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Exactly two weeks away from Election Day, the U.S. presidential candidates are out and about on the campaign trail.
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And that's where we're starting today's edition of CNN 10.
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It's great to see you.
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I'm Carl Azuz.
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Millions of early votes are in.
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In fact, a survey of ballot data that CNN participated in found that more than 27 million votes have been cast so far.
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That count stretched across 45 states and the District of Columbia.
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Traditionally, though, the biggest day for U.S. politicians is election day itself.
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And as November 3rd approaches, they're doing everything they can to get their supporters to the polls.
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On Sunday, at an in-person rally in Carson City, Nevada, incumbent Republican President Donald Trump spoke to supporters.
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And the best is yet to come, it's happening.
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The best is yet to come.
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Proud citizens like you helped build this country, and together we are taking back our country.
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We're returning power to you, the American people.
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So with your help, your devotion and your drive, we're going to keep on working.
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We're going to keep on fighting.
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And we're going to keep on winning, winning, winning.
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Also on Sunday at a drive-in rally in Durham, North Carolina, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden spoke to supporters in their cars.
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Folks, as my coach used to say at college, "It's go time!"
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I'm running as a proud Democrat, but I will govern as an American president.
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No red states, no blue states, just the United States.
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I promise you: I'll work as hard for those who don't support me as those who did.
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But it's not just the presidential candidates who are working to get votes.
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As we reported last Thursday, every voting seat in the U.S House of Representatives is up for election.
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Democrats currently control that chamber with 232 seats to the Republicans 197.
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There's one Libertarian and five vacant seats in the House.
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In the Senate, 35 seats just over a third or up for election.
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Republicans currently controlled that chamber, with 53 seats to the Democrats 45.
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There are two independents who vote with the Democrats.
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And in addition to all that, thousands of state and local officials are trying to win the vote.
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So Americans have seen dozens of signs and ads for candidates not named Biden or Trump.
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But unlike those elections and the ballot measures, when voters themselves get to decide a law issue, the vote for the presidency is not direct.
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It's for electors, members of the Electoral College who ultimately decide who sits in the White House.
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Americans do not vote directly for their president.
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I'm not talking about a government conspiracy.
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I'm talking about the Electoral College, a system that has been around since the birth of our nation.
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What is the Electoral College?
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The Electoral College is not a building or institution.
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It's just the name given to a designated group of people who cast each state's official votes for president.
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This group is made up of 538 people.
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Each state has a different number of electors based on their representatives in Congress.
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So states like California and Texas have more votes than states like North and South Dakota.
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The only exception?
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The District of Columbia, which has three electors despite not having any voting members in Congress.
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How does it work?
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Each party selects their own group of electors.
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Each state that empowers the electors who represent the candidate who won the most votes, except Nebraska and Maine, who award electors based on a combination of statewide results and districts won.
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The candidate who receives at least 270 Electoral College votes becomes the next president.
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What if there's a tie?
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If there is a tie or if somebody doesn't get to 270 , the House of Representatives appoints the president and the Senate chooses the vice president.
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Why does this system exist?
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In short, the Electoral College was created as a compromise of several different proposals by the nation's founders.
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Critics say the system allows candidates to become president without necessarily securing a majority of voter support.
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Advocates argue it ensures less populated states aren't completely ignored.
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How are these people selected?
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The electors are chosen by their political parties in each state.
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The only rule is that they cannot currently hold office.
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Can an elector ignore the popular vote?
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Yes, it's called a faithless elector, but it's rare, and it has never affected the outcome of an election.
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Some states require formal pledges enforced by fines and possible jail time, but, historically speaking, members rarely depart from the will of the people.
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One big reason why 27 million of those people have made their will known ahead of Election day: concerns about coronavirus.
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They're trying to avoid crowded public polling places on November 3rd, even though they've been waiting in some very long lines to vote early.
