Good morning. It's Monday, Oct. 12, and we're covering the NBA Finals, the aftermath of Hurricane Delta, and the Supreme Court battle. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Lakers Win Title

The Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th NBA championship last night—tying the Boston Celtics for most by a single franchise—beating the Miami Heat 106-93 to end the series in six games. The title comes in the second year of the LeBron James era after the team failed to make the playoffs a year ago during an injury-plagued season (superstar center Anthony Davis was also added in the offseason). James, who picked up his fourth championship (in 10 finals appearances), was also named series MVP, averaging 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists. 

The underdog Heat put up stiff opposition, with star Jimmy Butler notching a triple-double in Game 5; some have called the duel with James one of the greatest in league history. Still, the Heat couldn't overcome an injury to veteran Goran Dragic, who missed most of the series after a Game 1 foot injury.

See photos of the celebration in Los Angeles here.

Delta Drenches the Southeast

More than 450,000 homes and businesses across the Southeast remained without power yesterday after Hurricane Delta raced through the region Friday evening and early Saturday. The storm was not as intense as originally feared—it arrived in Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane after reaching Category 4 status midweek—but battered residents, many of whom were still recovering from August's Hurricane Laura. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said some of those without power never had it restored following the previous storm. 

Some areas in southwest Louisiana saw up to 17 inches of rain Friday alone; the city of Lake Charles reported floodwaters 4 feet high, with a record-setting storm surge backing up rivers and bayous across the region (see aerial footage). The storm went on to spawn tornadoes across Georgia and the Carolinas.

One fatality, linked to a fire from a portable generator, was reported.

Amy Coney Barrett

The Senate Judiciary Committee begins consideration of Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court today.

All signs point to the Senate Republican majority having the 51 votes needed to get Barrett over the finish line, and most eyes will be on two members of the committee itself. Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), locked in the most competitive reelection bid of his career, are both expected to figure prominently. Harris plans on attending the hearings remotely. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has signaled he hopes to confirm Barrett before the Nov. 3 election. The timeframe would leave just three weeks for consideration before both the committee and the full Senate (see our previous write-up)—while squeezing time for other legislative priorities and campaign events for those in reelection fights. 

Read Barrett's opening statement here.

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YOUR ONE-STOP SHOP

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Rafael Nadal tops Novak Djokovic to win men’s French Open, ties Roger Federer for most Grand Slam men's singles titles of all-time with 20 (More) | Poland’s Iga Swiatek, 19, wins women’s French Open title in dominating fashion (More)

> Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford, New York Yankees all-time wins leader and a 10-time MLB All-Star, dies at 91 (More) | Tom Kennedy, game show host best known for "Name That Tune," dies at 93 (More)

> Broadway productions to remain closed through May 30, 2021; performances have been halted since March due to COVID-19 (More)

Science & Technology

> Report finds California's unexpected August blackouts were due to extreme heat, outdated demand forecasting that underestimated solar power dependence, and the export of power to out-of-state customers (More)

> Scientists find a theoretical upper limit to the speed of sound; around 22 miles per second, the value is 100 higher than the speed of sound in air (More)

> Inability to smell trimethylamine, the chemical responsible for the smell of rotting fish, linked to a genetic mutation; study provides insight into genetic mechanisms that help people avoid dangerous bacteria (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets up Friday (S&P 500 +0.9%, Dow +0.6%, Nasdaq +1.4%) closing best week since August (More)

> Communications platform giant Twilio to acquire software customer data vendor Segment for $3.2B (More)

> Twitter announces product enhancements to reduce potential misinformation around 2020 presidential election results (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Election 2020: Commission on Presidential Debates cancels Oct. 15 debate, will keep Oct. 22 event as final meeting (More) | South Carolina senate candidate Jaime Harrison (D) reports $57M in fundraising last quarter, breaking Senate record (More) | President Trump resumes campaign events, visits Florida today (More)

> New global COVID-19 cases top 1 million over the past three days, fueled by rises in India, US, Brazil (More) | Virus surges in the US Midwest, with six states reporting record daily cases (More) | See rolling averages (cases, deaths)

> Cease-fire between Armenia and Azerbaijan violated within 24 hours, with both sides trading accusations of shelling residential towns in the Nagorno-Karabakh region (More) | Background on conflict (More)

PLANT A TREE

In partnership with Public Goods

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Please support our sponsors!

ETCETERA

Public school enrollment is dropping.

The creepiest ghost town in each state.

How to make your cat like you, according to science.

From our partners: This brand offers jewelry that you’ll live in, love always, and layer every day. Shop now. #Ad

Connecticut city officially renames sewage plant after John Oliver.

That's not an asteroid, just an old rocket.

Florida hunters bag a record-breaking Burmese python. 

... and this monster pumpkin weighs in at 1,600 pounds.

These onions were too sexy for Facebook.

Clickbait: It's been a rough year—time to start hugging cows.

Historybook: Christopher Columbus reaches the Caribbean, believes he reached the Indies (1492); American playwright Alice Childress born (1916); RIP Wilt Chamberlain (1999); USS Cole is attacked by suicide bombers, killing 17 American sailors (2000); Eliud Kipchoge becomes first person to run a sub-two-hour marathon (2019).

"Everything is habit-forming, so make sure what you do is what you want to be doing."

- Wilt Chamberlain

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