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| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers. Schools across the nation are ramping up security after viral threats on TikTok that officials assure parents aren't considered credible. Former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter may take the stand in her manslaughter trial in the death of Daunte Wright. And if you love college football, here's what you've been waiting for – three weeks of action kick off today! |
| It's Steve and Jane, with Friday's news. |
| 👷♂️ Work will continue "over the days and weeks ahead": President Joe Biden acknowledged that his sweeping social spending and climate policy legislation is unlikely to pass before the end of the year. |
| 💊 The FDA said it would permanently remove a key restriction on medication used to terminate pregnancies, allowing so-called "abortion pills" to be available by mail and prescribed through telehealth medical consultations. |
| 💉 A CDC panel voted to recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines be preferred for adults over the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to a small number of very rare but dangerous blood clots. |
| 😷 President Joe Biden filed an emergency application in the Supreme Court in an attempt to reinstate a vaccine mandate for health care workers at hospitals that receive federal money. Tap here for the latest COVID-19 updates. |
| 👑 "I am real. I have flaws": There's a new Miss America dethroning Camille Schrier after a two-year reign: Miss Alaska Emma Broyles. |
 | | Miss Alaska Emma Broyles was crowned the 100th winner of the Miss America pageant. "I am real. I have flaws. I have ADHD. I have dermatillomania, which is a form of OCD. I've struggled with all of these things and because of that, I am a better person," Broyles said. See more photos of the stunning contestants competing in this year's pageant. | | Jessica Hill, AP | |
| 📺 Comedian Jeff Garlin is leaving ABC sitcom "The Goldbergs" following investigations into his on-set behavior and accusations of misconduct. |
| 📰 Did you pay attention this week? Take our news quiz! |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear how an Antarctic glacier the size of Florida may soon break off and rapidly raise sea levels. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what's happening today: |
TikTok threats prompt US schools to beef up security |
| Educators across the U.S. announced plans to increase security in response to TikTok posts warning of shooting and bomb threats at schools around the country Friday. Officials assured parents the viral posts were not considered credible. The vague, anonymous posts had many educators on edge as they circulated in the aftermath of a shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan on Nov. 30 that left four students dead. More than a week after the Oxford shooting, Wayne County, Michigan, Prosecutor Kym Worthy issued charges against dozens of youths for making threats of violence, with others under investigation. |
Ex-officer Kim Potter expected on stand as trial for Daunte Wright's death nears end |
| Kim Potter, the former Minnesota police officer on trial in the shooting death of 20-year-old Black man Daunte Wright earlier this year, was expected to take the stand Friday, hoping to persuade jurors to acquit her of manslaughter charges in what she has said was a gun-Taser mixup . The defense case for Potter, 49, appeared likely to wrap up after just two days, with jurors also expected to hear from an expert on how such errors can occur. Potter's chief at the time, Tim Gannon, testified on her behalf Thursday, calling her "a fine officer" and said he "saw no violation" of policy in the traffic stop. On Wednesday, Wright's father Arbuey Wright testified, describing his son as a jokester and loving father who enjoyed playing basketball and watching over his two younger sisters. |
Just for subscribers: |
| 🌡 What led to a migrant worker's death from heatstroke. Guest workers who legally travel to the United States to harvest crops face many risks along the way. |
| 🏈 Who are the potential candidates to replace Urban Meyer? Eric Bieniemy and Raheem Morris are among them. |
| 🗳 Laws aimed at voter suppression are "the worst" since Jim Crow. Gaps persist nearly 60 years after the Voting Rights Act promised protections for all voters. |
| 🎄 Is inflation the Grinch that stole Christmas? The pandemic's economic fallout will ripple through the holidays as Americans pay higher prices for many items. |
| 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: Louisiana governor urges judge to quit |
 | | Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards speaks to reporters at his end-of-the-year press conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Dec. 16, 2021. | | Associated Press photo; USA TODAY graphic | |
| Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and the National Bar Association joined calls for Lafayette City Court Judge Michelle Odinet to resign over a racist video filmed at her home over the weekend. |
| Odinet's attorney Dane Ciolino confirmed Thursday the judge is taking an unpaid leave from the court to consider her path forward. Edwards' position is that Odinet should take her leave and, subsequently, decide to leave the bench. |
| Odinet's absence follows widespread calls for her to resign this week after multiple people were recorded using a racist slur in a video, which the judge confirmed was taken at her home following a failed burglary attempt early Saturday. |
Wildfire danger causes state of emergency in Kansas |
