Week Ahead: Florence, Kavanaugh And More

With Meghna Chakrabarti

We’ll kick-start the week with the latest news from the hurricane zone, and a panel of reporters share what they’re watching for in the week ahead at home and abroad.

Kevin Wuzzardo, news director at WWAY-3 TV. (@wuzzardo)

Emma Dumain, national and congressional correspondent for McClatchy. She also reports extensively on South Carolina politics. (@Emma_Dumain)

Naftali Bendavid, Washington editor for the Wall Street Journal. (@NaftaliBendavid)

John Harwood, CNBC editor at large covering Washington. (@JohnJHarwood)

ABC News: "Florence causing 'historic and unprecedented flooding,' at least 16 dead" — "Florence weakened to a tropical depression Sunday, but that is cold comfort to residents in North Carolina who have seen over 2 feet of rain and are now battling major-river flooding and possible tornadoes.

"'Flood waters are still raging across parts of our state, and the risk to life is rising with the angry waters,' North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said at a midday news conference.

"He added that "this storm has never been more dangerous than it is right now" in certain areas of the state.

"Some parts of the state were getting 2 to 3 inches an hour, Cooper said."

Politico: "Kavanaugh faces his #MeToo test to reach Supreme Court" — "Brett Kavanaugh and the Trump White House had prepared for a moment like this.

"In his opening statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Supreme Court nominee praised his mother as a trailblazing prosecutor. He said he's grateful for Title IX, the law intended to give women and girls equal access to sports programs that receive federal funds. And he drew attention to the fact that a majority of his law clerks have been women.

"Long before Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) referred a letter allegedly detailing a high school sexual assault to the FBI last week, and long before the accuser came forward Sunday just days before a Senate committee vote on the nomination, Kavanaugh and his allies had been working to inoculate him against charges that he might be hostile to women."

Fox News: "President Trump 'not going to survive' testimony by Paul Manafort, former Obama ethics czar predicts" — "Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's plea deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team is a sign that he has some "very helpful information" for the ongoing Russia probe, onetime Independent Counsel Ken Starr said Sunday.

"And Norman Eisen, who served as White House Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform in the Obama administration, flatly predicted that President Trump wouldn't "survive" Manafort's testimony.

"Manafort pleaded guilty in his Washington, D.C., trial on Friday and agreed to fully cooperate with federal officials looking into the possibility of illegal cooperation between President Trump's campaign and the Russian government, although none of Manafort's charges directly related to any alleged collusion."

NPR: "Typhoon Mangkhut Reaches China As The Philippines Searches For Survivors" — "Typhoon Mangkhut began to lash southern China on Sunday, the latest stop along a destructive path that has left dozens dead and many missing.

"At least 64 people have died in the Philippines, according to The Associated Press. Two people were reported killed in China's Guangdong province, according to Chinese state media.

"As the typhoon approached the Pearl River Delta, the country's National Observatory issued its highest alert level. Hundreds of flights were canceled. Thousands of fishing boats were called back to port. And more than 2.4 million people were relocated, according to the AP."