U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blocked an attempt by other senators to push through legislation that would have granted protection to political activists from Hong Kong.

The Washington Post reports that a court in Hong Kong has sentenced “democracy activists Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam to between seven and 13 1/2 months in prison for organizing and taking part in an unauthorized protest.”

The New York Times reports that activist Joshua Wong “pleaded guilty along with two other activists . . . to unauthorized assembly charges over a 2019 protest, capping a month of arrests of activists, journalists and politicians in the city.”

The Washington Post reports that “China forced the ouster of four pro-democracy lawmakers from Hong Kong’s legislature Wednesday, triggering a mass walkout of opposition legislators and solidifying Beijing’s stranglehold on the city.”

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that neither President Donald Trump nor Vice President Joe Biden should interfere with the internal affairs of Hong Kong, regardless of who wins this week’s U.S. presidential election.

The Guardian reports that “Hong Kong police have launched a hotline for the city’s residents to inform anonymously on anyone they allege has broken a sweeping new national security law.”

According to British newspaper The Guardian, “Canada has drawn up plans to evacuate hundreds of thousands of its citizens from Hong Kong if necessary, but officials have cautioned they can do little for pro-democracy activists seeking refuge from Chinese officials.”

The New York Times reports that Honk Kong police have arrested prizewinning journalist Choy Yuk-ling (a.k.a. Bao Choy).

In a report published Monday, CNN profiled Alexandra Wong, a 64-year-old woman who attended numerous demonstrations in Hong Kong until she was allegedly detained in August 2019.

In the current issue of The New York Review of Books journalist Barbara Demick explains how “Beijing’s new security law is crushing the former colony’s autonomy.”

Reuters is reporting that seven “prominent Hong Kong activists were arrested on [Nov. 1, 2020] on charges related to obstructing a legislative council meeting in May.”

In a prepared statement, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said that the United States “strongly condemns the arrest and detention of three student democracy activists and calls on Hong Kong authorities to release those that remain detained immediately.”