The Short List

Thu Jan 18 2024

Spencer Elliott | Manager, Audience

@selliott0

Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown. The long-anticipated federal report on the Uvalde shooting was released. And Pakistan launched airstrikes on Iran.

Hey there, Spencer here. Let's get to Thursday's news.

But first, are terms like "grandma" and "grandpa" a thing of the past? Why some grandparents are rejecting those nicknames and trying to adopt alternatives.

The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe to the newsletter here.

Congress steps back from shutdown brink

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Shutdown averted. Both chambers of Congress on Thursday passed an extension of government funding until early March , buying themselves more time to work out a long-term spending agreement. The move also dodges a shutdown, which would have started Saturday and disrupted many government programs and services. If this all sounds familiar, it's because this is the third such extension Congress has approved since September. And staving off a shutdown is only the start of the next round of fights: Lawmakers can now begin finally writing the spending legislation that was initially due last fall.

•	Some Republicans want to punish conservative rebels as tensions erupt in the House.
•	Expert says Trump could owe $12 million (or more) for defamation in E. Jean Carroll case.
•	Courthouse or a campaign stop? Trump tries to twist charges, lawsuits in the election.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., walks from his office to greet visitors during a House recess on Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

DOJ's long-awaited Uvalde report documents police 'failure'

In sometimes damning language, the U.S. Justice Department's report into the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, describes the response by law enforcement as a "failure" with no one taking full command, and the school's police chief taking actions that delayed efforts to save lives. The release of the nearly 500-page report Thursday capped an emotional two days in Uvalde, where 19 children and two teachers were slain in the 2022 shooting. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland met with victims' families on Wednesday to brief them on the report before it was released to the public.

Crosses memorialize the victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on Thursday.

Jay Janner / American-Statesman

What everyone's talking about

•	New Patriots coach is right: 'If you don't see color, you can't see racism' \| Opinion
•	How an online cult is tied to 6 disappearances.
•	The price of being a social media influencer: Very complicated taxes.

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Pakistan launches deadly airstrikes in Iran

Pakistan's air force launched retaliatory airstrikes in Iran Thursday, killing at least nine people two days after Iran struck at separatist camps in Pakistan. Both attacks appeared to target two Baluch militant groups with similar separatist goals on both sides of the border, and each country has accused the other of providing a safe haven to the militants. The strikes imperil diplomatic relations between the two neighbors, as Iran and nuclear-armed Pakistan have long regarded each other with suspicion over militant attacks. The attacks also come as the Middle East remains unsettled by Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

•	Gaza war updates: Israel's president dismisses global outcry for peace deal

A Pakistani checks morning newspapers covering front page story of Iran's strike, at a stall in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Thursday.

Anjum Naveed, AP

Colleges splash cash for football coaches 💰

Losing your job can be pretty lucrative – if you're a big-time college football coach. A new USA TODAY Sports analysis has found major college athletics departments likely will end up spending at least $200 million combined on the past season's football coaching and staff changes. That figure includes expenses like buyouts to fired coaches and covering buyouts newly hired coaches owe their old schools. The exact total for the cycle won't be known for several years, but the eye-popping spending – like Jimbo Fisher's record-obliterating $77 million-plus buyout from Texas A&M – comes against the backdrop of increasing calls for college athletes to receive greater benefits from their schools.

A break from the news

•	❄️ Watch the magical moment a man sees snow for the first time.
•	📱 Ready for a new phone? How to save on the just-unveiled Samsung Galaxy.
•	🛳️ It's not a cruise ship, it's an ocean liner: Step aboard a transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2.