usatoday--2020-12-19--Will San Francisco, New York and other big cities recover from COVID-19? What a post-vaccine city co

SAN FRANCISCO — Rory Cox shudders each time he steps outside the doors of his YuBalance fitness studio .
“ It ’ s a damn ghost town , ” said Cox , 37 , whose three studios have seen an 80 % decline in business since the novel coronavirus hit in March .
“ My number one marketing tool is people walking by .
If they ’ re not out there , you lose.
” Cox , like many of those he represents as founder of the San Francisco Small Business Alliance , loves this iconic and iconoclastic city , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both great riches and staggering inequality .
But if San Francisco , which this week joined much of California in a mandatory three-week lockdown , isn ’ t able to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic , he , along with his wife , Shala , and their 5-year-old son , may pack up and head to a small Virginia town where his mother lives and start over .
“ If this city doesn ’ t work hard to rebuild after the winter , you ’ ll have more boarded-up shops , more homeless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
“ Detroit was the richest city in America in the 1950s .
We could be candidates for that kind of fall.
” With the COVID-19 vaccine beginning to roll out , how the biggest cities in the United States — economic engines and cultural cauldrons such as New York , Los Angeles , Boston , Miami — return from the deadliest global health crisis in a century may in some ways foreshadow how the United States bounces back .
An altered future seems inevitable .
Just over half of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Research Center said they expect their lives will remain changed in major ways after the pandemic .
For some , that has meant moving ; a June Pew survey revealed one in five said the outbreak made them or someone they know change residence .
But despite the budget shortfalls plaguing nearly every major city due to the pandemic , urban planners , economists and architects share a resoundingly positive consensus .
They say that buoyed by a younger demographic drawn to jobs , social opportunities and public services , cities will survive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spanish Flu of 1918 and the terrorist attacks on 9/11 , an echo of European capitals ' resilience after the bubonic plague of the 1300s and cholera outbreak of the early 1800s .
Some even posit that a year from now the United States might be in the midst of a new Roaring ‘ 20s , a reference to giddy good times that followed the Spanish Flu .
Economists at the University of California , Los Angeles , released a study last week predicting a “ gloomy winter ” would be supplanted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a weak 1.2 % in the current quarter to 6 % by next spring , with more growth in sight .
Post-pandemic city life could be more green , less expensive Part of that growth will depend on how quickly and effectively cities pivot in the wake of a landscape-altering pandemic .
A lot of that will depend on how fast municipal financial coffers , depleted by lost real estate and sales tax revenue , fill back up or whether federal aid comes to the rescue .
Consider these possible best-case-scenario changes — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least part-time from home — that experts say could come to our urban centers as COVID-19 hits the nation ’ s rearview mirror : — The need for commercial real estate shrinks , with some office spaces converted into living quarters .
A boom in available housing drives down ownership and rental costs , revitalizing downtowns .
— Ridership grows for improved public transportation systems , as flexible work schedules mean a move away from traditional commuting hours and increased demand for all-day access .
— Parks mushroom across cities as residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to both pandemic-era social distancing habits and more time spent outdoors over the past year .
— Restaurants roar back as the need to socialize returns , leaning heavily on new habits that include using sidewalks and parking spots as outdoor eating options .
A bit less clear , experts add , is the prospect for social activities that formerly implied shoulder to shoulder contact with other patrons .
Bars , concert halls and even museums likely will have to take a wait and see approach to operating their businesses .
But if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lure of city life could be at the heart of the nation 's recovery , said Janette Sadik-Khan , former commissioner of New York ’ s Department of Transportation and principal with Bloomberg Associates , a philanthropic consulting group funded by former New York mayor and one-time presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg .
“ There are so many opportunities following the pandemic not just to restore what wasn ’ t working before , but to move in a new direction , ” she said , adding that the “ energy , excitement and sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means there will be a natural desire to return to them .
“ Our streets can be used for so much more than moving and parking cars , such as front yards for residents or dining areas for restaurants , ” she said .
As cities morph in response to changing work habits and the memory of the pandemic , architecture will be pivotal to redesigning existing spaces so that they reflect new concerns surfaced by the pandemic , experts predict .
The most obvious change will involve improving both air flow and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Murphy , CEO of Boston-based architecture firm , MASS Design Group .
He added that restaurants and museums will need to be particularly watchful given their tendency to attract the masses .
“ Architects and designers will need to play a large role in rebuilding systems of trust through the design of safe and healthy spaces that remind us of our shared humanity , ” he said .
If politicians at the highest level do n't turn their attention and funding efforts toward big cities — where the poor and people of color @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic — life in our leading metropolises is only likely to get worse , said Richard Florida , a professor at the University of Toronto ’ s School of Cities and author of “ The New Urban Crisis.
” “ This is now in the hands of states and the Biden-Harris administration , ” Florida said of President-elect Joe Biden and his running mate , Kamala Harris .
“ We ’ re going to need a pretty massive federal effort in the form of a bailout and fast .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s an obligation .
If we miss it , there will be hell to pay.
” Cities may well be on their own .
Congress continues to debate the next coronavirus relief package as stimulus funds are set to expire .
But only $ 160 billion of the roughly $ 1 trillion new package would be earmarked for state , local and tribal governments , far short of the $ 500 billion requested by the National Governors Association .
Biden recently laid out a $ 1.3 trillion infrastructure spending plan , to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include helping to get public transportation rolling again around the country .
The spending proposal could face a tough battlein the Senate if Republican Mitch McConnell keeps majority control of the chamber .
Some metro areas will have to rely even more heavily on natural selling points to build back stronger after the pandemic , said urbanist Florida .
New York ’ s global appeal will bring back residents as soon as the worst of the pandemic is over , with perhaps younger families replacing retirees.In Florida , Miami ’ s weather and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coming years , as will Los Angeles ’ sunny climate , cultural offerings and nearby natural escapes .
Florida points to how some cities have been adding bike lines and closing streets to car traffic as evidence that the pandemic will only accelerate urban trends that already are underway .
He ’ s bullish on the growth of so-called 15-Minute Neighborhoods , a concept wherein residents of a revitalized city will be able to shop , work and socialize within a few minutes ’ walk of where they live .
“ Much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really even dented the arc of urbanization , ” said Florida .
“ I think we ’ re in the infancy of this.
” Cities will change based on just how much we work from home Urban experts all agree on one thing : all of these changes will be influenced directly by the degree to whether working from home becomes ingrained as a new normal .
While some businesses , notably technology companies , have signaled a permanent retreat from an office setting , most experts predict a hybrid model .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we return to an office will drive a lot of change , ” said Christopher Mayer , professor of real estate at the Columbia University Business School in New York .
Overall , a diminished demand for office space — one of the most prominent by-products of COVID-19 — as well as the sense that new offices will require more room for each employee — will bring a series of changes to the workplace environment .
These will include a boom in so-called hot-desking , where employees coming to an office space on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said Carlo Ratti , professor of Urban Technologies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and director of the SENSEable City Lab .
Zoom , that pandemic work darling , isn ’ t going away .
But city businesses may start providing areas to conduct virtual meetings as a way of generating added revenue , Ratti said .
“ The way Starbucks became a place for email , these could be new places to patronize while Zooming , ” said Ratti .
The fact that the nation , admittedly some states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ endure a collective quarantine for nearly a year means that as the vaccine takes hold there will be almost a frenetic desire to gather in public .
But those public spaces now will need to meet a new , higher standard , one that is safer and inspiring , said Rogier Van Den Berg , director of urban development at the World Resources Institute Ross Center for Sustainable Cities in Washington , D.C. “ People will want urban spaces to be more appealing , more green , more walkable , more biking , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ default attitude will be to give our city leaders the benefit of the doubt .
“ After disasters of any kind , people do tend to forget very fast what they ’ ve been through .
They recover and move forward.
” First , they have to stop losing residents , not to mention employers .
A September LinkedIn survey based on user profile zip code changes shows Hartford , Connecticut , leading the pack in citizen losses , largely due to jobs evaporating , while Austin , Texas , tops the list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 .
San Francisco is third in resident departures , just behind New York .
While many experts predict a Big Apple return once a vaccine lets life resume , they are less bullish on the prospects of San Francisco , whose boom and bust cycles date back to the 1850s Gold Rush .
The main reason : fleeing technology companies , which for the better part of 20 years have fueled the region 's soaring standard and cost of living .
In the past week alone , Tesla and Oracle both announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Texas , eager to avoid paying Bay Area wages and pricey office rents .
`` I 'm worried about San Francisco , '' said urban expert Florida .
`` Cities like Austin have been eating its lunch . ''
Beyond being expensive — San Francisco 's median home price is now $ 1.3 million — some residents have started to leave due to a pressing homelessness issue exacerbated by the pandemic , said Tom Radulovich , executive director of transportation advocacy group Livable City and a former director of Bay Area Rapid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many ways rested on its laurels while the tech economy boomed , ” he said .
“ Now we might find ourselves in a position smaller cities are familiar with , needing to up our game in order to attract business.
” San Francisco 's downtown financial and tech district , home to its new but sparsely populated Salesforce Tower , has been hollowed out by the pandemic .
Conventions and tourists have vanished .
Many storefronts are boarded up .
Residential rents have dropped 25 % .
In the second quarter of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 43 % .
More recently , credit card receipt data suggested that 85 % of restaurants in this foodie mecca had shuttered .
“ Will there physically be people in town to even come to our places to eat ?
” asked Laurie Thomas , owner of Rose ’ s Café and Terzo restaurant and executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association .
“ If not , that will just kill us.
” Thomas said she has survived by cutting back to a skeleton staff , providing outdoor dining and doing take-out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offering patrons outdoor dining in what used to be parking spaces will be crucial to her future survival .
“ We need locals , but we also need tourists and conventions and there ’ s no telling when those come back .
We need help , ” she said .
For San Francisco , as with other major American cities , the question `` seems to be , ‘ What is the value of a city after a pandemic ?
’ ” said Ted Egan , San Francisco ’ s chief economist .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ if people who have mastered Zoom and have gotten used to being at home just don ’ t feel they really need that in-person interaction anymore.
” For the past two decades , this bay city ’ s boom at the hands of tech giants such as Twitter , Google and Facebook has flooded the city with young workers with better than average salaries craving those very in-person interactions .
They spent money on great restaurants , hip cocktail lounges , stylish boutiques and personal training .
If they and their discretionary dollars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan , fitness studio owner Cox may be among those leaving the big city life behind .
But for the moment he remains hopeful city officials will listen to merchants like him and empower an urban renaissance that attracts businesses , tourists and new residents to a greener , culturally energized and work-life friendly San Francisco .
“ I met my wife here , I started my business here , we started our family here , it ’ s where we want to be , ” said Cox .
“ Many of us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vibrant after this pandemic is over .
People don ’ t move here for Target and Chipotle , they move for the cool small businesses .
We need to come back strong , and we 'll need help . ''

