We love to horrify ourselves with his excesses, and to see him as a monstrous outlier, the polar opposite of everything a modern, civilised society represents. But he is nothing of the kind. He is the distillation of all that we have been induced to desire and admire. Trump is so repulsive not because he offends our civilisation's most basic values, but because he embodies them.

Republican nominee Donald Trump implied on Tuesday that he would be willing to fight the sitting vice-president Joe Biden behind a barn. Speaking at a rally in Tallahassee, Florida, almost precisely two weeks to the minute to when polls close there on election day, Trump said of a fist fight between the two: "I'd love that." The 70-year-old Republican nominee for president also labeled the vice-president "Mr Tough Guy" and said of beating up the 73-year-old Biden: "Some things in life you could really love doing."

If Clinton wants to close the gap and help the Obamacare losers, she'll have to think more boldly. She might consider expanding tax credits up the economic ladder and offering vouchers to the poor living in states that didn't expand Medicaid so they too can buy Obamacare plans. Obamacare showed us that we can insure more Americans. How we treat our sick and our poor is a choice we make as a nation. Done right, Clintoncare could eventually pave the way for health insurance for all.

Turning an insult Trump hurled at Clinton during the last presidential debate into a rallying cry for Democratic voters, the Massachusetts senator told supporters in Manchester, New Hampshire, it was time to hang the epithet "nasty woman" around his neck.

Catholics are forbidden from keeping the ashes of cremated loved ones at home, scattering them, dividing them between family members or turning them into mementoes, the Vatican has ruled. Ashes must be stored in a sacred place, such as a cemetery, according to instructions disclosed at a press conference in Rome on Tuesday.

Climate change has been the elephant in the room during the past two US presidential debates. Ignoring this issue would be more understandable if this metaphorical pachyderm weren't about to rampage through the lives of Americans, causing upheaval on a scale not seen since the start of human civilization

There has been consensus among many that the United States's criminal justice system - from the police force to the legal system to the prison system - is broken. However, overarching, significant reform of will take time and stretch limited resources. What aspect of criminal justice reform should the United States pursue first? Below, three students from across the country take different perspectives on that question. What do you think?

With so much suspense, and with such high stakes, the debates offer students a rare opportunity to participate in history. Below, both quick and more elaborate ways to help them understand the issues, view intelligently and respond to what they see.