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| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers. New documents released by the EPA draw the startling conclusion that PFOA, a chemical found in drinking water, is a "likely carcinogen." Prosecutors are expected to rest their case in the trial of former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter for the shooting death of Daunte Wright. And it's a father-and- son show for Tiger and Charlie Woods – the duo will tee off at the PNC Championship in Florida. |
| It's Jane and Steve, with Thursday's news. |
| 🌪 Wild weather hit the central U.S., with howling winds, severe storms, tornadoes and even wildfires slamming the region. It came on the heels of devastating tornadoes that rolled through Kentucky and several other states, killing more than 85 people. |
| 🏈 Before he could even complete his first season in the NFL, Urban Meyer was fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars, bringing an end to his brief but tumultuous reign. |
 | | Urban Meyer, now the former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach, stands on the sidelines during the team's game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. | | USA TODAY Sports photo and graphic | |
| 🦠 "Spreading at a rate we have not seen": The new omicron variant is substantially more contagious and reduces the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, a study found. For the latest coronavirus updates, tap here. |
| 🔵 Beloved author, professor and feminist bell hooks, known for titles like "Ain't I A Woman" and "All About Love," has died. She was 69. |
 | | Born Gloria Jean Watkins, the writer penned many works under the pseudonym bell hooks, a tribute to her great-grandmother that she chose to write using lowercase letters to focus attention on her words rather than herself. | | USA TODAY | |
| 💰"We are prepared to use our tools to make sure high inflation doesn't get entrenched": The Fed agreed to clear the way for earlier and faster interest rate increases in 2022 by accelerating the phaseout of its bond-buying stimulus. |
| 📎 JFK documents: The Biden administration released never-before-seen documents that could help answer lingering questions surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. |
| 🎭 "The Masked Singer" finale: Sorry, Bull. The Golden Mask Trophy went to the Queen of Hearts, and she was meant for it. |
 | | Queen of Hearts was crowned the season's victor in Wednesday's two-hour finale. | | Michael Becker/FOX | |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, patient safety reporter Karen Weintraub looks at what's next for researchers, a year after the first COVID-19 vaccine. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what's happening today: |
EPA holds public hearing on chemical likely to cause cancer |
| The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it's moving "as quickly as possible" to update health advisories after new documents indicate that a chemical called PFOA, found in drinking water, is a "likely carcinogen" with essentially no safe level of exposure. Before PFOA and PFOS — a similar chemical — were phased out of U.S. manufacturing in 2015, Americans were primarily exposed via household products such as pots and pans, carpets and food packaging. The new EPA documents affirm findings that the chemicals are measurably driving up kidney cancer rates and weakening immune systems. The agency could require water utilities to filter out detectable amounts of PFOA, or it could decide the costs of doing so outweigh benefits. The EPA will hold its first public hearing on the process Thursday. |
Prosecutors expected to rest their case in Kim Potter trial |
| Prosecutors are expected to rest their case Thursday morning in the manslaughter trial of former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer Kim Potter, who fatally shot Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, while yelling "Taser" during a traffic stop earlier this year. Potter is also expected to take the stand during the defense's presentation of evidence Thursday. On Wednesday, Wright's father, Aubrey, testified as a "spark of life" witness for the state. "We had a close relationship. He was me and my wife's first child," Aubrey Wright said, his voice cracking. He added: "I miss him a lot. Every day." Potter is charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter in Wright's death. |
Just for subscribers: |
| 🚔 To protect and serve their own: For more than a decade, police officials on Long Island were allowed to keep secret how they repeatedly failed to protect a woman who was brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend. |
| 🔴 "You don't know who is going to die next": Civil rights era heroes are dying, leaving behind rich legacies. |
| 👩🏾🍳 "Fabulous" Lena Richard: She used her culinary talents to become a successful entrepreneur and likely the first Black TV chef in the USA. Her contributions are forgotten. |
| 💊 Could treatments for rare diseases be found in neighborhood pharmacies? For these patients, repurposing existing drugs may be their only hope. |
| These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here for $1/week. Here is all of our subscriber content. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Goodell addresses the NFL's COVID outbreak |
 | | NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell at the 2021 NFL Draft in Cleveland in April | | USA TODAY Sports photo and graphic | |
| NFL leaders gathered in Texas for a series of meetings this week. A substantial focus of the talks: the sharp spike in COVID-19 cases across the league. |
| Roughly 100 NFL players have tested positive for COVID-19 since Monday, the league's most significant outbreak since the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020. |
| Despite the outbreak, game postponement is not the goal, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. The league plans to instead continue leaning on roster-management flexibility and has not outlined a threshold for rescheduling a game. |
| 🏈 Issues in Cleveland: Coach Kevin Stefanski and quarterback Baker Mayfield test positive for COVID-19. |
| 🏈 NFL COVID-19 updates: We have the latest on players testing positive and being placed on the reserve list. |
| 🏈 Column from Mike Jones: With COVID-19 cases on the rise, the NFL's best hope is to revert to the vigilance and sacrifices of 2020. |
'Spider-Man: No Way Home' starts showing in theaters |
| Showings begin Thursday night for the new highly anticipated Marvel movie, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" before it arrives in theaters nationwide Friday. The movie opens by picking up from 2019's "Spider-Man: Far From Home" when Peter Parker ( Tom Holland) has to deal with the fallout after his secret identity as Spider-Man gets revealed to the world. In his ★★★½ (out of four) review, USA TODAY critic Brian Truitt writes "No Way Home" is a film very much about second chances and a cleverly crafted reminder of that famous adage: "With great power comes great responsibility." And a hint for anxious moviegoers: "No Way Home" features many welcome returns – most of which you need to see for yourself! |
 | | MJ (Zendaya) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) are surrounded by unwanted media attention in "Spider-Man: No Way Home." | | SONY PICTURES | |
Tiger Woods to play in PNC Championship, nearly a year after accident |
| Tiger Woods will tee it up alongside his son, Charlie, on Thursday in the 2021 PNC Championship. It comes less than a year after a single-car accident that almost required his leg to be amputated. The father-son event in Orlando, Florida, has been holding a spot for Woods and his son, who stole the show at the 2020 championship. Fifteen-time major champion Woods has been teasing his return to the course for a few weeks now, most recently by rocking his Sunday red shirt during a practice session during the final round of his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday: |
| 🍪 Time to break out the candy canes. Families across the U.S. will turn to traditional recipes and try new ones for their favorite Christmas cookies and holiday treats. |
| 🎤 "The Voice finale": Ohio trio Girl Named Tom was crowned the Season 21 champ during Tuesday's finale, becoming the first-ever group to win the singing competition. |
| 🦠 Omicron is spreading "every place at once," experts say. What it could mean for holiday plans. |
| 🤒 More than 40% of people with COVID-19 never show symptoms, a study finds. What experts have learned about these cases. |
| 🍰 If the cream cheese shortage is ruining your Christmas cheesecake plans, Philadelphia Cream Cheese wants to help you with the replacement. |
As Miss America turns 100, a big question remains unanswered: Is she still relevant? |
| The next Miss America will be crowned on Thursday as the competition marks its 100th anniversary. Fifty-one women representing each state and the nation's capital will compete during the live streamed event (Peacock, 8 p.m. ET). Miss America, born from a 1921 Atlantic City beauty contest just a year after women were given the right to vote, maintains a complicated presence in American culture that has undergone multiple waves of feminism. The competition, dubbed "Miss America 2.0," has gone through many changes since 2018, including ditching swimsuits and no longer wanting to be referred to by organizers as a "pageant." Participation and viewership has dropped since its 1960s heyday. Will the glitzy competition last another 100 years? |
Also on Thursday: |
| 🏈 Chargers host Chiefs in an AFC West showdown: Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs (9-4) have won six consecutive games since a 3-4 start and sit at the top of the division again. The Los Angeles Chargers (8-5), and led by their own star quarterback in Justin Herbert, can move into first place in the AFC West with a victory. |
| 🍸 Happy 100th birthday, Bloody Mary: Harry's Bar in Paris is celebrating the birthday of the vodka-tomato juice cocktail believed to have been invented at the iconic watering hole in 1921. The venue plans to host a celebration Thursday night despite concerns about the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in Europe. |
📸 Photo of the day: Lakers celebrate a last-second win 📸 |
 | | Dec. 15: Austin Reaves (15) was at the center of the Lakers celebration after hitting the winning 3 late in overtime to beat the Mavericks. | | Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports | |
| Austin Reaves hit a 3-pointer with under a second left in overtime to give the Los Angeles Lakers a 107-104 road win over the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night. |
| Reaves, a 23-year-old undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma, nailed five of his six three-point attempts, including the game winner. LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis all scored at least 20 points in the victory. The Lakers are now 16-13. |
| Click here to see more of the best photos from the NBA's 2021-22 season. |
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