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    Amy Coney Barrett hearing: top Republican praises judge for being 'unashamedly pro-life' – live

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    Lindsey Graham lavishes praise on supreme court nominee
    Barron Trump had coronavirus, first lady reveals
    Barrett dodges abortion and healthcare questions
    Trump and Biden offer different visions of US role in world
    Trump in trouble as Florida’s seniors shift towards Biden
    Sign up for Fight to Vote – our weekly US election newsletter

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    Amy Coney Barrett questioned on third day of supreme court hearing – watch live

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    5.48pm EDT17:48
    Public hearing poortion ends

    5.00pm EDT17:00
    Today so far

    4.06pm EDT16:06
    Barron Trump had coronavirus, first lady reveals

    1.15pm EDT13:15
    Today so far

    12.33pm EDT12:33
    Third day of Barrett’s nomination hearings resumes

    12.01pm EDT12:01
    First break in today’s hearing

    10.27am EDT10:27
    Virginia voter registration deadline extended after technical failure

    Live feed

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    5.48pm EDT17:48

    Public hearing poortion ends

    Next is a closed hearing on FBI background checks. Tomorrow the judiciary committee will set up a vote and hear outside witnesses.
    “You will be confirmed, God willing,” Graham said.

    Updated
    at 5.49pm EDT

    5.40pm EDT17:40

    Senator John Neely Kennedy, a Republican, used a Trump campaign talking point that Harris’ past career as a prosecutor deepened racial inequities to rebut her claim that systematic racism exists.
    You can read more about Harris past as a prosecutor here. The Trump campaign – while itself promoting a “tough on crime” attitude and railing against Black Lives Matter protestors – has nonetheless adopted progressive critiques of Harris’ record as “top cop”.
    Harris “thinks America is systemically racist – I think our history is the best evidence of that it is not,” said the senator from Louisiana, citing the Barack Obama presidency as proof. “With the blink of an eye, we went from institutionalized slavery to an African American president,” he said.
    After lobbing several softball questions at Barrett including (“Do you hate little warm puppies?”) Kennedy ended by asking: “Who does the laundry in your house?” (which I’m sure he also meant to ask Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch).
    It is worth noting that Barrett didn’t clearly answer this one either: “We run a lot of loads of laundry.”

    5.19pm EDT17:19

    Barrett also would not comment on whether she believes voting discrimination exists.
    Harris: Do you agree with Justice Roberts when he said voting discrimination still exists?
    Barrett: “I will not comment on what any justice said in an opinion, whether an opinion is right or wrong, or endorse that proposition.”

    Aaron Rupar
    (@atrupar)
    Under questioning from Kamala Harris, Amy Coney Barrett refuses to say if she thinks voting discrimination still exists pic.twitter.com/gv9KN904fu

    October 14, 2020

    5.14pm EDT17:14

    Harris took up questioning Barrett on climate change.
    Harris: Do you think COVID-19 is infectious?
    Barrett: Yes.
    Harris: Do you think smoking causes cancer?
    Barrett: I’m not sure exactly where you’re going with this… Yes, every package of cigarettes warns that smoking causes cancer.
    Harris: Do you think climate change is happening?
    Barrett: “Senator, again… You have asked me a series of questions that are completely uncontroversial, and then trying to elicit an opinion from me that is on a very contentious matter of public debate.”
    Climate change is not a contentious matter of public debate – about 8 in 10 Americans say that human activity is fueling climate change, per a Kaiser Family Foundation poll. But most importantly, climate change is not a contentious matter of scientific debate.

    5.00pm EDT17:00

    Today so far

    That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Maanvi Singh, will take over the blog for the next few hours.
    Here’s where the day stands so far:
    The third day of Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination hearings is still unfolding. Barrett has been answering questions from the Senate judiciary committee for eight hours, and Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris is currently questioning the nominee.
    Lindsey Graham praised Barrett as “unashamedly pro-life,” describing her nomination as historic. “I have never been more proud of a nominee,” the Republican committee chairman said. “This is history being made, folks. This is the first time in American history that we’ve nominated a woman who is unashamedly pro-life and embraces her faith without apology. And she’s going to the court.”
    The first lady revealed Barron Trump had coronavirus. Melania Trump said Barron, her and the president’s 14-year-old son, tested positive for coronavirus but showed no symptoms. Barron and the first lady have both since tested negative, she said.
    Trump is en route to Des Moines, Iowa, where he will hold a campaign rally tonight. The president won Iowa by 9 points in 2016, but recent polls show Trump and Biden running neck and neck in the state.
    Virginia extended its voter registration deadline, after an accidentally cut cable caused the state’s online registration system to shut down yesterday. Virginia voters now have an additional two days to register.
    Maanvi will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

    4.54pm EDT16:54

    Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris is now questioning Amy Coney Barrett. She is the last Democrat who will speak in this round of questioning.

