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 | | | Left to rot | | A USA TODAY investigation uncovered botched construction and evidence of money laundering at the collapsed Surfside condo building. And could a fourth stimulus check help? It's Thursday's news. | | |
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| The collapsed Surfside condo building was born of botched construction – and possible money laundering. Former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon is facing criminal contempt charges. And the American bumblebee is facing extinction. |
| 👋 It's Laura. It's Thursday. Here's Thursday's news! |
| But first, it's #sprinklegate, y'all. 🧁 Some major cookie drama went down in the U.K. when a bakery announced it was banned from using sprinkles imported from the U.S. Here's the scoop. |
| The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here or text messages here. |
Collapsed condo born of botched construction and evidence of money laundering |
| Even before developers of the doomed Champlain Towers condominiums in Surfside, Florida, sold off the units to their first owners 40 years ago, the construction had been botched and the building had been set on a course to rot from the foundation up . USA TODAY reporters set out to compile a complete accounting of the forces at work on the building that collapsed June 24, killing 98 people. What they uncovered was a tangled web of shell companies, cash deals, fast sales and strange buyers. Early condo sales exhibit signs of a money laundering scheme – which often goes hand-in-hand with cutting corners on construction, experts say. Over the years, concerns grew about the building's structural integrity, and records show that no matter how many times Champlain South residents complained, nothing was done to address their concerns. Read the investigation here. |
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✅ Moderna booster shots |
| A federal advisory panel voted Thursday to support booster shots of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people 65 and up , as well as younger adults with certain medical problems or jobs that put them at increased risk for infection. Also on Thursday, President Joe Biden praised the country's progress and vaccination efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic as case and hospitalization rates continue to decline. "It's working. We're making progress," Biden said in a White House address. Daily cases have declined 47% and hospitalizations down 38% over the past six weeks, Biden said. Around 66 million eligible Americans are unvaccinated, though, which Biden said was a "still unacceptably high number," and he urged unvaccinated Americans to get vaccinated. |
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 | | President Joe Biden delivers an update on the COVID-19 response and vaccination program, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus on Thursday in Washington. | | Evan Vucci, AP | |
What everyone's talking about |
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Need some more money? |
| The coronavirus pandemic has had far-reaching financial effects, and many Americans are still facing the consequences of COVID-19 and the resulting shutdowns of businesses. A new study from the Capital One Insight Center shows that millions of people continue to face economic uncertainty. Troubling new data shows that Americans across all income levels saw a reduction of income or their income disappeared entirely in spring of 2020 during the early parts of the pandemic, when between 32% to 36% of Americans reported they had less or no income. And a year later, the numbers haven't improved much – plus, many Americans report being less secure in their jobs now than before the pandemic began. Could a fourth stimulus check help? Read more here. |
 | | Could a fourth round of stimulus checks help Americans recover from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic? | | Eric Gay, AP | |
Jan. 6 panel seeks to hold Steve Bannon in contempt |
| The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will begin criminal contempt proceedings against Steve Bannon, citing the former Trump strategist's refusal to cooperate with the panel's subpoena requests at the direction of the former president . Trump's lawyers have directed witnesses not to cooperate with congressional investigators, invoking executive privilege. But the Biden administration has rejected the former president's attempt to withhold documents from the investigating panel. If approved during a vote on Tuesday, a criminal contempt report would be forwarded for a vote in the House for possible referral to the Justice Department. |
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 | | The face of then-President Donald Trump appears on large screens as supporters participate in a rally in Washington on Jan. 6. The House committee investigating the violent Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, with its latest round of subpoenas in September 2021, may uncover the degree to which Trump, his campaign and White House were involved in planning the rally that preceded the riot, which had been billed as a grassroots demonstration. | | John Minchillo, AP | |
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🐝 The buzz about bumblebees |
| Once the most common bumblebee species in North America, the American bumblebee is in serious trouble . Dwindling populations of the bee and their complete disappearance from eight states have led to a call for the American bumblebee to be placed under the Endangered Species Act before they face extinction. Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Idaho, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Oregon each have zero or close to zero American bumblebees left, according to a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity and Bombus Pollinators Association of Law Students. Climate change, pesticides, disease, habitat loss and competition from honey bees are listed as driving the bee to extinction. The loss of the insect could cause serious repercussions to the environment and crop production due to them being essential pollinators in agriculture. If granted federal protection, anyone found to have killed or harmed the bee could face up to $13,000 in fines. |
 | | The loss of the American bumblebee could cause serious repercussions to the environment and crop production due to them being essential pollinators in agriculture. | | Getty Images | |
A break from the news |
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| 🗣 Let's play! USA TODAY launched something really fun. It's a new and improved Crossword App! Check it out! |
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