The US sets a daily record of over 85,000 new cases on Friday while the resurgent virus attacks the heartland. / The New York Times
As cases spike across Europe, Italy imposes lockdowns on its three largest cities: Rome, Milan, and Naples. / The Associated Press
Curfews across England and France, limits on drinking in the Czech Republic and Belgium, stricter mask requirements in Greece and Switzerland. / Vox
After seven months in which cases increased relentlessly, the number of new infections per day in India dropped sharply in October. / The Washington Post
Four months in the lives of seven Western New Yorkers who lost their jobs during the pandemic. / The Buffalo News
A fishing town in Maine tried for years to lure mega cruise ships. It got one amid lockdown, with a crew of Covid exiles. / DownEast
Due to the coronavirus, Santa Claus won’t be visiting Macy’s in Manhattan for the first time in 160 years. / The Associated Press
“And if I shoot you what is going to happen? Won’t you die and go?” Everything you need to know about the protests in Nigeria. / This Week in Africa
Regarding the supposed Hunter Biden story: even the WSJ and Fox News agree it’s all so much nothing. / The Wall Street Journal, Fox, Twitter
See also: “The Militia That Fox News Built” and “Inside the campaign to 'pizzagate' Hunter Biden.” / The Atlantic, NBC News
The newest Interior Department deputy calls Black Lives Matter “racist,” defended accused killer Kyle Rittenhouse, and uncritically cited a white supremacist in a 2018 Fox News op-ed. / HuffPost
Unrelated/related: How to spot a military imposter. / The Morning News
The "basic white girl who loves fall" in the United States predates the trend of pumpkin spice by more than a century. / Jezebel
Diversity among TV actors continues to improve. Otherwise, Hollywood remains a place mostly for white men. / Deadline
An activist in Portland has built an artificial intelligence system that can be used to identify police officers. / Mic
How NASA snagged a sample from an asteroid 220 million miles away: with an 11-foot-long arm that began life as a plastic cup. / Quartz
Food writer Angela Hansberger missed restaurants so badly, she opened her own—for a chipmunk. / Bon Appétit