The fate of affirmative action

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY
·6 min read
2

The Supreme Court took up arguments that could affect how colleges use race in admissions. Did your Instagram account violate community guidelines today? Probably not. And a coveted chunk of property is for sale in Florida – but there's a catch. It's *checks notes* ...yes, underwater.

👻 Trick or treat! I'm Laura Davis – and this is Halloween. Here's all the boos ... I mean news ... you need to know.

☝️ But first, we need to talk about candy corn. Originally called "chicken feed," it's now the Halloween candy that divides a nation. Love it or hate it, here's more about candy corn.

The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here or text messages here.

SCOTUS debates race-conscious college admissions

In one of the most controversial cases before the court this year, the Supreme Court's conservative majority signaled deep skepticism Monday over the use of race-conscious admissions at American colleges. During nearly five hours of at-times heated arguments, justices debated litigation involving policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina that permit admissions offices to weigh race as one of many factors that help decide who will be accepted. The outcome could have profound implications – beyond higher education. Here's what we know.

Proponents for affirmative action in higher education rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court before oral arguments in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina on Oct. 31, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Proponents for affirmative action in higher education rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court before oral arguments in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina on Oct. 31, 2022 in Washington, DC.

Your Instagram account isn't suspended. Probably.

No account. Account suspended. Your account violated community guidelines. Hold the pet pics, y'all. People logging into their Instagram accounts on Monday morning were met with a wide array of no-go messages. After floods of users reported having their account suspended or seeing messages that their account was deleted, Instagram tweeted an apology and said it was looking into the problem. One Twitter user who said they tried to appeal their Instagram account’s suspension said they were met with an error message when they tried to log back in that said their username didn't "appear to belong to an account."

Instagram said it was working on an issue that left a seemingly large number of users locked out of their accounts on Monday. Some users reported seeing a message that they were locked out but were still able to scroll through their feeds.
Instagram said it was working on an issue that left a seemingly large number of users locked out of their accounts on Monday. Some users reported seeing a message that they were locked out but were still able to scroll through their feeds.

What everyone's talking about

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Trump asks Supreme Court to intervene in tax returns dispute

Former President Donald Trump on Monday asked the Supreme Court to intervene in his long-running legal battle with the House Ways and Means Committee over access to years of his tax returns. The House committee asked the IRS for Trump's records in 2021 to help assess the IRS' presidential audit program, a request the committee described as a "plainly legitimate area for congressional inquiry and possible legislation." Trump's request came days after the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declined to reconsider an earlier ruling that sided with the House committee. Keep reading.

  • Trump companies on trial: In opening statements, prosecutors argue the case is about 'greed and cheating.'

A real estate asset that's really, truly underwater

It's an amazing location, but it needs a little work. For a cool $43 million, you could be the proud owner of a much-coveted waterfront Florida property. The only catch is that the "waterfront part" is literal. Like, super-literal. The parcel on offer is submerged under the Intracoastal Waterway in Boca Raton with a base of muck, sand and seagrass. After years of wrangling to clear the legal baggage, owner William Swaim said, it's ready for the market. He’ll even help by filling it in with dirt and building a seawall (that will cost an extra $3.5 million). In recent years, submerged land has been developed into sites for homes and high-end condos. And as more buyers become willing to do the legwork, conservation becomes a concern. Enter the floating mansions concept.

Developer William Swaim is selling about 4 acres of land, included portions that are underwater, for $43 to $46 million depending on whether he fills it in and builds a seawall. He said this is the last and largest undeveloped direct Intracoastal property to come on the market in Boca Raton in 30 years.
Developer William Swaim is selling about 4 acres of land, included portions that are underwater, for $43 to $46 million depending on whether he fills it in and builds a seawall. He said this is the last and largest undeveloped direct Intracoastal property to come on the market in Boca Raton in 30 years.

Real quick

🌤 What's the weather up to in your neck of the woods? Check your local forecast here.

🗳 Georgia governor's debate: On Sunday, Gov. Brian Kemp faced off against Stacey Abrams in their final debate ahead of the midterms. The two sparred over topics like voter integrity, housing and foster care. More takeaways from the debate.

👉 Afghan special forces soldiers trained by American troops are now being recruited by the Russian military to fight in Ukraine; Pentagon focuses on halting attacks on Ukraine infrastructure. Monday's news from Ukraine.

👻 Your scary-cute Halloween pets

Last week, my cat Queen Susie demanded I put her photo in The Short List and ask for pictures from readers of their own pets in costume. Meet Bogart, Lola, Luna, Malcolm Reynolds and Otis! Batdog Luna says: "I am vengeance. I am the night. I am Batdog." And Bogart dressed up as his favorite actor – Humphrey Bogart, of course! We love to see it.

Short List readers sent in these spook-tacular photos of their pets in Halloween costumes.
Short List readers sent in these spook-tacular photos of their pets in Halloween costumes.

A big spooky shout-out to readers Catie Kovelman and Luna from Los Angeles; Michelle Lindsey and Bogart from Daniel Island, South Carolina; Alissa Cleland and Lola from Shelby Township, Michigan; and from New York City, Michael Bert and Malcolm Reynolds, Libby McKnight and Otis. Thank you for sharing your photos. Hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween! 🎃

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Subscribe to the newsletter here or text messages here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court hears affirmative action arguments, Boca Raton real estate underwater, Instagram outage, Halloween pets. Monday's news.