    4.49pm EDT16:49

    Trump is en route to Iowa, a state that he won by 9 points in 2016. Polls currently show the president and Joe Biden running neck and neck in Iowa.
    The president will hold a rally in Des Moines tonight, and attendees will be greeted by this billboard when they arrive at the event site.

    Jim Acosta
    (@Acosta)
    Billboard outside Des Moines airport where Trump holds Iowa rally tonight. pic.twitter.com/XHix45wzlw

    October 14, 2020

    4.41pm EDT16:41

    Speaking to reporters before leaving for his Iowa rally, Trump very briefly addressed his son’s health before pivoting to praising Amy Coney Barrett.

    Aaron Rupar
    (@atrupar)
    Trump spent exactly one second answering a question about how his son Barron is doing after he tested positive for coronavirus pic.twitter.com/aiGXBSbHRZ

    October 14, 2020

    “Barron’s fine, and Amy is doing a fantastic job. We’re heading out to Iowa, and we have a big rally,” Trump said.
    The first lady said in a statement that Barron tested positive but experienced no coronavirus symptoms. He has since tested negative, as has the first lady.

    4.31pm EDT16:31

    Like other Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee, Cory Booker pressed Amy Coney Barrett on voting rights.
    As part of his questioning, Booker asked Barrett if she had ever waited in line for five hours to vote. She said no. Booker asked if she had ever waited an hour to vote. She said no.
    Booker compared those answers to the experience of many black voters in America, who often face long lines at their polling stations.

    4.22pm EDT16:22

    Trump said his son, Barron, is doing “fine” after testing positive for coronavirus.
    The president responded to a reporter’s question about Barron as he left for Des Moines, Iowa, where he is holding a campaign rally later tonight.
    Shortly before Trump’s departure, the first lady revealed Barron had tested positive but shown no coronavirus symptoms in a statement about her own experience with the virus.
    Melania and Barron Trump have both since tested negative, the first lady said.

    4.16pm EDT16:16

    Amy Coney Barrett told Democrat Cory Booker that she could not offer her opinion on whether it was wrong to separate immigrant children from their parents.
    “That’s a matter of hot political debate in which I can’t express a view or be drawn into as a judge,” Barrett said. “I can’t express a view on that.”
    The Democratic senator responded that he considered such matters to be “basic questions of human rights”.
    The Trump administration attracted severe criticism in 2018 after its “zero tolerance” immigration policy resulted in thousands of children being separated from their parents.

    4.06pm EDT16:06

    Barron Trump had coronavirus, first lady reveals

    Melania Trump released a statement about her experience with coronavirus, and the first lady revealed her son with the president, Barron Trump, tested positive for coronavirus.
    The first lady said 14-year-old Barron initially tested negative after the president was diagnosed, as the White House announced. But the White House did not reveal Barron’s later test came up positive.

    Melania Trump
    (@FLOTUS)
    To all who have reached out – thank you. Here is my personal experience with COVID-19 :https://t.co/XUysq0KVaY

    October 14, 2020

    “To our great relief he tested negative, but again, as so many parents have thought over the past several months, I couldn’t help but think ‘what about tomorrow or the next day?’,” the first lady said in the statement.
    “My fear came true when he was tested again and it came up positive. Luckily he is a strong teenager and exhibited no symptoms.”
    The first lady noted Barron has since tested negative again, as has she. Trump said her own experience with coronavirus was like “a roller coaster of symptoms in the days after” she was diagnosed.
    “I experienced body aches, a cough and headaches, and felt extremely tired most of the time,” Trump said. “I am happy to report that I have tested negative and hope to resume my duties as soon as I can.”
    The first lady added, “Along with this good news, I want people to know that I understand just how fortunate my family is to have received the kind of care that we did.”
    Trump said she continues to pray for the Americans who are currently struggling with coronavirus and their families.

    Updated
    at 4.09pm EDT More

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      'How many people's hearts are broken?' Biden slams Trump over Covid-19 death toll – video

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      Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has urged his supporters in the battleground state of Florida to vote out ‘reckless’ Donald Trump after taking aim at his response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Biden accused Trump of not taking the initial response to the coronavirus outbreak seriously, leading to the growing death toll across the United States. “How many empty chairs are around the dining room table tonight because of his negligence?” Biden asked. “How many people’s hearts are broken?”
      Biden leads Trump by 17 points as election race enters final stage

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      Amy Coney Barrett faces questions on legal record as nomination hearings continue – live

