Also: Court vacates Trump admin rule that aimed to kick thousands off food stamps; Thanksgiving plans and COVID-19 risks
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 October 20, 2020
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| Good Morning Boston,
☁️ Cloudy, with a high near 70.
First things first: If you still haven't submitted your application to receive a mail-in ballot, today is the Post Office's recommended deadline. (The official deadline is this Saturday, but you'll be cutting it pretty close if you plan to mail back your ballot instead of bringing it to a drop box.) Now, onto more headlines you need to know this morning:
- More than 17% of 4.66 million registered voters in Massachusetts have already cast their ballots in the presidential election, as of 4 p.m. last night. That includes ballots from early in-person voting and mail-in voting.
- Massachusetts has delayed the resumption of jury trials until early next month because of the rise in coronavirus cases. Now the earliest potential start date for jury trials will be Nov. 9.
- Boston City Council is hearing public testimony today about the city reopening its public schools. So far, school has been underway for a month with only high-needs students attending in person, but there has been a lot of pressure (and a dismissed lawsuit) from the teachers union to go fully remote amid rising case numbers in the city.
- Since the start of the pandemic, most clinical trials have been paused or put aside to keep participants safe. But now some research, including a big Alzheimer's drug study, is continuing with extra safety measures.
- Let's talk about potential commute changes. Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack is predicting a continued drop in MBTA ridership. Ridership has already been down and the T needs to close a fiscal year 2022 budget gap that could surpass half a billion dollars. It's thinking of making up that cash by trimming transit services and raising fates, but both Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone want T officials to reconsider.
- And when it comes to traffic on the highways, Pollack said congestion is expected to stay down, too. State officials don't expect rush hour highway traffic to return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024 at the earliest.
P.S.– Need a two minute break today? Time travel with the Merriam-Webster dictionary. — Meagan McGinnes
@meaganmcginnes
newsletters@wbur.org
The Rundown 1. Spurred By Pandemic, Buyers Scoop Up Homes And Mass. Prices Climb Higher
"This is the most competitive I’ve seen the market during my time in the industry," says the head of the state realtors' association. Read more. | 
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2. Advocates Press Lawsuit Despite DOC Claims Of Improved Involuntary Addiction Treatment
"Culturally, a lot of what we're hearing is it's a culture of control and distrust, the kind of environment that's more stigmatizing and not at all therapeutic." Read more.
3. Court Vacates Trump Administration Rule That Sought To Kick Thousands Off Food Stamps
The USDA rule "radically and abruptly alters decades of regulatory practice," Howell said in her ruling, adding that it would have "exponentially" increased food insecurity for tens of thousands of Americans and imposed significant costs on states. Read more.
4. Boston Children's Hospital Names New CEO Amid Pandemic
Churchwell must manage the pediatric hospital's response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has affected thousands of young patients. He also hopes to use national conversations about diversity and inclusion to open more doors at Boston Children's for minorities like himself. Read more.
5. Supreme Court Rules Pennsylvania Can Count Ballots Received After Election Day
The decision comes in a state that is central to the presidential campaigns of both major-party candidates. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are the only two swing states where officials can begin processing and counting the millions of absentee ballots only on Election Day, likely delaying complete results for several days. Read more.
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- Starting to make Thanksgiving plans? Here & Now spoke with a doctor to run through the COVID-19 risks of getting together with family.
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- Whether a constitutional crisis emerges in the days after the election will depend on the counting of every single vote, writes MIT political science Prof. Charles Stewart III in this commentary. Focus on that process – not on the distractions of a desperate candidate.
| | | | | | HERE & NOW
Poet Amanda Gorman On Activism And Art In Times Of Darkness | | Viral Video Makes Phil Collins' 'In the Air Tonight' A Hit Song Again. Listen. Tired Of Pandemic Cooking? Jacques Pépin Says To Simplify, Shares His Best Tips. Listen. First Time Voters Share Thoughts On Candidates, Worries Of Post-Election Unrest. Listen. | | | | | | | | What We're Reading |
- Biden would revamp fraying intel community (Politico)
| | | | Tell Me Something Good
Skater Jasmine Moore Says Roller Skating Is All About Black Joy
Jasmine Moore posts skating videos on Instagram, where thousands of followers tune into her series called Skate Dial to hear her chat with other skaters about fashion, political organizing and skating. |  | | | | Before you go: "Boston will never not Boston as hard as it can." | | | 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up here.
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