Trump v. Biden: Get your popcorn ready

USA TODAY: Trump v. Biden: Get your popcorn ready

Tuesday, September 29

Trump and Biden face off in first presidential debate. One million COVID-19 deaths worldwide. It's Tuesday's news.

It's here. The highly anticipated first match-up between Democratic nominee Joe Biden and incumbent Republican President Donald Trump is finally here. Everyone stop what you're doing and set a reminder to turn on the presidential debate at 9 p.m. EDT. Got it handled? Great.

It's Ashley. Take a moment to subscribe to The Short List's election texting, where I'll be texting you the biggest moments during tonight's debate. Now let's talk news.

But first, the force is with you, firefighters: A 5-year-old donated this Baby Yoda doll to Oregon firefighters. His journey from wildfire to wildfire is bringing smiles to thousands.

A 5-year-old donated a Baby Yoda doll to firefighters battling multiple wildfires in the Pacific Northwest to thank them for keeping everyone safe.

Chris Pietsch

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Trump and Biden brace for vicious matchup in first presidential debate

We're ready for you, presidential candidates. Trump faces Biden tonight in the first of three highly anticipated presidential debates. Analysts expect it to be a vicious matchup hinged on personal attacks. With a little over a month until Election Day, Trump will seek to close his nearly 7-point deficit in national polls while Biden will present his case for why he's a better alternative, strategists and historians say. A solid performance from Biden could reinforce his small – but steady – leads in polls, but if he performs poorly, it could give Trump a chance to change the trajectory of the race. Achieving a win may mean that touchy subjects, such as attacks on the candidates' children, will be on full display for a national audience.

•	How to watch: The debate is from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. EDT. You can stream the ~~fight~~ debate live at USATODAY.com with real-time facts and context from USA TODAY's team of experts.
•	What to expect: The debate will touch on topics like the Supreme Court and Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, racial unrest over the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
•	Let's text about it: If you haven't already signed up for USA TODAY's election texting, here's another chance!
•	Want to hear more? Our election editor Annah Aschbrenner tells us what to look for in tonight's debate and explains what Trump and Biden need to accomplish in today's "5 things" podcast.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump are preparing for what is likely to be a bruising first president debate Tuesday night in Cleveland hinged on personal attacks.

JIM WATSON, AFP via Getty Images

1 million people have died in less than a year from COVID-19

Nine months after a 61-year-old man died of a mysterious disease in sprawling Wuhan, China, the global coronavirus death toll has surpassed 1 million. The news comes as countries around the globe are at very different stages in managing the outbreaks: Some European nations are tightening restrictions over fears of a second wave. Cases in the U.S. are ticking back up after a summer spike that was followed by renewed restrictions and then a decline. India's cases have skyrocketed in recent weeks and it may soon become the country with the most infections. And South Korea is seeing its lowest case tally since it reinstituted some lockdown measures during a virus resurgence. Meanwhile, researchers continue to make progress on vaccine candidates, but mass vaccinations may not come until at least mid-2021.

What everyone's talking about

•	Voters in New York City say they've received absentee ballots with the wrong names and addresses on their ballot envelopes.
•	A South Carolina woman wrote a heartwarming obituary for her dog, Charlie, who died after a five-month battle with cancer. (I'm not crying, you're crying.)
•	"Dancing With the Stars" Disney Night: If you guessed that animal activist Carole Baskin danced to the "The Lion King," you were absolutely correct.
•	A Chinese teacher has been sentenced to death after poisoning 25 students with sodium nitrite, killing one of them.
•	Congratulations, Meghan McCain! "The View" star gave birth to a baby girl with quite the patriotic name.

Olympic figure skater under investigation for sexual abuse allegation retires

Morgan Cipres, the French Olympic pairs skater who is under investigation for allegedly sending two lewd photos to a 13-year-old American female figure skater, has retired from the sport. The French Federation of Ice Sports announced Tuesday that Cipres, 29, and his pairs partner, Vanessa James, 33, were leaving the sport less than a year and a half before the 2022 Beijing Games, where they would have been contenders for an Olympic medal. In 2017, Cipres allegedly direct messaged two photos of his penis on Instagram to the girl, who skated at the same rink as Cipres in Florida. SafeSport opened an investigation into the allegation late last year.

Morgan Cipres, left, and Vanessa James have announced their retirement from figure skating. Cipres is under investigation by the U.S. Center for SafeSport and Florida law enforcement after allegedly sending lewd photographs to a 13-year-old girl.

Kirill Kudryavtsev, AFP via Getty Images

3 dead, 1 hospitalized in Oregon hostage situation

Three people are dead, including an 11-year-old boy and a 24-year-old, following a hostage situation Monday at a home in Salem, Oregon. A Marion County Sheriff's Office deputy was also placed on leave after firing a "yet to be determined number of rounds" during the incident. Deputies responded to the "possible hostage situation" on Monday, calling the suspect in an attempt to resolve the situation. When authorities heard gunshots inside, deputies "forced entry" into the home to try to rescue any victims. Officials said a deputy who entered the home fired an as-of-yet undetermined number of rounds, but have declined to say if any of those dead were shot by the involved-deputy. The suspect was found dead in the home of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Authorities are investigating a shooting during a "possible hostage situation" on Juneva Place SE in east Salem on Monday, Sept. 28, 2020.

Brian Hayes / Statesman Journal

Real quick

•	The body of a 29-year-old man who went missing in Lake Tahoe in August was found at 1,565 feet – the deepest recovery ever recorded in the U.S.
•	Bad Bunny's glow-in-the-dark Crocs go on sale today. Yes, people apparently do wear these.
•	An Oregon man died after plunging 100 feet off a cliff into the ocean while posing for a photo in a tree.
•	Georgetown University football player Dijon Williams was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Georgia and is a suspect in a first-degree murder case.
•	House Democrats unveiled a $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that's likely to face opposition in the Republican-controlled Senate.

BRB, heading to Mars

Over politics and the world in general? Mars is looking quite promising. Scientists have new evidence pointing to the presence of water on Mars, adding intrigue about the possibility of life on the Red Planet. The findings, published Tuesday, provide more evidence of a lake on Mars' south pole – first discovered in 2018. The researchers also say they found three additional possible bodies of water nearby. The bodies of water are more than half a mile deep under Mars' surface and span an area of nearly 30,000 square miles, according to Nature.

Some scientists have long suspected that some water could be trapped under Mars' surface. And that's added intrigue about whether there is or ever was enough water with the right conditions to support life on the planet.

BZ60

A break from the news

•	10 best-selling deals to bookmark for Amazon Prime Day – or buy on sale now.
•	Celebrities who welcomed babies in 2020: Gigi Hadid, Katy Perry, Amanda Seyfried and more.
•	Heading to Seattle? Here's how to fit in day trips to national parks like Mount Rainier.

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.