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| Happy Friday, Daily Briefing readers! The CDC is expected to recommend booster vaccines to better protect immunocompromised Americans against COVID-19. Parents in Florida are taking on Gov. Ron DeSantis in the courts so their kids can wear face masks in school. And, it's nearly over – get ready for the season finale of "Jeopardy!" |
| It's Steve and Jane with Friday's news. |
| 🔢 New this morning: The nation is more diverse than ever, but communities of color could be significantly undercounted in the 2020 Census, experts and activists say. |
| 💰 Cryptocurrencies are hot, but Black, Latino and LGBTQ investors buy it more, seeing it has a path to equity and wealth. |
| 📺 One-time "American Idol" finalist Syesha Mercado is fighting for the return of two children removed by Florida authorities within the past six months. |
| ⚖️ "Victory for Britney": Jamie Spears agreed to step down as his daughter Britney Spears' conservator in her "best interests," according to a document obtained by USA TODAY. |
| 🧠 How well did you pay attention to the news this week? Take our news quiz! |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, Dr. Ajit P. Limaye explains what science says about COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what's happening today: |
CDC meets to discuss booster doses for severely immunocompromised |
| The fewer than 3% of Americans who are severely immunocompromised should be able to get an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the federal government said late Thursday. People who are on medications or have diseases that suppress their immune system may not have gotten adequate protection from their earlier vaccine doses and are more likely to mount a response to an additional dose, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined. The FDA's decision isn't an opening for booster doses for the general population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to recommend the extra shots for some immune-compromised groups after a meeting Friday of its outside advisers. |
What else people are reading: |
| 🔵 "Enlightened" by QAnon and Illuminati conspiracy theories: A California man is accused of killing his two young children believing they "possessed serpent DNA." |
| 🔵 "We've been pretty aggressive in enforcing and prosecuting those violators": Two travelers to Hawaii have been arrested for forging vaccine proof. They face up to $5,000 in fines or jail time. |
| 🔵 Are you looking to buy a home now? These are the top 10 hottest housing markets in the United States. |
| 🔴 Quarterback battle in Foxborough: See how Cam Newton and rookie Mac Jones fared in the New England Patriots' preseason opener against the Washington Football Team. |
| 🔵 "People who do not want to be vaccinated may go elsewhere": The Supreme Court declined a request by Indiana University students to block a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. |
 | | Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett at the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2020 | | AFP photo via Getty Images; USA TODAY graphic | |
Fred likely to strengthen as storm watch issued for South Florida |
| Tropical Depression Fred was slowly strengthening and could regain tropical storm status sometime Friday, forecasters said. The system was dropping heavy rain over parts of Cuba early Friday and was on a forecast track that would carry it toward South Florida by Saturday, the U.S. National Weather Service said. The main threats were rain and flooding. Forecasters issued a tropical storm watch Thursday evening for the Florida Keys and the state's southwest coast. The National Hurricane Center said 3 to 6 inches of rain were expected across the Florida Keys and southern peninsula by Monday. Fred is the sixth named storm of the 2021 hurricane season and the first in August, breaking a month-long lull after Hurricane Elsa formed in early July. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Schwarzenegger doesn't hold back |
 | | Arnold Schwarzenegger attends a media event in Los Angeles on May 19, 2021. | | Invision photo via AP; USA TODAY graphic | |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't mincing words when calling out anti-maskers and those who won't get the COVID-19 vaccine. This week, the actor and former governor of California forcefully urged those who "don't believe in masks" or "say we don't have to do social distancing" to listen to experts and follow their health guidelines, such as washing your hands, social distancing when necessary and getting vaccinated. |
Judge to hear challenge to DeSantis' mask executive order |
