It appears that President Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, judge Brett Kavanaugh, will be confirmed on Saturday.
As AP's Warren Levinson reports, three key senators, including Susan Collins of Maine, said Friday they would vote for Kavanaugh even after allegations of sexual assault.
Collins had said she would not vote for any nominee committed to overturning Roe versus Wade and she says Kavanaugh persuaded her that he is not, that he believes not only legal practice but the constitution requires the court to respect precedent.
"He said decisions become part of our legal framework with the passage of time and that honoring precedent is essential to maintaining public confidence."
Her vote appears to give Kavanaugh the votes to win confirmation in the closely divided Senate.
One of the chamber's 49 Democrats, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, says he plans to vote yes. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is the only Republican who plans to vote no.
I'm Warren Levinson.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded this year's Peace Prize to two people who worked to prevent the use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war.
Reuters Mia Womersley reports.
This year, the winners are a gynecologist and a survivor of sexual slavery.
Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege has treated victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Yazidi human rights activist Nadia Murad was enslaved and raped by Islamic State fighters in Iraq in 2014.
The prize is worth $1 million and will be presented in Oslo on the 10th of December.
The award is given each year to the person or group that has done the most to advocate world peace.
U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said Friday he hopes to "develop options for the timing and location of the next summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
The top U.S. diplomat will make his fourth visit to Pyongyang and will meet the North Korean leader on Sunday.
This is VOA news.
A jury in the city of Chicago has found Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke guilty of second-degree murder in the 2014 shooting death of a black teenager.
AP's Shelley Adler has details.
Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder in the October 2014 killing, a charge that requires a finding that the shooting was unnecessary and unreasonable.
McDonald was carrying a knife when Van Dyke fired 16 shots into the 17-year-old as he walked away from police.
Second-degree murder usually carries a sentence of less than 20 years.
I'm Shelley Adler.
The U.S. economy added a fewer than expected 134,000 jobs in September. But as AP's Ed Donahue reports, the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level since 1969.
Employers added just 134,000 jobs last month, the fewest in a year, but the unemployment rate dropped to 3.7 percent, the lowest since December of 1969.
"We're humming. I mean we're just humming."
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow says there are a lot of incentives to get back to work.
"Wage rates are rising. I think we're gonna be surprised at how many people return to the labor force."
Kudlow also says the economy is not going through a one-time sugar high.
"I may be wrong. If I am, I'll eat crow. I will abide by the data, all right, I've been in this business awhile. I just think it's gonna go on for quite sometime."
Ed Donahue, Washington.
The United Nations says that it is seeking $50.5 million from the international community to provide relief for the 191,000 Indonesians affected by last week's earthquake and tsunami in central Sulawesi.
The U.N. announced its plan on Friday, saying it developed the program in consultation with its counterparts in the Indonesian government. The initiative outlines the support needed from the international community over the next three months.
The death toll from the September 28 earthquake and tsunami in central Sulawesi has surpassed 1,500. Some 2,500 people have been reported seriously injured. About 70,000 people have been displaced.
And U.S. first lady Melania Trump on Friday visited two Kenyan orphanages -- one for children and one for elephants -- as she neared the end of a week-long tour of Africa.
Mrs. Trump stopped by the elephant orphanage on a visit to Nairobi National Park, a nature preserve located just a few kilometers south of the Kenyan capital.
Park rangers told the first lady about steps Kenya is taking to conserve the elephant and rhino populations, which have been decimated by poachers. Another 11 rhinos died in July from drinking salty water after a transfer to a new Kenyan sanctuary.
