With the death of Pope Francis, the world loses not only a church leader but also a moral compass

THIS coming Tuesday evening, Democratic US voters will face a choice: whether to settle in front of their televisions with a large mug of strong coffee or a triple vodka tonic.
To watch or not to watch? That is indeed the question on November 5, when our own version of gunpowder, treason and plot could unfold, plunging the country into chaos and fascism should Republican Donald Trump defeat Democrat Kamala Harris and take back the White House.
Is it nobler to stay awake, optimistic in the belief that what passes for US democracy will survive? Or would it be better to sink quickly into alcohol-induced oblivion and hope that when dawn breaks — and despite the hangover — a vulgar, racist felon isn’t president and Harris is?

The Trump government is seizing overseas students from their homes and campuses and even off the streets, with no legal grounds and no due process, writes LINDA PENTZ GUNTER


