Pandemic, Week 33 (Tricks and Tweeting)

On Tuesday, the L.A. Dodgers won the World Series after a game six victory, during which third baseman Justin Turner was pulled in the eighth inning for testing positive for COVID (though he returned to the field for the celebration, despite MLB requesting he isolate, and now the entire team is self-quarantining). Amy Coney Barrett was sworn into the Supreme Court by Justice Clarence Thomas at another White House ceremony. Protests broke out in Philadelphia after police killed a man with a knife after family members had called police regarding a mental health crisis and domestic dispute. Keith Ranier, leaders of the cult NXIVM, was sentenced to 120 years for sex trafficking. Republicans in Wisconsin and Minnesota have successfully sued to reduce the number of days an absentee ballot can be counted if received after the election, despite what is printed on the ballot. A Biden campaign rally in Texas was cancelled due to security concerns after a "Trump Train" of trucks attempted to force the campaign bus off the highway. A North Carolina voter rally ended with police pepper spraying participants. Canada is looking to attract 401,000 new permanent residents next year to spur their economic recovery. The first nest of murder hornets has been destroyed.

This week the world hit a total of 46.5 million COVID cases and 1.2 million deaths. The U.S. hit 9.4 million case and 236,000 deaths. A Stanford University study estimates that 18 Trump rallies held between June and September have been responsible for 30,000 COVID cases and 700 deaths. The Trump campaign plans to hold 14 more rallies in the final days of the campaign. Trump's Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, told reporters that the administration was not going to control the pandemic. 

We started the week with a family dinner and concert followed by a lot of preparation for a less than traditional Halloween. While there was some trick-or-treating on the Hill, we instead opted to have a socially distant costume meet-up with some of Nora's friends and then head up to Katherine's for some "Candy Pong" (which Owen was disturbingly good at), dinner (where Allen, Lee and Don literally sucked the marrow out of life), puzzling, and general frivolity.

Before we await the fate of the world next week.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)