First Thing: Kamala Harris calls for ‘new generation of leadership’

VP addresses crowd from site of Trump’s speech before deadly January 6 attack. Plus, a lost Maya city is found

Good morning.

With the White House illuminated behind her, Kamala Harris asked the vanishing slice of undecided Americans to elect a “new generation of leadership”, likening Donald Trump to a “petty tyrant” and recalling how he had stood in the very same spot nearly four years ago and, in a last-gasp effort to cling to power, helped incite the mob that stormed the US Capitol.

The choice between herself and Trump in the deadlocked presidential contest was “about whether we have a country rooted in freedom for every American or ruled by chaos and division”, Harris said. “I ask for your vote,” she told the crowd.

What was the focus of Harris’s speech? The Democratic nominee’s big speech mentioned Trump by name 24 times and Joe Biden only once. It confirmed that, even when Trump is not commander-in-chief, he still commands the American psyche.

Sorry, who did you mean to condemn? Responding to the Trump rally opener calling Puerto Rico an “island of garbage”, Joe Biden got into hot water himself: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters’ … his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.” The president later clarified that he had been condemning the demonization of Latinos, not calling Trump supporters garbage. The Trump rally on Sunday in New York had opened with a series of racist remarks about Puerto Rico, Latinos, Jews and Palestinians.

South Carolina man faces execution despite state justice calling his sentence invalid

The children of a South Carolina man on death row are pleading for clemency days before his scheduled execution, in a case that advocates and a state supreme court justice say should not be eligible for capital punishment. Richard Moore, 59, is due to be killed by lethal injection on Friday despite growing concerns about racial bias in his conviction and the highly unusual nature of his death sentence.

Moore was convicted by an all-white jury of an armed robbery and murder of a white convenience store clerk in 1999. He was unarmed when he entered the store. The man working the counter pulled a gun on him, and as they scuffled both men were shot – Moore in the arm, and Mahoney fatally in the chest.

Why did South Carolina pause executions for 13 years? Faced with growing backlash, pharmaceutical companies stopped selling lethal injection drugs to the state, but last year South Carolina passed a shield law to conceal the identity of suppliers.

US calls on Israel to tackle ‘catastrophic humanitarian crisis’ in Gaza

Israel is not addressing the “catastrophic humanitarian crisis” in Gaza, the US envoy to the United Nations said, as a deadline imposed by Washington looms for Israel to improve the situation or potentially face restrictions on military aid. “Israel’s words must be matched by action on the ground,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the security council. “Right now, that is not happening. This must change – immediately.”

The US told Israel on 13 October that it must take steps within 30 days or face consequences. “The US has stated clearly that Israel must allow food, medicine and other supplies into all of Gaza,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

What other action might states take against Israel? Sanctions on Israeli government members and reviews of trade ties are under consideration among some countries if the vote to ban cooperation with the UN Palestinian relief agency Unrwa is implemented.

In other news …

A team of researchers have stumbled on a lost Maya city of temple pyramids, enclosed plazas and a reservoir, all of which had been hidden for centuries by the Mexican jungle in the south-eastern Mexican state of Campeche.

Justin Trudeau faces his most uncertain political moment yet as he attempts to defy the odds to win a rare fourth term as prime minister of Canada despite demands from a handful of his own MPs to step aside.

Jaywalking is now legal in New York City after criticism of how more than 90% of jaywalking tickets go to people of colour.

Stat of the day: Climate crisis caused half of European heat deaths in 2022

Climate breakdown caused more than half of the 68,000 heat deaths during the scorching European summer of 2022, a study has found. Researchers found that 38,000 fewer people would have died from heat if humans had not clogged the atmosphere with pollutants. “Many see climate change as a future concern,” said the lead author, Thessa Beck. “Yet our findings underscore that it is already a pressing issue.”

Don’t miss this: What happened to Bhutan’s ‘kingdom of happiness’?

Despite Bhutan’s cheerful reputation, the country is experiencing unprecedented levels of emigration, according to a report. Last year 1.5% of the population moved to Australia to work and study amid declining opportunities at home. “Now we can see the hollowness of it,” says Om Dhungel, the author of Bhutan to Blacktown: Losing Everything and Finding Australia.“Why would people leave a land of gross national happiness?”

… or this: How has Chris Brown survived so much controversy?

A shocking new documentary collates the public allegations that have never stopped Chris Brown’s career. He may have lost some of his luster, especially after the widely reported assault on Rihanna, but Brown never really went away. He has 144 million followers on Instagram and is still selling out arenas, making millions with each show on his 11:11 tour this year.

Climate check: Mount Fuji snowless for longest time on record after sweltering Japan summer

Japan’s Mount Fuji remained snowless yesterday, marking the latest date that its slopes have been bare since records began 130 years ago, the country’s weather agency said. The volcano’s snowcap begins forming on 2 October on average, but because of warm weather this year no snowfall had yet been observed on Japan’s highest mountain.

Last Thing: Alcohol consumption abundant in the natural world, study finds

Humans may have turned drinking into something of an art form but when it comes to animals putting alcohol away, Homo sapiens is not such an outlier, researchers say. A review of published evidence shows that alcohol occurs naturally in nearly every ecosystem on Earth, making it likely that most animals that feast on sugary fruits and nectar regularly imbibe the intoxicating substance.

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