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Jill Biden, Doug Emhoff team up in final campaign stretch

Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff are both from New Jersey. Biden and Emhoff have rapidly become two of the campaign’s most prolific surrogates, engaging in in-person campaign events and virtual fundraisers at a pace that often outmatches their spouses at the top of the ticket. While Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have spent their days campaigning in key states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida, Jill Biden and Emhoff have had nonstop schedules of virtual fundraisers, constituency-focused events and trips to important but less high-profile states like Virginia and Maine, where Jill Biden visited this week.

Joe Biden: Vacancy about health law, not court expansion

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden wants voters to see Republicans’ push for a speedy Supreme Court confirmation as an end-run of Congress and the 2010 health care law. In remarks on Sunday, the former vice president sidestepped any talk of expanding the court to counter conservative gains should he defeat President Donald Trump in November and Democrats regain a Senate majority. Biden called that scenario a distraction from the practical effects that Trump’s nominee, conservative federal judge Amy Coney Barrett, could have if she succeeds the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

With anger at police high, officers face greater danger

Two police officers are shot after responding to sounds of gunfire during a protest. The shootings — one in Los Angeles and the other 2000 miles (3,200 kilometers) away in Louisville, Kentucky, less than two weeks later — are stark reminders of the dangers law enforcement officers face at a time when anger toward them in the wake of police killings of Black Americans, such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, has boiled over. “I think it’s more than a suggestion that people are seeking to do harm to cops,” Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown told reporters at a recent briefing.

Lawyer says officer thought Blake was trying to kidnap child

The Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times last month told investigators he thought Blake was trying to abduct one of his own children and that he opened fire because Blake started turning toward the officer while holding a knife, the officer's lawyer contends. Sheskey saw Blake put a child in the SUV as he arrived, but he didn't know that two other children were also in the back seat, Matthews said.

UN failures on coronavirus underscore the need for reforms

The coronavirus that has claimed nearly 1 million lives has underscored the failure of the United Nations to bring countries together to defeat it, prompting renewed calls to reform the world body so that it can meet challenges far different — and more daunting — than those it faced at its birth. As U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week, “The pandemic is a clear test of international cooperation – a test we have essentially failed.” The first-ever virtual meeting of world leaders at the General Assembly, highlighted increasing tensions among major powers, the growing inequality between rich and poor countries, and the escalating difficulty of getting the U.N.’s 193 member nations to agree on major issues — let alone unite on reforms.

Trump vows quick court vote, Biden urges delay for Nov. 3

President Donald Trump said Sunday that confirmation of his Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett will go “quickly” but his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, implored the Republican-led Senate to hold off on voting on her nomination until after the Nov. 3 election to “let the people decide.” Speaking at a press conference at the White House, the president spotlighted Barrett's Roman Catholic religion, portraying her as a victim of attacks on her faith. “It's a disgrace,” Trump said.

South African defence minister's pay docked over use of air force plane

South Africa's defence minister was accused of misusing state resources for party political business.

Tribes see ballot collection as a lifeline in Indian Country

Many older people living on the expansive Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation in northern Nevada relied on the tribe's senior services van to get to the grocery store or the doctor before the coronavirus pandemic ended that option. Now, tribal officials worry how elders and others who don't have cars or can't travel on their own will get to the post office to return their ballots before Election Day. “The distance has been a barrier for our people to vote,” tribal council member Janet Davis said outside the small, wood-shingle post office in the town of Nixon, not far from the turquoise lake that gives the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe its name.

Nearly 1M who died of COVID-19 also illuminated treatment

The nearly 1 million people around the world who have lost their lives to COVID-19 have left us a gift: Through desperate efforts to save their lives, scientists now better understand how to treat and prevent the disease — and millions of others may survive. Ming Wang, 71, and his wife were on a cruise from Australia, taking a break after decades of running the family’s Chinese restaurant in Papillion, Nebraska, when he was infected. In the 74 days he was hospitalized before his death in June, doctors frantically tried various experimental approaches, including enrolling him in a study of an antiviral drug that ultimately showed promise.

