US election 2020: With a week to go, here's what is abuzz

The United States is exactly a week away from the day of voting. The town halls and the presidential debates are done, and the campaigning is headed towards a conclusion.

Pre-election voting has been underway for weeks now and it has surpassed all pre-election ballots cast in the history of America, more than 62 million Americans have voted already. These record-breaking figures are only set to grow.

Also read: Campaigning for US presidential election enters final week

The candidates are doing everything they can to woo undecided voters. Both Trump and Biden recently held clashing rallies on the same day in Pennsylvania. Trump addressed three boisterous events, while Biden made a low-key appearance at a voter activation centre.

"He wants to shut down the whole country. And we're rounding the turn. You know, all they want to talk about is covid. By the way, on November 4th, you won't be hearing so much about it. Covid, covid, covid", Donald Trump said.

"The bottom line is Donald Trump is the worst possible president, the worst possible person to try to lead us through this pandemic. I don't think he just, he either doesn't have any idea what to do or he just doesn't care. I'm never gonna give up. You know, Mr President, you have to have a little bit of shame, just a little bit of shame because people are dying'', Joe Biden said.

''He made his speech and he said that he doesn't do this kind of rallies because of covid, you know. No, he doesn't do them because nobody shows up. That's why nobody shows up. Covid, covid, covid'', President Trump retorted with.

Also read: US elections: Over 64 million votes cast, will voter turnout percentage be the highest ever?

''We're going to be travelling, continue to travel. But the big difference between us and reason why looks like we're not traveling, we're not putting on super spreaders'', Joe Biden said.

After weeks of high voltage political theatrics, the vacant Supreme Court seat has finally been filled. Conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett has been confirmed to the court with 52-48 votes. She has succeeded the late liberal judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It is a lifetime appointment and a major pre-election political victory for Donald Trump. Barrett has taken the first of the two oaths at the White House.

Barrett has taken the oath, but the legal troubles for Donald Trump are only mounting. Recently, a federal judge denied President Trump's request to be replaced as the defendant in a defamation lawsuit, which was filed by a woman.

 She says Trump had raped her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s. Trump's lawyers argued that he should be replaced as the defendant because he was forced to respond to the lawsuit to prove that he was fit to be president.

The judge ruled that Trump's denials of the rape allegations fall outside his scope of employment. So he couldn't be replaced.