Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Monday, September 28, 2020:
SUPREME COURT SHOWDOWN
THE PICK: President Trump has nominated Amy Coney Barrett to succeed Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. Barrett, 48, is a former Notre Dame law professor and federal appeals court judge. She is a conservative and a favorite of the religious right, considered to have similar views to those of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Barrett and her husband have seven children, including two adopted from Haiti. BBC
WHAT NOW? In a sign that Republicans are planning for a swift vote before the election, Senate Judiciary Chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham has already set the timeline for Barrett’s confirmation process: hearings will start on Oct 12, with the plan to give the nomination to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Oct. 22. A confirmation vote would likely follow. FOX NEWS
POLLERCOASTER
Two new national polls show Joe Biden maintaining an 8-10 point lead among likely voters ahead of the first debate tomorrow. Biden’s up 54-44 in the ABC/Washington Post poll and 49-41 in NYTimes/Siena. Both polls were commissioned after the death of RBG, and the latter found that 56 percent of respondents preferred the winner of the election to determine who fills the vacancy on the Court. Both polls suggest Biden continuing to make inroads among women, and Trump maintaining an edge among white voters, particularly men. FiveThirtyEight’s national polling average currently gives Biden a 78 percent chance of winning. 538
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The national hospitalization rate has stopped declining and may be starting to tick up again as positive test rates are now hitting 25 percent in some Midwest states. NYC will make its popular outdoor-dining program permanent, all year-round. With restaurants allowed to start indoor seating this week, the city’s health department is warning that hotspots in Brooklyn and Queens are now seeing 3 percent positivity rates and climbing. REUTERS
TRUMP TAXES
The New York Times has obtained two decades worth of President Trump’s tax returns, which show that he paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the last 15 years, and paid just $750 in 2016 and 2017 (the average tax filer paid $12,200 in 2017, about 16 times more than what the president paid). The documents show that the president’s tax bill was so low largely because he was losing so much money: in 2018, he reported a loss of $47 million on earnings of $435 million. The returns also show that Trump is on the hook for $300 million in personal loans coming due in the next few years, which experts say represents a potential national security risk. READ THE EXCLUSIVE
STIMULUS: NOW OR NEVER
Do you know someone who hasn’t claimed their $1,200 stimulus check? About nine million people haven’t, and the IRS is making a final attempt to reach them. The agency says you have until Oct. 15 to sign up online to get the money. Reminder: even if you don’t file federal income taxes, you’re still eligible. Here’s the form you need to fill out as a non-filer: SEE IT
TIKTOK RULING
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the government from banning downloads of TikTok, issuing an injunction at the last minute. That should keep TikTok in Google and Apple’s app stores until Nov. 12, the deadline for a sale of the Chinese social app. The deal with Oracle and Walmart remains in flux, with both sides still hammering out the ownership structure. BLOOMBERG
NBA FINALS
The Lakers and Heat will meet in the NBA Finals. LeBron James will make his first Finals appearances in a Lakers jersey, giving the team their first shot at a ring since 2010, and facing his former team in the process. The series tips off Wednesday. ESPN
MESSY BREAKUP
Demi Lovato and Max Ehrich are engaged in a war of words over their sudden split, with Ehrich saying on social media that he only found out Lovato broke off their engagement through the tabloids and Lovato’s people dismissing that through the press. Ehrich had proposed to Lovato two months ago and she reportedly broke things off last week. PEOPLE
BOX OFFICE
Need a good example of how upside-down this year’s domestic box office has been? Empire Strikes Back was one of the top movies this weekend. The 40th-anniversary rerelease of the second episode in the original Star Wars trilogy made $1 million, for a fifth-place finish. Tenet has brought in a total of $41 million in North America, but that’s been offset by strong numbers overseas, helping the Christopher Nolan flick as it approaches $300 million globally. THR
LEFTOVERS: BIRD BRAINS
Scientists have long been impressed with the intelligence of crows, particularly their problem-solving abilities. Now, new research into the neurology of corvids (the crow family) suggests that not only are crows incredibly smart, but they are capable of self-awareness. Meaning: crows can analyze the content of their own thoughts, a form of higher intelligence that was thought to be only possible among a select group of mammals, humans included. STAT
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