Tuesday, September 22, 2026

'One very simple medicine'

Plus: A 'great wealth transfer' is under way. Why some beneficiaries say they're not prepared. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌  ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 
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The Short List

Tue Sep 22 2026

 

Phaedra Trethan National Correspondent

@wordsbyphaedra

👋🏼 Hi there! I'm Phaedra Trethan, grateful to Karissa for filling in so wonderfully while I took a day off. 🙏🏼

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In Tuesday's news:

Urinary tract infections can lead to potentially deadly complications for older women. A low-cost treatment can prevent them ‒ so why isn't if offered to more women? 🩺
President Donald Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly, threatening to "annihilate" Iran and predicting the demise of Cuba's government. 🎤
A "great wealth transfer" is under way. Why some potential beneficiaries say they're not ready for it. 💵

But first: Taylor Swift will release a new song later this week. How she teased fans with the news. ⏰

'One very simple medicine' could save women's lives 🩺

"One very simple medicine could have saved my mother," Lorrie Durbin said. "She spent her life taking care of people. And in the end, no one took care of her. My mother didn’t need to die."

Durbin's mother, Roselin Shankland, a 78-year-old retired nurse, died in 2023 after a common infection spread to her bloodstream. Older women are more susceptible to urinary tract infections (UTIs) as declining estrogen changes the tissue and bacteria of the vagina and urinary tract, making it easier for harmful bacteria to grow and for infections to spread into the bloodstream. Vaginal estrogen can help restore those protections and prevent recurrent infections, and costs as little as a few dollars a month. Major medical groups have recommended it for years for menopausal women with recurring UTIs, yet many women are never offered it.

Special Project Sepsis And Utis

Lorrie Durbin holds a photo of her and her mother from Durbin's wedding day. After losing her mother, Roselin Shankland, to sepsis following multiple urinary tract infections, Lorrie Durbin is speaking about the need for greater awareness of preventive care and treatment options.

Zack Wittman, for USA TODAY

Trump at the UN 🌎

President Trump threatened to "annihilate" Iran, predicted the demise of Cuba's government, touted the "spoils" of oil won from assaulting Venezuela and attacked international organizations for infringing on the United States during an address to the United Nations General Assembly.

Watch: The Cuban delegation reacts to Trump's remarks.
Trump backed off his attempts to annex Greenland.
Photos: Inside the United Nations General Assembly. 📸
A federal judge will hear arguments tomorrow in the dispute over the Trump administration's banning MS NOW, CNN and Politico. ⚖️
Trump's ban is testing the limits of his power, and the First Amendment rights of the news organizations suing.
"Trump TV"? Amid the media ban, the administration launches a new channel. But so far, it seems to be mostly reruns. 📺
Republican candidates are calling for an end to the unpopular U.S.-Iran war.

Real quick

Actor Hayden Panettiere's death has been ruled an accident, brought on by a combination of several medications and fentanyl.
A grand jury declined to charge anyone in the death of Mississippi teen Nolan Wells.
A Vermont jury convicted a man of attempted murder in the 2023 shooting of three students of Palestinian descent.
An oil spill is growing in the Middle East amid the ongoing Iran war. 🛢️

Ready for the 'great wealth transfer'? 💵

Many women may see a windfall: a $124 trillion "great wealth transfer" is under way and will happen through 2048, much of it through inter-spousal inheritance, a consulting firm found. But a 2025 survey found 84% of women lack confidence in their ability to manage any potential financial windfall, and nearly half find themselves confused or overwhelmed at the idea of managing their personal wealth.

The Dogist delights 🐶

After getting laid off, Elias Weiss Friedman picked up his camera and started shooting photos of dogs. More than 50,000 pictures of dogs and millions of social media followers later, The Dogist is on a mission to bring smiles to human faces through pup pics, their owners' observations and books, YouTube videos and more.

