Can you spare a square?
Republicans hustle to confirm their Supreme Court nominee. More than a dozen states set new records for COVID-19 cases. And I'm not trying to freak anyone out but I'm hearing rumbles of another possible toilet paper shortage? *shivers*
It's Ashley with the news to know.
But first, Indigenous Peoples Day or Columbus Day? Fourteen states and more than 130 cities observe Indigenous Peoples Day instead of or in addition to Columbus Day.
The Short List newsletter is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe here!
Remember the great toilet paper shortage of 2020?
Only a few short months ago, toilet paper seemed to be nonexistent at grocery stores nearly everywhere. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again, but some Americans say they are planning to stockpile food and other essentials this fall. The chief reason: fears of a COVID-19 surge and unrest around the presidential election. Thankfully, rational shoppers are unlikely to see the types of shortages experienced in March and April when states enacted stay-at-home orders and grocery shelves were emptied of essentials. Can we all make a pact to leave some TP for everyone?
It’s a big week for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett
The Senate began confirmation hearings on Monday for President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, 48, as Republicans aim to confirm her before Election Day. Though Barrett appears to have the support in the Senate to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, her historic confirmation hearings this week will offer Democrat and Republican senators the chance to vet Barrett’s background and stance on issues that could come before the high court. Let's recap day one:
Barrett outlined her judicial philosophy, telling senators, "courts are not designed to solve every problem or right every wrong in our public life."
She said she hoped she would bring a "few new perspectives to the bench" as the first mother of school-age children to join the Supreme Court.
Barrett paid homage to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, saying, "I have been nominated to fill Justice Ginsburg's seat, but no one will ever take her place."
What everyone’s talking about
Absolute trash: A minimoon about to orbit Earth may actually be a piece of space junk from the 1960s.
Protesters overturned statues of former Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in Portland, Oregon, in a declaration of “rage” toward Columbus Day.
From no direction to a 17th NBA title, the Los Angeles Lakers are back.
Surprised by Bill Burr's "SNL" monologue? It's exactly what his fans expected.
"Wonder Woman" star Gal Gadot will play Cleopatra, a casting that has drawn criticism for an Israeli actress playing the role of the queen of Egypt.
Coronavirus cases break records across US
More than a dozen states have set records for the number of new COVID-19 cases in a week, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data shows. Through late Sunday, 13 states – Alaska, Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota and Wisconsin – had topped their own records for new cases in a seven-day period. To sprinkle on an extra layer of grim: The coronavirus pandemic may have caused tens of thousands of more deaths in the spring and summer than previously thought, a new study says. Researchers found nearly 75,000 more people may have died from the pandemic than what was recorded in March to July, according to the report.
Election Day countdown: 22 days
We’re getting down to it, America. Let’s take a minute to see what the polls are showing: In the first week of polls since Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis and subsequent hospitalization, national and state polls continue to show Biden ahead in the presidential race. Biden continued to lead in 10 of 11 swing states (though Georgia is a virtual tie) – and he expanded his lead in seven of those states, including big gains in Florida, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Nationally, Biden surged 2 percentage points to a more than 10-point lead, according to the USA TODAY average of averages.
For comparison sake, 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's lead between the two polling averages was 6.2 points at this point four years ago. Yet Trump won. So should we believe the polls?
These 6 swing states are pivotal in the White House race. But what are the keys to winning each?
Real quick
King Harald V of Norway was discharged from a hospital after a successful operation to replace a heart valve.
This Louisiana town survives hurricanes generation after generation, but fewer and fewer return.
Celebrities aren't all wearing masks in public, but they should be.
Lake Tahoe "tragedy": A woman drowned after falling off a boat, despite attempts to rescue her by a man who later had to be hospitalized.
MLB mourns another Hall of Famer
Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, who starred with the Big Red Machine in the 1970s and played 22 major-league seasons, has died at 77. Morgan was a 10-time All-Star, two-time regular-season MVP and also won two World Series with the Big Red Machine, where he cemented himself as one of the best second basemen in the 1970s. Morgan died Sunday at his home in California due to a non-specified polyneuropathy, according to his family. Morgan is the sixth Baseball Hall of Fame member to die in 2020: Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, Whitey Ford, Lou Brock and Al Kaline have all died earlier this year.
A break from the news
Amazon Prime Day begins tomorrow: Beware of these online shopping scams.
The best deals to shop from Walmart's competing Amazon Prime Day sale.
Spending a lot more time in 🛏️? Mattress sales have bounced back as more Americans upgrade their sleep setup amid the pandemic.
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.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Toilet paper, Amy Coney Barrett, Trump, Supreme Court, COVID-19: Monday's news
