AP-BBO-WORLD-SERIES-ASTROS-BRAVES

Correa, Astros rally past Braves 9-5, cut WS deficit to 3-2

ATLANTA (AP) — Carlos Correa and the Houston Astros broke out the bats just in time to extend this World Series. Staggered by Adam Duvall’s grand slam in the first inning, Correa and Alex Bregman ended their slumps in a hurry. They kept swinging, too, refusing to let their season slip away and rallying past the Atlanta Braves 9-5 to cut their Series deficit to 3-2. Game 6 is Tuesday night in Houston. Correa had three hits after getting moved up to third in the lineup for Game 5 while Bregman was dropped to seventh. Martin Maldonado found three different ways to drive in runs, and pinch-hitter Marwin Gonzalez blooped a two-out, two-run single in the fifth for a 7-5 lead.

SUPREME COURT-ABORTION-TEXAS

Supreme Court takes up Texas law banning most abortions

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up challenges to a Texas law that has virtually ended abortion in the nation’s second largest state after six weeks of pregnancy. The justices are hearing arguments Monday in two cases over whether abortion providers or the Justice Department can mount federal court challenges to the law, which has an unusual enforcement scheme its defenders argue shield it from federal court review. In neither case is the constitutionality of the law directly at issue, but the motivation for both lawsuits is that the Texas ban conflicts with landmark Supreme Court rulings that prevent a state from banning abortion early in pregnancy.

VIRGINIA GOVERNOR

Youngkin, McAuliffe in last-minute scramble to rally voters

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin raced to fire up their party’s base voters in opposite ends of Virginia on Sunday. Both campaigns are working to drive up turnout in a deadlocked and bitter contest for governor that will be scrutinized as a bellwether ahead of next year’s midterms elections. Youngkin campaigned in the far southwestern corner of the state, participating in a prayer breakfast, a worship service, a barbecue and an evening get-out-the-vote rally. McAuliffe stopped in Richmond and northern Virginia, offering himself as an experienced governor and progressive, Youngkin pushed his message of liberty and freedom from big government.

KENOSHA-PROTESTS-SHOOTINGS

Judge hopes to seat Kyle Rittenhouse jury within a day

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse begins Monday with the challenging task of seating jurors who haven’t already made up their minds about the man who shot three people, killing two, during a violent night of protests last summer. Rittenhouse was 17 when he traveled from his home in Illinois, just across the Wisconsin border, during protests that broke out in August 2020 after a police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man. Rittenhouse faces life in prison if he’s convicted on one of the homicide counts against him. Judge Bruce Schroeder told attorneys he thinks picking the 20-member jury pool can be accomplished in a day. The trial that begins Monday is expected to last two to three weeks. 

AP-FINANCIAL MARKETS

Wall Street rally, Japan election drive Asian shares higher

Stocks have advanced in Asia, with Tokyo’s benchmark up 2.2% after the ruling Liberal Democrats won a stronger than expected majority in an election Sunday. Shares rose in all regional markets except Hong Kong. The regional gains followed further milestones Friday on Wall Street, where the three major indexes set records. The S&P 500 rose 0.2%; the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3% and the Nasdaq closed 0.3% higher. However, the Commerce Department reported that consumer spending grew just 0.6% in September, a cautionary sign for an economy that remains in the grip of a pandemic and a prolonged bout of high inflation.

MISSING WOMAN-MISSOURI

Missouri man accused in Chinese wife’s death set for trial

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the trial of a Missouri man charged with killing his Chinese wife. Joseph Elledge, of Columbia, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 28-year-old wife, Mengqi Ji. Elledge reported his wife missing in October 2019, prompting numerous searches before her body was found in March in a remote area of Rock Bridge State Park near Columbia. Prosecutors have suggested that Elledge strangled or suffocated his wife to avoid a divorce and to prevent her from fleeing to China with their young daughter. Ji earned a master’s degree at the University of Missouri after coming to the country from China.

JAPAN-ECONOMY

Japan’s Kishida wins mandate, though economic agenda unclear

TOKYO (AP) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says Japan should revitalize its economy through “new capitalism” and many in this country are puzzled over exactly what he has in mind. Still, as expected the ruling Liberal Democratic Party won the majority of seats in Sunday’s nationwide elections, handing him a mandate to stay in power. On top of more government spending, Kishida has said he believes a more equal distribution of wealth is needed to prevent the world’s third largest economy from sinking into stagnation. That sounds dramatic, but analysts say he doesn’t stand for drastic change. 

BC-AS-JAPAN-TRAIN-STABBING

Man with knife injures 17 people on Tokyo train, starts fire

TOKYO (AP) — Police and witnesses say a man dressed in a Joker costume and brandishing a knife stabbed at least one passenger on a Tokyo commuter train and started a fire. Some people scrambling to escape the attack jumped from the train’s windows. The Tokyo Fire Department says 17 passengers were injured, including three seriously. The 24-year-old suspect reportedly told police he wanted to kill and get the death penalty. Footage showed firefighters, police officials and paramedics rescuing passengers. NHK TV says the suspect poured a liquid and set a fire that partially burned seats. 

VIRUS-OUTBREAK-ASIA

Australians reunite as border reopens after 20-month ban

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Sydney’s international airport has come alive with tears, embraces and laughter as Australia’s border opened for the first time in 20 months. Australia eased travel restrictions Monday, betting that vaccination rates are now high enough to mitigate the danger of allowing international visitors again after maintaining some of the lengthiest and strictest border controls anywhere during the coronavirus pandemic. The new freedoms mean that outbound fully vaccinated Australian permanent residents and citizens can leave the country for any reason without asking the government for an exemption from a travel ban that has trapped most at home since March 15, 2020. Incoming vaccinated Australians are able to come home without quarantining in a hotel for two weeks. 

MEXICO-EXPLOSION

Gas blasts rock central Mexican city, killing at least 1

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Officials say an illegal tap on a natural gas line is apparently to blame for pre-dawn explosions that shook the central Mexico city of Puebla. At least one person has died and 11 are injured. Puebla state Gov. Miguel Barbosa says an emergency call warning of a gas smell in the area allowed officials to evacuate some 2,000 people living within a half mile of the leak before the first of three explosions early Sunday. Officials say dozens of houses were destroyed or damaged in the city of 1.7 million people. Fires burned in the rubble into Sunday evening, when a heavy rain finally doused the flames. The governor says rescue teams with dogs are searching for more possible victims.

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