Your weekend must reads 📰

Tragedy in the NFL; the war on 'woke'. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

The Short List   Saturday, January 7 Good morning, USA TODAY readers. I'm John Riley, and you've arrived at The Short List weekend edition✨, where we revisit some of the best stories of the week. It's our first edition of 2023🎉, so let's get going! 🏈Tragedy in the NFL: The sports world was rocked Monday night when the Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest in the first quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Our columnists from across the network weighed in with eloquence and passion after the stunning incident. • Mike Freeman: Tragic moment reminds us that NFL players are human • Gregg Doyel: Don't let anti-vaxxers lie to you about Damar Hamlin • Jarrett Bell: Nothing has prepared the Bills, NFL for this lingering trauma 🔵The war on 'woke': 'Woke' – a watchword long embraced by the Black community – has become a Republican culture-war rallying cry against progressive activism. USA TODAY looked at the trend in two stories this week. • 'Woke mind virus'?: Why red America has declared war on corporate America • Targeting the military: Republicans attack the Defense Department for its 'woke' social policies 😷COVID turns three: On Dec. 31, 2019, China notified the World Health Organization of a novel pathogen in Wuhan. A day later, in that city of 12 million, a wet market selling live animals was shuttered out of fear it was the source of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. Three years after the onset of COVID-19, USA TODAY looked at the state of the pandemic, and at the threat of future pandemics. • XBB.1.5: People who haven't had COVID will likely catch the newest variant – and many will get reinfected, experts say • A more contagious variant: XBB.1.5 now accounts for over 40% of COVID cases • Just the FAQs: Are vaccines holding up against the new COVID variant XBB.1.5? Here's what we know. • The next pandemic: Experts worry if we'll be ready next time Don't miss our other great reads below.👇 See you next week! Takeaways from chaotic night that saw McCarthy elected House speaker The GOP leader survived one of the longest speaker races in U.S. history by winning over foes in what marks a turbulent start to the 118th Congress. Police said public wasn't in danger after Idaho killings. Was that... The Jan. 6 no-shows: These key witnesses, including McCarthy, went... 'WTF is wrong with him?': How Jan. 6 shook loyalties of Trump aides Two years after Jan. 6, what became of Proud Boys, Oath Keepers,... The latest TikTok prank is 'killing off' celebrities. Why that must... Will there be a recession in 2023? Slump in RV sales may be warning... Stop taking multivitamins in 2023. Here's why. What is the safest place to live in the world? States, countries... CES 2023: What we learned about the cars of the future   Problem viewing email? View in browser Unsubscribe • Manage Newsletters • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights • Privacy Notice • Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy • Feedback © 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22102