Virginia governor race, Pfizer vaccine goes before panel, World Series: 5 things to know Tuesday

Biden to campaign for McAuliffe in Virginia as race remains a 'dead heat'

Virginia's bellwether race for governor between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin remains close and Democrats are bringing out high-profile party leaders to stump for McAuliffe, who has held the office once already. President Joe Biden will take the short drive from Washington and campaign with McAuliffe at Virginia Highlands Park in Arlington on Tuesday, according to his official schedule. This comes after former President Barack Obama headlined a rally for McAuliffe in Richmond over the weekend. McAuliffe and Youngkin are tied at roughly 45% each, according to a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll released Tuesday. But roughly 5% of likely voters say they are still undecided a week before the Nov. 2 election. David Paleologos, director of Suffolk University Political Research Center, said the race is simply a "dead heat," and will boil down to which party can get out its voters. The race is much closer than Democrats had hoped after winning two consecutive governor's races.

• Bigger picture: Virginia governor's race tests Biden, Democrats before 2022

• Democrats squabble, scramble to meet self-imposed deadline: Why this week is vital for Biden

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Panel to review Pfizer-BioNTech's data for children aged 5 to 11

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee will on Tuesday examine data from Pfizer-BioNTech's trials in 5- to 11-year-olds and decide whether the vaccine's benefits outweigh its risks in that age group. Children in this age group would receive one-third of the adult dose given in two shots at least three weeks apart. The FDA commissioner would then have to sign off on the shots, along with an advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), scheduled to meet Nov. 2 and 3, and then the CDC director. Because children are unlikely to become severely ill from COVID-19, vaccines have to be incredibly safe and have a significant impact on the pandemic to justify their use in this age group, experts say. Data made public Friday shows they appear to be.

• 'We're going to be ready:' Biden administration reveals COVID-19 vaccination plan for kids 5 to 11

• Patience needed: Kids could be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine days after Halloween. Pediatricians plead for patience

Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube officials expected to testify in front of Senate

Officials from social media giants are expected to testify in front of the Senate as part of a bipartisan hearing on social media titled "Protecting Kids Online: Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube." Tuesday's hearing comes after Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testified before Congress and the British Parliament on algorithms used by the tech giant. The techniques often captivate impressionable children, Haugen said. Earlier this year, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Republic Sen. Marsha Blackburn sent Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg a letter calling for his company to release internal research on social media's impact on children's mental health. "An expanding volume of scientific research shows that social media platforms can have a profoundly harmful impact on young audiences," they wrote. "As one of the largest platforms for young audiences, Facebook has a profound obligation to ensure its products do not contribute to this crisis."

• 'Profits before people': After Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen argued her case, will Congress act?

• Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg breaks his silence as Congress demands answers after whistleblower testimony

East Coast braces for heavy winds, rain as storms leave California

The East Coast is preparing for heavy rain and winds, as storms that originated over the Pacific Ocean move away from California. By Tuesday, a storm will strengthen as it moves across southern New England, bombarding residents with heavy rain and increasingly windy conditions, according to AccuWeather. Flooding downpours will also reach from southern Maine to eastern New York this week with localized totals reaching eight inches in some areas as the storm intensifies off the coast, AccuWeather forecast. Winds are expected to gust from 40 to 60 mph Tuesday and Wednesday from the Jersey Shore to the southern shore of Nova Scotia. By Thursday, the nor'easter will move out to sea – but another storm built on remnants from the "bomb cyclone" that walloped California on Sunday is expected to approach from the west, dousing East Coast trick-or-treaters next weekend.

• Bomb cyclone, atmospheric river blast West Coast: 2 dead in Seattle area, hundreds of thousands without power

• Photo gallery: 'Bomb Cyclone' slams the West Coast

Astros, Braves face off in World Series

The Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros will face off in Game 1 of the 2021 World Series in Houston Tuesday night (8:09 p.m. ET, FOX). Both teams are coming off six-game series' respectively, with the Astros eliminating the Boston Red Sox in the American League and the Braves knocking off the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League. Atlanta enters the series searching for their first title since 1995, while the Astros are back in the World Series for the third time in five years and are aiming for their first championship since 2017. Framber Valdez, coming off a stellar eight-inning start in Game 5 of the ALCS, will start for the Astros while the Braves are expected to send 14-game winner Charlie Morton to the mound.

• Braves' Freddie Freeman at a loss for words in reaching first World Series: 'Means the world to me'

• 'Because of them, we're here now': Astros' young stars, led by Yordan Alvarez, lead old guard back to World Series

• Short starts, long games: MLB playoffs amplify game's pitching crisis. Where will it go from here?

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Virginia governor's race, Pfizer vaccine review: 5 things to know Tuesday