Will San Francisco, New York and other big cities recover from COVID-19? What a post-vaccine city could look like
Show Caption Hide Caption COVID-19: Will US cities like New York recover from the pandemic? Urban experts agree that cities like New York City, San Francisco and Chicago all need to adjust to this new post-pandemic world in order to survive. USA TODAY, Wochit
SAN FRANCISCO — Rory Cox shudders each time he steps outside the doors of his YuBalance fitness studio.
“It’s a damn ghost town,” said Cox, 37, whose three studios have seen an 80% decline in business since the novel coronavirus hit in March. “My number one marketing tool is people walking by. If they’re not out there, you lose.”
Cox, like many of those he represents as founder of the San Francisco Small Business Alliance, loves this iconic and iconoclastic city, a place where tech start-ups have brought both great riches and staggering inequality.
But if San Francisco, which this week joined much of California in a mandatory three-week lockdown, isn’t able to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, he, along with his wife, Shala, and their 5-year-old son, may pack up and head to a small Virginia town where his mother lives and start over.
“If this city doesn’t work hard to rebuild after the winter, you’ll have more boarded-up shops, more homeless people in doorways, more break-ins,” he said. “Detroit was the richest city in America in the 1950s. We could be candidates for that kind of fall.”
With the COVID-19 vaccine beginning to roll out, how the biggest cities in the United States — economic engines and cultural cauldrons such as New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami — return from the deadliest global health crisis in a century may in some ways foreshadow how the United States bounces back.
An altered future seems inevitable. Just over half of those polled in September by the Pew Research Center said they expect their lives will remain changed in major ways after the pandemic. For some, that has meant moving; a June Pew survey revealed one in five said the outbreak made them or someone they know change residence.
But despite the budget shortfalls plaguing nearly every major city due to the pandemic, urban planners, economists and architects share a resoundingly positive consensus. They say that buoyed by a younger demographic drawn to jobs, social opportunities and public services, cities will survive this crisis much as they did the Spanish Flu of 1918 and the terrorist attacks on 9/11, an echo of European capitals' resilience after the bubonic plague of the 1300s and cholera outbreak of the early 1800s.
Some even posit that a year from now the United States might be in the midst of a new Roaring ‘20s, a reference to giddy good times that followed the Spanish Flu.
Economists at the University of California, Los Angeles, released a study last week predicting a “gloomy winter” would be supplanted by a leap in gross domestic product from a weak 1.2% in the current quarter to 6% by next spring, with more growth in sight.
Post-pandemic city life could be more green, less expensive
Part of that growth will depend on how quickly and effectively cities pivot in the wake of a landscape-altering pandemic. A lot of that will depend on how fast municipal financial coffers, depleted by lost real estate and sales tax revenue, fill back up or whether federal aid comes to the rescue.
Consider these possible best-case-scenario changes — most driven by employees continuing to work at least part-time from home — that experts say could come to our urban centers as COVID-19 hits the nation’s rearview mirror:
— The need for commercial real estate shrinks, with some office spaces converted into living quarters. A boom in available housing drives down ownership and rental costs, revitalizing downtowns.
— Ridership grows for improved public transportation systems, as flexible work schedules mean a move away from traditional commuting hours and increased demand for all-day access.
— Parks mushroom across cities as residents crave more open spaces as a reaction to both pandemic-era social distancing habits and more time spent outdoors over the past year.
— Restaurants roar back as the need to socialize returns, leaning heavily on new habits that include using sidewalks and parking spots as outdoor eating options.
A bit less clear, experts add, is the prospect for social activities that formerly implied shoulder to shoulder contact with other patrons. Bars, concert halls and even museums likely will have to take a wait and see approach to operating their businesses.
But if managed correctly, the fundamental and enduring lure of city life could be at the heart of the nation's recovery, said Janette Sadik-Khan, former commissioner of New York’s Department of Transportation and principal with Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consulting group funded by former New York mayor and one-time presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg.
“There are so many opportunities following the pandemic not just to restore what wasn’t working before, but to move in a new direction,” she said, adding that the “energy, excitement and sense of place” offered by major cities means there will be a natural desire to return to them.
“Our streets can be used for so much more than moving and parking cars, such as front yards for residents or dining areas for restaurants,” she said.
Putting a new premium on open windows, natural light
As cities morph in response to changing work habits and the memory of the pandemic, architecture will be pivotal to redesigning existing spaces so that they reflect new concerns surfaced by the pandemic, experts predict.
The most obvious change will involve improving both air flow and natural light in buildings, said Michael Murphy, CEO of Boston-based architecture firm, MASS Design Group. He added that restaurants and museums will need to be particularly watchful given their tendency to attract the masses.
“Architects and designers will need to play a large role in rebuilding systems of trust through the design of safe and healthy spaces that remind us of our shared humanity,” he said.
If politicians at the highest level don't turn their attention and funding efforts toward big cities — where the poor and people of color were physically and fiscally impacted disproportionately by the pandemic — life in our leading metropolises is only likely to get worse, said Richard Florida, a professor at the University of Toronto’s School of Cities and author of “The New Urban Crisis.”
“This is now in the hands of states and the Biden-Harris administration,” Florida said of President-elect Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris. “We’re going to need a pretty massive federal effort in the form of a bailout and fast. It’s not just an opportunity, it’s an obligation. If we miss it, there will be hell to pay.”
Cities may well be on their own. Congress continues to debate the next coronavirus relief package as stimulus funds are set to expire. But only $160 billion of the roughly $1 trillion new package would be earmarked for state, local and tribal governments, far short of the $500 billion requested by the National Governors Association.
Biden recently laid out a $1.3 trillion infrastructure spending plan, to be helmed by Pete Buttigieg, that would include helping to get public transportation rolling again around the country. The spending proposal could face a tough battle in the Senate if Republican Mitch McConnell keeps majority control of the chamber.
Some metro areas will have to rely even more heavily on natural selling points to build back stronger after the pandemic, said urbanist Florida.
New York’s global appeal will bring back residents as soon as the worst of the pandemic is over, with perhaps younger families replacing retirees. In Florida, Miami’s weather and no-tax-state status will prove a boon in the coming years, as will Los Angeles’ sunny climate, cultural offerings and nearby natural escapes.
Florida points to how some cities have been adding bike lines and closing streets to car traffic as evidence that the pandemic will only accelerate urban trends that already are underway. He’s bullish on the growth of so-called 15-Minute Neighborhoods, a concept wherein residents of a revitalized city will be able to shop, work and socialize within a few minutes’ walk of where they live.
“Much more serious and deadly pandemics have not really even dented the arc of urbanization,” said Florida. “I think we’re in the infancy of this.”
Cities will change based on just how much we work from home
Urban experts all agree on one thing: all of these changes will be influenced directly by the degree to whether working from home becomes ingrained as a new normal.
While some businesses, notably technology companies, have signaled a permanent retreat from an office setting, most experts predict a hybrid model.
“The answer to just how many days we return to an office will drive a lot of change,” said Christopher Mayer, professor of real estate at the Columbia University Business School in New York.
Overall, a diminished demand for office space — one of the most prominent by-products of COVID-19 — as well as the sense that new offices will require more room for each employee — will bring a series of changes to the workplace environment.
These will include a boom in so-called hot-desking, where employees coming to an office space on different days use the same work stations, said Carlo Ratti, professor of Urban Technologies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and director of the SENSEable City Lab.
Zoom, that pandemic work darling, isn’t going away. But city businesses may start providing areas to conduct virtual meetings as a way of generating added revenue, Ratti said.
“The way Starbucks became a place for email, these could be new places to patronize while Zooming,” said Ratti.
The fact that the nation, admittedly some states more than others, has had to endure a collective quarantine for nearly a year means that as the vaccine takes hold there will be almost a frenetic desire to gather in public.
But those public spaces now will need to meet a new, higher standard, one that is safer and inspiring, said Rogier Van Den Berg, director of urban development at the World Resources Institute Ross Center for Sustainable Cities in Washington, D.C.
“People will want urban spaces to be more appealing, more green, more walkable, more biking,” he said, adding that the default attitude will be to give our city leaders the benefit of the doubt. “After disasters of any kind, people do tend to forget very fast what they’ve been through. They recover and move forward.”
First, they have to stop losing residents, not to mention employers.
A September LinkedIn survey based on user profile zip code changes shows Hartford, Connecticut, leading the pack in citizen losses, largely due to jobs evaporating, while Austin, Texas, tops the list of cities gaining the most residents during COVID-19. San Francisco is third in resident departures, just behind New York.
While many experts predict a Big Apple return once a vaccine lets life resume, they are less bullish on the prospects of San Francisco, whose boom and bust cycles date back to the 1850s Gold Rush. The main reason: fleeing technology companies, which for the better part of 20 years have fueled the region's soaring standard and cost of living.
In the past week alone, Tesla and Oracle both announced they would be leaving the Bay Area for Texas, eager to avoid paying Bay Area wages and pricey office rents.
"I'm worried about San Francisco," said urban expert Florida. "Cities like Austin have been eating its lunch."
Beyond being expensive — San Francisco's median home price is now $1.3 million — some residents have started to leave due to a pressing homelessness issue exacerbated by the pandemic, said Tom Radulovich, executive director of transportation advocacy group Livable City and a former director of Bay Area Rapid Transit.
“The city has in many ways rested on its laurels while the tech economy boomed,” he said. “Now we might find ourselves in a position smaller cities are familiar with, needing to up our game in order to attract business.”
Hoping for San Francisco's eventual renewal
San Francisco's downtown financial and tech district, home to its new but sparsely populated Salesforce Tower, has been hollowed out by the pandemic. Conventions and tourists have vanished. Many storefronts are boarded up. Residential rents have dropped 25%.
In the second quarter of this year, sales tax revenue slid 43%. More recently, credit card receipt data suggested that 85% of restaurants in this foodie mecca had shuttered.
“Will there physically be people in town to even come to our places to eat?” asked Laurie Thomas, owner of Rose’s Café and Terzo restaurant and executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. “If not, that will just kill us.”
Thomas said she has survived by cutting back to a skeleton staff, providing outdoor dining and doing take-out. She said being able to keep offering patrons outdoor dining in what used to be parking spaces will be crucial to her future survival.
“We need locals, but we also need tourists and conventions and there’s no telling when those come back. We need help,” she said.
For San Francisco, as with other major American cities, the question "seems to be, ‘What is the value of a city after a pandemic?’” said Ted Egan, San Francisco’s chief economist. “A major worry for us is if people who have mastered Zoom and have gotten used to being at home just don’t feel they really need that in-person interaction anymore.”
For the past two decades, this bay city’s boom at the hands of tech giants such as Twitter, Google and Facebook has flooded the city with young workers with better than average salaries craving those very in-person interactions. They spent money on great restaurants, hip cocktail lounges, stylish boutiques and personal training.
If they and their discretionary dollars aren't a part of a post-COVID-19 plan, fitness studio owner Cox may be among those leaving the big city life behind. But for the moment he remains hopeful city officials will listen to merchants like him and empower an urban renaissance that attracts businesses, tourists and new residents to a greener, culturally energized and work-life friendly San Francisco.
“I met my wife here, I started my business here, we started our family here, it’s where we want to be,” said Cox. “Many of us want to keep this city alive and vibrant after this pandemic is over. People don’t move here for Target and Chipotle, they move for the cool small businesses. We need to come back strong, and we'll need help."
Follow USA TODAY national correspondent Marco della Cava: @marcodellacava


