promoearn: This cop's been 'dying' for 25 years

Thursday, November 21

A cop avoided a rape trial for decades. Impeachment testimonies end with some uncertainty. It's Thursday's news.

A former detective said he's "dying" to avoid a sex abuse trial. The week's public impeachment inquiry hearings are over. And the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is canceled.

It's Ashley. Let's talk news, shall we?

But first, the long way home: No one's quite sure how a 6-year-old cat made it from Oregon to New Mexico. But five years after he vanished, Sasha finally made it home.

The Short List newsletter is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe here!

How a cop has stalled his child sex abuse trial for decades

In 1995, Leonard Forte was due to face charges that he'd repeatedly raped and molested his daughter's 12-year-old friend. Instead, he started dying. Forte, then a 54-year-old former detective in New York, told the court his doctors had given him a grim diagnosis: Without a heart transplant, he'd be dead within a year. A prosecutor agreed to delay the case until Forte was healthy enough to stand trial – unless his terminal condition made prosecuting him a moot point. Forte never received a heart transplant. But he also didn't die. Instead, he has been living as a retiree in Florida, collecting boats, taking vacations and successfully fending off his trial by professing for more than two decades that he's on the verge of death.

•	ON RECORD: A year of USA TODAY Network investigations into police misconduct.

Impeachment inquiry: What happens now?

We know President Donald Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a "favor" on July 25: To investigate political rival Joe Biden and his son. At the same time, $391 million in U.S. military aid to Ukraine was left in limbo. But just how connected was the favor to the aid? David Holmes and Fiona Hill, two central witnesses to the Ukraine pressure campaign, testified publicly Thursday in the impeachment inquiry into Trump's dealings with Ukraine. The two cap off the dozen witnesses called so far to testify publicly in House Democrats' impeachment inquiry. Does this mean a vote on impeachment is coming soon? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday: "We haven't made any decision yet."

•	There have been a ton of impeachment hearings at this point. Here are the key moments from all the testimonies.
•	Pathway of the impeachment process: Here's how it works and where we are.

Former senior director for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council, Fiona Hill testifies during the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on Nov. 21, 2019.

SHAWN THEW, EPA-EFE

What everyone's talking about

•	A 3-year-old boy died falling off an airport escalator. Now, his mom faces child abuse charges.
•	Country singer Sam Hunt was arrested on DUI charges.
•	McDonald's workers are suing the fast-food giant over "a daily risk of violence."
•	Prince Andrew's resignation: What does it mean for the royal family?
•	A high school basketball freshman phenom scored 40 points in his first game.

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is officially canceled – this year

The Victoria's Secret angels won't be strutting down the runway this year. According to the lingerie brand's parent company, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is officially canceled for 2019. The brand said the decision was part of a move to "evolve the marketing of Victoria's Secret." The show in recent years has been hit with bad publicity, bad reviews and bad numbers.

•	Bella Hadid says she "never felt powerful" modeling lingerie for Victoria's Secret.

Bella Hadid walks the runway during the 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Nov. 8, 2018 in New York City.

Dimitrios Kambouris, (Credit too long, see caption)

With Syracuse on edge, an arrest is made

Syracuse Police Department arrested an 18-year-old girl in connection to recent incidents of graffiti that appeared to be supporting anti-racism protests at the university, authorities said Thursday. The announcement came hours after Syracuse Chancellor Ken Syverud bowed to the demands of students protesting the school's handling of a two-week run of almost daily racist, anti-Semitic incidents. At least a dozen incidents of racist heckling and other issues have been reported to campus police since Nov. 7, including a white supremacist manifesto that was posted on a campus forum, prompting fears among some students that a mass shooting could erupt. Syverud later described the incident as a hoax.

Real quick

•	Snowboard pioneer Jake Burton Carpenter, founder of Burton Snowboards, died at 65.
•	Missed the Democratic debate last night? Here are the winners and losers.
•	Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was charged with fraud and accepting bribes.
•	Hurricane season not over yet: Tropical Storm Sebastien is forecast to become a rare November hurricane.
•	A rocket prototype developed by SpaceX partially exploded during testing.

Are Americans ready to give up their beloved gas-powered vehicles?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is set to reveal his long-awaited electric pickup – a "Cybertruck" – on Thursday night, while Ford, General Motors, and others are also pursuing their own models. But given that pickup owners are famously loyal to their vehicles – especially the full-size Ford F-150, Ram and Chevrolet Silverado – there's no guarantee people will embrace the electric newcomers. Can an electric vehicle actually deliver the same capability as gas-powered trucks? We'll just say: Don't plan your electric pickup adventures just yet.

A break from the news

•	Visiting Disneyland or Disney World for the holidays? Don't make these common mistakes.
•	A school resource officer had to leave his high school, but he made sure his send-off was unforgettable. 🕺
•	You shouldn't let your savings account balance get too high. Here's why.