Barrett could be Ginsburg's polar opposite on Supreme Court

Amy Coney Barrett paid homage to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her White House speech Saturday as a shatterer of glass ceilings. Barrett, a judge on the federal appeals court based in Chicago, made clear in her Rose Garden address that she looks to conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, for whom she once worked, and not Ginsburg, on matters of law.

Military suicides up as much as 20% in COVID era

Military suicides have increased by as much as 20% this year compared to the same period in 2019, and some incidents of violent behavior have spiked as service members struggle under COVID-19, war-zone deployments, national disasters and civil unrest. While the data is incomplete and causes of suicide are complex, Army and Air Force officials say they believe the pandemic is adding stress to an already strained force. Such a move would be part of a broader effort to make the wellbeing of soldiers and their families the Army's top priority, overtaking combat readiness and weapons modernization.

On guns, abortion, high court could become more conservative

If Congress confirms President Donald Trump's nominee to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court would become more conservative, and also perhaps more ready to tackle certain hot-button issues like abortion and guns. Chief Justice John Roberts would also likely become less able to steer the outcome in divisive cases. Ginsburg, who died Sept. 18 at 87, was the leader of the liberal wing of the court, which had been split 5-4 between conservatives and liberals.

Islamist militants kill 18 in north-eastern Nigeria

The Islamic State group said it was behind the ambush on a convoy of government officials.

Large majority of Swiss reject bid to rein in immigration from EU, says exit poll

Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a Eurosceptic party’s attempt to restrict immigration from the EU in a referendum yesterday (on Sunday) seen as a key test of attitudes towards foreigners. The Swiss People’s Party (SVP) called the referendum on scrapping a mutual free movement agreement with the EU. Echoing some of the arguments for Brexit, the Right-wing populist party pushed to take back control of immigration, which it said had become “uncontrolled and excessive”. Switzerland’s population of about 8.2 million includes some 1.4 million EU citizens. About half a million Swiss nationals live in the EU. The SVP, Switzerland’s largest parliamentary party, proposed to give Swiss nationals preferential access to jobs and welfare benefits over citizens of the 27-nation bloc that surrounds the prosperous Alpine country, which is not an EU member-state. Its proposal was defeated 63 per cent to 37 per cent, according to projections by the SRF broadcaster, based on partial results. The initiative was opposed by the government, business leaders and all other political parties out of fear that it would jeopardise Switzerland’s close ties with the EU. The SVP had painted a bleak picture of older Swiss workers being replaced by younger immigrants. It blamed foreigners, who make up a quarter of the country’s population, for rising housing costs and overcrowded schools and public transport.

Conservatives lead in French Senate elections, Greens gain

France's main conservative party looked set to keep control of the Senate and the Greens made new gains in partial elections Sunday that posed a new challenge to President Emmanuel Macron's struggling centrist movement. Nearly half of the chamber's 348 seats were up for grabs in the vote, an indirect election in which some 90,000 local elected officials like city councilors choose the senators. As results gradually came in Sunday night, Senate President Gerard Larcher of the Republicans party tweeted that the center-right majority was intact, and that he would run for another term as Senate leader “to restore the confidence that our country so lacks.”

Israelis mark Yom Kippur under 'painful' virus lockdown

The solemn Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which annually sees Israeli life grind to a halt, begins on Sunday in a nation already under a sweeping coronavirus lockdown. Every year, businesses shut down, roads empty out and even radio and TV stations go silent as the faithful fast for 25 hours and hold intensive prayers of atonement on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. It's the second nationwide lockdown since the pandemic began, an attempt to contain one of the most severe outbreaks in the world.

Former Lebanese FM, president's son-in-law, has coronavirus

A former Lebanese foreign minister and son-in-law of President Michel Aoun has tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said Sunday. The statement from his office said Gebran Bassil, who also heads the Christian Free Patriotic Movement party, will isolate until he recovers, adding that the infection level is still “low and acceptable.” The announcement comes amid an alarming surge in coronavirus cases in Lebanon, with record numbers registered almost every day for the past week.

