Good Friday morning. I'm Jake Sherman and welcome to your political playbook audio briefing.

Stay tuned after the show for a message from Google. We're kicking off the day with the scoop.

House Republican leadership has agreed to bring in Rod Rosenstein to a closed private hearing in the next few weeks to discuss the GOP's misgivings with the Deputy Attorney General.

Republican Congressman Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan

are the headliners of the panel that will talk to Rosenstein in the closed session. If Rosenstein

does not show up, they'll subpoena him, sources told us yesterday. This has the full backing of

the Republican leadership. They're trying to give Rosenstein a private hearing to avoid a public

spectacle. Now on the aftermath of Brett Kavanaugh's hearing on

Capitol Hill, here's the crux of it. Kavanaugh is still a slight favorite to be confirmed.

He has the public support of all Republican senators besides Jeff Flake, Susan Collins, and

Lisa Murkowski. Here's what's happening today. The Judiciary Committee, the same 11 to 10 panel

that questioned Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey

Ford yesterday, will vote Kavanaugh up and down this morning around 9.30. The only wildcard is

Jeff Flake. Remember, even if the Judiciary Committee votes Kavanaugh down, McConnell could still

bring his nomination to the floor. On Saturday, the Senate will hold a procedural vote around

noon on Kavanaugh's nomination.

That needs to pass with 51 votes. Vice President Mike Pence would break any tie.

This is where Collins, Murkowski, and Flake come into play.

Democratic senators Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia have signaled they're still mulling which way to vote.

On Monday and Tuesday, Kavanaugh has floor votes. He could,

if all goes right for him, be a Supreme Court justice by Wednesday. It is expected, according to

our colleague Burgess Everett, that Joe Donnelly, Joe Manchin, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins will all

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