usatoday--2020-12-19--Coronavirus updates: FDA authorizes 2nd vaccine; Dozens of Democrats in Congress want teachers vacci

Coronavirus updates: FDA authorizes 2nd vaccine; Dozens of Democrats in Congress want teachers vaccinated

USA TODAY is keeping track of the news surrounding COVID-19 as vaccines begin to roll out nationwide .
Just this week , the U.S. marked the stark milestone of more than 17 million cases and 300,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic .
Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates on vaccine distribution , including who is getting the shots and where , as well as other COVID-19 news from across the USA TODAY Network .
Sign up for our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates directly to your inbox , join our Facebook group or scroll through our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you need to know about the coronavirus .
► A second COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for emergency use in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration .
Trucks will begin moving the vaccine this weekend , with the first of 5.9 million already manufactured Moderna shots expected to be given on Monday .
► Both vaccines carry “ a remote chance ” of causing a severe allergic reaction .
As the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccinations begin ramping up , the FDA is looking into five in the U.S. , including a severe reaction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fire broke out at an intensive care unit treating COVID-19 patients after an oxygen cylinder exploded , killing nine people .
► President-elect Joe Biden and his wife , Jill , will be getting their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Monday , according to Biden ’ s incoming press secretary , Jen Psaki .
Among high-profile politicians to receive the vaccine Friday : Vice President Mike Pence , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell .
► California has emerged as one of the most lethal hot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to scenes reminiscent of New York City in the spring .
ICU capacity has dropped to 0 % at hospitals in Southern California , state data showed .
► Federal officials closed the Washington Monument to visitors on a temporary basis beginning Friday after U.S .
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt , who led a private tour of the monument this week , tested positive for the COVID-19 virus .
► Anti-lockdown sentiment is featured prominently in a major music collaboration .
Van Morrison crafted an anti-lockdown tune with Eric Clapton .
Proceeds from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go to Morrison ’ s Save Live Music campaign benefitting those working in the music industry in the UK and Ireland .
📈 Today 's numbers : The U.S. has 17.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 313,669 deaths , according to Johns Hopkins University data .
The global totals : More than 75 million cases and 1.6 million deaths .
Minnesota lawmaker Jerry Relph has died after testing positive for COVID-19 Minnesota State Sen. Jerry Relph , who represented the city of St .
Cloud , died on Thursday .
`` I 'm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jerry Relph , has passed away and entered his heavenly home , '' Broker-Relph said in the statement .
He was exposed to COVID-19 in early November and tested positive on Nov. 13 .
His cause of death remains unknown .
FDA authorizes Moderna vaccine to join US fight against COVID-19 Americans will soon have access to a second COVID-19 vaccine after Stephen Hahn , commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , granted emergency authorization Friday to a vaccine made by Moderna .
The clearance , which is authorization rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , comes less than a week after the vaccine made by Pfizer and its German collaborator , BioNTech , got a similar OK. On Thursday , an independent advisory committee reviewed data from human trials of Moderna 's mRNA-1273 vaccine , deciding its benefits outweighed its risks .
The vaccine , according to a trial that included 30,000 volunteers , protected more than 94 % of recipients from active disease , without causing major safety concerns .
Trucks will begin moving the vaccine this weekend , with the first of 5.9 million already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Monday .
Moderna says it will be able to deliver 20 million doses of its vaccine by the end of December .
Another 80 million will be available in the first few months of 2021 , under a contract signed in August that brought the U.S. government 's direct financial backing of the company to $ 2.5 billion .
1 in 5 prisoners in the US has had COVID-19 , 1,700 have died One in every five state and federal prisoners in the United States has tested positive for the coronavirus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high as the general population .
In some states , more than half of prisoners have been infected , according to data collected by The Associated Press and The Marshall Project .
As the pandemic enters its 10th month — and as the first Americans begin to receive long-awaited COVID-19 vaccines — at least 275,000 prisoners have been infected , more than 1,700 have died and the spread of the virus behind bars shows no sign of slowing .
New cases in prisons this week reached their highest level since testing began in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in April and August .
“ That number is a vast undercount , ” said Homer Venters , the former chief medical officer at New York ’ s Rikers Island jail complex .
Venters has conducted more than a dozen court-ordered COVID-19 prison inspections around the country .
“ I still encounter prisons and jails where , when people get sick , not only are they not tested but they don ’ t receive care .
So they get much sicker than need be , ” he said .
Now the rollout of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policymakers .
As the virus spreads largely unchecked behind bars , prisoners can ’ t social distance and are dependent on the state for their safety and well-being .

