Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Monday, October 5, 2020:
TRUMP HOSPITALIZED
THE LATEST: A weekend of confusion and conflicting reports about President Trump’s health ended with the president taking a surprise car ride to wave at supporters outside Walter Reed Medical Center. His doctors say his condition has improved and he could be released as early as today, but they also revealed that his blood oxygen levels had dropped twice and he is taking steroids, remdesivir and an experimental antibody cocktail -- each of which is typically only administered to patients who are severely ill. Chris Christie, who helped Trump prep for the debate, is also in the hospital after testing positive. AP
HOW THIS HAPPENED: The White House ceremony to nominate Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court appears to have been a superspreader event for the U.S. government. At least seven people who were in attendance for the Sept. 26 event have tested positive, including Trump. Photos taken during a receiving line for Barrett inside the White House and video of the Rose Garden ceremony showed attendees mostly maskless, glad handing and hugging. NY TIMES
STATE OF THE RACE
President Trump’s hospitalization has thrown not just the election, but the Supreme Court nomination, into turmoil. Mitch McConnell has delayed the Senate’s return by two weeks after three Republicn senators tested positive, including two on the Judiciary Committee. But McConnell is still planning to hold confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett on Oct. 12. The Senate requires all members to be there in person for votes, which could put a kink in those plans if the Capitol outbreak spreads. Meanwhile, the latest national poll has Joe Biden extending his lead over President Trump to 14 points. The VP debate is still scheduled for Wednesday. NBC NEWS
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
NYC is planning to close schools and nonessential businesses in nine zip codes in Brooklyn and Queens that are seeing a resurgence in cases. The new lockdowns will take effect Wednesday, pending sign off from the governor. Nationally, the highest rates of infection are now coming from some of the least populous states, like Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas . The U.S. reported 54,000 new cases on Friday, the largest total in two months, though daily deaths have remained relatively steady. USA TODAY.
CA FIRES
Firefighters battling the Glass Fire in the heart of California’s wine country have gotten the blaze up to 26 percent containment. Favorable weather conditions are expected to help the firefight this week. Nearly 20 Napa wineries have been damaged or destroyed in the inferno. MERCURY NEWS
ANTISEMITISM IN EUROPE
An attack on a Jewish student leaving synagogue in Germany during Sukkot is raising new jitters about an increase in anti-Semitism in the country. There has been a doubling in anti-Semitic crimes in Germany over the last three years. The most recent attack came almost a year after a synagogue shooting that killed two people. DEUTSCHE WELLE
THEATERS ON THE BRINK
The movie industry stopped in its tracks this weekend over the news that Cineworld, parent of Regal, planned to temporarily close all theaters in the U.S. and UK after the new James Bond movie was delayed -- again -- until next April. Cineworld says there are not enough new releases to justify staying open, especially with major markets like NYC still closed. Even where theaters have reopened, the box office has not rebounded anywhere close to where it needs to be to ensure exhibitors don’t go out of business without help from the government. VARIETY
SPORTS WRAP
NFL WEEK 4: The Patriots-Chiefs game has been rescheduled for tonight after Pats QB Cam Newton tested positive for coronavirus, meaning a rare Monday Night Football doubleheader: Pats-Chiefs at 7:05 pm ET and Packers-Falcons at 8:50 pm ET. Meanwhile, Tom Brady, whom Newton replaced, had the best game of his post-New England career as he led the Bucs to a big comeback over the Chargers. PROFOOTBALLTALK
NBA FINALS: The Miami Heat are back in contention after Jimmy Butler almost single handedly drove the team to a win over the Lakers with a 40-point triple-double. LeBron James was so frustrated with the game that he walked off the court with 10 seconds remaining. Game 4 is tomorrow. YAHOO SPORTS
SPOTTED...
...SNL’s Kate McKinnon as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, honoring the late justice for a brief last time on the show’s season premiere: WATCH
THUNDER ONLY HAPPENS WHEN IT'S RAINING
Curious why Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 hit Dreams is back on the charts? It started with a viral TikTok video of a man lip syncing the lyrics while cruising on a longboard, sipping cran-raspberry juice. Now Mick Fleetwood himself is getting in on the action. Fleetwood started a TikTok account just so he could recreate the vibes from the viral clip: WATCH
LEFTOVERS: CURSING PARROTS
A British zoo had to separate five parrots because they kept encouraging each other to swear at guests. Zookeepers at the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park say the parrots were moved to different areas so they wouldn’t “set each other off” in front of children. ONE GREEN PLANET