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      First of two days of questioning for Barrett begins
      What Barrett’s likely confirmation means
      Pete Buttigieg emerges as Biden’s unlikely Fox News fighter
      Sign up for Fight to Vote – our weekly US election newsletter

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      Amy Coney Barrett continues questioning in supreme court hearing – watch live

      Key events

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      5.24pm EDT17:24
      Supreme Court says Trump administration can shut down census count, as experts fear undercount

      5.02pm EDT17:02
      Today so far

      4.42pm EDT16:42
      Biden says Obama will hit the campaign trail

      3.41pm EDT15:41
      Second break in Barrett nomination hearing

      3.01pm EDT15:01
      Barrett: ‘I’m not here on a mission to destroy the Affordable Care Act’

      2.29pm EDT14:29
      Barrett declines to characterize Roe as a ‘super-precedent’

      1.15pm EDT13:15
      Today so far

      Live feed

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      5.47pm EDT17:47

      Mazie Hirono, the Democratic senator of Hawaii, referred back to Amy Coney Barrett’s use of the term “sexual preference” – criticizing it as “offensive and outdated”.
      Barrett told California senator Diane Feinstein earlier “never discriminated on the basis of sexual preference.”
      The term “is used by anti-LGBTQ activists to suggest that sexual orientation is a choice,” Hirono said. “It is not.” Barrett’s use of the term raised concerns about how she would rule on LGBTQ rights.
      Barrett apologized but again refused to answer whether previous cases, including the one that ensured equal marriage rights, were decided correctly.

      5.37pm EDT17:37

      In her dissent, Sotomayor wrote: “The harms caused by rushing this year’s census count are irreparable. And respondents will suffer their lasting impact for at least the next 10 years.”
      The Supreme Court ruling today put on hold a US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruling that said the Commerce Department, which runs the census, could not stop counting in early October. Plaintiffs in that case, which include the National Urban League, maintain that less time will result in an undercount of immigrants, low-income families, and other harder-to-count populations.

      5.24pm EDT17:24

      Supreme Court says Trump administration can shut down census count, as experts fear undercount

      Hi there, it’s Maanvi Singh – reporting from the West Coast.
      As senators continue to question supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, the standing members of the court granted a Trump administration request to halt the census count while litigation continues.

      Hansi Lo Wang 1️⃣8️⃣? DAYS
      (@hansilowang)
      BREAKING: The Supreme Court is setting aside for now a lower court order that extended #2020Census counting through Oct. 31, allowing the Trump administration to end counting soonhttps://t.co/85ZtoS6JfJ pic.twitter.com/JYM72i3Tsp

      •

      Sonia Sotomayor, an Obama appointee, was the only one to note her dissent
      The Trump administration said it needed to stop counting people immediately and move on to processing the data collected, in order to meet a statutory deadline. Lower courts ordered the census to go on through 31 October, but the administration filed an emergency request to put the counting on hold.
      Census experts say stopping the count could result in significant undercounts.
      The pandemic has significantly delayed census workers ability to count each person living in the US. But the administration – which in a separate court case is fighting to exclude undocumented immigrants from census counts used to apportion seats in Congress – is deeply invested in meeting a 31 December deadline too have state-by-state population totals sent to the president.
      If Trump – who is lagging in national polls – loses the election, and the government is unable to process census data before he’d have to leave office at the end of the year, the new administration would be in charge of apportioning Congressional seats.

      Updated
      at 5.31pm EDT

      5.02pm EDT17:02

      Today so far

      That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Maanvi Singh, will take over the blog for the next few days.
      Here’s where the day stands so far:
      The second day of Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination hearings is still unfolding. Members of the Senate judiciary committee have been posing questions to the supreme court nominee for eight hours, and six senators still have to speak.
      Barrett deflected questions on her opinions of the Affordable Care Act, Roe v Wade and voting rights. Instead, the nominee repeatedly insisted that it would be inappropriate for her to offer opinions on major past cases until she joins the court.
      Democrats reiterated their concerns that Barrett’s confirmation could jeopardize the ACA. “I’m not here on a mission to destroy the Affordable Care Act,” Barrett told the committee. “I’m just here to apply the law.” The court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in a case involving the ACA just one week after the presidential election.
      Under intense questioning from Amy Klobuchar, Barrett declined to characterize Roe as a “super-precedent” case. Barrett has said she considers Brown v Board of Education, which ended racial segregation in schools, to be a super-precedent case because it will never be overturned given there are no challenges to it now. “I‘m answering a lot of questions about Roe, which I think indicates that Roe doesn’t fall in that category,” Barrett said. She added that her characterization does not necessarily mean Roe should be overturned.
      Trump called for a massive coronavirus relief package, as Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell announced plans to vote on a standalone bill for small business loans. “STIMULUS! Go big or go home!!!” Trump said in a tweet.
      Maanvi will have more updates from the hearing coming up, so stay tuned.