Coronavirus updates: CDC advisory committee recommends Moderna vaccine; UK imposes tough lockdowns due to possible new strain
Show Caption Hide Caption Mike Pence gets COVID-19 vaccine Vice President Mike Pence received the COVID-19 vaccine on December 18. Associated Press, USA TODAY
USA TODAY is keeping track of the news surrounding COVID-19 as vaccines begin to roll out nationwide. Just this week, the U.S. marked the stark milestone of more than 17 million cases and 300,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates on vaccine distribution, including who is getting the shots and where, as well as other COVID-19 news from across the USA TODAY Network. Sign up for our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates directly to your inbox, join our Facebook group or scroll through our in-depth answers to reader questions for everything you need to know about the coronavirus.
In the headlines:
► Distribution of Moderna's newly-authorized vaccine began Saturday and will arrive to states Monday, said Gen. Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed. Meanwhile, the U.S. government is on track to deliver 20 million doses of both vaccines to states by the first week of January.
► Tennessee's First Lady Maria Lee has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Gov. Bill Lee's office. Maria Lee learned of the positive test result Saturday afternoon after she "began exhibiting mild symptoms of COVID-19," according to a statement from the governor.
► Stimulus talks stalled Saturday. As the hours ticked down towards another government shutdown deadline, senators deadlocked over Republicans’ insistence a provision ending certain emergency Federal Reserve powers be included in the bill.
► States this week found themselves scrambling to adjust as they received word they would get between 20% and 40% less vaccine next week than they had been told as late as Dec. 9. After days of confusion, the source of the problem was finally clarified Friday night: States were given estimates based on vaccine doses produced, not those that had been OK'd.
► A U.S. college student and her boyfriend have been sentenced to four months in prison in the Cayman Islands for violating strict COVID-19 measures.
► Santa Claus may be immune to COVID-19 but he now has an extra layer of protection thanks to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert. Fauci told children watching a 'Sesame Street' town hall put on by CNN Saturday that he vaccinated Kris Kringle himself.
► Minnesota State Sen. Jerry Relph, who represented the city of St. Cloud, died Thursday. He tested positive for the coronavirus on Nov. 13, but his cause of death is unknown at this time.
► The U.K. is imposing stricter lockdowns to curb rapidly spreading infections — possibly linked to a new strain of the virus identified this week. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday that nonessential shops, hairdressers and indoor leisure venues will be closed. “It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot proceed with Christmas as planned,” Johnson said.
► President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, will be getting their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Monday, according to Biden’s incoming press secretary, Jen Psaki. Among high-profile politicians to receive the vaccine Friday: Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has more than 17.6 million coronavirus cases and more than 316,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 76 million cases and 1.6 million deaths.
Here's a closer look at today's top stories:
An important public health committee voted unanimously Saturday to recommend Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 years old and older.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is an outside committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its recommendations are used to set the vaccination schedule for the United States.
“Safety has been a paramount focus,” said Dr. José Romero, committee chair and a professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Arkansas.
The recommendation now goes to CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield for a signature.
The Moderna vaccine was authorized by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday and will begin to arrive in all 50 states on Monday.
– Elizabeth Weise
Packages of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine, authorized on Friday, are being packaged Saturday for delivery on Monday, Gen. Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, said.
"Distribution of Moderna vaccine has already begun," Perna said at a Saturday morning news briefing.
The vaccine is being manufactured for Moderna in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, by Lonza, a Swiss-based pharmaceutical manufacturing company. From there, it will be distributed by McKesson, a medical supply company. McKesson will pack the vaccine, which comes in 10-dose vials, into special thermal shipping boxes that can maintain the necessary standard refrigerator temperature of 26 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
Those boxes will be packed onto UPS and FedEx trucks to begin the transportation, which will have them delivered to all 50 states by Monday.
"Trucks will begin rolling out tomorrow, from FedEx and UPS, delivering vaccines and kits to the American people across the United States," Perna said.
He said 2.9 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been delivered and that the U.S. government is on track to deliver 20 million doses to states by the first week of January. That number includes both Pfizer and Moderna doses.
– Elizabeth Weise
After years of isolationist and punitive immigration policies from the Trump administration, many immigrants — whose physical and fiscal health has, along with many people of color, been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic — might be unwilling to come forward and get vaccinated.
COVID-19 has been particularly merciless to Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans for reasons that include poverty, preexisting health conditions and front-line jobs. This demographic includes many immigrants, with the vast majority of those undocumented hailing from Mexico and Central America. Many of them are critical to farming and meatpacking, and their illness and death represent both a human tragedy and an economic blow.
“The vaccine must be fully available to undocumented Americans, if not, it will put all of us at risk,” said Manuel Pastor, head of the Equity Research Institute at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, which uses data and analysis to dissect equity issues. Read more here.
– Marco della Cava, Daniel Gonzalez and Rebecca Plevin, USA TODAY Network
With the COVID-19 vaccine beginning to roll out, how the biggest cities in the United States — economic engines and cultural cauldrons such as San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Miami — return from the deadliest global health crisis in a century may in some ways foreshadow how the United States bounces back.
Urban planners, economists and architects share a resoundingly positive consensus. They say that buoyed by a younger demographic drawn to jobs, social opportunities and public services, cities will survive this crisis much as they did the Spanish Flu of 1918 and the terrorist attacks on 9/11, an echo of European capitals' resilience after the bubonic plague of the 1300s and cholera outbreak of the early 1800s.
Some even posit that a year from now the United States might be in the midst of a new Roaring ‘20s, a reference to giddy good times that followed the Spanish Flu.
Part of that growth will depend on how quickly and effectively cities pivot in the wake of a landscape-altering pandemic. A lot of that will depend on how fast municipal financial coffers, depleted by lost real estate and sales tax revenue, fill back up or whether federal aid comes to the rescue. Read more here.
– Marco della Cava
A Friday letter obtained by USA TODAY and signed by 25 Democratic members of Congress urges the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to list K-12 teachers and school personnel among the groups of critical workers who will be prioritized in vaccine distribution.
Teachers getting sick from COVID-19 or quarantining because of exposure to the virus has been a major hurdle to keeping schools open in recent months. The letter says that vaccinating teachers will make it easier to reopen schools while also protecting educators, who put themselves at a greater risk for contracting the virus when they teach in-person.
"Prioritizing COVID- 19 vaccinations for K-12 educators and school personnel recognizes the essential work of these professionals, enables a safer return to in-person instruction, and provides the means necessary for tens of millions of workers to breathe life into the American economy," the letter says.
The letter, addressed to CDC director Robert Redfield, acknowledges states have the final say in vaccination distribution, but the federal agency's guidance helps shape those policies.
Contributing: The Associated Press


usatoday--2020-12-19--'Follow the science' is complicated when it comes to who gets a COVID vaccine and when

Studying anatomy at the beginning of medical school meant being assigned a cadaver and encountering the finality of death .
From there it meant knowing the bones and nerves and arteries and veins as well as body organs and gender differences , but one thing we did not identify or care about was skin color .
Since it made little anatomical or physiological difference , we immediately saw past it .
It was only in the clinical years when our perceptions and biases came into play , and as we developed into physicians , it became crucial that the science @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the mind .
“ Follow the science ” is an expression that has been overused and misused by politicians and the news media during the COVID pandemic , even as they jump to non-scientific conclusions , but what it really means is trying to identify trends and treatments during a burgeoning outbreak — in other words , shooting at a moving target with real contextual information rather than hyper embellished biases .
Among the main targets right now for this real science are the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine authorized for emergency use last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Moderna vaccine the FDA authorized Friday night .
Who is going to get these vaccines first ?
This needs to be a medical decision from beginning to end .
Health care workers makes sense , since many of us are seeing COVID patients on the front lines .
If we contract the virus , we can quickly spread it to each other , to our friends and families , or to our vulnerable patients .
We can also be messengers to society about the safety of the vaccine .
The Pfizer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ works since late January , when the structure of the virus became available online .
Messenger RNA technology ( genetic signaler ) has been available since the 1990s but it was only recently when scientists figured out how to cloak it in a way where it didn ’ t trigger an immune reaction which destroyed it .
Our bodies use MRNA all the time to signal our cells to make certain proteins , but this one is synthetic .
What ’ s truly exciting , and an explanation for the 95 % effectiveness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the late stage Pfizer and Moderna trials , is that once the cells make the signature spike protein of the virus , the immune response includes not just neutralizing antibodies but also the killer T cells that live virus vaccines induce .
We don ’ t know just how long this immunity will last , but promising studies show that this virus behaves like SARS in terms of immunity , and it is likely that immunity may last for years .
Long term health facilities and nursing homes also make sense as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obesity , and underlying health conditions are all risks for severe disease .
And it is very difficult to isolate suspected cases in a nursing home .
This is why though 6 % of the COVID cases occur in long term facilities , almost 40 % of the COVID deaths take place there .
The 1.4 million nursing home residents will be right at the front of the line , which is where they belong .
Front of the COVID-19 line : How to ensure VIPs do n't receive special treatment Outbreaks in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more frequently than in the general population , the death rate is higher , and the risk of spreading COVID beyond the walls of the prison via staff has proven to be significant .
They too should receive priority for the vaccines .
Add to the priority list essential workers who come into contact with the public frequently , the elderly , the obese , and those with preexisting conditions as well as those who live in underserved areas where many of the outbreaks have occurred .
Should Black and Hispanic people be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by COVID ?
Gov .
Andrew Cuomo of New York thinks so and he is not alone .
He said in a press conference this week , “ 110 leaders signed on from the state saying that don ’ t continue the discrimination that we have seen through COVID , where black , brown , and poor communities were left behind with higher death rates , higher infection rates , COVID doesn ’ t discriminate .
Neither should the United States of America.
” This comment resonated with me , and brought back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are all the same inside and out .
But I also considered a new study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open the Population Health group at NYU Langone Health .
COVID vaccine : The best COVID-19 vaccine sales pitch is not 'protect others . '
It 's 'save yourself ! '
The study concluded that though Black and Hispanic populations account for a much higher proportion of COVID cases and deaths for their population size , especially in major cities where they face the effects of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same time they were not more likely to be hospitalized .
This was most likely due to less timely care and poorer health coverage , as well as resistance to intervention .
Once in the hospital , Black people were less likely to die from COVID than white people , a testament to the equality of hospital care , at least at NYU , as well as the important fact that Black and Hispanic populations are not inherently susceptible to poor COVID outcomes .
Other factors are in play too , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care , and poverty .
All these factors should help determine who should get the historic vaccine first .
Dr. Marc Siegel , a member of USA TODAY 's Board of Contributors and a Fox News medical correspondent , is a professor of medicine and medical director of Doctor Radio at NYU Langone Health .
His latest book , `` COVID : the Politics of Fear and the Power of Science , '' was published last month .
Follow him on Twitter : @ DrMarcSiegel

