Good morning. It's Monday, Oct. 19, and we're covering elections in New Zealand, a brutal attack in France, and a spike in the US deficit. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Ardern Wins in Landslide

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern led her party to a resounding victory in the country's general elections over the weekend. Ardern's progressive Labour Party secured 64 seats in Parliament, up from 46, giving it the first outright majority by any party since the 120-seat body was overhauled in 1996. Labour also won 49% of the popular vote, the highest share by any party since 1951. Ardern credited her victory to her administration's coronavirus response; New Zealand has been lauded for a "go hard, go early" approach that has effectively stamped out the virus on the island nation.  

In related news, COVID-19 cases continued their upward surge, with the global tally jumping 400,000 Friday, a record increase for a single day. Europe is reemerging as the world's epicenter, reporting more cases as a region than the US, India, and Brazil combined. 

Cases in the US continue an upward trend as well, with daily averages passing 55,000 (see data)—a 30% increase from the beginning of the month. New deaths, typically a lagging indicator, remain around 700 per day (see data).

Attack in Paris

Nine people have been detained in the grisly killing of a teacher in a Paris suburb Friday, in what French President Emmanuel Macron called an "Islamist terrorist attack." It was the second such attack in the past month in France and the seventh since the year began.

According to reports, the suspect—said to be an 18-year-old Chechen refugee—followed the victim, 47-year-old history teacher Samuel Paty, as he walked home after school. He then attacked Paty with a knife, ultimately beheading Paty before posting images on his social media accounts. The suspect was shot dead by police shortly after. Officials say Paty had been the target of threats after he showed caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad—the same that sparked a deadly 2015 attack at the offices of Charlie Hebdo—during a lesson on freedom of expression.

France has a rich tradition of political and social satire—see a historical collection here.

US Deficit Smashes Record

The US budget deficit for fiscal year 2020 hit $3.1T, according to government figures released Friday, more than triple the previous year's budget shortfall of $985B and more than double the previous record of $1.4T set in 2009. The gap roughly equals 16% of the country's gross domestic product (total economic output), the highest share since 1945 when the US was fighting to end World War II. It also pushed the publicly held federal debt—roughly the cumulative amount of yearly deficits—to $21T, or 102% of annual GDP.  

The rise was largely fueled by historic stimulus packages to counter the economic effects of the coronavirus. Almost $2.1T in outlays were attributed to various support programs, including direct payments, increased healthcare costs, corporate and small business loans, and more (see breakdown)—all of which came amid historic unemployment. Even before the pandemic, however, the deficit was projected to rise past $1T, continuing an upward trend since the figure hit a post-Great Recession low in 2015.  

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Tampa Bay Rays top Houston Astros 4-2 in Game 7 to win American League pennant and advance to MLB World Series (More) | Los Angeles Dodgers also advance to World Series after beating Atlanta Braves 4-3 to win National League Championship Series (More)

> Rhonda Fleming, “Spellbound” actress known as the “Queen of Technicolor,” dies at 97 (More) | “Another Round” wins Best Film at 2020 BFI London Film Festival (More)

> Teófimo López Jr. upsets heavy favorite Vasiliy Lomachenko in unanimous decision to win undisputed lightweight boxing title (More)

Science & Technology

> Antiviral drug remdesivir shown to have no impact on survival rates for moderate to severe cases of COVID-19; the study, the largest to date, found similar results for hydroxychloroquine (More)

> Scientists measure the quickest process ever recorded; the time it takes light to cross a hydrogen molecule determined to be 247 zeptoseconds (More)

> Octopus-inspired device shown to rapidly transfer thin sheets of cells to patients, overcoming a key barrier involving delicate tissue transplants (More)

Business & Markets

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> US retail sales grew 1.9% in September, greater than 0.7% estimates and 0.6% increase in August (More)

> More than 6 million households missed mortgage or rent payments in September, but total tenants behind on housing payments fell slightly over second quarter (More)

> China’s third quarter GDP grows as consumers increase spending, reflecting an accelerating post-pandemic recovery (More)

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Politics & World Affairs

> Tulsa, Oklahoma, officials begin a second excavation searching for mass graves from the 1921 race massacre (More) | Read more about the attack on Black Wall Street (More)

> An estimated 22.2 million votes reported to have been cast as of Friday, 16% of the total 2016 turnout (More) | Early voting begins in Florida today (More) | Track early vote reporting here (More)

> Armenia and Azerbaijan trade blame for broken cease-fire for the second week in a row; roughly 300 people, including more than 40 civilians, have been killed (More) | Aide to former President Evo Morales claims victory in Bolivian election (More)

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ETCETERA

Fifteen of the world's most haunted castles.

Ranking the world's jaw-dropping travel experiences.

Why a passionate startup pitch can be misleading.

Winter is coming—here's how to get through it.

An incredible interactive evolution of Hollywood's Sunset Strip.

A home repair uncovers Prohibition-era booze.

... and this Twinkie has defied science.

This zoo's missing lemur just needed to make it to church.

Clickbait: When you really don't want to pay taxes on your gold bullion.

Historybook: British General Charles Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, effectively ending the Revolutionary War (1781); John Jay becomes first chief justice of the US (1789); RIP abolitionist and suffragist Lucy Stone (1893); HBD actor, director Jon Favreau (1966); Black Monday stock market crash, Dow Jones drops 22% in one day (1987).

"You have to create the quiet to be able to listen to the very faint voice of your intuition."

- Jon Favreau

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