An American dies from COVID-19 every 107 seconds

USA TODAY: An American dies from COVID-19 every 107 seconds

Thursday, October 29

Global confirmed cases of COVID-19 have reached 40 million, with fatal cases now number more than 1.1 million.

An American dies from COVID-19 every 107 seconds

The US set a record for new COVID-19 cases. Three died in a 'terrorist' knife attack in France. It's Wednesday's news.

An American is testing positive for COVID-19 every 1.2 seconds. Zeta has been blamed for at least six deaths. But all is not lost: Doodle the dog dressed up for Halloween.

It's Ashley with the news to know.

But first, this isn't your typical space rock: There's a massive metal asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter worth an estimated $10,000 quadrillion (that's 15 more zeroes). 💰☄️

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Where does America stand in its battle against COVID-19?

Experts say "there's no way to sugarcoat" this. The U.S. set a record this week for new coronavirus cases over a seven-day period with more than 500,000 infections. Daily deaths are also climbing, along with hospitalizations rates that have been rising steadily for more than a month. Globally, India surpassed 8 million coronavirus cases Thursday, moving closer to surpassing the U.S. for the most infections in the world.

The stats are scary: An American is dying every 107 seconds of COVID-19. An American is testing positive every 1.2 seconds.

As winter approaches, America is facing a crucial fork in the road: "We might see a larger surge due to the pandemic fatigue Americans are experiencing," says Melissa Nolan, an infectious disease expert. "Americans are tired of adhering to public health guidelines and getting tested." She repeated the familiar plea of public health experts: Masks. Social distancing. Hand washing. Please follow risk mitigation strategies until a vaccine is developed.

Nursing assistant Monica Brodsky, left, and nurse Taylor Mathisen work at a drive-thru testing site for COVID-19 in the parking lot at UW Health Administrative Office Building in Middleton, Wis., Monday, Oct. 5, 2020.

AMBER ARNOLD, AP

6 dead, millions powerless as Zeta roars across southern, eastern US

Zeta, now downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, continued to lash portions of the eastern U.S. Thursday with heavy rain and high winds as the potent system made its way out to sea. The storm, which made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane Wednesday afternoon, knocked out power to more than 2.6 million homes and businesses and has been blamed for at least six deaths in the South. Power outages due to the storm darkened early voting locations across parts of Georgia, where almost 1 million homes and businesses were without electricity Thursday.

Hurricane Zeta flooded the parking garage of the Golden Nugget Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.

WLOX

What everyone's talking about

•	Finally, some good news: Record numbers of an endangered turtle species have hatched in Mexico this year.
•	Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost have tied the knot!
•	Trump rewrote the rules on environment. Now, voters face a choice.
•	Leanza Cornett, who in 1993 became Miss America before going on to a career in television, has died at 49.
•	Golf legend Jack Nicklaus explains why he voted for Trump.

3 dead in 'terrorist' knife attack in French church

Three people were killed at a church in Nice, France, on Thursday in a knife attack that the city's mayor says was an act of terrorism. One victim, according to the BBC, was said by the mayor to be "virtually beheaded," while another victim's throat was slit. The third victim died later of injuries. The shocking attack was the third such incident in two months, and comes mere weeks after a French teacher was decapitated after showing caricatures of Islam's prophet Muhammad in class. The attacks appear to be linked to an ongoing trial for the 2015 killings at Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical newspaper that published the controversial caricatures. On Wednesday, Islamic State extremists issued a video calling for renewed attacks on France.

French members of the elite tactical police unit RAID leave after searching the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Nice after a knife attack in Nice on October 29, 2020, as forensics officers prepare to enter. France's national anti-terror prosecutors said Thursday they have opened a murder inquiry after a man killed three people at a basilica in central Nice and wounded several others. The city's mayor, Christian Estrosi, told journalists at the scene that the assailant, detained shortly afterwards by police.

Valery Hache, AFP via Getty Images

The Electoral College can pick a president who got fewer votes

If a presidential candidate gets the most "votes," it won't necessarily mean they've won. Let's talk about the Electoral College, one of the most confusing and controversial parts of U.S. elections:

•	The presidency is decided not directly by voters, but by the 538 members of the Electoral College.
•	When we vote for president, we actually tell our state's electors to formally elect the candidate of our choosing.

I'm from Hawaii, where we have 4 electoral votes. California, on the other hand, has 55. Electoral College votes are generally distributed based on population, but highly populated states like California and New York, which tend to favor Democrats, have proportionally fewer votes. Critics say this gives less populous states too much power — and they're working to dismantle it.

•	For facts like this, breaking news and the latest at the polls, sign up for election texting updates from me, Ashley!

Real quick

•	A man charged in an alleged conspiracy to kidnap Michigan's governor also threatened online to hang Trump and Obama.
•	The Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays are under self-quarantine following Justin Turner's positive COVID-19 test.
•	Marsy's Law was created to protect victims. Florida police are using it to shield officers who've used questionable force on duty.
•	Pet surrenders have become a tragic part of pandemic. "I don't want these dogs to suffer."
•	A woman vanishe for 12 days in Zion National Park. Here's how her story turned into an international sensation filled with vitriol and conspiracy theories.

Happy Halloween from Doodle 🎃

Some love Halloween for the candy. Some love it for the costumes. I just love it because it's a great excuse for Short List readers to send me pictures of their pups. Here's one just in time for Election Day: Love him or hate him, Doodle the rescue pug mix sure rocks this very presidential Halloween costume. 👇

Thinking of dressing your dog up for socially-distant festivities this weekend? Here are 15 entertaining Halloween costume ideas for your pets.

Doodle the Short List dog wants to remind people to vote — no matter their political preference.

Frances Hankins

A break from the news

•	😸 It's National Cat Day! Here are 40 amazing gifts for cat lovers and owners.
•	👕 Allbirds just came out with a sustainable clothing line — is it worth buying?
•	📸 Need better Zoom quality? Send the kids, and their iPads, to their room with new Wi-Fi tech.

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.