A Nation Is Riveted As Christine Blasey Ford Testifies

Hide caption Holton Arms alumnae show their support for Christine Blasey Ford at the Hart Senate Office Building. Previous Next Tyrone Turner/WAMU

Hide caption Protesters rally against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as they march near the Capitol. Previous Next Tyrone Turner/WAMU

Hide caption Outside the Supreme Court, people gathered Thursday morning to protest Kavanaugh's nomination. Previous Next Tyrone Turner/WAMU

Hide caption Demonstrators march in front of the Capitol. Previous Next Tyrone Turner/WAMU

Hide caption Holton Arms alumnae supporting each other and Ford in the Hart Senate Building. Previous Next Tyrone Turner/WAMU

Hide caption Protesters in the Dirksen Building, not permitted on the floor of the hearing, lined the stairwells instead. Previous Next Tyrone Turner/WAMU

Hide caption Outside the Kavanaugh hearing, people protest. Previous Next Tyrone Turner/WAMU

Hide caption As the hearing goes on inside, a Kavanaugh supporter gets into an exchange of words with protesters. Previous Next Tyrone Turner/WAMU 1 of 8 i View slideshow

As Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, people across the U.S. tuned in to watch her tell the emotional story of her alleged sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavavaugh more than 30 years ago.

Across the country — on the radio, television or the phones they carried — Americans listened.

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Enlarge this image toggle caption Bebeto Matthews/AP Bebeto Matthews/AP

On airplanes, they watched. And some cried.

They watched on C-SPAN, where some viewers began calling in with their own stories of sexual assault.

They watched in classrooms, where some students were the same ages as Ford or Kavanaugh, who were both high-schoolers when the assault allegedly took place.

And, of course, they watched in Washington, D.C.

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Recognizing the cultural moment, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., shared photos of themselves watching Ford's testimony.

After nearly 2 1/2 hours, Ford's testimony and questioning ended. Kavanaugh arrived and sat before the committee to deliver his own testimony and submit to questioning.

And America watched.