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Monday, December 27, 2021

Another socially distanced New Year's Eve

Could a sunken slave ship contain human DNA? Researchers are researching. It's Monday's news. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
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The Short List
 
Monday, December 27
Confetti rains down on an empty Times Square in Manhattan after the ball dropped Jan. 1, marking the start of 2021. Times Square, usually packed with thousands, was closed to all but a few because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Another socially distanced New Year's Eve
Could a sunken slave ship contain human DNA? Researchers are researching. It's Monday's news.
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Thousands of flights were delayed or canceled across the USA. Again. Anthony Fauci laid out his recommendations for New Year's Eve amid the COVID-19 surge. And could a sunken slave ship contain human DNA?

๐Ÿ‘‹ Hey! Laura here, with all the news you need to know on this lazy, cozy Monday. Seriously, does anyone get anything accomplished between Christmas and New Year's Day?

But first, what do a giant acorn, a big potato and bologna have in common? ๐Ÿคท‍♀️ They're all dropped in various cities on New Year's Eve.

The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here or text messages here.

What are you doing New Year's Eve?

A glass of champagne and a kiss are fine, but Americans should stay away from big parties this New Year's Eve,  presidential health adviser Anthony Fauci said Monday. Fauci said in an interview on CNN that people should avoid gatherings where they don't know the vaccination status of all the guests. The omicron variant is fueling another infection surge, and crowded indoor parties could accelerate spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday cut the amount of time it recommends people should isolate after testing positive for the coronavirus from 10 days to five. Health officials similarly reduced the amount of time one should quarantine after coming into contact with someone who tests positive. 

Need to get a COVID-19 vaccine booster? Here's what to know about mixing and matching the shots.
Man dies after a 15-day wait for a medical center bed. His survivors blame the COVID-19 surge.

Travel troubles keep on truckin'

Another day, another spate of flight cancellations. Airlines canceled and delayed thousands more flights Monday amid a staffing crisis caused by the nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant. More than 1,000 U.S. flights were canceled and more than 3,700 were delayed by 2:30 p.m. EST, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight status in real-time. Those are flights within, to and from the USA across all airlines. Several airlines said the scheduling issues were caused by staffing problems tied to COVID-19, and "weather challenges" were also blamed for the nearly 900 delays on Southwest Monday, the most for any airline. JetBlue spokesperson Derek Dombrowski said the airline has seen an "increasing number" of sick calls because of the fast-spreading omicron variant. He warned that additional cancellations and delays "remain a possibility."

What airlines owe you when your flight is canceled or delayed.
What travelers should know about at-home coronavirus tests.
A Delta flight from Seattle to Shanghai turned back midair. The airline tells why.
Travelers queue up at the south security checkpoint in the terminal of Denver International Airport on Dec. 26. Airlines canceled more than a thousand flights, citing staffing problems tied to COVID-19.
Travelers queue up at the south security checkpoint in the terminal of Denver International Airport on Dec. 26. Airlines canceled more than a thousand flights, citing staffing problems tied to COVID-19.
David Zalubowski/AP

A weird run of wild weather

Cold on the left coast, balmy in the South. Snow and rain pummeled a swath of the West on Monday while a holiday heat wave swept parts of the Southern Plains as the wild run of weather continued across the nation. Forecasters warned the weather pattern was not expected to change soon. "Significant snowfall to continue for portions of West Coast mountain ranges and the Intermountain West," National Weather Service meteorologist Peter Mullinax wrote in an advisory Monday. "Record cold for parts of the West Coast." Farther south was a far different story. The South and Southeast remain under the influence of a system that will provide above-normal temperatures through midweek. For the full weather outlook, click here.

A snowplow travels down a street in Tenino, Wash., on Dec. 26.
A snowplow travels down a street in Tenino, Wash., on Dec. 26.
Steve Bloom/AP

What everyone's talking about

Oregon man who told Biden 'Let's go, Brandon' on call says it was 'innocent jest.'
'Kwanzaa is necessary': The holiday celebrating African American culture presses on virtually, again.
2020 was awful. 2021 wasn't much better. What lurks around the corner in 2022?
Judge to consider bid to lower Colorado truck driver's 110-year sentence for Denver crash.

The Short List is free, but several stories we link to are subscriber-only. Consider supporting our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today.

LAPD to release bodycam footage, more information about shooting

The Los Angeles Police Department on Monday was expected to release video and other information about a police shooting last week at a Burlington store that killed a 14-year-old girl and an alleged suspect  in an assault. The officer who fired the shot that killed the girl was placed on administrative leave, the department confirmed. The Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner identified the girl Friday as Valentina Orellana-Peralta, 14, and ruled her death a homicide by a gunshot wound to the chest. The male suspect also died by a gunshot wound. The coroner identified him as Daniel Elena Lopez, 24. The officer on administrative leave has not been publicly identified.

Earlier: Coroner identifies 14-year-old girl killed by police in Burlington store.
Police yellow tape blocks the scene where two people were struck by gunfire at a Burlington store in North Hollywood, Calif., on Dec. 23.
Police yellow tape blocks the scene where two people were struck by gunfire at a Burlington store in North Hollywood, Calif., on Dec. 23.
Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP

Real quick

Police look into video of person saying he wanted to 'assassinate' Queen Elizabeth II.
Nearly $1 million worth of handbags stolen from luxury boutique store in Florida.
Crews find second apparent time capsule buried at Robert E. Lee statue site in Richmond.
23-year-old woman and her 88-year-old terminally ill grandfather graduate college together.

Last known slave ship to reach America may contain human DNA

Researchers studying Clotilda, the last known slave ship to reach America in 1860, discovered most of the ship is still intact – down to an unventilated pen for captives.  Two-thirds of the ship remain protected by freshwater and mud in a river near Mobile, Alabama, including the entire lower deck where 108 enslaved Africans were kept. Researchers said human DNA and other remains that may be found in the hull could help reveal descendants of the captives who formed their own town, Africatown, after the Civil War. William Foster, a wealthy businessman, secretly imported Africans to Alabama nearly half a century after the slave trade was outlawed. He tried to hide the evidence by burning and sinking the ship once the slaves were taken ashore. After a failed attempt, most of the vessel remains in the Mobile River.

This sonar image created by SEARCH and released by the Alabama Historical Commission shows the remains of the Clotilda, the last known U.S. ship involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Researchers studying the wreckage made the surprising discovery that most of the wooden schooner remains intact in a river near Mobile, Ala. including the pen used to imprison African captives during the brutal journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
This sonar image created by SEARCH and released by the Alabama Historical Commission shows the remains of the Clotilda, the last known U.S. ship involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Researchers studying the wreckage made the surprising discovery that most of the wooden schooner remains intact in a river near Mobile, Ala. including the pen used to imprison African captives during the brutal journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
Alabama Historical Commission via AP

A break from the news

๐Ÿฟ Ranked: The 10 best movies of 2021, from 'The Power of the Dog' to Diana drama 'Spencer.'
๐Ÿฅฐ 2021 was another difficult year. These 100 things made USA TODAY's entertainment team happy.
๐ŸŽก Let's ride! 2022's most anticipated theme park rides and attractions, from Iron Gwazi to Peppa Pig.

๐Ÿ—ฃ Let's play! USA TODAY launched something really fun. It's a new and improved Crossword App! Check it out!

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.

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