Three things for September 29
1. Trump and Biden’s first presidential debate tonight
Tonight is the first 2020 presidential debate between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The two will debate in Cleveland, Ohio, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace will moderate the debate. Wallace announced last week some of the topics of discussion, including Trump and Biden’s records, the Supreme Court, COVID-19, the economy and social justice.
The debate comes only a few days after the release of Trump’s tax records and his nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
Tonight’s debate will be the first of three debates before Election Day, which is only 36 days away. The debate will be available for viewing on all major channels: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, Telemundo, Univision, CNN, MSNBC and CSPAN.
The debate starts at 9 p.m. Eastern time and will last 90 minutes with no advertising breaks. The next debate is Oct. 7, though it will be the sole debate between the vice-presidents.
The next presidential debate will be Oct. 15.
For more information on voting, applications, and resources visit Lee University’s election page.
2. Worldwide COVID-19 deaths hit 1 million
According to a Johns Hopkins University count, the number of lives taken by COVID-19 just passed 1 million.
Of those, 205,000 are from the U.S. In a world of 7.8 billion people, this means that COVID-19 has taken the lives of 0.000128% of the world population. The numbers are continuously updated, as nearly 5,000 deaths are reported daily, according to AP News.
“It’s not just a number. It’s human beings. It’s people we love,” Dr. Howard Markel, a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan, told AP News.
3. Tampa Bay wins Stanley Cup
The NHL Championship came to a close last night when the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Dallas Stars 2-0 in Game Six of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final.
This is Tampa Bay’s second championship win, the last being in 2004.
It was an unusual postseason for the NHL as games were almost entirely played out in quarantine.
By intentionally isolating their players and teams, the NHL was officially able to hold a championship, the first of four major North American professional sports leagues to do so since the start of the pandemic.
“It takes a lot to be in a bubble for 80 days or whatever long it was,” said defenseman Victor Hedman, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. “But it’s all worth it now. We’re coming home with the Cup.”
