Meanwhile. . .

Sen. Ted Cruz suggested the Republican Party may keep a vacancy on the Supreme Court indefinitely if it means preventing a Democratic choice. GOP senators have so far refused to even consider filling the ninth seat with President Obama’s nominee, Judge Merrick Garland. “There will be plenty of time for debate on that issue,” the Texas senator said. “There is certainly long historical precedent for a Supreme Court with fewer justices. I would note, just recently, that Justice Breyer observed that the vacancy is not impacting the ability of the court to do its job. That’s a debate that we are going to have.”

United Nations member states voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to approve a resolution calling for negotiations on a treaty that would outlaw nuclear weapons, despite strong opposition from nuclear-armed nations and their allies. The vote in the U.N. disarmament and international security committee saw 123 nations voting in favor of the resolution, 38 opposing and 16 abstaining.