promoearn: 'I cry every day'

Monday, February 7

Swiss snowboarder Patrizia Kummer works out in her hotel room in Beijing on Jan. 19 under a 21-day quarantine. Kummer, who won a gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, is unvaccinated against the coronavirus, so she spent 21 days in isolation in China before the Games.

Being quarantined is bad, but the conditions are worse, Olympic athletes say. It's Monday's news.

Chaos in Canada during wild protests over COVID-19 mandates. Ahmaud Arbery's killers return to court. And it's a new frontier for two budget airline carriers.

👋 Hey! Laura here. It's Monday, and we've got a lot of news, so let's get to it!

But first, surprise! Jackpot! 🤑 A slot machine malfunctioned, and this man walked away with no idea he'd just hit the jackpot. Now he's $220,000 richer.

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Olympic athletes rip conditions in Beijing quarantine hotels

"I'm very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes. I want all this to end. I cry every day," Russian biathlete Valeria Vasnetsov wrote in an Instagram post. Polish speedskater Natalia Maliszewska wrote, "My heart can't take it." Athletes are speaking out about the conditions in quarantine hotels in China used by competitors who test positive for the coronavirus at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Among other things, they described "inedible meals" and little or no access to training equipment. Several hundred athletes and Games participants have tested positive since Jan. 23, according to organizers. More than 70,000 tests were conducted Sunday. Anyone wanting to leave a quarantine hotel must return two negative PCR tests, 24 hours apart, and be free of symptoms. Athletes say the testing regimen can be illogical and confusing. The International Olympic Committee's sports director, Kit McConnell, said Monday the IOC is trying to address individual circumstances, but the Beijing Olympic organizing committee has a "responsibility for dialogue with the hotels" where athletes and other Games' participants stay.

•	Nina O'Brien taken off giant slalom course on stretcher at Beijing Olympics.
•	US figure skater Vincent Zhou withdraws from individual event after positive coronavirus test.
•	Meet Kamila Valieva, ROC figure skater who is first woman to land a quad jump at Olympics.
•	🏅 USA medal count at Beijing Olympics: Full list of every medal for Team USA at Winter Games.

Want ✨ exclusive ✨ Winter Olympics access? Sign up for USA TODAY's Olympics texts to get the latest updates and behind-the-scenes coverage from Beijing.

What everyone's talking about

•	Razzie Award nominations for Jared Leto's 'House of Gucci,' LeBron James' 'Space Jam,' Ben Affleck.
•	In trial of officers in George Floyd's death, was it their duty to intervene?
•	Fresno State stonewalled the release of sexual harassment investigation reports, sought NDA.
•	Comedian Heather McDonald suffers skull fracture after she 'suddenly collapsed' onstage.

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.

Ottawa declares state of emergency over trucker convoy protests

Canada's capital was under a state of emergency Monday as protesters opposed to COVID-19 restrictions paralyzed Ottawa's downtown. Over the weekend, thousands of protesters joined a hundred who had been there since the previous weekend. Many residents of Ottawa are furious at the nonstop blaring of horns, traffic disruption and harassment and fear no end is in sight after the police chief called it a "siege" that he could not manage. Numerous U.S. politicians, including former President Donald Trump, have expressed support for the truckers. Bruce Heyman, a former U.S. ambassador to Canada under President Barack Obama, said groups in the USA must stop interfering in the domestic affairs of America's neighbor.

•	Live COVID-19 updates: US death rate may finally begin falling.
•	'We can't do this on our own': Small hospitals are left behind by COVID-19 staffing wars.

Trucks line streets in Toronto on Feb. 5, 2022. A convoy of truckers and supporters have occupied downtown Ottawa since last Saturday in protest of Canada's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, with convoys branching out to other major cities such as Toronto this weekend.

Cole Burston, Getty Images

Day of diplomacy an effort to head off Ukraine crisis

Several world leaders lined up Monday to walk a diplomatic tightrope that could mean the difference between war in Ukraine and an uneasy peace as Russia's menacing actions on the border of its neighbor continued unabated. In Washington, President Joe Biden met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House to shore up Western resolve against what they see as Russian aggression. Russian President Vladimir Putin was back at the Kremlin in Moscow after his diplomatic foray to get support from China over the weekend during the Winter Olympics. Putin hosted a marquee meeting with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, who traveled to Russia on a mission to de-escalate tensions. Western estimates that 100,000 Russian troops have massed near Ukraine increase worries that an offensive could be days away. The borders of nations in the NATO military alliance are also being shored up.

•	The latest: Biden, Scholz pledge unity on Russian-Ukraine dispute.
•	US infantry troops arrive in Poland; officials say Russia nearly ready for invasion.

President Joe Biden meets with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the Oval Office of the White House Feb. 7 in Washington.

Alex Brandon/AP

A match made in airline (fee) heaven

Budget airlines Frontier and Spirit, rapidly growing companies known for cheap fares and a pile of fees, plan to merge. The merged airline has not been named. The airlines announced the deal Monday, saying the combination would be the country's "most competitive ultra low-fare airline.'' It will be the nation's fifth-largest airline based on seat capacity. It will have more than 1,000 daily flights to more than 145 destinations in the USA, Latin America and the Caribbean, and a fleet of nearly 300 planes.

•	Pack lightly: Frontier decrease checked bag weight limits.
•	Not the best timing: Frontier Airlines cancels 1 in 5 flights on day merger with Spirit announced.

Spirit and Frontier Airlines plan a merger

Frontier Airlines

Real quick

•	1 killed, another injured in Washington grocery store shooting; suspect on the run, police say.
•	Verizon contracts for smartphones, other devices expand to three years.
•	White House defends decision to keep scientist Eric Lander despite workplace allegations.
•	SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio host fired after saying he'd rather shoot himself than watch the WNBA.
•	Woman falls to her death from rising drawbridge in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Federal hate crimes trial against Ahmaud Arbery's killers begins

The three white men convicted last November of murdering Black jogger Ahmaud Arbery returned to court Monday for jury selection in their federal hate crimes trial. Last week, Travis McMichael, 35, pleaded guilty to a charge of interference with rights that would have given him a sentence of 30 years in federal prison to serve concurrently with his life-plus-20-years sentence for Arbery's murder. McMichael withdrew that plea Friday. His father, Gregory, 65, also withdrew his plea agreement in court filings filed late Thursday. A judge rejected the initial terms of the binding agreements, saying she did not have enough information to conclude it was a fair deal. Arbery's family urged her to reject the deal. The hate crime case will continue against the McMichaels and William "Roddie" Bryan, a neighbor who filmed Arbery's killing in Brunswick, Georgia, in February 2020.

•	'We want 100% justice': Judge rejects plea deal with man who killed Ahmaud Arbery.
•	How do you prove hate? In the Arbery case, the answer is more complicated than you think.

Greg McMichael stands to be recognized during jury selection at the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga.

Stephen B. Morton/AP

A break from the news

•	🏈 Game on: 11 Super Bowl party games for grown-ups who love a little friendly competition.
•	💞 My boyfriend totally changed after moving in. Should I walk away?
•	📚 Take a look, it's in a book: What kids of all ages should be reading for Black History Month (and all year).

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