Good morning. It's Wednesday, Nov. 18, and New Orleans is already canceling Mardi Gras parades for 2021. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

The Third Wave

The coronavirus is officially spreading in all parts of the US, with fresh data showing cases rising over the past two weeks in all 50 states. In a dozen states, the infection rate has doubled over the same time period, and all but three states are in the White House Coronavirus Task Force's red zone, with at least 101 cases per 100,000 people.

More than 161,000 cases were reported in the US yesterday, bringing the total to 11.35 million with 248,687 deaths as of this morning. New cases are averaging above 156,000 per day, almost double from Nov. 1 (see data). The rise is not attributable to increased testing, which has only risen less than 10% during the same period. The average test positivity rate across the country is 12%—April's initial wave, when dramatically fewer tests were available, peaked near 20% (see data). 

A total of 36 states now have some form of a mask mandate (see list), with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) becoming the latest to issue an order. Also in Iowa news, the state's senior senator, 87-year-old Chuck Grassley (R), tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday.

New Orleans officials said they would cancel Mardi Gras parades, scheduled for early 2021, while searching for alternative ways to celebrate the day. It will be the first time in more than four decades the city won't host the parades.

In positive news, a comprehensive study suggests the COVID-19 immune response in recovered patients may last years or longer, contrary to previous speculation. The study has not yet undergone peer review.

Challenges and Recounts

The Trump campaign argued in court yesterday against the certification of Pennsylvania's presidential vote, citing uneven procedures across the state. Campaign lawyers contend some counties, but not others, gave voters an opportunity to fix ballots that would be otherwise disqualified on a technicality, a standard practice known as curing. The state was previously called for President-elect Joe Biden, who maintains a 74,000-vote lead (see full results); a decision is expected within days.

A manual recount continues in Georgia. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said the audit has so far closely matched recorded results, though batches of votes in two counties were found to be omitted from the total. The new votes cut Biden's lead to around 13,000 in the state.

Elsewhere, the Trump campaign must decide by today whether to request a recount in Wisconsin (at a price tag of $8M). In Michigan, the Wayne County Board of Canvassers will certify the county's results, reversing an earlier decision, but called on the state to audit the results. Finally, President Trump fired the Department of Homeland Security's cyber chief Chris Krebs, whose office helped ensure election integrity and had debunked a number of election fraud rumors (see Rumor Control page).

See a guide to the Trump campaign's legal challenges and their status here.

Separately, Biden began filling a number of senior White House staffing positions, pulling mostly from his campaign team. 

Dresden Police Sweep for Stolen Treasure

Three people were arrested yesterday after German officials carried out a massive sweep searching for evidence linked to a billion-dollar heist from a Dresden museum last year. The raid included more than 1,600 officers targeting at least 18 locations—largely focused on Berlin's Neukölln district—but failed to turn up any of the missing treasures. 

Considered one of the greatest jewel heists in modern history, thieves broke into the city's renowned Green Vault museum, which contains Europe's largest treasure collection (see photos). The haul, estimated to be worth $1.1B, included the 49-carat Dresden White Diamond, an elaborate sword with more than 700 diamonds, and other items (see list). The operation was fairly low-tech—the burglars started a fire that disarmed the security system and climbed in through a window.

According to reports, the three suspects are part of the same family responsible for the theft of a 220-pound Canadian gold coin from Berlin’s Bode Museum in 2017.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> The 2020 NBA Draft to be held virtually tonight (7pm ET, ESPN) with LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, and James Wiseman all potential No. 1 picks; see full mock draft and preview (More)

> Conan O’Brien to end late-night run in 2021 after 28 years; signs on for HBO Max weekly variety show (More)

> Theo Epstein to step down as Chicago Cubs president, four years after helping Cubs win first championship in 108 years (More) | Former college basketball coach of the year Gregg Marshall resigns at Wichita State amid abuse allegations (More)

Science & Technology

> Famous "dueling dinosaurs" fossil acquired by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences; fossil features nearly complete Triceratops locked in battle with a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex (More) | Discovery has been largely hidden from the public; see the backstory here (More)

> Research team that published highly publicized report of possible life on Venus due to the signature of the chemical phosphine downgrades claim, saying they still detect a measurable signal but it's much weaker than previous reported (More, $$, Science)

> Twitter flagged more than 300,000 tweets for election misinformation, leading to an estimated 30% decline in retweets; revelation came as CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress (More)

Business & Markets

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> Amazon launches online pharmacy, including free delivery for Prime members; Walgreens and CVS stocks fall roughly 10% (More) | US retail sales increase 0.3% in October, down from 1.6% growth in September; smallest gain since economic recovery began in May (More)

> US Senate fails to confirm President Trump’s transition economic adviser Judy Shelton to Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors in 47-50 vote (More)

> Bitcoin at three-year high as it climbs to more than $17K, within reach of all-time high seen in December 2017 (More)

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Politics & World Affairs

> Hurricane Iota death toll rises to at least 14, with more than a dozen missing, after moving through Nicaragua and Honduras (More) | See photos (More)

> President Trump formally orders drawdown of troop levels in Afghanistan from 4,000 to 2,500, and troop levels in Iraq from 3,000 to 2,500 (More) 

> The US drops case against former Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, who was arrested in Los Angeles on drug trafficking and money laundering charges (More)

ETCETERA

The 23 best new restaurants in America for 2020.

One photo captures the ever-changing landscape of Iceland.

A guide to the 2020 National Book Award finalists (winners announced today).

The most well-designed outdoor dining venues in America. 

Twitter rolls out its newest feature: Fleets.

Rome's Colosseum is the most intricate set in Lego history.

Italy's version of Banksy arrested after an 18-month search.

Germany praises citizens for being as "lazy as raccoons."

Clickbait: Ponzi scheme suspect flees into a frigid lake using an underwater sea scooter.

Historybook: Abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth born (1797); HBD poet and novelist Margaret Atwood (1939); 918 die in a mass murder-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana (1978); Massachusetts court ruling makes the state the first to recognize same-sex marriage (2003).

"It is the mind that makes the body."

- Sojourner Truth

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