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NEED TO KNOW

Final Pitches

President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden made competing stops in Tampa, Florida, yesterday as both campaigns embarked on whirlwind tours of battleground states ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The state has emerged—along with Pennsylvania—as one of two top targets for each side. Both candidates will make stops in Minnesota today; Trump has three rallies scheduled in Pennsylvania tomorrow, while Biden will hold a joint rally with former President Obama in Michigan. See battleground polls here, and see a more complex projection from FiveThirtyEight here.

The Supreme Court yesterday declined to consider a GOP-led challenge to stop extensions for mail-in ballots for North Carolina. Ballots may now be received up to six days postelection, as long as they are postmarked by Nov. 3. The decision follows a similar move with regards to Pennsylvania, which will accept ballots received through Nov. 6. See an overview of mail-in balloting and how it works here.

More than 82 million people have cast ballots in early voting, almost 60% of the entire 2016 turnout. Track early voting here. 

Finally, in a sign of the times, a new study found partisan dislike of political opponents outweighs affinity for one's own party for most people—a first on record. 

A Q3 Rebound

The US economy recovered significant ground from July through September according to figures released yesterday, growing 7.4% over the second quarter. The gross domestic product—the sum of the country's goods and services—grew at a 33.1% annualized rate, the fastest on record (see data). The boom follows a record-breaking decline in the second quarter, when GDP contracted at a 31.4% annualized rate, and largely reflects an economy paralyzed by the pandemic beginning to restart. Absent another stimulus package and facing rising COVID-19 cases, analysts still forecast 2020 to contract by 3.6% from 2019.

In related news, initial unemployment claims fell by 40,000 from the previous week to 751,000. While still historically high—the prepandemic record was 695,000 set in 1982—the figure is the lowest since March. Continuing claims, those receiving benefits for at least two weeks, clocked in at 7.75 million. When accounting for contractors and the self-employed, the figure rose to more than 22.6 million (see data). 

European Lockdowns

France begins a second nationwide lockdown today in an effort to stem a resurgence of the coronavirus. The orders are less restrictive than a two-month lockdown from March to May. Schools will remain open and residents will be allowed to buy groceries and visit doctors, but are otherwise required to stay home. Nonessential businesses, including bars and restaurants, will be closed through Dec. 1. Similar restrictions are being put in place in Germany, while the United Kingdom introduced a tiered system two weeks ago that applies restrictions based on localized metrics.

The situation appears equally grim in the US, which passed 9 million total reported cases yesterday. New cases are being added at a pace of 75,000 per day (see data), an 80% increase since the beginning of the month. After weeks of holding steady while cases rose, new deaths are beginning to rise as well, and now total 228,668 as of this morning. The crisis is most acute in the Midwest—Wisconsin officials said ICU beds may run out in as little as two weeks.

Finally, take a look at this visualization demonstrating how ventilation and masks (or lack thereof) affect transmission in indoor spaces like classrooms and restaurants.

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SLEEP BETTER

How do you improve your sleep cycle? Start with consulting the experts, like Frank Lipman, MD, from Casper's sleep advisory board. He recommends you:

> Go to bed at the same time every night; your body loves routine
> Make sure your room is dark at night and you are exposed to light in the morning 
> Eat your largest meal at lunch and a smaller meal at dinner; this helps your body regulate its rhythms
> Do something to relax before bed like listening to music or meditating

The quality of your mattress also plays a huge role—and Casper is running a daylight saving day sale for 15% off mattresses and 10% off everything else with code DAYLIGHT. Check it out today to improve the quality of your sleep.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Clemson’s superstar quarterback Trevor Lawrence diagnosed with COVID-19, will miss tomorrow’s matchup with Boston College (More) | Hall of Famer Tony La Russa, 76, tapped as Chicago White Sox new manager (More)

> Leanza Cornett, former Miss America and AIDS activist, dies at 49 after suffering head injury (More) | Jerry Falwell Jr. sues Liberty University for defamation after he was forced to resign due to a sex scandal (More)

> Netflix standard plan increases to $14 in the US (More) | Highly anticipated season 2 of “The Mandalorian” premieres today on Disney+ (More)

