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Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley appears to have ended the halting talks with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford about testifying next week about her allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh. After setting a sudden 10:00 PM deadline for agreement with his terms and rejecting further talks with Ford or her lawyers, Grassley has reportedly scheduled a Committee vote on the confirmation for Monday.

It sure does look like Grassley jumped quickly from negotiating to issuing an ultimatum that he knew Ford could not accept. But then, after setting schedule for a Monday vote, Grassley changed his mind, announcing another extension to his deadline, and offering Kavanaugh an odd apology on Twitter in his own inimitable style: