He eventually started his own best-selling comic book "Spawn" and action figure company that have captured fans' imagination for more than 20 years. McFarlane explains how he turned his passion into a successful business venture. Plus, commentary by "FOX News Sunday" host Chris Wallace.

Want the FOX News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.

The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: The Kavanaugh confirmation battle and Secretary of State Pompeo's weekend trip to North Korea will be the major topics of discussion with the following guests: Allen West; Geraldo Rivera; William Tobey; and Shannon Bream.

The Tom Shillue Show, 3 p.m. ET: Comedians Jimmy Failla and Pat Dixon join Tom Shillue’s nightly panel to discuss Jimmy Kimmel’s recent comments about Louis C.K.’s return and the latest news of the day!

On FOX News Weekend: 

FOX News Sunday, Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET: Guests include: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.


#OnThisDay

2017: Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein announces he is taking a leave of absence from his company after a New York Times article details decades of alleged sexual harassment against several women, including actress Ashley Judd.

2011: Apple founder Steve Jobs dies in Palo Alto, Calif. at age 56.

1989: A jury in Charlotte, N.C., convicts former televangelist Jim Bakker of using his television show to defraud his followers.

FOX News First is compiled by FOX News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Enjoy your day and weekend! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Monday morning.