Photos: Six dogs we met on a walk with The Dogist. 📸
Watch: What dogs taught The Dogist about finding joy. 🦴 🐶

The Dogist Elias Weiss Friedman

Elias Weiss Friedman is the man behind the wildly popular social media account The Dogist. He took USA TODAY Pets with him to go snap some pictures of dogs in Central Park.

Josmar Taveras

A break from the news

Gen Z is having sex less frequently than prior generations. A survey found out why. 🫣
My teenager doesn't greet me anymore with the same enthusiasm as this sea lion pup greeted its mom. But I remember when she did. 🦭 🥹
Christina Applegate is out of the hospital after a long stay, sending love to fans (and we love her right back). ❤️‍🩹

Phaedra Trethan is a national correspondent at USA TODAY. I’d love to hear from readers about The Short List, story ideas from across the nation and your favorite social media dog and/or cat accounts. (I follow "Daily Dose of Pebbles," "Dogspotting Society" and "Disapproving Cats," among probably too many others.) Email me at ptrethan@usatoday.com.

Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, an attorney representing the family of Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, speaks at a news conference in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 21, 2026,

According to Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez's lawyer, the Venezuelan man remains detained with a bullet near his spine amid a demand an independent probe.

File photo of the U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln docked at Laem Chabang Port for a rest stop following a long deployment in the Middle East, in Chonburi province, Thailand, September 3, 2026. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
 

Sailors admit to selling fentanyl-laced pills to seaman on USS Abraham Lincoln

A couple pleaded guilty to selling fentanyl on the USS Abraham Lincoln in 2022 and 2023. One of the sailors who took the pills died, and another overdosed.

Senator John Curtis, R-Utah, speaks during a press conference at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 30, 2026.
 

Republican demands probe into Don Jr. over oligarch-backed wedding bash

Utah Republican Sen. John Curtis called for the president's son to be subpoenaed over reports that a Russian oligarch bankrolled his wedding party.

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock speaks during a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol building as the Georgia Assembly prepares to hold a special session on voter redistricting in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. June 17, 2026.
 

Warnock says DOJ should take ALPR concerns 'seriously' in letter

Georgia Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock has sent a letter with Sen. Katie Britt calling on Todd Blanche and the DOJ to take ALPR concerns seriously.

U.S. President Donald Trump greets attendees before a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new helipad at the White House on September 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.
 

Trump was gaining ground. Then this happened

Trump had been gaining ground in the polls. A new survey shows that momentum may have come to an abrupt end.

The <a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="link" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/state/california/2026/09/18/dome-fire-updates-location-size-containment-evacuations-road-closures-friday-update/91829016007/">Dome Fire</a> in Yosemite National Park has burned more than 3,000 acres and was 15 % contained as of Sept. 21, 2026, CALFire reported online
 

2 killed in Yosemite wildfire helicopter crash during 'bucket drops'

Two people died when a helicopter fighting the Dome Fire in Yosemite National Park crashed during water drops.

Presley Gerber, the only son of model Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, has died at 27.
 

Presley Gerber underwent ibogaine treatment months before his death

Presley Gerber shared his experience with ibogaine months before his death. What is the psychedelic compound? Why is it used in addiction treatment?

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna speaks to the media on the day of an EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Belgium December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Omar Havana
 

This NATO country borders Russia. A top official says Putin is using Trump

Vladimir Putin is not serious about ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview.

Merriam-Webster added the word "cake pop" in 2026.
 

'Meme coin,' 'trash panda' and 'cake pop' added to Merriam-Webster

Many of the new words added to Merriam-Webster are inspired by social media culture, like "looksmaxxing," "glow-up" and "Rockroll."

Devante Adams, Aaron Donald and Matt Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams
 

NFL power rankings: Rams rebound as top five shifts below Seahawks

The Seahawks are still No. 1, and the Dolphins are still bringing up the rear. In between? Plenty of movement in this week's NFL power structure.

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Unwind with crosswords and challenges that recharge you. 

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