| A Leon County circuit judge will hold a hearing Friday in a lawsuit filed by parents challenging an executive order by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that seeks to prevent school districts from requiring students to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit, in part, alleges that the executive order violates part of the Florida Constitution that requires the provision of a "uniform, efficient, safe, secure and high quality system" of public schools. It argues that preventing school districts from requiring masks threatens the safety of schools. DeSantis issued the executive order in July, and has argued that it should be up to parents whether their children wear masks at school. Circuit Judge John Cooper will hear arguments on an emergency motion for an injunction against the executive order. |
Marlee Matlin is back on the big screen in Sundance Film Festival runaway hit 'CODA' |
| Marlee Matlin stars in "CODA" (in theaters and on Apple TV+ Friday), a runaway hit at the Sundance Film Festival with a groundbreaking ensemble of predominantly deaf actors . When writer-director Siân Heder approached the actress with her screenplay about a deaf Gloucester, Massachusetts, family with a hearing teenager Ruby, the Child of Deaf Adults (CODA), Matlin not only signed on for the role of mother Jackie, she became an in-the-trenches collaborator with Heder. Matlin, who lost her hearing due to illness at 18 months old, has experienced a number of Hollywood breakthrough moments as the only deaf actor to win an Academy Award, playing a rebellious student in 1986's "Children of a Lesser God." |
 | | Actress Marlee Matlin promotes her movie "CODA" in July 2021. | | Getty Images photo; USA TODAY graphic | |
Also in theaters this weekend: |
| 🎥 "Respect": An otherwise conventional and so-so musical drama about two formative decades in the life of "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin's gets lifted every time Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson hits the screen, belts out a number and takes you to church as the legendary singer. USA TODAY film critic Brian Truitt gives "Respect" ★★½ out of four. |
| 🎥 "Free Guy": In this new action comedy, Ryan Reynolds stars as Guy, a cheery bank teller in an ultra-violent "Grand Theft Auto"-type game living every day surrounded by chaos and destruction until he meets a mysterious British woman (Jodie Comer) and everything changes. Truitt gives "Free Guy" ★★★ out of four. |
 | | Guy (Ryan Reynolds) has his world rocked when he meets Molotov Girl (Jodie Comer) in the action comedy "Free Guy." | | 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS | |
Season finale of 'Jeopardy!' airs before new hosts take reins |
| The season finale of "Jeopardy!" will air Friday, with guest host Joe Buck and returning champion Matt Amaodio, who has joined the Hall of Fame list of legends such as Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer. Amodio secured his 17th victory in Thursday's episode and has won $547,600, landing him at No. 3 on the list of top prize winners. Friday's finale will also be the last episode of the beloved quiz show before new hosts Mike Richards and Miyam Bialik take over hosting duties when season 38 kicks off on September 13. The announcement also came after the show had 16 guest hosts in the wake of Alex Trebek's death in November. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories on Thursday |
| 🔵 Sweeping picture: The U.S. experienced unprecedented multiracial population growth and a decline in the white population for the first time in the nation's history, according to U.S. Census officials. |
| ✈ "I'm going to miss my friend": A fully vaccinated Southwest Airlines flight attendant died from COVID-19 this week at the age of 36. |
| ⚾ Former World Series hero sent packing: The Chicago Cubs have released struggling starting pitcher Jake Arrieta. He won a Cy Young Award and a World Series in first tour with Chicago. |
📸 Photo of the day: Kevin Costner appears at MLB's 'Field of Dreams' game 📸 |
 | | Kevin Costner walks out of the cornfield before the Chicago White Sox take on the New York Yankees at the new MLB field next to the Field of Dreams movie site on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021 in Dyersville, IA. | | Brian Powers/The Register | |
| The New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox played in the specially constructed stadium near the Dyersville, Iowa, diamond from the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams" Thursday night and the event had plenty of Hollywood-like moments, with star Kevin Costner and players from both teams emerging from the Iowa corn in the outfield. |
| Head here to see more photos of the "Field of Dreams" event from the Des Moines Register and click here to see some of the best baseball images from the 2021 season. |
| The Daily Briefing is free, but several stories we link to in this edition are subscriber-only. Please support our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today. |
| Contributing: The Associated Press |
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