 |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| Happy Friday, Daily Briefing readers! Is today a federal holiday? No, but it might feel like it. If you're traveling by air soon, you might want to make sure your flight isn't canceled. Many families will celebrate Nochebuena this evening. And, looking for something to watch tonight? Check out the star-studded doomsday comedy "Don't Look Up" on Netflix. |
| Also, we're taking a break for the holidays and will be back on Jan. 3. Feliz Nochebuena and Merry Christmas to those who are celebrating, and a Happy New Year! See you in 2022! |
| It's Steve and Jane, with Friday's news. |
| 🦠 The rapid spread of omicron has prompted flights to be canceled, events to be scaled back and sports stars to be sidelined as the nation celebrates the holidays. For the latest coronavirus updates, tap here. |
| ⚖️ Former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter was found guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright. |
 | | Former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter has been found guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Daunte Wright. | | USA TODAY | |
| 🔵 Teen killed at retail store: A 14-year-old girl was killed by Los Angeles police during an attempted takedown of an assault suspect. |
| 🕶 Holiday heat wave: Forget about trying on those new coats if you live in the south-central U.S. Record, spring-like warmth is forecast to overspread the region into the Christmas weekend. |
| 📚 RIP Joan Didion: The acclaimed memoirist and novelist, who wrote essays such as "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" and "The White Album," and the memoir "The Year of Magical Thinking," died Thursday due to complications from Parkinson's disease. She was 87. |
 | | Acclaimed memoirist and novelist Joan Didion has died at age 87 of Parkinson's disease. | | USA TODAY | |
| 🏈 College football: Memphis' season ended when the Hawaii Bowl announced the game was canceled after Hawaii said it couldn't participate due to COVID-19 issues, injuries and transfers. |
| 🚘 Charlene, you're getting that car after all: "Wheel of Fortune" fans were not happy when a contestant lost her chance to go home with a brand-new Audi Q3. But that didn't last long. |
| 🗞 How well have you been following the news this week? Take our quiz and find out! |
| Here's what's happening today: |
Is Christmas Eve a federal holiday? No, but it might feel like it this year |
| This Christmas Eve many workers who might normally work Dec. 24 may have time to do last-minute shopping or bake cookies for Santa . That's because even though Christmas Eve is not a federal holiday, many businesses and federal offices, including the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, will recognize it as a day off because Christmas falls on Saturday this year. When the typical date of a federal holiday falls on a non-workday, full-time employees are granted an "in lieu of" holiday – or a different day for the federal holiday to be observed. A similar pattern will apply to New Year's Day. Because the first day of 2022 also falls on a Saturday, that federal holiday will be observed on New Year's Eve. |
Airline customers: Check to make sure your flight hasn't been canceled |
| Omicron, the fast-spreading coronavirus variant, has infected the airline industry and it likely will cause some weary travelers looking to see family and friends for the holiday weekend some trouble. As of 6 a.m. ET, Delta Air Lines had canceled 52 flights on Christmas Day while United Airlines canceled 47. More flights have been canceled on Christmas Eve: 168 from United and 115 from Delta, according to flight tracker FlightAware. Both United and Delta said a spike in omicron infections among crew members played a part in the cancellations. A Delta statement said the cancellations were caused by a "combination of issues, including but not limited to, potential inclement weather in some areas and the impact of the Omicron variant." |
Many Hispanic, Latinx and Filipino families will celebrate Nochebuena |
| For many in the Latinx, Hispanic and Filipino community, Christmas celebrations take place on Dec. 24 in the form of Nochebuena . It is an annual holiday in which certain communities celebrate the holiday on the night of Dec. 24 rather than Dec. 25. While the traditions of the night can vary based on culture and region, a common theme persists: it's about being together. "There's only two or three times a year where you'll get the entire extended family together," said Alexandro Gradilla, associate professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at California State University. "It really is not only a holiday of love, but it's also truly a holiday of peace." |
 | | Participants dressed as angels march in the annual Las Posadas procession on historic Olvera Street, a Mexican marketplace, on Dec. 17, 2021 in Los Angeles. Las Posadas was celebrated on Olvera Street every year since 1930 until last year's celebration was canceled due to the pandemic. Las Posadas is a nine-day festival culminating on Christmas Eve which is celebrated across Mexico and in parts of the U.S. and marks Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem in search of refuge. | | Mario Tama, Getty Images | |
Just for subscribers: |
| 🏥 As patients fell ill with COVID inside hospitals, government oversight fell short. |
| 🔵 "Tijuana has been a magnet": A crackdown on migration in Texas and Mexico left many Haitians in the lurch. Thousands reset their compass from Texas to Tijuana. |
| ❓Want to ask young people these questions? Don't: The holidays are hard enough without annoying questions about your personal life or finances. |
