Good morning. It's Tuesday, Oct. 6, and we're covering President Trump's health, a coronavirus surge in Paris, and the arrival of Hurricane Delta. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Trump Returns to White House

President Trump left Walter Reed military hospital yesterday evening following a three-day stint to treat symptoms of COVID-19, returning to the White House where he will continue to receive treatment. Previous assessments suggested the president had moderate to severe symptoms, based on the drug regimen received and reports that his blood oxygen level dipped twice over the weekend (hypoxia, or low oxygen levels, has been a notable feature in many cases). He will receive a final dose of remdesivir, and will reportedly continue to take the steroid treatment dexamethasone. It is unclear how soon he may return to campaign events, or whether the second presidential debate will be delayed. He made brief comments upon returning (see video).

Also yesterday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tested positive for the virus. Two of McEnany's deputies also tested positive. More than a dozen senior administration officials and allies have contracted the virus during the recent outbreak (see full list). In related news, the CDC reposted guidance acknowledging the virus can spread through airborne droplets even if people are farther than 6 feet apart, particularly in poorly ventilated indoor areas.

Separately, Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) square off in the vice presidential debate tomorrow night (9pm ET, major networks) at the University of Utah, moderated by USA Today's Susan Page.

A Surge in Paris

Paris will temporarily close bars and cafes in an attempt to blunt a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, officials said yesterday. The effort comes as the city moved into maximum alert, with three key metrics—general case rates, spread among older populations, and ICU bed occupancy—accelerating over the past month. Overall, France is averaging more than 11,000 new cases per day, by far the highest levels seen since widespread testing became available. In Paris, new cases are more than triple the rate seen in September, with more than 40% of new clusters linked to schools and universities. The situation in France mirrors a broader wave of cases washing over Europe. In Britain, nearly 16,000 positive cases were not recorded due to a spreadsheet error.

Meanwhile, in the US, cases are spiking in North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Montana. See how your state is doing here, and rolling averages for US cases and deaths.

Separately, a new estimate by the World Health Organization says nearly 10% of the global population may have been infected already—more than 20 times higher than reported totals.

Hurricane Delta

Hurricane Delta rapidly grew from a tropical storm yesterday in the Caribbean Sea, with forecasts predicting the system will make landfall over Cancún—while possibly grazing western Cuba—late this evening or overnight. Models have Delta strengthening into a Category 2 hurricane as it moves across the Gulf of Mexico, making US landfall along the Louisiana coast Friday (though the probability cone is still wide).

Delta is the 25th named storm of what has been a historically busy Atlantic hurricane season. Its arrival smashes the record for the earliest 25th named storm, which was previously Nov. 15, set during the 2005 season.

There is an outside chance the system will absorb Tropical Storm Gamma, currently meandering north of the Yucatán Peninsula, as it passes by—a phenomenon known as the Fujiwhara effect.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Release date for “Dune,” highly anticipated film adapted from 1965 novel of the same name, pushed back to October 2021 (More) | “The Batman” pushed back from October 2021 to March 2022 (More)

> New York Yankees and Houston Astros get Game 1 victories as the American League Division Series kicked off yesterday (More)

> Legendary college football coach Bobby Bowden, age 90, tests positive for COVID-19 (More) | Houston Texans general manager and head coach Bill O’Brien fired after 0-4 start of the season (More) | Kansas City Chiefs become first-ever NFL team to start 4-0 in four straight seasons (More)

Science & Technology

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> The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to three reseachers for separate work on black holes (More)

> Twitter's Birdwatch rumored to be a crowdsourcing solution to fight misinformation on the platform (More) | Chipmaker Nvidia to build Britain's biggest supercomputer; will be focused on developing AI applications for healthcare (More)

> Study reveals 6,500-year-old copper workshop in the Israeli city of Be'er Sheva; archaeologists hypothesize it may be one of the world's earliest use of a smelting furnace (More)

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Business & Markets

> US stock markets up (S&P 500 +1.8%, Dow +1.7%, Nasdaq +2.3%) on hopes of stimulus package and President Trump’s health progress (More)

> Biopharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb to acquire cardiovascular drugmaker MyoKardia for $13.1B (More)

> Security software founder John McAfee indicted on tax evasion and failure to file returns (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> California's August Complex of wildfires passes 1 million acres burned, the first time a single wildfire incident has passed the mark in state history (More)

> Supreme Court overturns lower court ruling, reinstates witness requirement for mail-in ballots in South Carolina (More)

> National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre reportedly under investigation by the IRS for tax fraud; LaPierre was previously charged in a New York civil suit for failing to disclose bonus compensation and gifts (More)

IN-DEPTH

The Girls in the Valley

Vox | Rebecca Jennings. A fascinating look at the rapidly growing cottage industry of content houses, where teens who gain fame overnight—often literally—are guided by similarly inexperienced managers looking to cash in on influencer marketing. (Read)

How Hatred Came to Dominate American Politics

FiveThirtyEight | Lee Drutman. A number of megatrends—the demise of local media, hardening lines between urban and rural voters, and more—have led to unprecedented levels of negative polarization in the US. With heavy incentives against compromise of any sort, are we on a path to destroying American democracy? (Read)

ETCETERA

Here's why hotter days mean lower test scores—for minority students. ($$, NYT)

Scientists recover the brain cells of a Vesuvius victim.

Tasmanian devils are making a comeback in Australia after 3,000 years.

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Adam Sandler narrates the plight of the silver-breasted montle. (w/video)

Couple celebrates 60th anniversary in their original wedding clothes.

When you're 102 years old but you need to vote during a pandemic.

Eavesdropping on singing humpbacks in the Arctic.

It's the world's heaviest blueberry.

Clickbait: A gender reveal we can get behind. (w/video)

Historybook: Civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer born (1917); Yom Kippur War begins (1973); Pope John Paul II is first pope to visit White House (1979); Anwar Sadat, president of Egypt, assassinated (1981); RIP Hollywood legend Bette Davis (1989). 

"You will never be happier than you expect. To change your happiness, change your expectation."

- Bette Davis

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