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| Happy Valentine's Day, readers! It's the most romantic day of the year and holiday shopping is up, according to the National Retail Federation's annual Valentine's Day survey. Some who are celebrating plan to spend an average $196.31, up 21% over last year's previous record, but some couples are actually cutting back on spending. |
| It's N'dea and instead of flowers or chocolate, I got you a recap of the biggest news from this week: |
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Love is in the air: It's Valentine's Day |
| Sweethearts all over America and many parts of the world on Friday celebrate Valentine's Day, the holiday devoted to romantic love. Valentine's Day's origins are kinda weird; one fable involves goat's blood. The clean version is that a man named Valentine who was imprisoned by the Romans sent a message to a woman he loved with the signature, "From your Valentine." The rest is history. Nowadays, Valentine's Day is usually marked with gifts of cards, flowers, candy and other goodies. Fortunately, many major retailers are eager to help out with deals and freebies. |
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After Parkland shooting, are American schools safer? |
| Friday marks two years since 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. While Congress apportioned millions of dollars to cover the cost of safety equipment and programs to keep students safe, experts say that's precisely the wrong response. Three safety specialists who spoke to USA TODAY in November advocate for staff training and empowerment as a better tactic to confront school violence. The American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association this week recommended additional precautions for student drills, including giving parents advanced notice and tracking any traumatic symptoms afterward. |
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In other news |
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China's coronavirus reporting methods under scrutiny as US cases hit 15 |
| Confirmed coronavirus cases boomed this week as China altered its method for counting amid concerns over its handling of the crisis. But experts expressed hope that Friday could bring greater understanding of whether the virus is growing or waning. The death toll from the virus, dubbed COVID-19, rose to at least 1,380. All but three of the deaths have been in mainland China. A person in Texas was confirmed as the 15th coronavirus case in the U.S. on Thursday. China previously counted cases only when a person tested positive for the virus. Now, chest imaging and other medical diagnoses are being included. Provided China continues to tally with the new method, experts say it would give a chance for an apples-to-apples, day-to-day comparison. |
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Closing arguments resume in Harvey Weinstein trial |
| Prosecutors are expected to make their final arguments Friday in the sexual misconduct trial of Harvey Weinstein in New York. On Thursday, defense attorney Donna Rotunno told jurors to "use your New York common sense" to find Weinstein not guilty. "You may have had a gut feeling that Harvey Weinstein was guilty. Throw that gut feeling right out the window," she said. During the trial, Rotunno tried to raise doubts by pointing out alleged conflicts in accusers' accounts compared to email exchanges and other documents. Weinstein, 67, faces five charges, including rape and assault, in connection with accusations from two women. He could serve up to life in prison if convicted. |
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Z Flip will cost you, but photo features are nifty |
| The Galaxy Z Flip, available Friday, is an incredibly cute new smartphone from Samsung, our reviewer finds — but at $1,380, oh so pricey. Photo enthusiasts might really like a couple of features, USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham writes in a review including other just-announced Samsung offerings . Unfold the phone, and you can adjust to have images on one side of the screen and use the other for scrolling — a nice way to view photos. And for tripod-less, time-lapse photography, fold the phone in two, have the camera portion sitting upright, and shoot away. |
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Bonus: Gotta go fast |
| When the first trailer for 'Sonic the Hedgehog' was unveiled in 2019 all the internet could see was the beloved, lightning-fast Sega video-game character's creepy human teeth. After revamping the look of its titular character, the movie avoided death by Twitter and will make it into theaters nationwide Friday. |
| Our movie critic Brian Truitt said, "The film is fine, familiar fare for gamers and children: Sonic sprints, Carrey mugs, but the creative juices run out quickly." |
 | | Twitter criticism only helped in creating the big-screen Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) for "Sonic the Hedgehog." Director Jeff Fowler made the character more like the video-game version fans have loved since 1991. | | PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND SEGA OF AMERICA | |
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