World News: Hop in, we’re going to the moon 🌙

USA TODAY: Hop in, we're going to the moon 🌙

Monday, October 26

The full moon sets behind trees in the Taunus region near Frankfurt, Germany, May 7, 2020.

Water has been discovered on the sunlit part of the moon. Amy Coney Barrett is poised to become the ninth justice on the Supreme Court. It's Monday's news.

Water on the moon? An incoming Supreme Court justice? Eight days until the election?

It's Ashley, and we're clearly in for a quite a week. But we'll get through it together.

But first, it's a boy — a big boy: Look at these adorable photos of the new endangered white rhino born at Disney World. 🦏 (All 150 pounds of him!)

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There's more water on the moon than we thought

Water has been discovered on the sunlit part of the moon for the first time, NASA announced on Monday. Adding to the stellar space news: The water may be distributed across the lunar surface — not just its cold, shadowed places. This is good news for astronauts at future lunar bases who could tap into these resources for drinking and rocket fuel production. The discovery, made by the SOFIA flying observatory, raises intriguing questions about resources relevant for deep space exploration. "Water is a precious resource in deep space and a key ingredient of life as we know it. Whether the water on the moon is easily accessible for use as a resource remains to be determined," said NASA scientist Jacob Bleacher.

The full moon is seen during a penumbral lunar eclipse in Mexico City on June 5, 2020.

Rodrigo Arangua, AFP via Getty Images

John G. Roberts, Jr. &
Clarence Thomas &
Stephen G. Breyer &
Samuel A. Alito, Jr. &
Sonia Sotomayor &
Elena Kagan &
Neil M. Gorsuch &
Brett M. Kavanaugh &
Amy Coney Barrett?!

Is today the big day for Judge Amy Coney Barrett? Barrett is poised to become the ninth justice on the Supreme Court on Monday, solidifying a 6-3 conservative majority on the high court that Democrats warn could have lasting impacts on the nation's health care and rights for individuals. The Republican-led Senate is expected to confirm Barrett to the Supreme Court in a vote Monday evening, capping off a sprint to place her on the high court before Election Day over Democratic objections. There is little Democrats can do to halt the final vote as only one Republican senator, Susan Collins of Maine, said she would vote against Barrett, though liberals have spent days using procedural maneuvers to slow the process and force votes on contentious issues.

The U.C. Capitol is seen early, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020 in Washington, where Senate Republicans will work toward the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.

J. Scott Applewhite, AP

What everyone's talking about

•	"Desperate Housewives" actress Felicity Huffman has ended her probation, completing her college admissions scandal sentence.
•	A small but potent wind-driven wildfire prompted the evacuation of 60,000 residents in California's Orange County.
•	Former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia criticized New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton's flashy attire.
•	You can get a 3D printed studio (yes, a printed apartment) for just over $100K.

Who's it going to be, America?

We're t-minus eight days until Election Day, and both national polls and swing state surveys make it clear the race between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden is tightening. Trump gained on Biden in national polling averages, and in nine of 12 contested states. But Biden still holds a sizable lead in the national polls and is still ahead of Trump in 10 of the 12 states that could decide the election. Biden's average lead is only 3 percentage points or more in five of the swing states, but those include the crucial states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that Trump flipped in 2016. And while Trump grew his modest lead in Ohio and cut Biden's leads in Arizona, Florida and Georgia further down to size, he also lost ground in Texas and Iowa.

•	There are 8 days until Election Day. Here's what you need to know.
•	Americans worried about Election Day violence are buying guns and toilet paper.
•	Young and progressive voters aren't just "settling for Biden" anymore; they're going all in.

President Donald Trump gestures toward Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden.

Morry Gash, AP

Hurricane Zeta has entered the chat

Zeta strengthened into a hurricane Monday as it approached Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula before taking aim on the battered U.S. Gulf Coast later this week. Forecasters said the storm will likely weaken slightly on Monday, but it should restrengthen as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday and Wednesday. Forecasters urge residents from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle to monitor the storm's progress as Zeta is expected to be at or near hurricane strength when it approaches the northern Gulf Coast.

This satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Zeta, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, at 2110 GMT (5:10 p.m. ET).

NOAA/NESDIS/STAR via AP

Real quick

•	"Borat" was the final blow of the marriage between Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock, the comedy's star claims.
•	El Paso, Texas, has issued a daily curfew as COVID-19 patients flood hospitals.
•	Austin Quinn-Davidson is the first woman and openly gay mayor of Alaska's largest city. She hopes to be an inspiration, too.
•	Drew Barrymore is revealing the hardest part of her divorce with Will Kopelman.

Video of fatal Illinois police shooting will be released, mayor says

Bodycam and dashcam video of a fatal police shooting of a Black teen and wounding of a Black woman in Illinois will be released this week, the city's mayor said. A police officer in Waukegan shot and killed Marcellis Stinnette, 19, and wounded Tafara Williams, 20, last Tuesday after the car allegedly reversed toward the officer. The officer involved in the shooting was since fired by the Waukegan Police Department "for multiple policy and procedure violations." The incident sparked multiple days of protests in Waukegan.

WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS: Sherrellis Stinnette, the grandmother of 19-year-old Marcellis Stinnette, joins demonstrators protesting the October 20 police shooting that left her grandson dead and his girlfriend, 20-year-old Tafara Williams, with serious injuries on October 22, 2020 in Waukegan, Illinois. About 100 protestors, including many family members of the shooting victims, marched from the shooting scene to City Hall, making stops at the police station and courthouse along the way. The demonstrators denounced violence but demanded accountability in statements along the way.

Scott Olson, Getty Images

Happy Halloween from the president and first lady ... and the president and first lady?

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump played host Sunday to hundreds of superheroes, unicorns, skeletons and even a miniature version of themselves as part of a Halloween celebration at the White House. Trump was particularly pleased with a young boy with a distinctly Trump head of hair and a partner who did her best Mrs. Trump impersonation.👇

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump great guests on the south lawn of the White House on Oct. 25, 2020, in Washington, DC. To ensure the health and safety of guests and staff during the Halloween festivities, extra measures such as facemasks, social distancing, and hand-sanitizer were put in place.

Tasos Katopodis, Getty Images

A break from the news

•	🎁 43 gifts that kids actually want this year.
•	💰 5 financial moves you need to make before the end of 2020.
•	🚚 The next truck you see may be a quiet, zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell rig.

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