promoearn: Are two masks better than one?

Tuesday, January 26

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, wears two protective masks during a White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Nov. 19, 2020 in Washington, DC.

100 million COVID-19 infections have been reported worldwide. 1 dead after a tornado ripped through Alabama. It's Tuesday's news.

The battle against COVID-19 isn't over: The world set another record for COVID-19 deaths in a week, and just surpassed 100 million cases.

It's Ashley, and I'm ready to talk news (through two masks). Let's do this.

But first, some good news: A New Jersey woman beat COVID-19, then turned 110. To make her more impressive, she also lived through the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.

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Double masking 'just makes common sense,' Fauci says

They say two heads are better than one, but can the same be said for masks? According to the nation's top infectious disease expert, the answer is yes, Adrianna Rodriguez reports. "If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective," Dr. Anthony Fauci told NBC News' "TODAY." A study from July found that wearing two masks could increase protection from virus particles by 50% up to 75%. It also makes masks fit more snugly around the face, said study author Dr. Loretta Fernandez. Americans' renewed interest in double masking also comes as variants that appear to be more contagious emerge from the U.K, South Africa, Brazil and California.

•	COVID-19 cases surpassed 100 million globally on Tuesday. The U.S., with a little more than 4% of the world's population, has more than 25% of the infections and nearly 20% of the deaths.
•	The U.S. is working to purchase an additional 200 million coronavirus vaccines, doubling the nation's vaccine supply with enough to fully vaccinate 300 million Americans by the end of this summer.
•	Top prize for winning this lottery is a vaccination: Minnesotans can start signing up Tuesday for a vaccine lottery after a first-come-first-served inoculation website crashed amid overwhelming demand.
•	Traveling abroad? People flying internationally will not be able to board flights to the U.S. without a negative COVID-19 test or proof of recovery.

Transportation Secretary nominee Pete Buttigieg removes his two protective face masks to speak during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, Jan. 21, 2021, in Washington.

Pool photo by Ken Cedeno

What everyone's talking about

•	JoJo Siwa came out as a member of the LGBTQ community. Here's why that's impactful news.
•	A Georgia teacher's obituary pleaded for mask wearing. At a school board meeting, three officials refused.
•	Acting Capitol Police chief apologized to lawmakers for handling of the Jan. 6 riot.
•	Michael Jordan is back to his winning ways: Jordan's fishing boat, Catch 23, claimed a sailfish tournament title in Florida.
•	Cicadas to reemerge in US for first time in 17 years: The scary-looking but mostly harmless Brood X periodical cicadas will emerge en masse in 15 states.

1 dead, 30 injured after tornado rips through Alabama

Residents of Fultondale, Alabama, were picking up the pieces Tuesday after a devastating tornado ripped through the town the night before , killing a 14-year-old student huddled in his basement and leaving at least 30 people injured. Several of the teen's family members were critically injured when a tree fell on the home and caused the house to collapse. The tornado left a 10-mile swath of destruction Monday night in Jefferson County and unleashed extensive damage, AccuWeather said.

A Hampton Inn hotel is severely damaged after a tornado tore through Fultondale, Ala., on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021.

Alicia Elliott, AP

'This is historic snow'

A historic snowstorm continued to hit portions of the central and northeastern U.S. on Tuesday, causing travel headaches and closing some coronavirus testing sites. Weather forecasters said 10 to 15 inches of snow was likely between York, Nebraska, and Des Moines, Iowa, by the time the storm wraps up later Tuesday — the most its snowed in that area in at least 15 years. More than 14 inches had already fallen in parts of Nebraska by the morning. In the Southwest, a separate storm was forecast to bring wind gusts and snowfall on Tuesday, especially in portions of Arizona and Utah. And that's not all: Yet another storm was forecast to barrel into California later Tuesday into Wednesday, the weather service said.

Joe Mulstay takes Chance, a 3 year old boxer bulldog, for a walk in the snow as blizzard conditions blanket Court Avenue in Des Moines Monday, Jan. 25, 2021.

Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register

Real quick

•	Twitter permanently banned MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell after he continued to claim Trump won the election.
•	1 dead, at least 5 injured after a driver struck pedestrians across 15 blocks in Portland, Oregon, police say.
•	Dax Shepard says he "did not want to" go public with his relapse.
•	Capitol Police have a $500M budget. Why were they unprepared at the Jan. 6 riot?
•	Wisconsin priest who livestreamed exorcisms aimed at rooting out voter fraud has left Roman Catholic diocese.

Introducing Antony Blinken, Biden's secretary of State

The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Antony Blinken to be the nation's 71st secretary of State on Tuesday, as lawmakers scrambled to approve President Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees before impeachment proceedings begin. Blinken, who has worked with Biden on foreign policy for roughly two decades, was confirmed by a relatively bipartisan majority 78 to 22 vote. That's particularly notable given that President Donald Trump's two nominees for secretary of State were confirmed by relatively narrow margins. Blinken will become America's top diplomat as the world confronts a confluence of threats: the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and a great-power competition that increasingly pits the U.S. against China on trade, technology and other issues.

Antony Blinken testifies during his confirmation hearing to become secretary of state before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington on Jan. 19.

Pool photo by Alex Edelman

A break from the news

•	🍎 Apple AirPods Pro earbuds are on sale for less than $200 at Amazon right now.
•	🦘 Watch this Kangaroo joey hop for the first time at an Australia zoo.
•	📹 Is it legal to be recorded at work without consent? Ask HR explains what you need to know.

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.