It’s been a rough election cycle for that bastion of U.S. politics, the presidential debate. The first between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was flat-out unpleasant; the second withered, then vanished, under COVID-19 concerns. So the one at 3 p.m. Hawaii time today is the last.

The topics: fighting COVID-19, American families, race in America, climate change, national security and leadership. The most interesting topic: how the debaters might get around the muted microphones while their opponent speaks. Watch the split screen.

The pope and civil unions

Here in Hawaii, Pope Francis’ statement supporting legal civil unions for same-sex couples may seem irrelevant. The Legislature approved such civil unions in 2011 and same-sex marriage two years later; in 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was a constitutional right.

But the Roman Catholic pontiff leads a worldwide church, and his words have global reach — including to countries long hostile to LGBTQ rights. And while official church doctrine hasn’t changed, it’s hoped the pope’s message will make it easier for the LGBTQ faithful to find acceptance, here and everywhere.