First the election, then the litigation

Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

Welcome to the last Weekend Briefing before the U.S. presidential election. We have plenty on that below, but I recommend our World News podcast episode on immigration's role in the race as an appetizer. And our latest City Memo column takes you to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Supreme Court girds for rush of election-related litigation

Henderson, Nevada. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Finishing touchés: Donald Trump and his allies brought a storm of legal cases challenging the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. The Supreme Court might have to deal with an even bigger rush from this year's battle, legal experts say. Kamala Harris is pushing for more support from men in labor unions. Both candidates are campaigning in North Carolina this weekend.
Heat before serving: Everyone is preparing for Trump to dispute the election results prematurely, from voting-machine firms to Democrats, who plan to flood social media and the airwaves with calls for calm and patience. Election experts say it might take several days for the results to be known. False claims about voter fraud in Pennsylvania raised concerns that Trump might try to overturn results in battleground states.

Rockets from Lebanon wound 11 in Israel

The latest: Fighting has escalated between Israeli forces and the Lebanese Hezbollah group since September, and hopes for a ceasefire have faded. The U.S. will deploy B-52 bombers, fighter jets, refueling aircraft and Navy destroyers to the Middle East as the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group prepares to leave.
'Apocalyptic': U.N. agency heads said the entire population in northern Gaza is at risk of imminent death from disease, famine or violence. The Israeli military said it killed a senior Hamas official. The U.S. asked Lebanon to declare a unilateral truce with Israel. Both sides deny it.

Zelenskiy blasts allies over North Koreans in Russia

'Zero' response: Ukraine's president said Moscow's deployment of North Korean troops to fight Ukraine produced a weak reaction from Western governments that will only encourage Vladimir Putin. North Korea's foreign minister said Russia will have the nation's support until it wins the war. There are 8,000 North Korean troops in the Kursk region in Russia, the U.S. says. Russia targeted Kyiv in hours-long drone attack.
And in Sudan: The paramilitary RSF and its allies have committed staggering levels of sexual abuse, raping and abducting women as young as 8 and as old as 75, the U.N. said. It's secretary-general said civilians there need help, but that the conditions are not right for the deployment of a U.N. force. The Red Cross denounced a lack of conflict mediation around the world as aid needs rise.

More than 200 dead after floods hit Spain

Disaster: About 500 soldiers were deployed to Valencia, the region that bore the brunt of the floods, to search for missing people and help survivors. It was Europe's worst weather calamity in five decades. Read more about the weather phenomenon that caused the washout. Extreme rainfall pounded Hainan province, the place known as China's Hawaii.
Danger: Climate change driven by fossil-fuel emissions is raising temperatures to dangerous heights and worsening droughts and food security, a report says. Many U.S. companies are doing better in reporting environmental and social matters despite pressure from conservative politicians, data reviewed by Reuters show.

Starbucks coffee, without that taste of paper

New cups: Brian Niccol is overhauling Starbucks U.S. locations in the face of dissatisfying financial results. This will include more comfortable seating and ceramic mugs. Carlsberg is shifting its marketing focus to cheaper beers to ferment demand as sales go flat.
Money tricks: Boeing overcharged the U.S. Air Force nearly 8,000% for soap dispensers. An investor was sentenced to 10 months in prison for launching a fake takeover bid for Getty Images. He made the bid through a company that had $20 on hand.

Before I forget…

- Rocket-motor demand is soaring because of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and the rise of a warfighting doctrine called "affordable mass."
- Vladimir Putin promised Russians that he would supply guns and butter. But at what price? The price of a block of butter in Russia has risen by more than 25% since December.
- China asked the U.S. to say, "We oppose Taiwan independence" instead of saying it "does not support" independence. The U.S. said no.
- Boeing workers will vote on Monday on a new wage deal after rejecting two previous offers. This one includes a 38% boost over four years.
- Some Amazon workers aren't buying the CEO's comment that nine out of 10 employees support fully returning to the office.
- We're all sensitive people: Ed Sheeran, Warner Music and Sony Music convinced a U.S. appeals court to uphold a lower court's ruling that "Thinking Out Loud" did not copy Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On."

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