France vows to protect its Jewish community after stabbing

France’s interior minister promised Sunday to protect France’s Jewish community from extremists after a double stabbing in Paris blamed on Islamic terrorism. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin visited a synagogue Sunday ahead of the evening start of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, and said more than 7,000 police and soldiers are protecting Jewish services this weekend. France has Europe’s largest Jewish community.

Facing IS, last embattled Sikhs, Hindus leave Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s dwindling community of Sikhs and Hindus is shrinking to its lowest levels. With growing threats from the local Islamic State affiliate, many are choosing to leave the country of their birth to escape the insecurity and a once-thriving community of as many as 250,000 members now counts fewer than 700. The community’s numbers have been declining for years because of deep-rooted discrimination in the majority Muslim country.

Fighting erupts between Armenia, Azerbaijan; 18 killed

Fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces has erupted again over the disputed separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the territory’s defense ministry said 16 soldiers and two civilians have been killed and more than 100 others wounded. Azerbaijan’s president, meanwhile, says his military has suffered losses, but gave no details. Armenia also claimed that four Azerbaijani helicopters were shot down and 33 Azerbaijani tanks and fighting vehicles were hit by artillery.

Lebanese army: Shooting in north Lebanon kills 2 soldiers

Gunmen in a car opened fire on an army post in northwestern Lebanon on Sunday, triggering a shootout in which two soldiers and one gunman were killed, the Lebanese military said. The attack struck an army post in the Minyeh region, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of Beirut. An army operation was underway to arrest the fugitive and uncover the circumstances of the attack, the military said.

Leaders to UN: If virus doesn't kill us, climate change will

In a year of cataclysm, some world leaders at this week’s annual United Nations meeting are taking the long view, warning: If COVID-19 doesn't kill us, climate change will. With Siberia seeing its warmest temperature on record this year and enormous chunks of ice caps in Greenland and Canada sliding into the sea, countries are acutely aware there's no vaccine for global warming. “We are already seeing a version of environmental Armageddon,” Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said, citing wildfires in the western U.S. and noting that the Greenland ice chunk was larger than a number of island nations.

Arrests in Portland protest follow fairly calm rally

Several people in Portland, Oregon, were arrested in anti-police brutality protests that continued into early Sunday, hours after demonstrations ended with few reports of violence. The protests that began Saturday night were declared an unlawful assembly and police began forcing demonstrators out after objects were thrown at officers, including full drink cans, firecrackers and rocks, police said. Hundreds of people had gathered at demonstrations in the downtown area of Oregon’s largest city when the unlawful assembly was announced just before midnight.

Trump caps judiciary remake with choice of Barrett for court

President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, capping a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that will resonate for a generation and that he hopes will provide a needed boost to his reelection effort. Barrett, a former clerk to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, said Saturday that she was “truly humbled” by the nomination and quickly aligned herself with Scalia's conservative approach to the law, saying his “judicial philosophy is mine, too." Barrett, 48, was joined in the Rose Garden by her husband and seven children.

New US threats to Iraq widen rifts, leave PM exposed

Enraged by near-daily attacks on its interests in Iraq, Washington has threatened to close its embassy in Baghdad, in a blow to a premier seen as a bulwark against Iran.

North Korea accuses South of intrusion to find dead official

North Korea accused South Korea of sending ships across the disputed sea boundary to find the body of a South Korean official recently killed by North Korean troops, warning Sunday the intrusion could escalate tensions. “We urge the South side to immediately halt the intrusion across the military demarcation line in the West Sea that may lead to escalation of tensions,” the official Korean Central News Agency said. Along with its denial, South Korea proposed a joint investigation to resolve discrepancies in each country’s account of the South Korean official's death last week.

In a time of disarray, UN's virtual meeting adds surreal notes

"Our common house is in disorder," said French President Emmanuel Macron, describing the troubled state of the United Nations General Assembly as it prepares for a second week of mostly virtual meetings and speeches starting Tuesday.

Belarus tells UN sanctions would be 'harmful for everyone'

Belarus' foreign minister warned Western nations Saturday against imposing sanctions over the country's disputed presidential election and crackdown on protesters, saying their expressions of concern are “nothing but attempts to bring chaos and anarchy to our country.” With the European Union and Britain contemplating sanctions, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei told the virtual U.N. General Assembly meeting of world leaders that “interference in our internal affairs, sanctions and other restrictions on Belarus will have the opposite effect and are harmful for absolutely everyone.”

