Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, October 20, 2020:

T-MINUS 2 WEEKS

The Supreme Court will allow Pennsylvania election officials to count mailed-in ballots received up to three days after Election Day, a win for Democrats in a crucial swing state. Ahead of Thursday’s final debate, the debate commission says it will cut the mics of each candidate when their opponent is delivering their opening statements on each topic. President Trump lashed out at that rule change but said he will be there. The president has been on a tear, with two weeks until Election Day, lashing out at everyone from Dr. Fauci to the media. He called the country’s top infectious disease doctor an “idiot” and a “disaster,” Joe Biden a “criminal,” and CNN “dumb bastards” for focusing on the pandemic that has killed 220,000 Americans. AP

COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Ireland and Wales are imposing some of the strictest lockdown restrictions in Europe: people in Ireland must stay within three miles of their homes and all non-essential businesses will close for six weeks. Wales is going a step further, instituting a “circuit breaker” lockdown and telling residents and non-essential workers they must stay home for two weeks. The WHO is urging countries experiencing sharp increases in cases to get serious about quarantining people who may have been exposed to the virus. Meanwhile, the TSA says it screened one million passengers this past Sunday, the first time a million people have taken a flight in the U.S. in a single day since March. GUARDIAN

COLORADO WILDFIRES

This year’s historic wildfire season is not over. The CalWood Fire in Colorado’s Boulder County is becoming one of the state’s most expensive fires ever, while a separate blaze known as the Cameron Peak Fire has been burning for two months and is now the state’s largest ever. Thousands have been forced to evacuate and at least 26 homes have been destroyed. The fires are being fed by ferocious winds, with gusts clocking 60 mph in some areas. USA TODAY

SUDAN DELISTED

The U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism will be down to three after President Trump said he will remove Sudan, paving the way for the East African nation to receive international aid and potentially become the latest Arab country to normalize relations with Israel. Sudan has agreed to pay $335 million to American victims of terror attacks, including the 1998 embassy bombings and the USS Cole attack in 2000. That will leave only Syria, North Korea and Iran on the blacklist. AL JAZEERA

UNITED STATES OF BURNOUT

Tens of millions of Americans are out of work, but for the ones who are still employed -- it’s not exactly a picnic right now. A new AP poll found that a quarter of U.S. workers have considered quitting their jobs in recent months, mostly due to the stresses of having to juggle work and other responsibilities, as well as fears over contracting the virus while on the job. For lower-wage workers, the numbers are even higher. One bright spot: the majority of people say they are satisfied with what their employers are doing to help. AP

WORLD'S FASTEST CAR

SSC North America, a little-known U.S. automaker, has built a car that can go more than 300 mph. The Tuatara, driven by the English racer Oliver Webb, clocked 301 mph on its first run on a strip of highway outside Las Vegas, and 331 on its second. That averages to a top speed of 316 mph, making it the fastest production car in the world. Here’s what it looked like from the driver’s seat: WATCH

NFL STANDINGS

At the end of Week 6, three NFL teams are undefeated: the Seahawks, Titans and Steelers. One team is 0-6, and -- not surprisingly -- it’s the Jets. New York football fans are having a rough go of it this year. In addition to the miserable Jets, the Giants are just 1-5 after barely defeating the (also terrible) Washington Football Team. ESPN

TOOBIN EXPOSED

The New Yorker magazine has suspended Jeffrey Toobin, its well-known staff writer who moonlights as a CNN analyst, after he exposed himself on a Zoom call with colleagues. Toobin says the incident was accidental and he didn’t realize his camera was still on, apologizing for  “an embarrassingly stupid mistake”. The New Yorker says it’s investigating, and CNN says it has given Toobin time off to deal with a “personal issue.” VICE

SPOTTED...

… a 2,000-year-old, 120-foot-long geoglyph of a cat, etched into a hillside in southern Peru. Archeologists in the process of renovating the popular tourist attraction known as the Nazca Lines discovered the drawing, one of hundreds at the mysterious site: SEE PIC

LEFTOVERS: PARIS AT CURFEW

The normally bustling nightlife of Paris has been shut down once again after France enacted a 9 pm curfew in cities across the country that are experiencing spiking infections. The curfew will last at least a month. Check out these photos of the famous Paris cafe scene on a normal Saturday night versus what it looked like this past Saturday: SEE PICS

Listen to the N2K Podcast! Looking for more context and analysis on the big stories of the day? Check out our podcast! Hosts Jill and Carlo break down the headlines, every weekday morning Listen on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!

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