The Daily Valet. - 9/29/20, Tuesday

✔️ Milestones Good and Bad

September 29, 2020

Tuesday, September 29th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I've already eaten too many Oreos for the day ...

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today's edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

Global Death Toll Surpasses 1 Million

The U.S. leads the world in COVID-19 deaths, with a fifth of all fatalities

The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus has eclipsed 1 million, nine months into the pandemic.

Over 33.2 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. And the actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks.

The United States is the worst-affected country with more than 7.1 million diagnosed cases and at least 204,778 deaths. That means it accounts for 20% of all deaths worldwide, even though it contains only 4% of the global population.

“I can understand why ... numbers are losing their power to shock, but I still think it’s really important that we understand how big these numbers really are,” pandemic expert Mark Honigsbaum told the Associated Press.

The big hope is that an effective vaccine can finally bring things under control—not eliminating the virus, but turning it into something we can live with. Few experts think a massive rollout across the majority of the population can happen before the third quarter of next year, even if things go well, reports BuzzFeed News.

Nearly 190 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least nine of which are in crucial phase three trials.

↦ Map It: Here's how many coronavirus cases per country have been confirmed, visualized.

Will You Watch the First Debate?

And so it begins

President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden will meet tonight in Cleveland for the first of three presidential debates. Only 80 people will be in the audience, which will no doubt change the energy.

According to the Washington Post, the president is already on defense after a report that he avoided paying federal income taxes posed a threat to his image as a successful businessman and “America First” patriot.

The report gave Biden a fresh line of attack and left Trump struggling to defend himself on an issue that has dogged him throughout his presidency. But tonight will be Trump's chance to challenge Biden after taking shots at his mental fitness.

Of course, it's not clear how much these debates do to sway voters. And Michael McDonald, who runs the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida, told NPR that approximately 1,000,000 people have already cast their vote in this year's election.

↦ Stream it: CBS, CSPAN and ABC News have YouTube streams ready to go.

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We’re All Eating Too Much Sugar ...

Because 2020 isn’t done taking from us

A federal committee has recommended that Americans limit their consumption of added sugars to 6% of their daily calories—down from the current guideline of 10%, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The group's recommendations, for the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, spotlight the growing toll of obesity on the nation's health, and—not surprisingly—are drawing pushback from makers of candy, sodas and other sugary drinks.

According to the Journal, most Americans aren't even limiting their added sugar to the current 10% guideline. Nearly two-thirds of people age one and older consumed more than 10% of their daily calories in added sugar, according to recent data analyzed by the committee. The mean consumption is 13%.

What does 6% look like in real life? Well, two servings of Oreos (or six cookies) will do it. So that means I blew through the recommendations just writing this newsletter.

↦ FYI: More than 70% of U.S. adults ages 20 and older are overweight or obese, according to 2016 figures from the CDC.

Lightning Wins the Stanley Cup

Tampa Bay defeats Dallas in Game 6 to win the franchise's 1st Cup since 2004

Tampa Bay won the NHL’s restart Monday night in Edmonton.

The Lightning won its second Stanley Cup in franchise history, and the first professional sports championship ever awarded inside a heavily-sanitized bubble, with a 2-0 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 6, reports ESPN.

The clock's hitting zeros in an empty arena set off a joyful celebration for a team that endured years of playoff heartbreak and two months in isolation.

"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."

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

This brutal metaphor for the U.S. tax code

Why ashtrays are so cool

Grey sweatpants season

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