'Follow the science' is complicated when it comes to who gets a COVID vaccine and when Making sound decisions during a growing COVID outbreak is like shooting at a moving target. The main targets now are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Show Caption Hide Caption Moderna COVID-19 vaccine authorized by FDA for emergency use in US The FDA has authorized Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the U.S. The first shots of the vaccine are expected to be given Monday. USA TODAY
Studying anatomy at the beginning of medical school meant being assigned a cadaver and encountering the finality of death. From there it meant knowing the bones and nerves and arteries and veins as well as body organs and gender differences, but one thing we did not identify or care about was skin color. Since it made little anatomical or physiological difference, we immediately saw past it. It was only in the clinical years when our perceptions and biases came into play, and as we developed into physicians, it became crucial that the science of the body supersede the emotion-driven misperceptions of the mind.
“Follow the science” is an expression that has been overused and misused by politicians and the news media during the COVID pandemic, even as they jump to non-scientific conclusions, but what it really means is trying to identify trends and treatments during a burgeoning outbreak — in other words, shooting at a moving target with real contextual information rather than hyper embellished biases. Among the main targets right now for this real science are the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine authorized for emergency use last week by the Food and Drug Administration, and the Moderna vaccine the FDA authorized Friday night.
Medical decisions from start to finish
Who is going to get these vaccines first? This needs to be a medical decision from beginning to end. Health care workers makes sense, since many of us are seeing COVID patients on the front lines. If we contract the virus, we can quickly spread it to each other, to our friends and families, or to our vulnerable patients. We can also be messengers to society about the safety of the vaccine.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been in the works since late January, when the structure of the virus became available online. Messenger RNA technology (genetic signaler) has been available since the 1990s but it was only recently when scientists figured out how to cloak it in a way where it didn’t trigger an immune reaction which destroyed it. Our bodies use MRNA all the time to signal our cells to make certain proteins, but this one is synthetic.
What’s truly exciting, and an explanation for the 95% effectiveness (after two shots) seen in the late stage Pfizer and Moderna trials, is that once the cells make the signature spike protein of the virus, the immune response includes not just neutralizing antibodies but also the killer T cells that live virus vaccines induce. We don’t know just how long this immunity will last, but promising studies show that this virus behaves like SARS in terms of immunity, and it is likely that immunity may last for years.
Long term health facilities and nursing homes also make sense as a top priority group, because age, obesity, and underlying health conditions are all risks for severe disease. And it is very difficult to isolate suspected cases in a nursing home. This is why though 6% of the COVID cases occur in long term facilities, almost 40% of the COVID deaths take place there. The 1.4 million nursing home residents will be right at the front of the line, which is where they belong.
Front of the COVID-19 line: How to ensure VIPs don't receive special treatment
Outbreaks in prisons are also quite common, occurring more frequently than in the general population, the death rate is higher, and the risk of spreading COVID beyond the walls of the prison via staff has proven to be significant. They too should receive priority for the vaccines.
Add to the priority list essential workers who come into contact with the public frequently, the elderly, the obese, and those with preexisting conditions as well as those who live in underserved areas where many of the outbreaks have occurred.
Social conditions should be a factor
Should Black and Hispanic people be prioritized because these groups have been ravaged by COVID? Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York thinks so and he is not alone. He said in a press conference this week, “110 leaders signed on from the state saying that don’t continue the discrimination that we have seen through COVID, where black, brown, and poor communities were left behind with higher death rates, higher infection rates, COVID doesn’t discriminate. Neither should the United States of America.”
This comment resonated with me, and brought back my medical school days of learning that we are all the same inside and out. But I also considered a new study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open the Population Health group at NYU Langone Health.
COVID vaccine: The best COVID-19 vaccine sales pitch is not 'protect others.' It's 'save yourself!'
The study concluded that though Black and Hispanic populations account for a much higher proportion of COVID cases and deaths for their population size, especially in major cities where they face the effects of poverty in much higher numbers, at the same time they were not more likely to be hospitalized. This was most likely due to less timely care and poorer health coverage, as well as resistance to intervention. Once in the hospital, Black people were less likely to die from COVID than white people, a testament to the equality of hospital care, at least at NYU, as well as the important fact that Black and Hispanic populations are not inherently susceptible to poor COVID outcomes.
Other factors are in play too, including poor housing, unequal access to health care, and poverty. All these factors should help determine who should get the historic vaccine first.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors and a Fox News medical correspondent, is a professor of medicine and medical director of Doctor Radio at NYU Langone Health. His latest book, "COVID: the Politics of Fear and the Power of Science," was published last month. Follow him on Twitter: @DrMarcSiegel


usatoday--2020-12-19--Fill-in Oregon beats No. 13 USC to win Pac-12 championship for second straight year

LOS ANGELES — Even the College Football Playoff selection committee had to be entertained by the Pac-12 championship game – even if it effectively knocked the league out of playoff consideration .
Oregon improved to 4-0 all-time in the conference title game with a 31-24 victory over No .
13 Southern California on Friday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum .
The Trojans ( 5-1 ) , who trailed by 14 points late , had outscored opponents 51-23 in the fourth quarter and completed three late comeback wins this season .
But a potential game-tying drive and a perfect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interception by Jamal Hill , his second of the game , with 2:47 remaining .
`` Thank God I got my foot down , '' Hill said of the critical pick , which was originally called incomplete .
`` I didn ’ t even remember if I got my foot down .
Coach ( Mario ) Cristobal asked me , 'Did you catch it ? '
I said , ' I think so . '
`` Kedon Slovis , who had 15 touchdowns and only four interceptions all season , finished 28-for-51 passing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three interceptions .
USC 's rising star is 12-2 in 14 starts against Pac-12 teams .
Both losses were to Oregon — last year 's 56-24 defeat and Friday 's game in which Slovis was sacked three times .
`` Really just came out with an attitude and a purpose and a mission , '' Cristobal said of the defense 's effort .
`` They certainly made the biggest impact on the game . ''
It was an eventful week for Oregon , which found out it was in the championship game on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game against Colorado .
Washington was unable to represent the North Division in the title game as the Huskies ( 3-1 ) continued to deal with COVID-19 issues that forced the cancellation of the regular-season finale at Autzen Stadium .
Cristobal landed a top-10 recruiting class on Wednesday and a new six-year , $ 27.3 million contract on Thursday .
`` One heck of a week , huh ? ''
Cristobal said after winning the Pac-12 for the second year in a row .
The Ducks ( 4-2 ) were without starting running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 208 yards and three touchdowns during last year ’ s 37-15 victory over then-No .
5 Utah to earn Pac-12 championship game most valuable player honors .
Travis Dye ( 55 yards rushing ) and Sean Dollars ( 52 yards rushing ) tried to keep USC ’ s defense honest on a night when quarterback Tyler Shough finished just 8-for-15 passing for 91 yards with two touchdowns and an interception .
Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead utilized backup Anthony Brown for the first time .
The Boston College graduate transfer was 3-for-4 passing with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first down on Oregon ’ s final drive to kill some precious seconds off the clock .
`` Whatever it took to get a win , '' Shough said .
`` We started adding the short-yardage and goal-line packages with him just to get some different looks… '' Anthony came in and was clutch in some of those moments . ''
Playoff : Brian Kelly is right .
It 's time for college football to stop worshiping the Rose Bowl .
| Opinion The Ducks opened the second half with their longest drive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 83-yard masterpiece that chewed 7 minutes , 40 seconds off the clock .
Brown patiently waited for DJ Johnson to come open for an 11-yard catch on a fourth-and-1 .
Shough spun out of a sack and picked up 6 yards and then completed a 23-yard screen pass to Johnny Johnson on third-and-5 .
One snap after game-wrecker Talanoa Hufanga nearly intercepted a pass by Brown in the end zone , the veteran signal-caller found Dye for a 4-yard touchdown pass to give Oregon a 28-14 lead .
Oregon 's DJ James made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jake London touchdown late in the third quarter .
The Trojans then settled for a 21-yard field goal by Parker Lewis , who then executed an onside kick recovered by Bru McCoy as Oregon ’ s return team was caught napping .
Kayvon Thibodeaux squashed the momentum , though , by sacking Slovis to end USC ’ s drive .
A roughing the punter penalty on Hufanga extended a drive that led to a 40-yard field goal by walk-on Henry Katleman to make the score 31-17 with 10:26 remaining .
Slovis connected with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and for a 4-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal to get the Trojans within 31-24 with 6:16 left .
The Ducks went three-and-out to give USC a chance to complete the comeback before Hill ’ s heroics .
Brown ’ s first pass attempt at Oregon went for a 2-yard touchdown pass to Jaylon Redd as the Ducks took a 7-0 lead 81 seconds into the game .
The quick strike was set up by a Deommodore Lenoir interception of Slovis ’ third pass , which the senior cornerback returned 24 yards while drawing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first-and-goal at the 9-yard line .
A hands-to-the face call against USC had the Trojans off schedule on their next drive , and Andrew Faoliu sacked Slovis for an 11-yard loss .
Clay Helton called timeout as USC lined up to punt on fourth-and-23 from its own end zone with 10 players on the field .
Oregon went three-and-out on the ensuing drive but a holding penalty backed the Trojans up on their own 5-yard line .
Hill intercepted Slovis to set the Ducks up for another short drive .
After a 14-yard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 14-yard touchdown to tight end Hunter Kampmoyer to make the score 14-0 with 7:14 remaining in the first quarter .
Cornerback Mykael Wright provided USC a brief spark with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call , but on fourth-and-inches at the Oregon 44-yard line , Thibodeaux brought Stephen Carr down 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage .
Slovis finally found his rhythm late in the quarter and capped a seven-play , 87-yard drive with a 47-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown , who was drifting down the Oregon sideline uncovered after Lenoir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oregon 135-62 in total yards in the first quarter but both Slovis interceptions led to touchdowns and the Trojans were called for four penalties totaling 43 yards .
Brandon Dorlus sacked Slovis at his own 3-yard line , and JJ Greenfield got his fingertips on a 38-yard punt by Ben Griffiths to give the offense another short field .
On a run-pass option play , Shough threw the ball into the flat to an unguarded DJ Johnson , who lumbered in for a touchdown to give Oregon a 21-7 advantage in the second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an 11-yard completion to Jake London on fourth-and-3 and Markese Stepp finished the 12-play , 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown with 4:35 remaining in the half .
The Trojans were in position for a tying touchdown just before the intermission after linebacker Kana ’ i Mauga intercepted Shough and returned the turnover to the Oregon 26-yard line with 35 seconds left .
The Ducks ’ defense forced a 41-yard field goal attempt , which Parker Lewis sailed wide right .
The Oregon defense held the Trojans , who were also without their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knee injury ) , to 38 net yards rushing due to Slovis losing 27 yards on sacks .
Thibodeaux was named the game 's most valuable player after finishing with a sack and two tackles for loss .
The sophomore defensive end , who was in the backfield making Slovis uncomfortable throughout the night , said the award should have been given to his classmate Hill .
`` Since day one he has been a dog , and I knew it , '' Thibodeaux said Hill .
`` If there was anyone on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be great it was him and he showed it tonight . ''
The Ducks will earn the Pac-12 ’ s automatic berth to a New Year ’ s Six Bow , likely the Fiesta Bowl .