Science & Technology

> FBI investigating increasing wave of ransomware attacks on hospitals, allegedly being coordinated out of Eastern Europe (More) | More on Ryuk malware, which locks systems until payment is made (More)

> Honeywell unveils quantum computer with 10 fully interconnected qubits, giving it a quantum volume of 128 (More) | Quantum computing 101 (More)

> Researchers uncover a new cellular sensory mechanism that allows octopuses to effectively "taste" prey through their suction cups (More)

In their commitment to better sleep, the Casper team provides seven-minute meditation lessons to help you wake up or wind down. Achieve peace of mind, sleep better. Check out Casper's seven-minute meditations now.  #Ad

Business & Markets

> US stock markets up (S&P 500 +1.2%, Dow +0.5%, Nasdaq +1.6%) on record GDP and lower weekly unemployment figures (More)

> Facebook quarterly revenues up 22% as advertisers return to platform (More) | Alphabet (Google) revenues up 14% as advertising rebounds, shares surge in after-hours trading (More) | Amazon surpasses expectations with 37% revenue growth (More) | Apple slightly beats earnings expectations, ends quarter with $192B in cash (More)

> ExxonMobile to cut $10B in annual expenses including up to 15% of workforce—14,000 employees—amid pandemic-induced slowdown (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Three people killed in grisly terrorist attack at a church in the city of Nice, France; one victim was beheaded, the second such incident in the country in two weeks (More)

> At least five killed, 2.6 million without power after Hurricane Zeta speeds across the southeastern US (More)

> Journalist Glenn Greenwald resigns from The Intercept, which he cofounded, alleging censorship of stories on Hunter Biden's business dealings (More) | Former Hunter Biden associate earlier claimed Joe Biden had knowledge of foreign deals (More) | New report says a fake intelligence dossier laid groundwork for conspiracy claims (More) | See overview and refutations here (More)

HALLOWEEN READS

American Ghosts

Truly*Adventurous | Jaq Evans. Was a supernatural entity responsible for the fiery deaths of two newlyweds in their Virginia farmhouse? (Read)

I Bought a Witches' Prison

Medium | Jeff Maysh. When your dream home is a medieval prison where witches were held before being hanged and burned. (Read, $$)

Editor's note: Take a look inside the remodeled house—apologies, however, it's off the market again.

The Exorcisms of Latoya Ammons

IndyStar | Marisa Kwiatkowski. From 2014, this look at Indiana's "hell house"—investigated by police in the city of Gary—is one of our favorite scary reads. (Read)

WFH? TRY POWER NAPPING!

In partnership with Casper

If you're working from home, you could probably take advantage of the elusive power nap to help boost your productivity. The sleep experts at Casper recommend these short naps to help get you through the day without interrupting your sleep cycle. They also often lead to improved concentration and increased productivity. To power nap properly, try to:

> Time it for 20 minutes, to provide you about three minutes of recuperative stage two sleep
> Darken your room, avoid noisy settings, and ensure your bed is comfy
> Drink coffee immediately before lying down; it typically takes 20-30 minutes to kick in, meaning you'll wake up refreshed and energized

For more sleeping and napping tips, check out Casper's Sleep Resources. And to get your comfiest bed yet, check out Casper's fall sale: 15% off mattresses and 10% off everything else with code DAYLIGHT

Please support our sponsors!

ETCETERA

A brief history of the Halloween costume. 

The ultimate Halloween candy power rankings.

Hollywood's best celebrity costumes for 2020. 

See how Casper is helping our COVID-19 first responders by donating sleep products to communities in need and offering deeper discounts for the healthcare community. First responders can't sleep until the rest of us do. Thank you. #Ad

The psychology behind why we hate creepy crawlies. ($$, NYT)

... and the backstory on the most divisive Halloween candy.

Ranking 30 years of "The Simpsons" Treehouse of Horror.

Social distance your trick-or-treat with this candy catapult. 

Clickbait: The Satanic Temple awards four Devil's Advocate scholarships.

Historybook: President John Adams born (1735); Orson Welles broadcasts "The War of the Worlds" radio hoax, causing mass panic in US (1938); Muhammad Ali defeats George Foreman in historic Rumble in the Jungle (1974); HBD Ivanka Trump (1981).

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth."

- Muhammad Ali

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