JUDY WOODRUFF: Christine
Blasey Ford's allegation
has scrambled the picture
for senators considering

whether Kavanaugh is fit to
join the highest court in the
land and for the White House,

who sees this nomination
as a key priority.

We cover both ends of
Pennsylvania Avenue now
with Lisa Desjardins,
who continues her

reporting from Capitol
Hill, and Yamiche Alcindor,
who's been tracking
developments at the White

House.

Lisa, we just heard
your reporting.

And in the last few minutes,
we have heard senators are now
confirming a public hearing

next week.

What do you know?

LISA DESJARDINS: That's right.

We can confirm that the
Senate Judiciary Committee
will hold a public hearing
on this exact matter

next week.

We have confirmed it
will be within a week.

Others are reporting
it will be on Monday.

The reason we're finding out
now, Judy, is because Republican
members of the Judiciary

Committee are just walking
out of Senator McConnell's
office after meeting together

to figure out their plan and
after, we're told, having a
phone call with Brett Kavanaugh

himself.

This is not something
every Republican agrees on.

Some think that an open
hearing could be a show
trial by Democrats.

But others have won that
argument and say, let's put this
out in the public and do it

soon.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Now, Yamiche,
you have been talking to people
at the White House all day

long.

The president obviously
standing by Judge Kavanaugh,
but at the same time saying he

wants this story out.

So how do you explain
his thinking, their
thinking right now?

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well, the
president is really trying to
be reserved, but is also deeply

frustrated at the fact
that this nomination
is now being hampered.

He said that he praised
Judge Kavanaugh today.

He said that he was a
great judicial mind.

But he also said that
everyone should be
heard in this instance.

And that's very in some
ways uncharacteristic
for this president,
because there are times

where he lashes out
when he gets angry and
tweets about Democrats.

He hasn't -- he hasn't at
all attacked the accuser.

Instead, he said that he's
sticking by Judge Kavanaugh,
but wants to know more.

Judge Kavanaugh just a
few minutes ago released
a statement saying that
he was happy to speak

before a hearing, that he
wanted to clear his name.

All that is happening, but
the president still says that
this nomination is on track.

There are a lot of
Republicans who disagree.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And
back to you, Lisa.

You have been talking to a
number of senators one by one,
especially the ones who haven't

announced yet what they're
going to do on Kavanaugh.

What are they now saying?

What sense are you getting?

LISA DESJARDINS: I think, by
and large, those undecided
senators -- we're talking about

Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski
especially on the Republican
side -- have said that they

do want to hear more under
oath from both Brett Kavanaugh
and from his accuser, Ms.

Ford.

It looks like they're going
to get that opportunity.

And I think we have to pay
attention especially to
what the format of this
hearing is precisely,

who speaks.

Both sides right now are trying
to gather corroborating evidence
for both of these individuals

who are concerned.

But, also, Mr. Kavanaugh is
saying things in private to
senators that I think is going

to be important.

Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican
close to the White House, told
me and other reporters today

that in a phone call with
Brett Kavanaugh, Kavanaugh
insisted not only did this never

happen, but he said he
was never at this party.

And that is something
is unclear, how would
he know because the
details of this party

are vague in and of themselves?

In addition, there's questions
about, if he was inebriated,
how did he know that he wasn't

there?

So the details -- he is being
very firm that this story is
not remotely like anything that

ever happened to him.

However, he's telling senators
more details in private that
I think will indicate -- we're

going to hear a lot more in the
hearing and his story will be
tested, as well his accuser's.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And just very
quickly, finally, Yamiche, the
White House,no question they

know the political
stakes involved here.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: They
absolutely understand the
political stakes involved here.

Brett Kavanaugh spent several
hours at the White House today.

Sources wouldn't say
who he was meeting with.

President Trump said he
hadn't spoken directly
with Brett Kavanaugh.

But we do know that there
are at least $2 million
dollars in political ads.

On the left, there's a group
called We Demand Justice.

It's an anti-Kavanaugh
group that said it's
going to spend more than
$700,000 on ads fighting

this -- fighting his nomination.

But the Judicial Crisis
Network, which is a group of
conservatives, say that they're

going to put $1.5 million behind
defending Brett Kavanaugh.

So there's a lot of
money and a lot at stake.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Yamiche Alcindor
at the White House, Lisa
Desjardins at the Capitol, we

thank you both.