promoearn: Meet with MAGA teens? Nathan Phillips is willing

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Meet with MAGA teens? Nathan Phillips is willing

Tuesday, January 22

Adam Sandmann and other Covington Catholic students in MAGA hats, Washington, DC, Jan. 18, 2019

Indigenous elder in Covington video says he'd travel to the school

Plus: Tom Brady, Academy Awards and Trump's military ban. All the news you need to know.

The fallout continues from that Covington Catholic video, Trump's transgender military ban gets the go-ahead and Tom Brady looks a little ... green. It's Ashley Shaffer, your guide to The Short List, bringing you the most interesting news of the day.

But first: Remember Fiji Girl from the Golden Globes? The infamous photo bomber is still serving water and looks, this time on the set of "The Bold and the Beautiful."

The fallout from the Covington encounter

The Native American elder seen face-to-face with Covington Catholic High School students in a now-viral video says he's willing to meet with the teens after the footage sparked a national debate over the weekend. Nathan Phillips says the encounter could become a teachable moment on respect for diverse cultures. Longer footage of the encounter emerged Sunday, showing a group of Black Hebrew Israelites harassing the students before Phillips intervened, raising questions about who initiated the Friday dust-up at the Indigenous Peoples March in Washington, D.C. Threats followed to the students and the school itself, prompting classes to be cancelled on Tuesday amid safety concerns.

•	Trump backed the all-boys school, saying the teens were 'treated unfairly' in the media.
•	Nicholas Sandmann, the student grinning inches from Phillips in the video, will be on NBC's "Today" show Wednesday.
•	A vigil for peace and against racism unfolded at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington Tuesday.

Supreme Court OKs Trump's transgender military ban — for now

The Supreme Court will allow President Donald Trump's partial ban on transgender people serving in the military to take effect while court challenges continue. The high court Tuesday cleared away lower court actions that blocked the controversial policy from being implemented for nearly a year. But justices refused to hear the case before the Trump administration fights through federal appeals courts, leaving questions surrounding the action unresolved for now. The Pentagon reiterated Tuesday that the policy is not a complete ban and that transgender troops will continue to be treated with respect and dignity.

Wakanda at the Oscars

Academy Award nominations are out, and they will, they will, rock you. The first superhero movie to really deserve an Oscar nod for best picture got one. (We see you, 'Black Panther.' ) Among those also fighting for best picture: the Queen biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "A Star is Born." Alfonso Cuaron's drama about the life of a Mexican maid, "Roma," landed 10 nominations, along with Yorgos Lanthimos' 18th-century farce "The Favourite." Just like no movie isn't complete without a little drama, the interwebs are heated over this year's biggest snubs including Bradley Cooper, "Crazy Rich Asians" and Emily Blunt. The Oscars air Feb. 24.

Day 32: Yes, the government is still partially shut down

The Senate will vote Thursday on bills to fund the government, the first sign of movement in weeks toward ending the longest government shutdown in history.

Real quick

•	Anne Hathaway is putting the bottle down: She's done with booze for the next 18 years, she said.
•	Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) announced she'll run for president in 2020.
•	Did someone target Patriots quarterback Tom Brady with a green laser pointer?

A senator's divorce papers point to 'an extremely painful journey'

Years before her divorce, Sen. Joni Ernst was assaulted by her husband after she confronted him about his relationship with their daughter's babysitter, she wrote in court filings. Ernst, a Republican who represents Iowa in the U.S. Senate, said that during her 26-year marriage with Gail Ernst, she was the victim of verbal and mental abuse and a physical assault. "This has been an extremely painful journey," she wrote. Their divorce was finalized this month.

Strike over? L.A. teachers reach an agreement

L.A. teachers reached an agreement that could end their six-day teachers' union strike. The tentative deal, announced Tuesday, came after a 21-hour bargaining session between the United Teachers Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District. The agreement includes higher salaries, lower class sizes and more nurses and counselors at schools, said Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of the union. Teachers in the nation's second-largest school district are scheduled to vote on the agreement late Tuesday and could return to work Wednesday.

'I shouldn't have said tapes'

Whoopsie, Rudy: Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, made headlines for recalling the president said talks about efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow were "going on from the day I announced to the day I won," according to The New York Times. "I did not say that," Giuliani told The New Yorker Monday, claiming the Times "made it up." Except Trump said the same thing a month ago to the New York Daily News. Giuliani also decried a recent Buzzfeed report as false, claiming he has "been through all the tapes." Wait, what tapes? "I shouldn't have said tapes," Giuliani told the New Yorker. Oh, Rudy.

Josh Hafner chipped in on this compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want The Short List straight to your inbox? Sign up, and tell your friends.