McConnell: Senate Will Vote Next Week Confirm Barrett to Supreme Court

India Army Apprehends Chinese Soldier Found in Its Territory

SRINAGAR, India—The Indian army said it apprehended a Chinese soldier Monday in the remote Ladakh region, where the two countries are locked in a months-long military standoff along their disputed mountain border. The soldier, Cpl. Wang Ya Long from China’s People’s Liberation Army, was apprehended inside Indian-controlled Ladakh’s Demchok area and was to be released soon, the army said in a statement. It said the soldier “had strayed” across the de facto border along the eastern section of what’s known as the Line of Actual Control, a loose demarcation separating Indian- and Chinese-controlled areas. “As per established protocols, he will be returned back to Chinese officials at the Chushul–Moldo meeting point after completion of formalities,” the statement said. China did not immediately comment on the soldier’s apprehension. Related Coverage Exclusive:…

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the Senate will vote Monday, Oct. 26, for the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.

McConnell told a news conference about the move after a meeting with GOP lawmakers.

“We will be voting to confirm Justice-to-be Barrett next Monday and I think that will be another signature accomplishment in our effort to put on the courts, the federal courts, men and women who believe in a quaint notion that the job of a judge is to actually follow the law,” McConnell said.

Barrett faced three days of questioning from the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. McConnell said the Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on sending the nomination to the full Senate on Thursday.

On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attempted to get the Senate to adjourn until after the election is over.

“This is the most rushed, most partisan, least legitimate Supreme Court nomination process in our nation’s history, in our nation’s entire history, and it should not proceed,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. He later wrote on Twiter that he was “forcing a vote to adjourn the Senate until after the November election,” adding: “We are not going to have business as usual here in the Senate while the Republicans try to use an illegitimate process to jam through a Supreme Court nominee.”

Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and they are still believed to have enough votes to secure Barrett’s nomination on the court. Three Republicans can vote against Barrett or abstain, and Vice President Mike Pence would still hold the tie-breaking vote.

“Judge Amy Coney Barrett demonstrated that she has the deep legal expertise, dispassionate judicial temperament, and sheer intellectual horsepower that the American people deserve to have on their Supreme Court,” McConnell said on Monday in the midst of Schumer’s maneuvers. “I look forward to the Judiciary Committee’s vote on Thursday. The full Senate will turn to Judge Barrett’s nomination as soon as it comes out of committee. I’ll be proud to vote to confirm this exceptional jurist.”

Barrett was announced as President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death in mid-September. Trump has successfully nominated two other Supreme Court justices, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.

In the midst of the push to confirm Barrett, Democrats floated the idea of “packing” the Supreme Court with more justices if Democrats win back the presidency and control the Senate. Later, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Harris refused to say where they stand on “packing the courts,” including when they were questioned in debates about the issue.

Focus News: McConnell: Senate Will Vote Next Week Confirm Barrett to Supreme Court

US, Brazil Both Need to Reduce Dependence on China Imports: Pompeo

The Trump administration is working to boost ties with Brazil and provide a counterweight to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) global ambitions. Delegates from the two countries also met to sign a new agreement to boost rules-based trade opportunities. Brazil’s conservative President Jair Bolsonaro is keen to follow suit given the national security risks presented by the CCP. Currently, China is Brazil’s largest trade partner, particularly for soy and iron ore. Bolsonaro is yet to ban Brazilian telecom companies from buying 5G equipment from China’s Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. as more countries are doing after alarm bells were raised over network security given the CCP’s control over all companies registered in China.