Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, October 29, 2020:
COVID-19: EUROPEAN LOCKDOWNS
Germany and France are both going back into partial lockdowns as they try to beat back outbreaks that are now overwhelming hospitals. German Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged that the spread was out of control and ordered more businesses closed and restrictions on gatherings for a month. France is taking it a step further, closing all non-essential businesses and banning inter-country travel for five weeks. Schools will remain open in both countries. The Spanish newspaper El País published a viral (no pun intended) graphic showing how the coronavirus is is spreading through the air in three indoor situations: a room, a bar and a classroom: SEE IT
5 DAYS
Tampa, Fla. will be the scene of dueling campaign events today as both President Trump and Joe Biden visit the city in a state that's a must-win for the president. The Supreme Court will allow ballots in Pennsylvania and North Carolina to be counted for several days after Election Day, a setback for the president, who has been making unsubstantiated claims that votes counted past Nov. 3 could be fraudulent. A day after NBC News moved Texas from “lean Republican” to “toss up,” the Cook Political Report has done the same. SEE THE MAP
DEVELOPING: FRANCE KNIFE ATTACK
Three people have been killed in a knife attack outside a church in the French city of Nice, according to media reports. At least one of the victims was reportedly decapitated. The suspect has been arrested and the authorities say “everything suggests” terrorism. This is the second such attack in France in two weeks. SKY
ZETA LANDFALL
Hurricane Zeta slammed into the Gulf Coast as a Cat 2 storm, killing at least two people and cutting power to nearly one million homes across several states. The storm brought 90+ mph winds to New Orleans and breached a levee in Grand Isle, La. What’s left of Zeta is now racing up toward the Northeast, bringing drenching rains and heavy winds with it. ACCUWEATHER
STOCKS PLUMMET, AGAIN
The three major market indexes are on pace for their worst week since mid-March, each losing another 3.5 percent or so despite a steady stream of corporate earnings reports that have ranged from not-too-bad to flat-out-great. So what’s happening? COVID, of course. Investors are worried that the pandemic is surging again, more lockdowns and restrictions could be coming and this time they won’t be buttressed by federal aid. That is a recipe for a continuing sell-off. CHEDDAR
HOLIDAY SHOPPING ALERT
What happens when a months-long surge in online purchases collides with the usual surge from the holiday shopping season? Delivery companies like FedEx and UPS are still dealing with bottlenecks related to the pandemic, and industry watchers are concerned about the possibility of supply and logistics chains collapsing under the added stress of the upcoming holidays. Consumer Reports has tips for making sure you get your gifts delivered on time, which basically boil down to: whatever you do, don’t wait until the last minute this year. CR
BIG TEN TROUBLE
Wisconsin’s Saturday game against Nebraska has been cancelled as the Badgers deal with a coronavirus outbreak on the team, the first big bump in the road for the Big Ten since the conference kicked off its delayed start last weekend. Wisconsin’s head coach and star quarterback have both tested positive, along with 10 other team members. The game will not be rescheduled and will instead be declared a "no contest." ESPN
SPOTTED...
… Shawn Mendes, gushing to Jimmy Fallon about how great it’s been quarantining with his girlfriend Camila Cabello, and how lockdown has been good for his creative process: WATCH
'BORAT' BABYSITTER DUPED
If you’ve seen the Borat sequel, you’d probably agree that one of the breakout stars was Jeanise Jones, the grandmother in the film who is hired to babysit Borat’s teenage daughter. Many have wondered if Jones was in on the joke, given her calm and reassuring demeanor during some outrageous scenes. Jones says she wasn’t, and just thought she was participating in a foreign documentary for which she was paid $3,600. Jones lost her job during the pandemic, and fans have now raised more than $50,000 for her on GoFundMe.
LEFTOVERS: SPOOKY SEASON
A Texas man put up a Halloween display in his front yard that was so realistically and horrifyingly gory that the police have had to make multiple calls to his house. Steven Novak, an artist in Dallas, says he’s “very immature” for his age and remains pleased with his decor this year, which involves multiple staged murder scenes and gallons of fake blood that he reapplies whenever it rains: SEE IT
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