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The number of COVID cases has been increasing in most US states, but a top infectious disease specialist says another nationwide lockdown is not the answer, at least not at this point.
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Instead, he's urging Americans to avoid crowds, gather in small groups outdoors and wear masks.
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In Europe, however, there are countries considering closures once again.
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I'm Ben Wedeman.
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In Naples Sunday evening, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conti announced new measures to try to slow the second wave of coronavirus here.
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They were, however, fairly modest measures, simply limiting some forms of social gathering.
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For the last five days in a row, Italy has reported record increases in the number of new coronavirus cases.
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Increases the likes of which we never saw here during the darkest days of the pandemic earlier this year.
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I'm Salma Abdelaziz in Manchester, where we finally have a breakthrough after a dayslong standoff between the authorities here and the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson over plans to raise the alert level of the city.
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The mayor says that he has had constructive talks with the government.
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We've also heard from the housing secretary that a larger financial package will be offered to the city to help affected businesses.
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The government says it is hopeful that a conclusion will be reached today, but it's important to remember Manchester is just one city.
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Imagine having to negotiate these restrictions city by city, town by town.
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That's part of the reason why the country's scientific advisers are calling for a nationwide lockdown.
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I'm Scott McLain in Berlin, where the chancellor is urging Germans to abide by coronavirus rules as the number of infections continues to rise.
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Meanwhile, in nearby Prague, people protested the new restrictions there over the weekend, with no social distancing and few masks in sight.
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I'm Melissa Bell in Paris.
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Here in France, the daily rises in new coronavirus cases for the fourth day in a row above 25,000.
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This as the curfews came into effect in 10 French cities, including here in Paris from midnight on Friday.
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It's going to take some time, though for those to have an impact--if they do--on the number of new cases.
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And, of course, all eyes are very much on what these massive rises in new cases are gonna mean for the number of I.C.U beds taken up by coronavirus patients.
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Already nationally, it is above 35 percent.
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And in places like the greater Paris region, 46.8.
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10 second trivia!
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Who or what is 2018VP1?
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An asteroid, a comet, Mike Pence, or the first Masked Singer?
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It's a bird?
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It's a plane?
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No! It's an asteroid that's headed toward Earth as you watch this show.
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And it could hit the Earth one day before the U.S. election--but it probably won't.
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Scientists have known about this asteroid since 2018.
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It's about the size of a refrigerator, and they say there's a chance of one in 240 that it will enter Earth's atmosphere on November 2nd.
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But even if 2018VP1 is on a path to do that, astronomers say it'll disintegrate and burn up in our atmosphere before it hits the ground beneath our feet.
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Many of them are far more interested in another asteroid named Bennu.
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NASA has a US$1.16 billion mission, in which a spacecraft is going to try to touch down on Bennu, collect a sample of its surface and bring it back home to Earth in 2023.
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It's taking so long because the asteroid and the spacecraft are 200 million miles from Earth.
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But if it works, it will be the first time a sample from a rock in space is brought back to our planet.
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NASA should know by Tuesday if the sample collection successfully took place.
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Well, the moon is set to get a 4G network, and it may be more reliable than ours.
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There won't be any trees, buildings or TV signals to get in the way.
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But Carl, you might be asking: there are no people on the moon, why do this?
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So glad you asked.
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NASA is hoping to build a moon base by 2028, and they figure it'll need wireless technology.
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So they gave Bell Labs US$14 million to build out a 4G network on the moon, and it'll be upgradable to 5G.
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The 2028 is many moons from now.
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5G technology may no longer be out of this world by then.
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Technology buffs may 5-"jeer" at it, saying putting something so dated on the moon is sheer lunar-cy.
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Maybe ET can phone home, but it might be to dial up a complaint about a slow connection.
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I'm Carl Azuz.
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Hey, speaking of planetary connections, it is great to see the students of the American Embassy School in New Delhi today.
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Thank you for watching from the Indian capital.
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Come on back tomorrow for more CNN.