Fill-in Oregon beats No. 13 USC to win Pac-12 championship for second straight year
LOS ANGELES — Even the College Football Playoff selection committee had to be entertained by the Pac-12 championship game – even if it effectively knocked the league out of playoff consideration.
Oregon improved to 4-0 all-time in the conference title game with a 31-24 victory over No. 13 Southern California on Friday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The Trojans (5-1), who trailed by 14 points late, had outscored opponents 51-23 in the fourth quarter and completed three late comeback wins this season.
But a potential game-tying drive and a perfect season were taken away by a brilliant interception by Jamal Hill, his second of the game, with 2:47 remaining.
"Thank God I got my foot down," Hill said of the critical pick, which was originally called incomplete. "I didn’t even remember if I got my foot down. Coach (Mario) Cristobal asked me, 'Did you catch it?' I said, 'I think so.' "
THE TOE TAP 😱@oregonfootball comes up with the huge INT late in the Pac-12 Championship Game pic.twitter.com/O2YlTsuwFH — FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 19, 2020
Kedon Slovis, who had 15 touchdowns and only four interceptions all season, finished 28-for-51 passing for 320 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
USC's rising star is 12-2 in 14 starts against Pac-12 teams. Both losses were to Oregon — last year's 56-24 defeat and Friday's game in which Slovis was sacked three times.
"Really just came out with an attitude and a purpose and a mission," Cristobal said of the defense's effort. "They certainly made the biggest impact on the game."
It was an eventful week for Oregon, which found out it was in the championship game on Monday after starting preparations for a scheduled game against Colorado. Washington was unable to represent the North Division in the title game as the Huskies (3-1) continued to deal with COVID-19 issues that forced the cancellation of the regular-season finale at Autzen Stadium.
Cristobal landed a top-10 recruiting class on Wednesday and a new six-year, $27.3 million contract on Thursday.
"One heck of a week, huh?" Cristobal said after winning the Pac-12 for the second year in a row.
The Ducks (4-2) were without starting running back CJ Verdell, who rushed for 208 yards and three touchdowns during last year’s 37-15 victory over then-No. 5 Utah to earn Pac-12 championship game most valuable player honors.
Travis Dye (55 yards rushing) and Sean Dollars (52 yards rushing) tried to keep USC’s defense honest on a night when quarterback Tyler Shough finished just 8-for-15 passing for 91 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead utilized backup Anthony Brown for the first time. The Boston College graduate transfer was 3-for-4 passing with two touchdowns and ran for a key first down on Oregon’s final drive to kill some precious seconds off the clock.
"Whatever it took to get a win," Shough said. "We started adding the short-yardage and goal-line packages with him just to get some different looks…
"Anthony came in and was clutch in some of those moments."
Playoff: Brian Kelly is right. It's time for college football to stop worshiping the Rose Bowl. | Opinion
Staff picks: Who will win the conference championships?
The Ducks opened the second half with their longest drive of the season — a 14-play, 83-yard masterpiece that chewed 7 minutes, 40 seconds off the clock.
Brown patiently waited for DJ Johnson to come open for an 11-yard catch on a fourth-and-1. Shough spun out of a sack and picked up 6 yards and then completed a 23-yard screen pass to Johnny Johnson on third-and-5.
One snap after game-wrecker Talanoa Hufanga nearly intercepted a pass by Brown in the end zone, the veteran signal-caller found Dye for a 4-yard touchdown pass to give Oregon a 28-14 lead.
Oregon's DJ James made a clutch pass breakup to prevent a Jake London touchdown late in the third quarter. The Trojans then settled for a 21-yard field goal by Parker Lewis, who then executed an onside kick recovered by Bru McCoy as Oregon’s return team was caught napping. Kayvon Thibodeaux squashed the momentum, though, by sacking Slovis to end USC’s drive.
A roughing the punter penalty on Hufanga extended a drive that led to a 40-yard field goal by walk-on Henry Katleman to make the score 31-17 with 10:26 remaining.
Slovis connected with McCoy for 28 yards on a fourth-and-8 and for a 4-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal to get the Trojans within 31-24 with 6:16 left.
The Ducks went three-and-out to give USC a chance to complete the comeback before Hill’s heroics.
Brown’s first pass attempt at Oregon went for a 2-yard touchdown pass to Jaylon Redd as the Ducks took a 7-0 lead 81 seconds into the game.
The quick strike was set up by a Deommodore Lenoir interception of Slovis’ third pass, which the senior cornerback returned 24 yards while drawing a facemask penalty that gave the visitors a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line.
🦆🔥 @oregonfootball's defense starts the game with an interception! pic.twitter.com/iuN2c61075 — FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 19, 2020
A hands-to-the face call against USC had the Trojans off schedule on their next drive, and Andrew Faoliu sacked Slovis for an 11-yard loss.
Clay Helton called timeout as USC lined up to punt on fourth-and-23 from its own end zone with 10 players on the field.
Oregon went three-and-out on the ensuing drive but a holding penalty backed the Trojans up on their own 5-yard line.
Hill intercepted Slovis to set the Ducks up for another short drive. After a 14-yard run by Dye, Shough threw a 14-yard touchdown to tight end Hunter Kampmoyer to make the score 14-0 with 7:14 remaining in the first quarter.
It's all Ducks so far in this one!
This @HunterKampmoyer TD makes it 14-0 for @oregonfootball with 7 minutes left in the first quarter 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/Y8tL2w2M1L — FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 19, 2020
Cornerback Mykael Wright provided USC a brief spark with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call, but on fourth-and-inches at the Oregon 44-yard line, Thibodeaux brought Stephen Carr down 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Slovis finally found his rhythm late in the quarter and capped a seven-play, 87-yard drive with a 47-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was drifting down the Oregon sideline uncovered after Lenoir slipped to the ground.
USC outgained Oregon 135-62 in total yards in the first quarter but both Slovis interceptions led to touchdowns and the Trojans were called for four penalties totaling 43 yards.
Brandon Dorlus sacked Slovis at his own 3-yard line, and JJ Greenfield got his fingertips on a 38-yard punt by Ben Griffiths to give the offense another short field.
On a run-pass option play, Shough threw the ball into the flat to an unguarded DJ Johnson, who lumbered in for a touchdown to give Oregon a 21-7 advantage in the second quarter.
Slovis moved the chains with an 11-yard completion to Jake London on fourth-and-3 and Markese Stepp finished the 12-play, 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown with 4:35 remaining in the half.
The Trojans were in position for a tying touchdown just before the intermission after linebacker Kana’i Mauga intercepted Shough and returned the turnover to the Oregon 26-yard line with 35 seconds left.
The Ducks’ defense forced a 41-yard field goal attempt, which Parker Lewis sailed wide right.
The Oregon defense held the Trojans, who were also without their starting running back, Vavae Malepeai (knee injury), to 38 net yards rushing due to Slovis losing 27 yards on sacks.
Thibodeaux was named the game's most valuable player after finishing with a sack and two tackles for loss. The sophomore defensive end, who was in the backfield making Slovis uncomfortable throughout the night, said the award should have been given to his classmate Hill.
"Since day one he has been a dog, and I knew it," Thibodeaux said Hill. "If there was anyone on the field I knew was going to be great it was him and he showed it tonight."
The Ducks will earn the Pac-12’s automatic berth to a New Year’s Six Bow, likely the Fiesta Bowl.


usatoday--2020-12-19--Holiday travel rush begins: TSA screened more than 1 million passengers Friday

The holiday travel rush has begun at airports across the nation despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 's advice to stay home this year due to the coronavirus pandemic .
The Transportation Security Administration screened 1,066,747 travelers on Friday , the traditional start of the holiday travel season as vacations from school and work begin .
That 's 1.5 million fewer passengers than a year ago , a 59 % plunge , but is only the sixth time passenger counts topped 1 million since travel demand plummeted in mid-March .
The low point came on April 14 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CDC also recommended against Thanksgiving travel but airports were filled with holiday travelers , if smaller crowds than a typical year .
Passenger counts topped 1 million four times during the Thanksgiving rush , hitting a pandemic high of 1,176,091 on November 29 , the Sunday after the holiday , according to the TSA .
Do n't forget your mask : 9 things to know if you have n't been on a plane since March CDC : Get tested twice if you travel for holidays Know before you go : COVID travel restrictions @ @