| Kansas remains under a state of emergency Friday because of elevated danger of wildfires. A storm system earlier in the week carried winds that reached up to 90 mph in some areas. The winds combined with low humidity and dry vegetation to fuel fires in parts of western and central Kansas. The dust reduced visibility on roads across the state, causing at least three fatalities and dozens of accidents, the Kansas Highway Patrol said. Numerous homes, outbuildings and other structures were destroyed. The fires also killed an unknown number of cattle and horses, officials said. Most of the state was under an enhanced, significant or critical fire outlook. |
 | | Debris from nearby farm fields swirls around on Highway 400 between Mullinville, Kan., and Dodge City on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. | | Travis Heying, The Wichita Eagle via AP | |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories published yesterday |
| 🏈 "An immediate change is imperative": Amid multiple controversies, Urban Meyer was fired as Jacksonville Jaguars head coach, 13 games into first NFL season. |
| 🌏 "This is a very tragic event": Five children were killed and several more were injured after a bounce house was sent flying by a wind gust in Australia's island state of Tasmania. |
| 🔴 "These results have become commonplace": The family of late NFL wide receiver Vincent Jackson announced that he has been diagnosed with the degenerative brain disease known as CTE. |
| 😷 "Weakness of spirit": Personal finance guru and radio host Dave Ramsey fired and "mocked" an employee over COVID precautions, according to a federal lawsuit. |
| 🗣 Trading barbs: Billionaire businessman Elon Musk called Massachusetts' Elizabeth Warren "Senator Karen" and said he will pay more taxes than "any American in history." |
Ex-defense contractor in court for attempted espionage charges |
| A former defense contractor is expected to make his first court appearance Friday after being charged with attempted espionage . John Murray Rowe Jr., 63, allegedly sought to provide secret fighter jet technology to the Russian government. The South Dakota man's court appearance follows an eight-month investigation in which Rowe repeatedly expressed interest in sharing classified information before disclosing defense systems used by U.S. fighter jets to an FBI undercover agent posing as a Russian government operative, federal prosecutors said. Rowe is formally charged with attempting to communicate national defense information to aid a foreign government. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. |
Fact check: Let's make a few things clear |
| ✔ The claim: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected former President Donald Trump's request for 10,000 National Guard troops to be deployed before Jan. 6. Our rating: False ❌ |
| ✔ The claim: FEMA gave Kentuckians affected by the tornadoes that ripped through communities vaccines, not crisis supplies. Our rating: False ❌ |
| 🔵 The claim: USA TODAY's experts will check subscribers' facts. Just send us a text. Our rating: True. Head here to see how you can get your facts checked. |
| ✔ The claim: One of the deadly tornadoes that hit Kentucky had wind speeds exceeding 300 mph. Our rating: False ❌ Preliminary estimates from the NWS indicate the storm had wind speeds of about 190 mph. |
| ✔ The claim: Ragú released a limited-edition peppermint alfredo pasta sauce. Our rating: Altered image. A company spokesperson told USA TODAY the firm did not release such a product and has no plans to do so. |
| 🔵 Did you know we have an entire newsletter just devoted to fact checks? You can sign up here to get the real story! |
College football bowl season kicks off |
| If you love college football, then this is your favorite time of year. Forty-three bowl games are on tap for the next three-plus weeks, culminating with the College Football Playoff championship game on Jan. 10. The action kicks off Friday with a pair of games: Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo in the Bahamas Bowl (noon ET, ESPN), followed by Coastal Carolina vs. Northern Illinois in the Cure Bowl (6 p.m. ET, ESPN2). One day later, six games are scheduled, beginning at 11 a.m. ET. The College Football Playoff semifinals will be held on Dec. 31, when No. 1 Alabama faces off against No. 4 Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) and No. 2 Michigan takes on No. 3 Georgia in the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Florida (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). |
📸 Photo of the day: Biden honors three with Medal of Honor 📸 |
 | | President Joe Biden awards the Medal of Honor to Army Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee at the White House in Washington on Dec. 16, 202. Plumlee, an Army Green Beret, received the medal for his efforts to repel a suicide attack by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan in August 2013. | | Drew Angerer, Getty Images | |
| President Joe Biden on Thursday awarded the Medal of Honor to three U.S. soldiers for their service during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, including two posthumous awards, one for Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe, the first Black service member to receive the military award since the war on terror began on 9/11, and the other for Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Celiz. |
| Master Sergeant Earl Plumlee was also honored with the award, which is the nation's highest military award for valor. |
| Head here to see more photos from Joe Biden's presidency. |
| Contributing: The Associated Press |
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