| 🚨 Kobe Bryant photos lawsuit: Why do cops keep and share images of dead bodies? |
| 🛍 Last-minute Christmas gift shopping? Your guide to Christmas Eve hours, deadlines and shortages. |
| These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. Here is all of our subscriber content. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Prosecutors take on suspect's parents |
 | | Oakland County, Michigan, prosecutors wrote a new court filing about James and Jennifer Crumbley. | | USA TODAY graphic | |
| A court filing Thursday alleges James and Jennifer Crumbley knew their 15-year-old son Ethan was heading down a dangerous and violent path before he allegedly opened fire in a hallway at Oxford High School in Michigan, killing four students and injuring seven others, but they ignored his "troubling" texts and other red flags, failed to get him help and paid attention to their own lives instead. |
| The Crumbleys are facing involuntary manslaughter charges in a case that seeks to hold parents responsible, in part, for the shooting on Nov. 30. According to prosecutors in Oakland County, Michigan, the parents bought the gun that was used in the shooting as an early Christmas gift for their son. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday |
| 👶 Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan released a holiday card with a welcome surprise: our first look at their 6-month-old daughter, Lilibet Diana. |
 | | Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan offer first glimpse of Lilibet Diana. | | Photo by Alexi Lubomirski; Copyright owned by Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex ©2021 | |
| 🚙 Honda, Toyota, BMW and Kia have discontinued several vehicles. What won't be back in 2022. |
| 🚨 The parents of actor Alicia Witt were found dead inside their Worcester, Massachusetts, home Monday night after she called a relative to check on them. |
| 🏠 After a year of bidding wars and record-high prices, here's what's changing for homebuyers in 2022. |
Missed those shipping deadlines? Here's how to get last-minute gifts |
| If you're looking to get a gift delivered Friday, you may be (mostly) out of luck. Shipping deadlines for the nation's three largest carriers – FedEx, the U.S. Postal Service and UPS – are behind us, except for one: FedEx SameDay. However, if the item you want isn't available for SameDay, you can still buy this year's hottest gifts online and pick them up in-store. Big retailers — including Nordstrom, Best Buy and Macy's — are offering in-store or curbside pickup this season. |
Star-studded doomsday comedy 'Don't Look Up' arrives on Netflix |
| After a limited theatrical release, Oscar-winning director Adam McKay's new star-studded doomsday comedy "Don't Look Up" heads to Netflix Friday. Academy Award winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence play scientists who discover a planet-killing comet headed our way, decide to warn the world and then run into a series of oddball personalities including a self-obsessed president (Meryl Streep) and her chief of staff/son (Jonah Hill), a kooky tech magnate (Mark Rylance), a pop star (Ariana Grande) and a skater kid (Timothee Chalamet). Tyler Perry and Cate Blanchett also make appearances in the celebrity-packed film. "Don't Look Up" has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards and six Critics Choice Awards, but USA TODAY critic Brian Truitt calls it "overlong and not as sharp or incisive as (McKay's) usual satires." |
 | | Kate (Jennifer Lawrence, far left) and Randall (Leonardo DiCaprio) are astronomers who hit the road with Kate's love interest, an evangelical shoplifting skater punk (Timothée Chalamet), to warn the world about an incoming comet in "Don't Look Up." | | NIKO TAVERNISE/NETFLIX | |
NFL action: Titans' 'Thursday Night Football' win helps out the Cowboys |
| 🏈 Titans in position to clinch AFC South, playoff spot: Randy Bullock drilled a game-winning, 44-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter and the Tennessee Titans (10-5) overcame a 10-0 halftime deficit to take down the San Francisco 49ers (8-7) at home, 20-17. |
| 🏈 49ers' loss sends the Cowboys to the playoffs: This postseason berth marks the Dallas Cowboys' first playoff appearance in three seasons. The Cowboys could go on to clinch the NFC East division crown as early as Sunday afternoon. Here are the playoff clinching scenarios for Week 16. |
 | | Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) scrambles for a key first down late in the fourth quarter to set up a game-winning field goal. | | Christopher Hanewinckel, USA TODAY Sports | |
| 🏈 NFL playoff picture as Week 16 begins: The Titans are closing in on the AFC South division crown and could move up to the No. 1 seed in the AFC Sunday with help. In the NFC, thanks to various tiebreakers, the Cowboys currently are the No. 2 seed. |
| 🏈 NFL COVID-19 updates: Minnesota Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook is among the latest to be sidelined for Week 16's action. |
📸 That's the spirit! Festive Santas bring cheer around the world 📸 |
 | | A Palestinian man dressed as Santa Claus gestures as he rides a camel in Jerusalem's Old City during Christmas celebrations, on Dec. 23, 2021. | | AHMAD GHARABLI, AFP via Getty Images | |
| What would the holidays be without Santa? From a camel-riding Santa in Jerusalem, scuba-diving Santas in the United Arab Emirates and Mexico, a Santa bearing sanitizer in Mumbai, India, and a surfing Santa in Switzerland, Santa's been busier than ever this year. |
| Check out our gallery of festive Santas bringing cheer around the world. |
| |
| |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment