promoearn: 1 in 22 Americans have tested positive for COVID-19

Tuesday, December 8

Margaret Keenan, 90, becomes the first patient in the world to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The shot was administered by nurse May Parsons, right, at University Hospital, Coventry, England, on Dec. 8, 2020.

1 in 22 Americans have tested positive for COVID-19

The US has surpassed 15 million coronavirus cases. Mount Everest got a smidge taller. It's Tuesday's news.

The long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine is nearly available in the U.S. The world's highest peak just got a tiny bit taller. And a human trafficking sting nabbed a Major League Baseball umpire.

It's Ashley. Let's talk news.

But first, Ginsburg & Lewis & Trebek & Boseman: Remembering the icons, newsmakers and stars we lost in a year dominated by COVID-19 and upheaval.

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The US has surpassed 15 million coronavirus cases

Fifteen million is BIG. But the stat that really hit home today: 1 in 22 Americans have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. That alarming number was brought to light as the U.S. reported more than 15 million COVID-19 cases and over 284,000 deaths on Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University data. With about 4.3% of the world's population, the U.S. represents about 22% of the world's reported COVID-19 cases. The nation's deaths amount to about 18.4% of the world's reported deaths.

The long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine is nearly here. The largest mass vaccination campaign ever attempted in the United States could begin as soon as this week, with the federal government turning over millions of doses to the states and territories. Everything depends on them.

It's V-Day in Britain: The United Kingdom on Tuesday became the first Western country to start vaccinating its population against the coronavirus. The first recipient of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine was Margaret Keenan, a grandmother who turns 91 next week. The second? William Shakespeare. ( For real.)

The U.S. has reported 15 million cases and over 284,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: 67.9 million cases and 1.5 million deaths.

USA TODAY

Panel punishes Army leaders after death of Spc. Vanessa Guillen

The Army fired or suspended 14 leaders at Fort Hood since Guillen's disappearance and death Tuesday. An independent investigation into tragedies at Fort Hood, including the bludgeoning murder of Guillen, found that leadership at the Army's largest base created a "permissive environment" that let sexual harassment, assault and other crimes take place with little consequence. The report presents a scathing indictment of a dysfunctional Army culture and calls for changes in staffing and programs to protect soldiers from assault.

•	Vanessa Guillen: Fort Hood soldier who went missing in April died 'in the line of duty,' Army says

Austin American-Statesman

ANA RAMIREZ/AMERICAN-STATESMAN

What everyone's talking about

•	Ohio State-Michigan football game canceled as COVID-19 cases rise in Michigan program. It's the first time in more than 100 years the rivals won't play.
•	You can preorder Apple's new AirPods Max headphones right now — here's how.
•	Lori Loughlin's daughter Olivia Jade says she "wasn't aware" of her parents' actions — paying $500,000 in bribes to get her accepted into USC.
•	YouTube celebrities are taking over boxing with help from Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
•	Gwen Stefani doesn't want her wedding with Blake Shelton to be a "COVID situation."
•	It's not all bad news: Critically endangered North Atlantic right whale population just got a boost: 2 newborns were spotted off the U.S. coast.

Today marks an important Electoral College deadline: It's bad news for Trump

Although President-elect Joe Biden has won the election and is currently sitting at 306 electoral votes, the election isn't signed, sealed and delivered. All but six states had certified their vote counts as of Tuesday's so-called safe harbor deadline — which requires that Congress recognize electors chosen by states that have resolved election disputes. What that means for President Donald Trump: His long-shot bid to overturn the election could become more far-fetched after today.

But that hasn't stopped him and others from their efforts to overturn the results. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block four battleground states — Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — from certifying Biden's victory when the Electoral College meets next Monday to formally select the next president.

•	The Supreme Court refused to stop Pennsylvania from certifying Biden's victory in the state despite allegations that the expansion of mail-in voting was illegal.

A human trafficking sting nabs an MLB umpire

Major League Baseball umpire Brian O'Nora was arrested this weekend as a part of a human trafficking sting, an operation targeting people seeking to purchase sex online. O'Nora, 57, and 13 other men were arrested Sunday in Youngstown, Ohio, and charged with soliciting, a third-degree misdemeanor, and possessing criminal tools, a first-degree misdemeanor, officials announced. O'Nora joined the MLB in 1999 and has worked multiple division playoff series and three all-star games — including the 2019 All-Star Game in Cleveland.

Umpire Brian O'Nora during a game between the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum in 2019.

Stan Szeto, USA TODAY Sports

Real quick

•	Congress is rushing to approve a proposed stimulus bill as millions of Americans face losing jobless benefits at the end of the month.
•	The fate of the Tokyo Olympics, if held as scheduled during the coronavirus pandemic, could hinge on llamas.
•	The number of unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border has nearly doubled in recent weeks.
•	Who is Rebekah Jones, the former Florida COVID-19 data scientist whose home was raided by authorities?
•	Trump touted the COVID-19 vaccines at "summit" amid growing questions over how many doses will be available and how soon they will be distributed.

Short List. Big Everest.

Who said 2020 was a bad year for personal growth. Mount Everest got a smidge taller Tuesday when China and Nepal agreed on the height of the world's tallest peak: It's 8,848.86 meters tall — or about 29,032 feet. With shifting tectonic plates, Everest's height has always been a slow-moving target. Some had worried that the mountain actually shrank after a 2015 earthquake, which killed around 9,000 people, including at least 19 at Everest base camp.

This handout photo taken on May 22, 2019, and released by climber Nirmal Purja's Project Possible expedition shows heavy traffic of mountain climbers lining up to stand at the summit of Mount Everest.

HANDOUT, AFP/Getty Images

A break from the news

•	📚 Need a book recommendation? Here are the winners of the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards.
•	🎁 This one is for the ladies: Here are 51 amazing gifts that women actually want.
•	🏡 Just a roof over your head or an investment? Here's how to think about your home.

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.