Trump Refuses to Denounce QAnon | Japan's Radioactive Gamble

After the president refused to participate in a virtual debate, the two candidates had separate town halls to answer voter questions, with President Donald Trump aggressively questioning his moderator on NBC and rival Joe Biden talking about the importance of trying to “heal the nation.” Trump refused to denounce baseless conspiracy theory QAnon, saying he “didn’t know” about the group — which claims Democratic politicians are secretly a Satanic cabal of child sex traffickers — but Trump said he supported its anti-pedophilia stance.

Sources: Washington Post, WSJ (sub)

2. Johnson Expected to Push No-Deal Brexit Ahead of Talks

Britain and the EU are still debating the terms of Brexit, and with the withdrawal date set for Dec. 31, they’re running out of time to make a deal. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to threaten a no-deal crash today rather than make concessions — and while it’s likely a political ploy to get more from the EU, it could have real consequences: A no-deal exit is expected to slash $25 billion from the coronavirus-weakened U.K. economy next year compared to a free-trade agreement. Britain, one of the hardest hit countries in Europe, has seen COVID-19 deaths rise by more than 70 percent in the last week.

Sources: FT (sub), CNN, WHO

3. US COVID-19 Cases Near 8 Million in Third Peak

The coronavirus slowed its rampage across the U.S. in late summer, but infections are picking up again. The latest CDC forecast suggests 20,000 Americans could die of it in just the next three weeks, bringing the U.S. death toll to 237,000. Also rising: Poverty. The number of impoverished Americans has grown by 8 million since May, with rates rising sharply after most stimulus provisions expired. President Trump encouraged congressional Republicans to increase their proposed stimulus package, but was shot down. It’s unlikely the political impasse will end before the Nov. 3 election.

Sources: NYT, Reuters, CNN, The Guardian

4. Senate to Subpoena Twitter CEO Over ‘Censorship’

After the platform blocked users from sharing New York Post articles peddling unconfirmed claims about Joe Biden, Senate Republicans say they’ll subpoena Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to answer for what Sen.Ted Cruz said amounted to “election interference.” Conservatives have long complained that social networks discriminate against them, and have pushed back on Twitter in particular for fact-checking President Trump and blocking access to tweets spreading misinformation about voter fraud and COVID-19. Twitter says it has now changed its policy blocking retweets of such material, but will label the content to offer context to readers.

Sources: NYT, WSJ (sub)

5. Also Important …

Vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris has paused in-person campaigning through Sunday after a staffer tested positive for COVID-19. The Trump administration has refused to grant California emergency access to hundreds of millions of dollars in fire relief. And Thailand has blocked access to the site Change.org after a petition it hosted criticizing the Thai king garnered 130,000 signatures.

Coronavirus Update: A massive global study found that widely used antiviral treatment Remdesivir didn’t actually lower the mortality rate in COVID-19 patients.

Meet the rock star who never wanted stardom. Lenny Kravitz joins Carlos to get real about his special relationship with ex-wife Lisa Bonet, the powerful energy of love and why we're lost in this political moment. Make sure to tune in for a glimpse at his paradise island and his advice to young hustlers.

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When Godzilla rises from the sea, don’t say we didn’t warn you. About 1.3 million tons of contaminated water have built up inside the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant that was devastated by a tsunami and earthquake in 2011. With storage space running out, officials have decided to release it into the surrounding ocean, despite strong opposition from the fishing industry, environmentalists and South Korea. Though part of the urgency is that some Olympic Games are meant to be held nearby, the release won’t begin until 2022, and the process (which includes dilution of the water) could take decades.

Sources: France24, Al Jazeera

2. Houston Billionaire Indicted in Largest Ever US Tax Case

He’d reached the point of no returns. Robert Brockman, the CEO of software company Reynolds and Reynolds, is accused of hiding $2 billion from tax authorities via offshore companies and secret accounts around the world. Helping prosecutors is fellow mogul Robert Smith — the wealthiest Black person in America, who made headlines by promising to pay off the student debt of the entire graduating class at Morehouse College last year. Smith has also agreed to pay $137 million to settle an investigation into his own taxes. Brockman has pleaded not guilty and was released on $1 million bond.

Sources: USA Today, Bloomberg

3. What If the US Presidential Race Ends in a Tie?

While President Trump is seriously behind in the polls — OZY’s prediction model currently gives him just a 15.3 percent chance of an electoral college victory — there’s a possibility that he’ll win narrowly. Or, even weirder, the two candidates could tie, which has never happened in the modern era. Still, a 269-269 draw is possible thanks to key single-electoral-vote areas like Maine’s rural 2nd Congressional District, OZY reports. It’s not likely, but in the case of a tie, state delegations in the House of Representatives would decide it. And it could well spark a constitutional crisis.

Source: OZY

4. Tony Nominations Include Category With Only One Name

With the number of shows eligible for Broadway’s biggest awards this year halved due to the coronavirus pandemic, several categories are smaller than usual — and best actor in a musical has just one nominee, Aaron Tveit for Moulin Rouge. He could still lose though: Tony voters will be asked not who should win, but whether to give it to Tveit or not award it at all. No musical revivals were eligible this year, so that category was eliminated entirely. Broadway will be shuttered until at least Memorial Day 2021, and the Tony Awards haven’t even set a date for their own ceremony.

Sources: The Week, Washington Post

5. Superspreader Hockey Game Raises Fears of Indoor Sports

We’re all on thin ice. The Florida Health Department says a single indoor ice hockey match in June infected 14 people with COVID-19. The Tampa game’s 22 players were unmasked and shared a locker room — and more than 60 percent of them ended up with symptoms, along with a rink employee, while the game’s referees and single spectator escaped unscathed. Hockey is considered particularly high risk since it’s indoors and close contact, and yesterday New Hampshire announced a two-week ban on indoor hockey after 158 people connected to the game were infected.

Sources: CNN, Yahoo