World News: The president is leaving the building

USA TODAY: The president is leaving the building

Monday, October 5

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows gives the media a time update for a briefing at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. Trump was admitted to the hospital after contracting the coronavirus.

President Trump says he will be discharged from the hospital. Tropical Storm Delta is heading for the Gulf Coast. It's Monday's news.

One way to go viral: Hold an event in which everyone around you doesn't wear a mask and spreads COVID-19. A better way to go viral: Ride a skateboard to the soundtrack of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" while swigging on a bottle of Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice.

It's Ashley, kicking off your week with the news you need to know.

But first, 👁 have a problem: Increased screen time during the pandemic is sending more people to the eye doctor.

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Trump will return to the White House after three-day COVID-19 fight

President Donald Trump said he will be leaving the hospital on Monday, four days after he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19. The president, who has received around-the-clock care at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center with coronavirus symptoms alarming enough that doctors administered oxygen and several rounds of treatment, advised his followers not to be afraid of COVID-19. "Feeling really good! Don't be afraid of Covid. Don't let it dominate your life," Trump tweeted. Trump asserted that he felt better than he did "20 years ago!" His comments came as the U.S. neared 210,000 deaths from COVID-19 and the CDC updated its website to warn that the coronavirus can spread through the air, something public health experts have been warning about for months.

Trump's COVID-19 announcement sent Washington and the rest of the country into fresh turmoil a month before the election. Nearly 20 people – including White House officials and reporters – have tested positive since then. Many attended Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination ceremony (what some are calling the potential "super spreader" event) a little over a week ago at the White House Rose Garden, where few people wore masks.

•	The Rose Garden event: Here's who wasn't wearing a mask, here's who got COVID-19.
•	Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany and at least 17 others positive for COVID: A running list of those being tested.
•	If the president engages in risky behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic, can the Secret Service – or anyone – stop him?

Epidemiologists continue to scrutinize a White House event after more than a dozen people, including President Donald Trump and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, announced they tested positive for COVID-19. Several of them attended a ceremony held outside in the Rose Garden on Sept. 26 where Trump announced his Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, in front of more than 180 people.

USA TODAY

Another hurricane? Tropical Storm Delta is heading for the Gulf Coast

Newly formed Tropical Storm Delta could make landfall as a hurricane in the northern Gulf Coast later this week, forecasters warn. The National Hurricane Center upgraded the tropical depression to Tropical Storm Delta on Monday. The storm, which was 135 miles south of Jamaica early Monday, is on track to reach the Gulf Coast as a hurricane around Friday. If it makes landfall, it would be the 10th named storm to hit the U.S. in a single season, which would be an all-time record. The increased storm activity follows Tropical Storm Gamma, which killed at least six people after coming ashore in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula over the weekend.

The forecast track of Tropical Storm Delta shows it approaching the U.S. Gulf Coast by the end of the week.

National Hurricane Center

What everyone's talking about

•	Lana Del Rey flaunted a mesh face mask to meet fans. People on social media weren't thrilled.
•	WHO estimates 10% of the world's population may have been infected with COVID-19.
•	Regal will close all theaters in the United States this week after the postponement of the new James Bond film left a big hole in schedules.
•	Led Zeppelin won a copyright battle after the Supreme Court declined to hear a copyright dispute.
•	Robin Thicke's fiancée April Love Geary announced she's pregnant ... again!

Gay men have taken over the Proud Boys hashtag on Twitter

Gay men are taking over the #ProudBoys hashtag on Twitter. The far-right group the "Proud Boys" was catapulted into the spotlight at the presidential debate last week when Trump dodged a chance to condemn the "western chauvinist" men's group that the Southern Poverty Law Center says is a hate group. But on social media, many men in the LGBTQ community began sharing photos of themselves and their partners to counter the group's rhetoric. "What if gay guys took pictures of themselves making out with each other or doing very gay things, then tagged themselves with #ProudBoys," "Star Trek" actor George Takei tweeted.

Countdown to Election Day: 29 days

With less than a month to go until Election Day, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's lead over President Trump grew slightly in one of the first national polls conducted since the president announced he tested positive for COVID-19. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found Biden ahead of Trump by 10 percentage points (51%-41%) among likely voters, a 1-point jump from a poll on Sept. 30. Trump's COVID-19 infection raised doubts that the candidates would be able to hold their second presidential debate as scheduled, with 59% of Americans saying the debate should be postponed until Trump has recovered.

In other important election news, it's the last day to register to vote in these states:

•	Arkansas
•	Arizona
•	Florida
•	Georgia
•	Hawaii (allows same day registration on Election Day)
•	Indiana
•	Kentucky
•	Louisiana
•	Mississippi
•	Ohio
•	South Carolina
•	Tennessee
•	Texas

👉 Double check to make sure you're registered here! 👈

Today in Election 2020: • There are 29 days until Election Day • California and Iowa start mail-in voting and early voting • New Jersey and Rhode Island start mail-in voting • Nebraska starts early voting

USA TODAY

Real quick

•	7 key takeaways from the Lindsey Graham, Jaime Harrison debate.
•	New York City will close schools in some neighborhoods Tuesday, the first rollback in its COVID-19 reopening.
•	Thomas Jefferson Byrd, a Tony Award-nominated actor best known onscreen for his roles in several Spike Lee films, was killed in an apparent shooting.
•	A firefighter rescued a mountain lion cub burned in a California wildfire.
•	Minor league baseball players scored a win in their effort for higher wages in the Supreme Court.

We binge-watched 15 hours of speeches by Trump's Supreme Court nominee so you don't have to

The debate surrounding Judge Amy Coney Barrett's potential appointment to the Supreme Court has focused largely on the fate of abortion rights. But her judicial philosophy could significantly affect other major issues that could come before the Supreme Court. While no one can predict how justices will ultimately rule once they have a seat on the nation's highest court, their past records offer a meaningful window into how they interpret the law. In more than 100 speeches and events since 2010, Barrett provided occasional hints about how she could rule on major issues, such as the Affordable Care Act, Roe v. Wade and challenges to the presidential election. She also revealed details about her upbringing, her family life with seven children and her personal tastes. Here's what we learned.

•	Amy Coney Barrett's potential appointment to the Supreme Court could have a big impact on workers' rights.
•	Trump and senators' positive COVID-19 tests spark worries over Barrett's confirmation, but the GOP is moving forward anyway.

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Sept. 26, 2020, in Washington, D.C.

Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

A break from the news

•	💻 From Apple to Xbox: Mark your calendar. Here come the new fall gadgets.
•	🐸 Star Wars fans: The Mandalorian season two arrives this month on Disney+. (There's no Baby Yoda emoji so the frog will have to suffice, I am sorry.)
•	💰 Did your employer lower their 401(k) match? Here's what to do.

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.