The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Republicans in rush to install Trump nominee
The US Senate was last night gearing up for a rare weekend session as Republicans race to put Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court and cement a conservative majority before election day despite Democratic efforts to stall Donald Trump’s nominee.
Democrats used timeconsuming procedural hurdles to delay the start of yesterday’s Senate session until midday, but the party has no realistic chance of stopping Ms Barrett’ s advance in the Republicancontrolled chamber.
Ms Barrett, a federal appeals court judge, is expected to be confirmed on Monday and quickly join the court.
“It’s hard to think of any nominee we’ve had in the past who is better than this one,” said Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican.
Ms Barrett, 48, presented herself in public evidence before the Senate judiciary committee as a neutral arbiter of cases on abortion, the Affordable Care Act and presidential power, issues soon confronting the court. At one point she suggested: “It’s not the law of Amy.” But her past writings against abortion and a ruling on the Obamaera healthcare law show a conservative thinker.
Mr Trump said this week he is hopeful the Supreme Court will undo the health law when the justices take up a challenge on
November 10, the week after the election.
The second and final presidential debate between Mr Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden in Nashville meanwhile was a much more civil affair than last month’s first debate.
With a mute button in place this time around, the candidates interrupted each other far less frequently, even as they clashed on issues ranging from the coronavirus to crime and global warming.
While Mr Trump and Mr Biden responded to each other’s answers - shaking their heads disapprovingly or smiling, in the case of Mr Biden – the two largely avoided speaking over one another. And neither man tried to speak at length while he was muted during opening questions.