Turns out 2020 can get worse

USA TODAY: Turns out 2020 can get worse

Monday, September 28

Brain tissue was attacked by Naegleria fowleri, also called "the brain-eating amoeba." When the amoeba infects the brain or spinal cord, it can cause meningitis.

Turns out 2020 can get worse

A brain-eating amoeba found in a Texas city's water. Coronavirus death toll nears 1M. It's Monday's news.

A brain-eating microbe in Texas tap water is raising concern. The global death toll from COVID-19 is on the brink of 1 million. And believe it or not, it's only Monday.

It's Ashley with the news you need to know.

But first, texting 101: Is your texting punctuation sending the wrong message? Yes. Maybe! Think so ...

The Short List newsletter is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe here!

Not today, brain-eating microbe

A state of disaster was declared in a Texas county after a brain-eating amoeba that killed a 6-year-old was detected in a city's water supply. Residents of Lake Jackson were advised to boil their water before using it after the microbe, Naegleria fowleri, was found in water samples, "posing an imminent threat to public health and safety, including loss of life." A previous warning extended to other cities in Brazoria County said not to use the water at all, but only the boil advisory remains in effect for Lake Jackson. Authorities "are actively working on a plan to flush and disinfect the water system," but it was unknown how long that will take, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said.

Tell me more about this sketchy microbe: Naegleria fowleri is a free-living microscopic amoeba that usually infects people when contaminated water enters the body through the nose. The CDC says N. fowleri is commonly found in lakes in the South, but getting sick from it is rare – 34 documented cases in the USA from 2009 to 2018.

Revelations from the report on Trump's income taxes

The New York Times on Sunday published the first in a series of stories based on President Donald Trump's tax returns, reporting the president paid $750 in personal federal income tax in both 2016 and 2017 and didn't pay any taxes in some years because of business losses and write-offs. The bottom line from the report: Trump has had small federal tax bills and major financial losses during his business career, and some of his tax maneuvers have come under legal scrutiny. Like Trump, wealthy Americans often deploy sophisticated tax avoidance strategies to minimize tax obligations. Not to be confused with tax evasion, which is illegal, tax avoidance is entirely legal, even if many view it as unfair. Trump dismissed the report as "fake news" and said details about his taxes would "all be revealed," but he gave no timeline on when he would disclose his records.

Among The New York Times' findings:

•	Trump paid very little to no federal income taxes: In some years, Trump paid no taxes at all, thanks to business losses and write-offs that have come into question.
•	Trump faces a crunch: An IRS audit could force Trump to pay a massive tax bill, on top of millions in personally guaranteed loan debts that are due soon.
•	Trump claimed a $72.9 million refund: A decade ago, Trump claimed a $72.9 million refund, which is the prime subject of an IRS audit.

What everyone's talking about

•	Joe Biden and Donald Trump are preparing for what is likely to be a bruising first presidential debate Tuesday night. Let me text you about it!
•	A heavily tattooed teacher said he was prevented from teaching kindergarten after a parent complained that his appearance scared their child.
•	Gwyneth Paltrow celebrated turning 48 in the same way she came into the world – in her birthday suit.
•	Don't say "Happy Yom Kippur": Here's how to greet someone observing the Jewish Day of Atonement.
•	"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro described his bloody hand injury: "It just blew out half of my hand."

Officer pleads not guilty to charges related to Breonna Taylor shooting

The Louisville police officer charged in connection to the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor pleaded not guilty to three counts of wanton endangerment Monday. Former Louisville Metro Police Department Detective Brett Hankison was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday over shots that went into a neighboring apartment the night Taylor was killed. If convicted, Hankison could face up to five years in prison for each count. The other two officers who shot weapons in Taylor's apartment were not charged.

Evidence leaked raises questions about the investigation into Taylor's death: Video footage that appears to have come from body cameras worn by police officers at Taylor's apartment shows potential violations of policies designed to maintain the integrity of an investigation.

Coronavirus death toll nears 1M

The global death toll from COVID-19 was on the brink of 1 million Monday, less than a year since the disease was first reported in China. Countries are at very different stages in managing the outbreaks: Some European nations tightened restrictions over fears of a second wave, while cases in the USA are ticking up after a summer spike. The USA has reported more than 7.1 million cases and almost 205,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Globally, there have been more than 33.2 million cases and more than 999,000 million fatalities. This Oregon county has dodged COVID-19 completely.

Real quick

•	Former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale was hospitalized after threatening to harm himself, police say.
•	1 in 3 parents say they won't vaccinate their kids against flu this year, a poll found.
•	Michigan cherry farms could disappear. Here's why.
•	America's missing kids: Amid COVID-19 and online school, thousands of students haven't shown up.
•	A drone carrying a human kidney flew over the Las Vegas desert. Experts say it's the future of organ transportation.
•	Oil has washed up along a 5-mile stretch of Florida, less than two weeks after Hurricane Sally.

This picture is worth a thousand words

In the devastating image below, the Glass Fire consumes the Glass Mountain Inn in St. Helena, California, on Sunday. The brutal blaze exploded in size overnight, tearing through 2,500 acres in Napa Valley wine country, north of San Francisco, according to Cal Fire. Firefighters battled a second new blaze Monday, the Zogg Fire, which burned through 7,000 acres in less than five hours near Redding in Northern California. Thousands of residents of the Oakmont Village senior living community fled the fast-moving fires – many in nightclothes and robes and gripping canes and walkers – as ash spewed in the sky in Sonoma, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The fire season in California has been record-breaking: Since Aug, 15 – when fire activity elevated – 26 people have died, and more than 7,000 structures have been destroyed.

Flames from the Glass Fire engulf the Glass Mountain Inn Sept. 27 in St. Helena, Calif.

Noah Berger, AP

A break from the news

•	Amazon Prime Day is almost here: These are the best deals you can already shop.
•	This stepdad's gift made his son break down in tears. It turned out to be adoption papers.
•	25 songs by Black women that rocked the music world, from the 1920s to 2020.

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.