The SCOTUS battle moves to the Senate

USA TODAY: Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

Sunday, September 27

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Sept. 26, 2020, in Washington, D.C.

Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

President Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. A heat wave threatens the West — again. Here's the weekend's biggest news.

The future of the Supreme Court is in the hands of the Senate

The fight to solidify a conservative Supreme Court ahead of the election has officially moved to the Senate after President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett on Saturday. But the confirmation process will be unlike any in recent history, with just 37 days until Election Day and 115 before Inauguration Day. On average, the process for confirming a nominee takes about 70 days from start to finish.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said four days of confirmation hearings will begin Oct. 12 and that the committee should clear Barrett's nomination by Oct. 26. Democrats have been trying to delay the vote in hopes that Joe Biden defeats Trump or the Democrats retake control of the Senate. However, they are unable to halt the process without Republican support.

•	In today's 5 Things podcast: Why conservative lawmakers are pushing so hard for Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation.

More protests, more arrests, more questions

Twenty-five people were arrested Saturday night in Louisville as protests continue in the aftermath of the grand jury decision to not indict any officer in direct relation to Breonna Taylor's death . For months, the city has been catapulted into the national spotlight — the police department a focal point of the cry for racial justice and police reform. The intense scrutiny on the city's policing comes as the department contends with a slew of other challenges: the coronavirus pandemic, two leadership changes and a nearly record-breaking homicide tally.

And there are still questions that remain. Attorneys and citizens say the grand jury decision in Taylor's shooting death — and Attorney General Daniel Cameron's limited explanation of it — raises troubling questions he has so far refused to answer. In addition, a Kentucky State Police ballistics report does not support his assertion that Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, shot a Louisville police officer the night she was killed.

Protesters marched down Guthrie towards Second Street Saturday night in downtown Louisville. 9.26.20.

Max Gersh/Courier Journal

Real quick

•	Following the presidential debate this week? Let us text you the need-to-know moments by signing up for USA TODAY's election texting!
•	CBS' Gayle King calls out Nancy Pelosi's "egregious" language when she refers to Trump allies as "henchmen."
•	California to house transgender inmates by gender identity, require officers to use chosen pronouns.
•	Don't say "Happy Yom Kippur": How to greet someone observing the Jewish Day of Atonement.
•	"You're not wanted": Trump's proposed college student visa changes worry international students — again.
•	A white supremacist gang member who waited in ambush for police died in shootout, sheriff says.

Another rash of Western wildfires possible

California residents are again under the threat of wildfires after the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for nearly all of the northern part of the state . A heat wave hitting the Western states combined with gusty, dry winds is heightening the risk of wildfires in a region already pummeled by the rash of blazes. A new one, the Glass Fire, erupted early Sunday morning in the Napa Valley wine country north of San Francisco, quickly burning through 1,000 acres and forcing officials to order mandatory evacuations. Northern California is also the location of the enormous August Complex fire, which continues to burn about 130 miles north of San Francisco.

A satellite image of the August Complex wildfire, shows an extensive line of fires burning to the north of Big Signal Peak.

WHO: Mass vaccinations likely to start in mid-2021

Mass vaccinations for COVID-19 aren't likely before next summer, World Health Organization Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said Sunday . Swaminathan said the ideal vaccine would protect at least 70% of those who are vaccinated, but that a minimum standard is 50%. In China, thousands of people have been given vaccines before final regulatory approval for general use – an unusual move that raises ethical and safety questions. Chinese companies have previously drawn attention for giving the potential vaccine to their top executives and leading researchers before human trials had even begun.

•	About 9% of Americans exposed to COVID-19 by midsummer. That's a long way from herd immunity.

LeBron James earns 10th trip to Finals as Lakers down Nuggets

One of the game's greatest players is playing in the NBA Finals – again . LeBron James powered the Los Angeles Lakers through a scrappy Denver Nuggets team, earning his 10th appearance in the Finals and giving the franchise its first Western Conference title since 2010. For James, it his his ninth Finals in 10 seasons – four consecutive with Miami, four consecutive with Cleveland and now his first with the Lakers. The Lakers await the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat. The Heat lead the series 3-2 before a pivotal Game 6 Sunday night.