3 million travelers in 3 days: Holiday travel rush underway despite CDC advice
Show Caption Hide Caption Holiday foods the TSA will and won't allow in a carry-on If you're planning on bringing meal ingredients or left-overs with you on your holiday flights, this guide will come in handy. 10Best Editors, USA TODAY 10Best
The holiday travel rush is well underway at airports across the nation despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advice to stay home this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 3 million travelers over the weekend as vacations from school and work began.
The TSA screened 1,064,619 people on Sunday, 1,073,563 on Saturdayand 1,066,747on Friday, according to a daily tally it posts to track passenger trends. It is the first time since March with consecutive days of checkpoint numbers over 1 million.
The numbers are still down significantly from a year ago, nearly 60%, or about 1.5 million fewer passengers, each day.
But even with the weekend rush, passenger counts have topped 1 million just eight times since travel demand plummeted in mid-March. The low point came on April 14, with just 87,534 passengers screened.
Four of the 1 million+ traveler screenings occurred during the Thanksgiving travel period, even though the CDC also recommended against Thanksgiving travel, if just a few days before travelers were heading out. On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, a pandemic record 1,176,091 travelers were screened, according to the TSA.
Don't forget your mask: 9 things to know if you haven't been on a plane since March
CDC: Get tested twice if you travel for holidays
Know before you go: COVID travel restrictions by state


usatoday--2020-12-19--Judge dismisses GOP lawsuit alleging out-of-staters voting in Georgia runoff; 2nd suit attacks votin

Georgia Republicans , including the campaigns of Sens .
Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue , sued on Thursday to get election officials to remove from the ballot count the votes of new Georgia residents who took part in the ongoing runoff elections for Georgia ’ s two U.S. Senate seats .
And as that voter residency lawsuit was heard and dismissed , another lawsuit was filed on Friday against the state regarding its conduct of the high-profile runoff elections , said prominent Democratic lawyer Marc Elias .
Elias has been tracking litigation surrounding the 2020 elections .
The new lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quit using in the runoffs any electronic voting equipment made by Dominion Voting Systems .
It also says the election officials are handling mail-in absentee ballots improperly and illegally .
Atlanta lawyer Lin Wood filed this lawsuit .
He has been involved in similar lawsuits in Georgia and around the country challenging the results of the presidential election in which Democrat Joe Biden defeated Republican incumbent Donald Trump .
Dominion machines have been the target of much ire from Trump supporters alleging , without evidence , that they were rigged in Biden 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dominion ’ s machines have been dismissed .
Loeffler and Perdue are defending their seats from Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff .
Polling says the races are close .
If the Democrats win , they will snatch control of the Senate away from the Republicans .
All the president ’ s lawsuits : Click here for a guide to the status of the Trump campaign ’ s election result challenges in eight states .
In the voter residency lawsuit filed Thursday , the plaintiffs believe some new Georgia residents `` raced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ specifically to cast ballots in Georgia ’ s runoff election , lawyer George Meros of Tallahassee , Florida , said in a hearing late Friday afternoon .
Voters shouldn ’ t be allowed to vote in the same election cycle for senators in two states , Meros told the judge .
He contended that it is illegal under the federal Voting Rights Act and unfair to Georgia ’ s other voters .
The lawsuit cites statements made in November on Twitter and on CNN in which commentators said people should quickly move to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ runoff .
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , whose office is in charge of elections , previously said his office is investigating whether several groups were bringing people to Georgia to fraudulently vote .
Voter registration reopened following the Nov. 3 general election and closed on Dec. 7 for the runoff balloting .
Residents who weren ’ t registered to vote in Georgia the Nov. 3 balloting – when none of the four Senate candidates obtained a majority – were allowed to register to vote in the runoff elections .
Early voting and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ends Jan. 5 .
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported this week nearly 76,000 people registered to vote from Nov. 4 through Dec. 7 .
The residency lawsuit was filed against Raffensperger , the State Election Board , the Glynn Glynn County Board of Elections and the Chatham County Board Of Elections .
The plaintiffs are the Georgia Republican Party , the National Republican Senatorial Committee ( which is working to elect Loeffler and Perdue ) , the Loeffler and Perdue campaigns , and three Georgia voters .
The plaintiffs said in the filings they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County who voted in another state , then registered to vote in Georgia , and voted early , and another 19 such newly registered voters in Chatham County .
`` Ballots cast by these registrants – that have already voted for a candidate for U.S .
Senator of a different state – in Georgia ’ s 2021 run-off election will be unlawful , '' the lawsuit says .
More voter registration drama : Raffensperger blasts GOP Senators for demanding voter list they already have Meros asked U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots of newly registered voters from other states who previously voted in the November balloting , and to set aside the in-person ballots of such voters .
Then each voter could be reviewed to see if his or her ballot will be counted .
Judge Wood was skeptical of the case and ultimately rejected it on Friday evening .
She said there was no way to know whether these voters filled out the Senate portion of the ballots in their old states .
In past rulings , the appellate courts have said judges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election while it is underway as that creates confusion and opportunity for mistakes among election workers and voters .
Further , the process of pulling ballots to review a voter could suppress some voters from voting , Judge Wood said .
The voters would have no obligation to answer questions and it would be difficult logistically to do what the plaintiffs want .
She also said plaintiffs lacked legal standing to sue .
Judge Wood was nominated for the federal bench by Republican President George .
W. Bush in 2007 .
Lawyer Lin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absentee ballot lawsuit was filed late Friday in U.S. District Court , Democratic lawyer Elias said on Twitter .
Elias posted a copy of the litigation on his website ; the USA Today Network was not immediately able to find the case on Pacer , the federal court system ’ s online electronic database of court records .
The public-facing portion of Pacer is not always updated immediately as lawyers file lawsuits and other court papers .
• The voting machines are tainted and the results they generate can ’ t be trusted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ website such claims about its machines are false .
• Election officials are using a new procedure ( which involves three employees instead of just one ) to verify the signatures on mail-in ballots .
The suit alleges this means fewer ballots will be rejected .
• Elections offices should be prohibited from using drop boxes to collect mail-in absentee ballots , claiming this provides an opportunity for fraudulent votes to be turned in .
• Election officials should not be allowed to start scanning in absentee ballots eight days before the Jan. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Election Day , as prescribed by Georgia law .
It says the state Elections Board adopted the earlier count date as an emergency rule in May .
On Thursday , another federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that claimed there are problems with the verification of voter signatures on absentee ballots and that said the use of ballot drop boxes is against state law .
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic , many more voters than usual cast mail-in ballots across the country to avoid coming into contact with strangers who could be infected .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes before Election Day due to the size of that task and the amount of time it requires .
Final election results can be delayed past election night when there are a large number of mail-in ballots to remove from their envelopes to be scanned and tabulated .
As of Friday , 1.12 million voters so far have cast ballots for Georgia ’ s runoff election : nearly 642,000 in person and more than 481,000 by mail , according to data compiled by the U.S .
Elections Project .

