The U.S. Senate race in Maine could well decide whether Democrats take back control of the chamber this year — but a quirk of state law is likely to mean that the results won’t be determined until weeks after Election Day.
by THOMAS F. HARRISON
Utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric announced late Friday that it will shut off power to nearly half a million homes and businesses on Sunday in an effort to prevent new wildfires from starting.
by JON PARTON
Would the southern Rocky Mountains be better off if the state brought back the canine apex predator that was hunted to local extinction 60 years ago?
by AMANDA PAMPURO
It’s not hard to find photos or videos of Virginia’s 2020 Republican congressional candidates not wearing masks. Speaking to gatherings full of supporters, they hope to overcome the state’s history as the “home of the blue wave” in spite of health advice as the state battles with the coronavirus.
by BRAD KUTNER
Planet in Peril
A sudden climate shift roughly 5,000 years ago resulted in a new seabird settlement that fundamentally changed the ecosystem of the Falkland Islands — pointing to an uncertain future for the avian explorers.
by CARSON MCCULLOUGH
Race for the White House
President Donald Trump rallied thousands of Florida seniors on Friday in an effort to boost voter turnout from this vital constituency in the crucial battleground state.
by ALEX PICKETT
Columns
Pondering what it is these days that has people struggling to connect, our columnist concludes it’s neither the pandemic nor the politics.
by ROBERT KAHN
Acting like a trade association, Florida’s elected court clerks have seized control of the portal through which public records are created and seen. Why? Follow the money.
by BILL GIRDNER, RYAN ABBOTT & MARILYN ALVAREZ
Courts
A lawyer for Johnny Depp was sent packing Friday after he was found to have breached a protective order in the actor’s Virginia court battle against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
by JOAN HENNESSY
Roundup manufacturer Monsanto urged three Ninth Circuit judges on Friday to overturn a jury’s verdict finding the weed killer caused a California man’s cancer, arguing that the federal judge overseeing the trial allowed the jury to hear from an unreliable expert witness.
by MARIA DINZEO
On the same day that the new “Borat” sequel airs with a compromising appearance for the president’s personal attorney, authorities brought stalking charges against an ex-campaign official for Rudy Giuliani.
by NINA PULLANO
A private security company that said it was seeking former special forces to guard Minnesota polling places has assured authorities the company was only seeking guards for private property and has agreed to stay out of the state for over a year.
by ANDY MONSERUD
The White House quoted the president on Friday as having told Congress he will formally remove Sudan from the list of U.S. state sponsors of terrorism in exchange for the country paying up $335 million to victims.
by ADAM KLASFELD
Across the Nation
More than 70,000 Houston-area voters have cast their ballots from their vehicles and thousands more will do so after the Texas Supreme Court on Thursday denied a bid from Republicans to shut down drive-thru voting.
by CAMERON LANGFORD
Advocates for LGBTQ and disability communities in Texas urged state officials to reverse course on a recent policy change that could allow social workers to reject clients because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, or because they have a disability.
by TRAVIS BUBENIK
by MATTHEW RENDA
Despite months of daily protests marked by the copious tear gas and rubber bullets, and a court order limiting “less lethal” weapons, Portland police haven’t had a training on the weapons in almost a year, police commanders testified on Thursday.
by KARINA BROWN
by DAVID LEE
Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden sparred over coronavirus, the economy and climate change Thursday night in Nashville, making their pitches to American voters 11 days before many will head to the polls.
by DANIEL JACKSON
Senate Republicans are set to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Monday, a victory for President Donald Trump that will make history just days out from the 2020 election.
by MEGAN MINEIRO
Nearly five years after the deadly San Bernardino terror attack, a California man who supplied the rifles used to kill 14 people and wound 22 others was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison.
by NATHAN SOLIS
Most Popular
by ADAM KLASFELD
by ADAM KLASFELD & NINA PULLANO
Rulings
by LORRAINE BAILEY
The South Dakota Supreme Court found that the state constitution precludes a current state legislator from contracting directly or indirectly with the state to receive money from the coronavirus relief fund grant program.
The Eighth Circuit denied a Minnesota Republican congressman’s request for a stay of an order requiring the state to honor the results of the Nov. 3 election, despite the death of the Legal Marijuana Now Party’s candidate for office. The third-party candidate’s death shortly before the election does not warrant cancellation of the election for the congressman’s seat.
A federal judge denied President Trump’s request to stay an injunction prohibiting the government from effectively banning WeChat, a Chinese-owned messaging and payment app. The government has not shown that its prohibitions on WeChat’s U.S. operations are narrowly tailored to serve the interests of national security.
A federal judge denied the Pascua Yaqui Tribe an emergency preliminary injunction seeking to compel Pima County, Arizona, to open an in-person early voting site within the boundaries of its reservation by Oct. 26. While its members will have to travel eight miles to the nearest early voting site, there are voters within the county that have to travel longer distances.
Medical device maker C.R. Bard agreed to settle more than 500 cases alleging that its implantable blood-clot filter fractured, causing patients injuries. A federal judge granted the parties a 120-day stay of the involved cases, pending final settlement negotiations.
From the Walt Girdner Studio
Hot Cases
Adolf Hitler’s handwritten speech notes sold at auction in Germany on Friday, well above their starting prices, to anonymous bidders.
A San Diego strip club — freshly reopened after months of being closed by Covid-19 — complains a cease and desist order from the county following a stabbing in its parking lot is unfair.
Three Republican Oregon lawmakers sued Governor Kate Brown, claiming her Covid emergency orders are unconstitutional.
An art collector accused the owner of the Banksy piece “Flowers” of agreeing to sell the artwork to a London gallery so the collector could buy it — a deal the owner now says he never agreed to.
Nevada casinos lobbied the state’s utilities commission to adopt a rule barring different electricity rates for different regions.
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