United States Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accuses him of sexual assault, will testify before the US Senate.
Dr Ford accuses Mr Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in 1982. Mr Kavanaugh denies the allegations.
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Summary of events:
- Dr Ford describes Mr Kavanaugh as "the boy who tried to sexually assaulted me"
- President Trump has been monitoring the hearing aboard Air Force One on his return to the White House from New York
- Mr Kavanaugh is due to testify following Dr Ford
5:30am: As we await the return of the hearing from lunch, protests are taking place across the US.
4:40am - After almost three hours, the hearing will now break for a 30 minute lunch.
4:25am - Dr Ford has been questioned on her air travel. Dr Ford told prosecutors she couldn't come to Washington to testify because of her fear of flying. She soon realised that Senators meeting her in California "was an unreasonable request". Prosecutor Rachel Mitchell questions Dr Ford on her frequency of air travel and says that she "flies fairly frequently for your hobbies and for your work", to which Dr Ford replied "correct, unfortunately". Dr Ford adds that it is easier to fly "when it's a vacation".
4:00am - US President Donald Trump is watching the hearing aboard Air Force One, according to a report from on board the aircraft.
3:30pm - The hearing will now take a 15 minute break.
3:15am - Dr Ford is asked what her strongest memory of the event is, and recalls the "laughing" of the two boys involved.
3:05am - Dr Ford is asked if this could be a case of mistaken identity, her response is "absolutely not".
3:00am - When asked how the event has affected Dr Ford, she says she has been dealing with anxiety, phobia and post-traumatic stress. Dr Ford also says she struggled academically in the years after the event.
2:50am - Dr Ford has completed her opening remarks, and will now take questions from the judiciary committee.
2:45am - Dr Ford describes Mr Kavanaugh as "the boy who sexually assaulted me", and goes on to detail the evening when she believed Mr Kavanaugh "was going to rape" her. You can read the full opening statement here.
2:35am - Dr Ford has been sworn in and will begin her opening remarks.
2:30am - Senator Dianne Feinstein has spent part of her opening address introducing Dr Ford, highlighting her academic record which includes two Master's degrees and a PhD from the University of Southern California. Ms Feinstein also slammed the Republican party: "Dr Ford did not want to make her story public, then within 36 hours of coming forward, Republicans scheduled a hearing without talking to her or even inviting her to testify. She was told she had to show up or the committee would move forward with a vote."
2:15am - Chuck Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has apologised to both Mr Kavanaugh and Dr Ford for the way they've been treated.
2:05am - Christine Blasey Ford has taken her seat in the hearing room on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.
