Kavanaugh accuser to tell her side to Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) - After days of negotiations, the Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing Thursday for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a woman, Christine Blasey Ford, who says he sexually assaulted her as a teenager.

The two have agreed to a date and time after nearly a week of uncertainty over whether Ford would appear at all. The agreement sets the stage for a dramatic showdown as Kavanaugh and Ford each tell their side of the story.

The hearing will also determine the fate of Kavanaugh's confirmation, which hangs on the votes of a handful of senators. It had seemed assured before the 51-year-old California college professor went public a week ago with her allegation that Kavanaugh assaulted her at a party when they were in high school.