10 things you need to know today: November 19, 2020

The U.S. coronavirus death toll surpasses 250,000, Meadows says he "can't guarantee" a deal to avert December shutdown, and more

A COVID testing sign
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1. U.S. COVID-19 death toll reaches 250,000

The nation's COVID-19 death toll surpassed 250,000 on Wednesday and hospitalizations set new records every day this week, nearing 77,000 as of Tuesday. Nationwide, newly confirmed infections jumped by more than 80 percent over the last two weeks, nearing an average of 160,000 per day. Infections are rising in every state. The wave of new cases has prompted governors and mayors across the country to issue mask mandates and new restrictions on public and other gatherings just before Thanksgiving. U.S. hospitals are converting everything from chapels to parking garages into treatment areas to handle surging coronavirus cases. "We are depressed, disheartened, and tired to the bone," said Alison Johnson, director of critical care at Johnson City Medical Center in Tennessee.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.