A new wave of COVID-19 cases is building across the United States, a harbinger of difficult winter months ahead. / Vox

President Trump will hold a rally today in Florida, though he won’t say whether he has tested negative yet for the coronavirus. / The Washington Post

“Taking Page From Authoritarians, Trump Turns Power of State Against Political Rivals.” / The New York Times

A majority of China’s liberal intellectuals support Trump, due in part to their glorification of the American system. / Inkstone

US Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett begins her confirmation hearings today. / The Associated Press

It’s the fastest Supreme Court nomination timeline in nearly five decades as Republicans rush to confirm Barrett with just five weeks until the election. / BuzzFeed News

Jaime Harrison, the Democrat challenging Sen. Lindsey Graham, just raised the most money a Senate candidate has ever raised in a single quarter in American history. / The Post and Courier

A profile of MacKenzie Scott—Amazon’s first employee and Jeff Bezos’s ex-wife, who recently gave away $1.7 billion to a variety of nonprofits, from historically Black colleges to a crisis text line. / Marker

Researchers have discovered the fastest possible speed of sound. / Phys.org

A quantum version of the internet would allow for unhackable networks and information that travels faster than the speed of light. / Discover

The Los Angeles Lakers win the Championship after the longest season in NBA history. / ESPN

A group of bears living at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center have an important job: testing coolers to determine whether they’re bear-resistant. / Outside

The latest trend in desserts: things that are not too sweet. / Vice

“The rest of your day will thank you.” The argument for BLTs as breakfast food. / Eater