Italian family fosters Gambian migrant: 'The son we never had'

When Gambian orphan Muhammed Sanneh arrived in Sicily aged 16, his life took an unexpected turn.

Syria minister calls Turkey main terrorism sponsor in region

Syria’s foreign minister accused Turkey on Saturday of being “one of the main sponsors of terror” in his country and the region, and said it is guilty of “a war crime and a crime against humanity" for cutting water to more than a dozen towns that resisted Turkish occupation. The nine-year Syrian conflict, which initially began as a civil war, later became a regional proxy fight. Turkey, which now controls a zone in northern Syria, has backed opposition fighters against Syrian President Bashar Assad, Syrian Kurdish fighters and the Islamic State extremist group.

North Korea warns of naval tensions during search for slain South Korean

North Korea said on Sunday it is searching for the body a South Korean official killed by its troops, but warned that South Korean naval operations in the area threatened to raise tensions. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued a rare apology on Friday for the fatal shooting of the South Korean fisheries official in North Korean waters. Seoul then urged Pyongyang to further investigate the fatal shooting and suggested it could be a joint probe by the two sides. South Korea's military has accused the North's soldiers of killing the man, dousing his body in fuel and setting it on fire near the sea border. North Korean state news agency KCNA said on Sunday that the country's authorities were considering ways to hand over the body to the South if it is found. The report called it an "awful case which should not have happened" but warned that South Korean naval operations near the site of the incident had crossed into North Korean waters.

How it happened: From law professor to high court in 4 years

Four years ago, Amy Coney Barrett was a little-known law professor in Indiana. Within weeks, she is likely to be the newest associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Barrett's fast-track rise, set to drive the nation's highest court to the right for a generation or longer, is the fulfillment of a decadeslong effort by conservatives to remake the federal bench that kicked into high gear after President Donald Trump was elected.

Some Breonna Taylor protesters out past curfew, fires set

A diverse crowd of hundreds marched in Louisville's streets chanting “Black Lives Matter" on Saturday night, the fourth night of protests after a grand jury declined to charge officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. A few police cars followed behind, with officers telling protesters to stay on the sidewalk and out of the street before the march ended.

GOP invests $10M in boosting Trump with Barrett confirmation

The Republican National Committee is putting Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court confirmation fight front and center with voters just weeks before Election Day. The confirmation battle will be featured in a new $10 million RNC digital ad campaign to encourage battleground state voters to return vote-by-mail ballots or go to the polls. The national party, in concert with President Donald Trump's campaign, is planning local events and protests across the country to support Barrett’s confirmation as well.

The U.S. reckoning on race, seen through other nations’ eyes

It’s not only in the United States where protests against racial injustice are part of the national conversation. A handful of America’s critics have taken note too, using recent months’ demonstrations and graphic images of police violence to denounce the country at the United Nations’ gathering of world leaders this year. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani invoked the killing of George Floyd, the Black American man who died after a white police officer in Minneapolis pressed his knee against his neck even as he repeatedly said he could not breathe.

The U.S. reckoning on race, seen through other nations’ eyes

It’s not only in the United States where protests against racial injustice are part of the national conversation. A handful of America’s critics have taken note too, using recent months’ demonstrations and graphic images of police violence to denounce the country at the United Nations’ gathering of world leaders this year. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani invoked the killing of George Floyd, the Black American man who died after a white police officer in Minneapolis pressed his knee against his neck even as he repeatedly said he could not breathe.

Her words: Amy Coney Barrett on faith, precedent, abortion

President Donald Trump on Saturday announced he was nominating Barrett to fill the seat vacated by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. — 2013 article in the Texas Law Review, citing Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark ruling that recognized a woman’s right to abortion.

