海角大神

Constitutional integrity test.

A new challenge to Congress's ability to check the executive branch took shape this weekend. On Sunday, President Donald Trump appeared to confirm media reports that he had urged Ukraine to reopen an investigation into the son of former Vice President Joe Biden in a July 25 phone call. "...we don't want our people, like Vice President Biden and his son, creating to the corruption already in the Ukraine," Mr. Trump told reporters on his way to a rally for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi聽in Houston. He聽said there was "no quid pro quo" and he would consider releasing a copy of the transcript of the call.聽

Democrats say the call was an attempt to get a foreign nation to help Mr. Trump win re-election. They've also said that U.S. law requires that the details of a whistleblower complaint about the call be turned over to congressional intelligence committees. But the聽acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, has refused, citing executive privilege. Some legal experts say that a classified conversation with a foreign leader would normally fall under presidential privilege.聽

In Iowa, a poll Saturday showed Elizabeth Warren ahead of Joe Biden for the first time, and Bernie Sanders a distant third.聽

2. Historic shift in Israel.聽For the first time in nearly three decades, a bloc of Arab parties endorsed a candidate for prime minister, in this case,聽former military chief Benny Gantz. The reluctant endorsement by the Joint List, a bloc of four small Arab parties that controls 13 seats, marks a turning point in Israeli politics. As The Monitor reported on Sept. 10, "Arab citizens have had the right to vote since Israel鈥檚 founding, but even the leaders of liberal Jewish parties have ruled out forming a governing coalition that relies on an Arab party to secure a parliamentary majority. And, in a nod to the often-awkward contortions of political life here, so have the Arab parties themselves." Until now.聽

3. Equality and diversity celebrated.聽Michelle Williams took the best actress Emmy Sunday night for her portrayal of dancer Gwen Verdon in "Fosse/Verdon." But it was her call for equal pay that stole the night. "... when you put value into a person it empowers that person to get in touch with their own inherent value. And then where do they put that value? They put it into their work," she said, noting that a woman of color makes 52 cents on the dollar compared to her white, male counterpart. Other big winners included Billy Porter for best actor, the first openly gay actor to win that Emmy.聽Jharrel Jerome won for "When They See Us," the聽Netflix series about the Central Park Five.聽Peter Dinklage聽won his fourth Best Supporting Actor聽Emmy聽for playing Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones.聽

Look ahead

A climate summit today introduces a week of events in New York as leaders from more than 90 nations gather for the annual United Nations General Assembly. The U.N. Secretary General told speakers to come with聽"concrete and transformative plans" to stop rising global temperatures.聽

Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro will speak first at the official opening of the The U.N. general session. He'll聽followed by聽U.S. President Donald Trump. Sideline meetings (through Thursday) between heads of state are often more newsworthy than the speeches. The recent attack on Saudi oil fields, and the presence of all the key leaders in the Sunni-Shiite Middle East conflict, will lead to speculation about sideline meetings between key players, including Mr. Trump and Iran's聽President Hassan Rouhani.

Expect calls for a ban on "military style assault weapons" at a House committee hearing scheduled for today.聽Presidential candidate Beto O鈥橰ourke said at recent TV debate: "Hell, yes, we're going to take your AR-15."

Thursday, Sept. 26

If he hasn't already, expect Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire to be asked to turn over the details of a whistleblower鈥檚 complaint involving a phone call between President Trump and the President of Ukraine. Mr. Maguire is scheduled to appear before the House Intelligence committee today.

The 45^th聽season of Saturday Night Live will debut with actor Woody Harrelson as the host. The featured聽musical guest:聽Billie Eilish.

Generosity watch

Gratitude in a lemonade cup. A year ago, Daryn Sturch, a nurse in Chili, Indiana, stopped to help when she spotted an accident involving five motorcyclists. Ms. Sturch and members of the Milwaukee Iron biker club kept in touch on Facebook. On Sept. 7, her 8-year-old daughter Bryanne planned to set up a lemonade stand, but she got rained out. Members of the biker club suggested Bryanne try again. The next weekend. 30 bikers showed up. Ms. Sturch was overwhelmed. "It was a good thing I wore waterproof mascara that day," she told CNN. "I think it's a perfect example of how just because you don't look the same way or dress the same way or have the same hobbies or interests doesn't mean we don't have the same core values inside us," Ms. Sturch said. "We shouldn't make assumptions about people, we should just love each other."

Hidden gem

Start your week with a recent story that inspired Monitor editors and readers:

Melinda Gates: What she鈥檚 learned

Sneak preview

In tonight鈥檚 Daily Edition, watch for our story about tackling climate change: If聽multilateralism is waning, how can the U.N. make progress on this global issue?聽

Finally, the Monitor鈥檚聽five best stories聽in Friday鈥檚 subscription-only Daily Edition:

1. To impeach or not? Here鈥檚 why Democrats have been keeping things fuzzy.
2. Does Hungary education reform mean more patriotism, but less democracy?
3. How these scientists are uniting the world around climate change (video)
4. These dogs get second chances. Just like their inmate caretakers.
5. Beyond birthday cards and hugs: The rise of intensive grandparenting

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