Washington's wild, unresolved week

If you were expecting some clarity on the chaos that has consumed Washington this week, sorry to disappoint. If anything, we're ending with more questions.

From the beginning, all eyes had been trained on the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing pushed back to this Thursday.

What was an initially complicated situation at the beginning of the week -- Christine Blasey Ford accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault -- became even more complicated as another woman stepped forward alleging misconduct -- and then another.

President Donald Trump waded into the entire situation while on the world stage at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. The President delivered a rare stem-winder of a standalone news conference, holding court with reporters for nearly an hour and a half. Chris recapped some of the more interesting nuggets from that presser, which is very much worth a click.

On top of everything, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's fate continues to hang in the balance after a bombshell New York Times story last week detailing a suggestion to secretly record the President and discussed the 25th Amendment. Two rescheduled meetings with President Trump at the White House later, Rosenstein remains employed by the Justice Department.

Now, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to bring Kavanaugh's nomination to a full Senate vote, but even that plan is complicated. Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, said his "yes" vote today came with a condition: The FBI must briefly investigate the allegations against Kavanaugh.

Now it looks like Flake will get his way. This afternoon, the Senate Judiciary Committee announced it will ask that the Trump administration to ask the FBI to conduct a background check on Kavanaugh, to be completed no later than next Friday.

The Point: We've had a wild week, but there is an end in sight (at least with Kavanaugh). That comes next Friday, the deadline for the FBI's investigation into Trump's latest Supreme Court pick.

And below, we have a handy recap of the week that was (again) dominated by Kavanaugh:

Monday:

Trump says allegations against Kavanaugh 'totally political'Trump says second meeting with North Korea's Kim could be 'quite soon'Pompeo, Haley say idea of 25th Amendment talk is 'ludicrous' and 'absurd'Brett Kavanaugh to Fox News: I'm 'not going anywhere'White House, Senate GOP leaders resolved to press forward on KavanaughTrump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in sign trade dealTrump says he rejected meeting with Canada's Trudeau

Tuesday:

Trump emphasizes US accomplishments in UN speechTrump blasts second Kavanaugh accuser: 'She admits she was drunk'Mattis: 'The jury is out' on whether women will be successful in combat roles

Wednesday:

Trump says China is interfering in midterm electionsPompeo to travel to North Korea to arrange second Trump-Kim summitIncreasingly worried, Trump takes over Kavanaugh defenseTrump on Israeli-Palestinian conflict: 'I like two-state solution'Trump says he would have pushed Kavanaugh throughTrump defends his own past as Kavanaugh faces allegationsTrump: Kavanaugh accusations 'all false to me,' but I could change my mindTrump 'not happy' with the Fed for raising interest ratesTrump 'went off' on Macron during face-to-face New York meetingInspector General says FEMA chief kept using government vehicles to travel after being told to stopTrump claims (without evidence) Obama nearly launched war with North KoreaTrump suggests Rosenstein could stay at DOJKavanaugh denies two additional accusations to Senate Judiciary Committee

Thursday:

Kavanaugh, Ford testify in Senate Judiciary Committee hearingWhite House says Rosenstein meeting postponed

Friday:

White House spokesman on Kavanaugh votes: 'We're getting there'Trump signs bill to avoid government shutdownTrump on Kavanaugh delay: Senate has to 'do what they think is right'