Good morning. It's Monday, Oct. 26, and the coronavirus is surging once again, just eight days out from Election Day. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

A New Peak

The US reported more than 83,000 cases of COVID-19 Friday, surpassing the previous record high of roughly 77,400 set in July. Unlike the summer, outbreaks are more widely distributed across the country. More than half of the summer surge was concentrated in four states—California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida—while 11 states now make up the bulk of new infections. The northern Great Plain and the western Midwest states continue to be the hardest hit, and total hospitalizations across the country currently exceed 41,000, a 40% rise since last month. Deaths, which are typically a lagging indicator, are around 800 per day. The figures are trending upward and come in advance of cold winter months that are likely to drive many indoors, where the virus is more easily transmitted. See rolling averages for cases and deaths here and here.

One bright spot was revealed in a pair of new studies: The death rate for COVID-19 hospitalizations—regardless of age—has dropped from 26% to 7.6%, as medical professionals become adept at dealing with the virus. 

In related news, at least five aides to Vice President Mike Pence tested positive over the weekend. Pence has not tested positive and will maintain his campaign schedule. 

A New Justice

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett appears likely to be confirmed this afternoon, following a weekend of procedural votes by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Barrett needs just a simple majority in the Republican-controlled Senate; Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) may be the only member to break party ranks, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announcing she would back Barrett in a preelection vote.

If approved, the vote would cap a rapid ascent for Barrett, a one-time clerk to former Justice Antonin Scalia, who was elevated from her law professorship at Notre Dame to the US Court of Appeals in 2017. Her presence would give the court a 6-3 conservative lean—counting Chief Justice John Roberts as a moderate conservative—and would be the third justice appointed by President Trump. She would also be the sixth Catholic justice on the bench (20% of Americans identify as Roman Catholic, see data). The vote comes just eight days before the Nov. 3 election. 

See some of her most significant opinions made in cases over the past three years here.

Strikes in Belarus

Tens of thousands of protesters marched through the Belarus capital of Minsk yesterday as President Alexander Lukashenko ignored a deadline set by opposition leaders to leave his post. The embattled strongman, the only person to serve as the country's president since the office was established in 1994, has faced widespread demonstrations since an early August election marred by accusations of fraud (Lukashenko claimed to have received 80% of the vote). Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old teacher and upstart opposition leader, called for widespread strikes beginning today if Lukashenko ignored a Sunday deadline to step down. Tikhanovskaya is currently in Lithuania, having fled following threats on her life in the election aftermath.

Lukashenko has framed the demonstrations as being driven by foreign influences, including the US, and has leaned on Russian President Vladimir Putin to support his case. 

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Los Angeles Dodgers win Game 5 by a score of 4-2, take 3-2 lead over Tampa Bay Rays in 2020 MLB World Series (More)

> William Blinn, Emmy-winning screenwriter best known for “Purple Rain” and “Roots,” dies at 83 (More) | Viola Smith, trailblazing drummer known as “fastest girl drummer in the world,” dies at 107 (More) | “Mr. Bojangles” songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker dies at 78 (More)

> Khabib Nurmagomedov, considered one of the best mixed martial arts fighters in history, retires after a Saturday win with a 29-0 career record (More) | Nurmagomedov's father and lifelong coach died from COVID-19 in July (More)

Science & Technology

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> NASA says the recent OSIRIS-Rex mission to retrieve asteroid samples appears to be leaking rubble, having overfilled its capacity; mission is the first US-based effort to return material from an asteroid (More)

> New analysis shows tools made by the prehistoric Clovis culture were created in a short 300-year window roughly 12,000 years ago (More) | Read more about the mysterious Clovis, one of America's earliest cultures (More)

> The Galapagos Islands​ see a record year-over-year increase in the population of native penguins and flightless cormorants; attributed to increased food supply and pandemic-induced drop in tourism (More)

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Business & Markets

> Lee Kun-hee, Samsung chairman and South Korea’s wealthiest individual, dies at 78 (More)

> Private equity firm to split PetSmart and e-commerce giant Chewy; private company PetSmart acquired Chewy for $3B in 2017, which then led an IPO in 2019 (More)

> David Swensen, legendary money manager and head of Yale’s $30B-plus endowment, informs investment firms they will also be measured on increasing diversity (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Pope Francis names 13 new cardinals, including Wilton Gregory, the first Black American elevated to the office (More)

> At least 59 million US voters have cast ballots during early voting, more than 42% of the entire 2016 turnout; track data here (More) | Republicans cut into Democrats' early voting advantage in Florida (More) | Ten under the radar races to watch (More)

> Sudan and Israel to normalize relations in US-brokered deal; Sudan becomes the third Arab nation in past two months to establish diplomatic ties (More)

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ETCETERA

The original jack-o'-lanterns were kind of terrifying. 

The pandemic is causing an exodus in youth sports.

Pest control makes first US eradication of a Asian giant hornet nest. 

... and why you shouldn't call them "murder hornets."

Lost surfboard connects two people on opposite sides of the world.

NASA's Kate Rubins votes early from outer space.

Rice University loses on a gut-wrenching missed field goal.

Time magazine replaces its logo for the first time ever. 

Clickbait: Fairies are offering advice in Virginia.

Historybook: Erie Canal opens (1825); RIP women’s rights leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1902); HBD Hillary Clinton (1947); RIP Hattie McDaniel, first African American Academy Award winner (1952); Last known natural case of smallpox detected (1977).

"The best protection any woman can have is courage."

- Elizabeth Cady Stanton

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