      4.42pm EDT16:42

      Biden says Obama will hit the campaign trail

      In case you missed it this morning: Joe Biden indicated Barack Obama would soon be hitting the campaign trail to stump for his former running mate, with three weeks to go until the presidential election.
      “He’s doing enough for our campaign. He’ll be out on the trail,” Biden said before leaving for Florida.
      Obama has participated in virtual fundraisers for Biden, and the two filmed a “socially distanced conversation” in July, which focused on criticizing Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

      [embedded content]

      Biden similarly focused his speech in Pembroke Pines, Florida, today on criticizing the president’s handling of the pandemic.
      The Democratic nominee told senior voters that Trump had treated America’s older citizens like they were “expendable” and “forgettable.”
      “I prayed for his recovery when he got Covid. And I hoped he’d at least come out of it somewhat chastened,” Biden said of the president.
      “But what has he done? He’s just doubled down on the misinformation he did before and making it worse.”

      4.15pm EDT16:15

      Picking up the same line of questioning as Republican Josh Hawley, Democrat Richard Blumenthal asked Amy Coney Barrett about the 2006 newspaper ad she signed onto that criticized Roe v Wade.
      Barrett appeared to get a bit frustrated as Blumenthal pressed her on why she had not disclosed the ad in the records she submitted to the Senate.
      Blumenthal noted that senators would not even be aware of the ad if the Guardian had not reported on it earlier this month.
      Barrett emphasized she had “no recollection” of signing on to the ad, noting that it was difficult to compile 30 years of documents from her career.
      “I assure you I’m not trying to hide” anything, Barrett told Blumenthal.

      4.03pm EDT16:03

      The second day of Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination hearings have now resumed, with Democrat Richard Blumenthal questioning the nominee.
      Blumenthal opened his questioning by saying he was “disappointed” by Barrett’s refusal to commit to recusing herself from cases regarding the presidential election, given Trump has indicated he wants a ninth justice on the supreme court to help determine the winner of the race.
      “It would be a dagger at the heart of the court and our democracy if this election is decided by the court rather than the American voters,” Blumenthal said.

      3.41pm EDT15:41

      Second break in Barrett nomination hearing

      We have reached the second break in Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination hearing today. The Senate judiciary committee will reconvene in about 20 minutes.

      3.39pm EDT15:39

      Responding to questions from Republican Josh Hawley, Amy Coney Barrett addressed the 2006 newspaper ad she signed onto that criticized Roe v Wade.
      “While I was free to express my private views at that time, I don’t feel like it is appropriate for me anymore, because of the canons of conduct, to express an affirmative view, at this point in time,” Barrett told Hawley.
      The ad stated, “It’s time to put an end to the barbaric legacy of Roe v Wade and restore law that protects the lives of unborn children.”
      Hawley later asked Barrett about her experiences raising seven children, noting she has a multiracial family.
      Barrett said, “While my life experiences I think, I hope have given me wisdom and compassion, they don’t dictate how I decide cases.”

      3.31pm EDT15:31

      As Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination hearing continues in Washington, Joe Biden is campaigning in the crucial swing state of Florida.
      The Democratic nominee kept his mask on as laid out his pitch to senior voters in Pembroke Pines. More

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      'I'll kiss everyone': Trump claims he has immunity at first rally since Covid diagnosis – video

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      Donald Trump has returned to the campaign trial after being hospitalized with Covid-19. He arrived on Air Force One to a packed outdoor rally in Florida without a protective mask but tossed out masks to the crowd. Trump boasted about his recovery, claiming he was now ‘immune’ to the virus. ‘I feel powerful,’ he said. ‘I’ll kiss the guys and the beautiful women and everybody.’ Trump’s return to his signature campaign rallies kicked off a three-week sprint to election day, as polls showed him losing more ground to Democratic rival Joe Biden
      Trump holds first rally since Covid diagnosis, as Senate opens bitter hearings on court pick – as it happened
      Trump holds packed rally after Covid diagnosis as he struggles in polls

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      What Dr Fauci actually said versus how Trump used clip in campaign ad – video

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      1:25

      Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, has criticised Donald Trump’s re-election campaign for using his words out of context to make it appear as if he was praising the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. In the video released on Saturday, Fauci can be heard saying: ‘I can’t imagine that … anyone could be doing more’ as the advert boasts of Trump’s response to Covid-19, which in the US has killed more than 214,000 and infected more than 7.7m. The clip came from an interview Fauci gave to Fox News, in which he was describing the work that he and other members of the White House coronavirus task force undertook to respond to the virus 
      Anthony Fauci criticises Donald Trump for using his words out of context

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