The Short List

Tue Dec 19 2023

Laura L. Davis | Audience Editor

@lauradavis

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Sandra Day O'Connor, the first female Supreme Court justice, is being honored during a week of ceremonies in Washington. Thousands of people are still without power after a vicious storm battered the Northeast. And a poll shows the vast majority of young voters are unhappy with Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

👋 Hi, Tuesday! Laura Davis here. It's time for the news.

💍 But first: She left her new engagement ring in a rest stop bathroom. Here's how she got it back.

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Life, legacy of Sandra Day O'Connor honored

Sandra Day O'Connor, the gritty ranch girl who became the first female Supreme Court justice and one of the nation's most powerful women, was remembered during a funeral service Tuesday as a "pioneer" and pragmatic jurist who shaped the law always with an eye toward the court's enormous impact on Americans. "Gracious and wise, civil and principled, Sandra Day O'Connor, daughter (of) the American West, was a pioneer in her own right, breaking down the barriers in legal and political worlds," President Joe Biden said. Nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, O'Connor would become among the court's most influential justices, finding middle ground on issues such as abortion and civil rights during nearly 25 years on the bench. O'Connor died at 93 on Dec. 1 of complications related to dementia and a respiratory illness. 👉More from the funeral service.

President Joe Biden attends a funeral service for former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor at the National Cathedral in Washington on Tuesday.

Josh Morgan, USA TODAY

Flooding, power outages continue across Northeast

Areas across New Jersey and through New England remained flooded on Tuesday as hundreds of thousands of people were without power a day after a storm ravaged much of the Northeast. Many school districts canceled classes on Tuesday after the storm, which first blasted through the Midwest and Southeast, brought torrential rainfall and fierce winds to the region. Flood warnings were in effect throughout the Northeast as entire roads remained underwater often because of river runoff. The powerful storm system snarled traffic, delayed flights, toppled trees, knocked out power for hundreds of thousands and killed at least five people. ⛈️ More updates from the storm.

•	Power outage map: Over 500,000 customers without power in Maine, Massachusetts.

Monday's storm brought down a tree on Foundry Street in Easton, Mass., and took a telephone pole with it.

Mark Jarret Chavous/The Enterprise

Real quick

•	The gay sex scandal in the Senate everyone is talking about.
•	Sad update: Céline Dion has lost control over her muscles.
•	13,000 people watched a chair fall: Why this story has legs (or used to).
•	College professors are eyeing the exits. It could reshape higher education.
•	Jennifer Love Hewitt hits back at claims she looks 'unrecognizable.'

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.

Poll: Young voters disagree with Biden on Israel war

Most U.S. voters disapprove of President Joe Biden's handling of the Israeli-Hamas war, and younger voters are far more critical of Biden's efforts and Israel's conduct than older voters, a New York Times/Siena College poll released Tuesday found. The poll shows almost 75% of voters 18 to 29 years old, traditionally leaning Democratic, disapprove of Biden's efforts in Gaza. And among registered voters, they say they would vote for former President Donald Trump by 49% to 43%. Just five months ago those voters backed Biden by 10 percentage points. 👉 Live updates from the Israel-Hamas war.

•	I saw raw footage of Hamas attack on Israel. The horrors still haunt me. \| Voices

A man sits with children by a fire outside one of the tents housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.

Mahmud Hams, AFP via Getty Images

Iceland volcano erupts

Orange skies, flowing lava. After weeks of earthquake activity, Iceland's Mount Fagradalsfjall volcano, located in one of the country's most populated areas, erupted Monday night, opening a 2.5-mile-long crack in the earth and sending a river of lava toward nearby towns. The eruption was anticipated by scientists monitoring the volcano. It took place about 2.4 miles northeast of the fishing village of Grindavík and the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, in the Reykjanes Peninsula at about 10:17 p.m. local time. Authorities evacuated more than 3,400 people from Grindavík as a precaution in November when seismic activity began to increase. 👉 Here's the latest on the eruption.

•	See livestream, photos of eruption on Iceland's coast.

Emergency personnel and scientists observe the volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula, western Iceland, on Monday.

ICELANDIC COAST GUARD, HANDOUT/AFP via Getty Images

A break from the news

•	💖🎞️ Kenough waiting! How to stream the 'Barbie' movie.
•	🎄🍪 Christmas sweets and the perils of a 'sugar high.'
•	🧦 Dryer not drying fast enough? Try these hacks.

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com. This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.