promoearn: Gold medals? 👀

Tuesday, February 8

Nathan Chen of the USA competes during the men's short program figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Feb. 8 in Beijing.

What's up? Gas. What's down? New coronavirus cases. And Team USA is stacking the silver medals. That's right, it's Tuesday's news.

Gas prices are up. New COVID-19 cases are down. And the Oscar nominees are in.

👋 Hey! Laura here with Tuesday's all-around biggest news.

But first, heads up, word nerds! 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 A Wordle-loving smarty pants figured out what he says is the best word to start your game with. Let me know if it works!

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Team USA stacks silver medals, still hunting for gold

The search for gold continued at the 2022 Beijing Olympics as the disappointments have outnumbered the successes for Team USA. American cross-country skier Jessie Diggins won bronze in the freestyle sprint, becoming the first U.S. woman to win an individual medal in cross-country. In the men's individual figure skating competition, five-time U.S. national champion Nathan Chen turned in a dazzling short program that put him ahead of the field heading into Thursday's free skate. On the slopes, Ryan Cochran-Siegle claimed another silver for the USA in the men's super-G, and Chinese American Eileen Gu thrilled the crowd in her adopted home country with a stellar final run to win the gold medal in the women's Big Air freestyle skiing competition. Olympic action continues Tuesday night, highlighted by snowboarders Chloe Kim and Shaun White, who are competing for the first time in Beijing.

•	Crashes, falls and injuries: Photos show heartbreak and recovery at the Winter Olympics.
•	'Shots don't win games. Goals do': US women control play but are reminded that's not enough vs. Canada.
•	Coronavirus tests, red-eye flights and borrowed skates: Casey Dawson's crazy journey to the Beijing Olympics.

Teen arrested in homicide investigation that led to Amir Locke's death

A 17-year-old was arrested Monday in connection to a homicide investigation that led to the death of Amir Locke, 22, who was shot and killed by a Minneapolis police officer last week during a predawn "no-knock" raid. The teenager was identified as Locke's cousin in court documents. Prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting Jan. 10 of Otis Rodney Elder, 38. During the homicide investigation, police tracked the teenage suspect and his associates to an apartment building, carrying out search warrants on three apartments. Locke was sleeping on a couch when officers entered the last apartment on a "no-knock warrant," body camera footage shows, and was holding a gun when he was shot and killed by officer Mark Hanneman. The shooting sparked multiple days of protest and reignited criticism of the Minneapolis Police Department. Friday night, Mayor Jacob Frey imposed a moratorium on no-knock warrants.

Hundreds march in protest of the killing of Amir Locke outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis on Feb. 5.

Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

And the Oscar nominees are...

Oscar voters spread the love between multiple contenders when the Academy Awards nominees were announced Tuesday morning, though director Jane Campion's Western tale "The Power of the Dog" looked close to a front-runner with 12 nominations, including four acting honors. The 94th annual Academy Awards, airing March 27 (ABC, 8 p.m. EDT/5 PDT), will have a host for the first time in four years, plus plenty of intrigue about who will get what honors. "Dog" and sci-fi epic "Dune," which nabbed 10 nominations, are up for the night's top prize – Best Picture – along with coming-of-age dramas "Belfast" and "Licorice Pizza," Japanese film "Drive My Car," musical redo "West Side Story," sports biopic "King Richard," disaster satire "Don't Look Up," inclusive tearjerker "CODA" and noir remake "Nightmare Alley." Go here for more about the nominees.

•	Kirsten Dunst 'screamed' when she and fiancé Jesse Plemons got Oscar nominations for 'Power of the Dog.'
•	Oscar nominations in 2022 fail to build on diversity momentum. What needs to happen next.
•	'We Don't Talk About Bruno' is a No. 1 hit. Why isn't the 'Encanto' song up for an Oscar?
•	Snubbed! Ben Affleck, Jennifer Hudson, Lady Gaga, Leonardo DiCaprio miss out on Oscar nominations.

George (Jesse Plemons) falls for the widow Rose (Kirsten Dunst) in "The Power of the Dog."

KIRSTY GRIFFIN/NETFLIX

What everyone's talking about

•	University of Alabama honors first Black student next to former KKK leader. Many are outraged.
•	Simon Leviev from Netflix's 'Tinder Swindler' banned from Tinder and Match. At least his 'enemies' won't be able to find him there.
•	Chimpanzees found treating wounds with insects, furthering debate about animal empathy.
•	'Horror movie' that won't end: One family's haunting tale of trauma years after border separation.
•	SoFi Stadium, site of Super Bowl 56, is multibillion-dollar dream for three, and nightmare for thousands.

The Short List is free, but several stories we link to are subscriber-only. Consider supporting our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today.

New infections dropping fast

The pace of new coronavirus cases in the USA has fallen by more than two-thirds from its peak weeks ago, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Still, the nation reports 1.86 million cases a week, and about 2,500 COVID-19 deaths are reported every day. At least four states expect continued improvement, ending statewide mask mandates in schools within the next two months as indoor masking requirements lift across the country. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is waging a court battle to keep his mask mandate for schools alive. This week, the state attorney general appealed a judge's ruling that invalidated Pritzker's mandate. "Absent a stay, students, teachers and other school employees will be further exposed to COVID-19, leading to additional and likely widespread transmission within schools and in the broader community, increased hospitalizations and deaths, and school staff shortages requiring full remote learning or even school closures," the appeal said.

•	Moms are at war over COVID-19. Who's to blame?
•	Why – and where – Americans are moving 2 years into pandemic.

Virtua nurse Stephanie Vieux of Burlington Township, N.J., prepares a shot of the Pfizer vaccine at the Burlington County COVID-19 Vaccine Mega-Site in Mount Laurel, N.J., on Dec. 9.

Chris LaChall/Courier-Post

Real quick

•	New York couple arrested in alleged scheme to launder billions in stolen cryptocurrency.
•	Russia won't escalate crisis in Ukraine, Macron says: Here's what we know.
•	Retired Pope Benedict XVI asks pardon for clergy sex abuse cases but admits no wrongdoing.
•	Man allegedly tricked woman into believing she was training as a DEA agent for a year.
•	Steve Irwin's son, Robert, almost attacked by 12-foot crocodile on camera.
•	Suspect arrested in 'senseless' Washington grocery store shooting; 1 dead, 1 injured.

⛽️ Pain at the pump

If your Facebook friends are posting more pictures of their gas purchases than usual, it's probably because gas prices continue to surge with no signs of slowing down, according to the American Automobile Association. The national average for gas is $3.46 per gallon as of Tuesday – nearly a dollar more than last year's average of $2.47. That means the average person is spending about $12 more to fill up a tank of gas in a medium-sized car. Ouch. AAA says it's because of a combination of increased demand for heating oil in the winter months and the tension between Russia and Ukraine. Russia is a member of OPEC+, and any sanctions based on its actions toward Ukraine may cause it to withhold crude oil from the global market. The price of crude oil is a determiner for prices at the pump.

Gasoline is getting more expensive, adding to the U.S. economic inflation.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

A break from the news

•	💸 These 3 decisions could come back to bite you in retirement.
•	💝 A treat for your sweet: 20 amazing last-minute Valentine's Day gifts that will arrive on time.
•	😴 Can you lose pounds by sleeping more? My own evidence doesn't seem to suggest so, but this study sheds light on sleep patterns and weight.

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.