Thousands march in Washington to pray and show Trump support

Thousands of people packed the National Mall in downtown Washington on Saturday to pray and show their support for President Donald Trump. The march, which stretched from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol, was held just hours before Trump was set to announce he was nominating a conservative judge for the Supreme Court. Vice President Mike Pence, speaking from the steps of the memorial, said he came to extend Trump’s “greetings and gratitude” and asked them to pray for the new Supreme Court nominee.

The U.S. reckoning on race, seen through other nations' eyes

It's not only in the United States where protests against racial injustice are part of the national conversation. A handful of America's critics have taken note too, using recent months' demonstrations and graphic images of police violence to denounce the country at the United Nations' gathering of world leaders this year. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani invoked the killing of George Floyd, the Black American man who died after a white police officer in Minneapolis pressed his knee against his neck even as he repeatedly said he could not breathe.

The Latest: Graham: Court vote could be week before election

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham says he hopes his committee will approve Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court by the week of Oct. 26, setting up a final confirmation vote on the Senate floor one week before the Nov. 3 presidential election. Trump nominated Barrett on Saturday to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Boris Johnson urges nations to unite and ‘turn our fire against our common foe’

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged world leaders to unite in the fight against COVID-19, speaking Saturday at the 75th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks in a prerecorded message which was played during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday. The controversial British leader, who spent three nights in intensive care in early April after contracting the disease, promised an increase of 30% in contributions to the World Health Organization — 340 million pounds ($432 million) — over the next four years.

Lord Frost insists EU needs to work on more realistic policy positions on Brexit

The Prime Minister's chief Brexit negotiator hinted at progress in the trade talks last night, but insisted the EU still needed to be more "realistic" about the rules that the UK could accept. Lord Frost said the last fortnight of informal talks with Michel Barnier, his Brussels counterpart, had been "relatively positive", as he suggested that the EU had scaled back on some "unrealistic ambitions". The two sides have been at loggerheads over fishing rights in British waters and EU demands for the UK to continue following the bloc's rules on industrial subsidies. Government sources have also claimed that the EU's method of conducting the negotiations has led to "paralysis", with Mr Barnier insisting on slowing down talks on less contentious issues in order to focus on the most difficult areas. Mr Barnier is believed to have given ground on his previous insistence on "parallelism" in the talks. Lord Frost said: “As we enter the final stages of negotiations we are all focusing on what it might take to get a trade agreement in place. "An agreement is still very much possible, but equally very far from certain. The last two weeks of informal talks have been relatively positive, but there remains much to be done, and time is short. “We have been saying from the beginning of this process that we simply want a standard free trade agreement like Canada’s. Sadly the EU’s position has not been so straightforward and we continue to be asked to accept provisions which do not reflect the reality of the change which our exit from the EU brings. "If the gaps in these areas are to be bridged, the EU still needs to scale back more of its unrealistic ambitions and work on more realistic policy positions. I hope this will be possible this coming week, and I and my team are ready to work as hard as necessary to move things forward.” On Monday, Michael Gove will take part in a meeting of the joint UK-EU committee on the Withdrawal Agreement, when he is likely to come under renewed pressure to drop provisions in the Internal Market Bill which would allow ministers to override parts of the 2019 deal. Meanwhile, the Confederation of British Industry released polling showing that three-quarters of businesses (77 per cent) favour the two sides striking a post-Brexit trade agreement, with 18 per cent expressing no preference between a deal or no deal. Some 4 per cent favoured a no-deal outcome. Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, the CBI Director-General, who was pictured alongside Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor last week, said: “Next week Brexit talks enter the eleventh hour. Now must be the time for political leadership and the spirit of compromise to shine through on both sides. A deal can and must be made. “More than three-quarters of businesses want to see a deal that will support people’s jobs and livelihoods. This matters for firms and communities across Europe."

Amy Coney Barrett, Supreme Court nominee, is Scalia's heir

Although Amy Coney Barrett is the president’s choice to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, she is more aptly described as heir to another departed Supreme Court justice: conservative hero Antonin Scalia. Like Scalia, for whom she once clerked, she is a committed Roman Catholic and a devotee of his favored interpretation of the Constitution known as originalism. President Donald Trump nominated the 48-year-old federal court appellate judge from South Bend, Indiana, at a Rose Garden press conference Saturday.