THE BIG STORY

The first day of Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court hearing wasn’t really about her at all

On Monday, the confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett began. She’s President Donald Trump’s third nominee for the US Supreme Court, so you’d think her rulings as a federal appeals judge, work as a law professor, and qualifications for the US Supreme Court would be up front and center.

Instead, day one of the hearings offered Republicans and Democrats a national stage for an airing of grievances: about anything from the Trump presidency, to Joe Biden’s presidential run, to the coronavirus pandemic, the future of the Affordable Care Act. Both parties spent time on the failed nomination of Judge Merrick Garland, and the successful one of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

For most of the day, Barrett listened as lengthy opening statements focused not on her, but on the political theater surrounding her nomination.

Barrett will face questions from Senate Judiciary Committee members beginning on Tuesday.

Judge Amy Coney Barrett, nominee for the Supreme Court. Getty Images

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

Georgia voters waited for long hours on the first day of early voting. Experts say it’s a sign of voter enthusiasm.

As early voting got underway in Georgia on Monday, energized voters turned out in droves across the state. The large numbers resulted in long lines and, in places like Gwinnett County, wait times of up to eight hours.

Experts said the agonizing long waits, while unacceptable, were not necessarily evidence of voter suppression. Rather, long lines at the beginning of early voting are a sign that voters are enthusiastic about participating in the election.

If past early voting trends hold true, experts and local officials said they expect to see a dip in turnout after Monday's surge before seeing numbers increase again closer to Election Day.

Hundreds of people wait in line to vote early in Marietta, Georgia. Ron Harris / AP

SNAPSHOTS

California Republicans have put out “unauthorized” boxes to collect mail-in ballots. Republican officials have not said how many boxes were placed, how many ballots were collected, or what they did with the ballots, as state officials said they are reviewing their legal actions to remove them.

Doctors are questioning Trump’s COVID-19 test after his physician said he tested negative. Trump’s doctor cited a rapid test as a key factor in determining that he is “not infectious,” but the CDC does not recommend using such tests to clear sick patients from isolating.

Angry moms and QAnon believers attacked Kraft’s “Send Noods” campaign for sexualizing mac ‘n’ cheese. Kraft Heinz's jokey campaign encouraging people to "send noods," AKA noodles, quickly descended into a hellfire after angry moms ravaged their Instagram posts, saying the company “sexualized mac 'n' cheese” and was being “predatory” toward children.

New York is still owed millions from the man it paid $69 million after he tweeted at Trump. Yaron Oren-Pines promised 1,450 ventilators but never delivered. Six months later, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is calling it a “scam” and said law enforcement is investigating.

SLIPPED THROUGH THE CRACKS

Mental health left him invisible in life. The pandemic left him nameless in death.

The coronavirus has killed more than a million people across the world. Most of these people have had their death marked in some way — whether it’s grieving relatives arranging a socially distant funeral, a post on social media, or the publication of an obituary.

For Guatemala’s patient #10451, there are no cousins, no siblings, no parents on record. Not even a friend to ask about him.

But it wasn’t just in death that he was little more than a number. No one had ever known his real name, his birthplace, who his parents were, or even his age.

That’s because patient #10451 spent almost all of his life institutionalized — first in an orphanage known for neglecting children, and then in a mental health institution that has been described as the most dangerous hospital in the world.

Karla Zabludovsky reported an incredible piece on a life that slipped through the cracks even before the pandemic cut it short.

C'EST LA VIE

Gabriel from Emily In Paris opened up about the controversial show and revealed he agrees with the critics

Netflix’s new show Emily in Paris was released earlier this month to, uh, shall we say mixed reviews? Among the many criticisms was that it fails at capturing Paris, relying instead on stereotypes.

Lucas Bravo — who plays Emily’s main love interest Gabriel — agreed with the critics of the show. “I think they're right in a way,” he told Cosmopolitan. “We're portraying clichés and we're portraying one single vision of Paris. Paris is one of the most diverse cities in the world.”

Netflix

Wishing you an easy time silencing the inner critic today,

Elamin