Judge dismisses GOP lawsuit alleging out-of-staters voting in Georgia runoff; 2nd suit attacks voting process A judge dismissed the voter registration lawsuit. A new lawsuit is pending about absentee ballots and voting machines.
Show Caption Hide Caption Joe Biden declares 'clear victory,' Sen. Mitch McConnell congratulates him Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell congratulated president-elect Joe Biden on winning the presidency. Staff video, USA TODAY
Georgia Republicans, including the campaigns of Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, sued on Thursday to get election officials to remove from the ballot count the votes of new Georgia residents who took part in the ongoing runoff elections for Georgia’s two U.S. Senate seats.
A federal judge on Friday evening rejected their case.
And as that voter residency lawsuit was heard and dismissed, another lawsuit was filed on Friday against the state regarding its conduct of the high-profile runoff elections, said prominent Democratic lawyer Marc Elias. Elias has been tracking litigation surrounding the 2020 elections.
The new lawsuit asks the court to order Georgia to quit using in the runoffs any electronic voting equipment made by Dominion Voting Systems. It also says the election officials are handling mail-in absentee ballots improperly and illegally.
Atlanta lawyer Lin Wood filed this lawsuit. He has been involved in similar lawsuits in Georgia and around the country challenging the results of the presidential election in which Democrat Joe Biden defeated Republican incumbent Donald Trump.
Dominion machines have been the target of much ire from Trump supporters alleging, without evidence, that they were rigged in Biden's favor. Previous lawsuits alleging problems with Dominion’s machines have been dismissed.
Loeffler and Perdue are defending their seats from Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. Polling says the races are close. If the Democrats win, they will snatch control of the Senate away from the Republicans.
All the president’s lawsuits: Click here for a guide to the status of the Trump campaign’s election result challenges in eight states.
Thursday’s voter residency lawsuit
In the voter residency lawsuit filed Thursday, the plaintiffs believe some new Georgia residents "raced to Georgia to register to vote" specifically to cast ballots in Georgia’s runoff election, lawyer George Meros of Tallahassee, Florida, said in a hearing late Friday afternoon. Voters shouldn’t be allowed to vote in the same election cycle for senators in two states, Meros told the judge.
He contended that it is illegal under the federal Voting Rights Act and unfair to Georgia’s other voters.
The lawsuit cites statements made in November on Twitter and on CNN in which commentators said people should quickly move to Georgia in order to vote in the runoff.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, whose office is in charge of elections, previously said his office is investigating whether several groups were bringing people to Georgia to fraudulently vote.
Voter registration reopened following the Nov. 3 general election and closed on Dec. 7 for the runoff balloting. Residents who weren’t registered to vote in Georgia the Nov. 3 balloting – when none of the four Senate candidates obtained a majority – were allowed to register to vote in the runoff elections. Early voting and absentee voting are underway, and balloting ends Jan. 5.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported this week nearly 76,000 people registered to vote from Nov. 4 through Dec. 7.
The residency lawsuit was filed against Raffensperger, the State Election Board, the Glynn Glynn County Board of Elections and the Chatham County Board Of Elections. The plaintiffs are the Georgia Republican Party, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (which is working to elect Loeffler and Perdue), the Loeffler and Perdue campaigns, and three Georgia voters.
The plaintiffs said in the filings they found eight newly registered voters in Glynn County who voted in another state, then registered to vote in Georgia, and voted early, and another 19 such newly registered voters in Chatham County.
"Ballots cast by these registrants – that have already voted for a candidate for U.S. Senator of a different state – in Georgia’s 2021 run-off election will be unlawful," the lawsuit says.
More voter registration drama: Raffensperger blasts GOP Senators for demanding voter list they already have
Meros asked U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to tell election officials to separate the mail-in ballots of newly registered voters from other states who previously voted in the November balloting, and to set aside the in-person ballots of such voters. Then each voter could be reviewed to see if his or her ballot will be counted.
Judge Wood was skeptical of the case and ultimately rejected it on Friday evening.
She said there was no way to know whether these voters filled out the Senate portion of the ballots in their old states. In past rulings, the appellate courts have said judges should not change the rules of an election while it is underway as that creates confusion and opportunity for mistakes among election workers and voters.
Further, the process of pulling ballots to review a voter could suppress some voters from voting, Judge Wood said. The voters would have no obligation to answer questions and it would be difficult logistically to do what the plaintiffs want.
She also said plaintiffs lacked legal standing to sue.
Judge Wood was nominated for the federal bench by Republican President George. W. Bush in 2007.
New voter machine lawsuit
Lawyer Lin Wood’s new voter machine and absentee ballot lawsuit was filed late Friday in U.S. District Court, Democratic lawyer Elias said on Twitter.
Elias posted a copy of the litigation on his website; the USA Today Network was not immediately able to find the case on Pacer, the federal court system’s online electronic database of court records. The public-facing portion of Pacer is not always updated immediately as lawyers file lawsuits and other court papers.
Lin Wood’s lawsuit asserts:
The voting machines are tainted and the results they generate can’t be trusted. Dominion Voting Systems says on its website such claims about its machines are false.
Election officials are using a new procedure (which involves three employees instead of just one) to verify the signatures on mail-in ballots. The suit alleges this means fewer ballots will be rejected.
Elections offices should be prohibited from using drop boxes to collect mail-in absentee ballots, claiming this provides an opportunity for fraudulent votes to be turned in.
Election officials should not be allowed to start scanning in absentee ballots eight days before the Jan. 5 Election Day instead of waiting until Election Day, as prescribed by Georgia law. It says the state Elections Board adopted the earlier count date as an emergency rule in May.
Similar case: Judge dismisses Georgia lawsuit alleging mishandling of absentee ballots
On Thursday, another federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that claimed there are problems with the verification of voter signatures on absentee ballots and that said the use of ballot drop boxes is against state law.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many more voters than usual cast mail-in ballots across the country to avoid coming into contact with strangers who could be infected. Some state election offices start tabulating these votes before Election Day due to the size of that task and the amount of time it requires.
Final election results can be delayed past election night when there are a large number of mail-in ballots to remove from their envelopes to be scanned and tabulated.
As of Friday, 1.12 million voters so far have cast ballots for Georgia’s runoff election: nearly 642,000 in person and more than 481,000 by mail, according to data compiled by the U.S. Elections Project.


usatoday--2020-12-20--No. 3 Clemson dominates rematch with No. 2 Notre Dame to win ACC title

CHARLOTTE , N.C. — No .
3 Clemson beat No .
2 Notre Dame 34-10 to capture the program 's sixth consecutive ACC championship and secure a spot in the College Football Playoff .
Unlike in the previous meeting , won 47-40 in overtime by the Fighting Irish , Clemson 's roster was at full strength .
After missing that loss due to COVID-19 , quarterback Trevor Lawrence had 412 yards of offense and three touchdowns .
After spotting the Irish an early field goal , Clemson went into halftime ahead 24-3 after running back Travis Etienne 's long touchdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While the win solidifies Clemson 's place in the national semifinals , Notre Dame 's playoff case becomes murkier .
No longer a lock , the one-loss Irish will now contend with Texas A & M for the fourth spot in the field .
Here are the major takeaways from the Tigers ' win : Winning the rematch will send Clemson into the semifinals for the sixth straight season , likely as the No .
2 overall seed .
The debate over No .
1 in the final playoff rankings might be complicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the SEC championship game .
In that case , the Tigers and Crimson Tide would both enter the postseason with one loss , though Clemson would be able to tout a conference championship .
With several starters back in action after missing November ’ s loss , the Clemson defense held the Irish to 263 yards of offense .
Unlike in that earlier loss , the Tigers dominated the line of scrimmage and harassed Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book , making six sacks .
The playoff field becomes more unpredictable Ohio State is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now in .
Alabama can lose to Florida and still finish in the top four .
The playoff field is almost set .
If hugely disappointing , the loss wo n't take Notre Dame out of contention .
At 10-1 , the Irish are still a very strong option in the top four , though getting there would likely involve a semifinal matchup with Alabama .
But A & M also has one loss , to the Crimson Tide , along with eight wins against the SEC .
Notre Dame ends with nine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aggies have a great win against Florida , that does n't trump the Irish beating Clemson .
Oklahoma is another option after beating Iowa State to win the Big 12 , though the Sooners ' two losses weakens their case .
If Notre Dame does remain in the top four , the SEC championship game will determine the final order .
If Alabama wins , here ’ s how it 'll look : Tide , Tigers , Buckeyes , Irish .
Even if the committee still thinks Notre Dame is better than OSU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into fourth to avoid scheduling a third matchup with Clemson .
Once the Heisman frontrunner , Lawrence took a backseat to two Alabama standouts , quarterback Mac Jones and wide receiver DeVonta Smith , and Florida quarterback Kyle Trask after missing those two games in November .
If final impressions matter in the Heisman race — and history suggests they very much do — Lawrence could 've hardly done more to improve his case .
In addition to his 322 passing yards and two scores , Lawrence illustrated his impact on Clemson 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier loss , star running back Travis Etienne ran for 124 yards and a touchdown .
In all , the Tigers ran for 219 yards on 27 carries after gaining 34 yards on 33 carries in November .

No. 3 Clemson dominates rematch with No. 2 Notre Dame to win ACC title
Show Caption Hide Caption Why going to an 8-team College Football Playoff is inevitable SportsPulse: The conversation comes up every year but it may finally happen. After seven years of a four team College Football Playoff, Dan Wolken believes there's enough momentum that this time next year we could be seeing an eight team playoff. SportsPulse, USA TODAY
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — No. 3 Clemson beat No. 2 Notre Dame 34-10 to capture the program's sixth consecutive ACC championship and secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Unlike in the previous meeting, won 47-40 in overtime by the Fighting Irish, Clemson's roster was at full strength. After missing that loss due to COVID-19, quarterback Trevor Lawrence had 412 yards of offense and three touchdowns.
After spotting the Irish an early field goal, Clemson went into halftime ahead 24-3 after running back Travis Etienne's long touchdown run late in the second quarter.
While the win solidifies Clemson's place in the national semifinals, Notre Dame's playoff case becomes murkier. No longer a lock, the one-loss Irish will now contend with Texas A&M for the fourth spot in the field.
Here are the major takeaways from the Tigers' win:
Clemson locks down another playoff berth
Winning the rematch will send Clemson into the semifinals for the sixth straight season, likely as the No. 2 overall seed.
The debate over No. 1 in the final playoff rankings might be complicated by a Florida upset of Alabama in the SEC championship game. In that case, the Tigers and Crimson Tide would both enter the postseason with one loss, though Clemson would be able to tout a conference championship.
With several starters back in action after missing November’s loss, the Clemson defense held the Irish to 263 yards of offense. Unlike in that earlier loss, the Tigers dominated the line of scrimmage and harassed Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book, making six sacks.
The playoff field becomes more unpredictable
Ohio State is in after beating Northwestern. Clemson is now in. Alabama can lose to Florida and still finish in the top four. The playoff field is almost set.
If hugely disappointing, the loss won't take Notre Dame out of contention. At 10-1, the Irish are still a very strong option in the top four, though getting there would likely involve a semifinal matchup with Alabama.
But A&M also has one loss, to the Crimson Tide, along with eight wins against the SEC. Notre Dame ends with nine wins against ACC competition. While the Aggies have a great win against Florida, that doesn't trump the Irish beating Clemson.
Oklahoma is another option after beating Iowa State to win the Big 12, though the Sooners' two losses weakens their case.
If Notre Dame does remain in the top four, the SEC championship game will determine the final order. If Alabama wins, here’s how it'll look: Tide, Tigers, Buckeyes, Irish. Even if the committee still thinks Notre Dame is better than OSU, the committee will drop the Irish into fourth to avoid scheduling a third matchup with Clemson.
Lawrence reenters the Heisman Trophy race
Once the Heisman frontrunner, Lawrence took a backseat to two Alabama standouts, quarterback Mac Jones and wide receiver DeVonta Smith, and Florida quarterback Kyle Trask after missing those two games in November.
If final impressions matter in the Heisman race — and history suggests they very much do — Lawrence could've hardly done more to improve his case.
In addition to his 322 passing yards and two scores, Lawrence illustrated his impact on Clemson's running game. A non-factor in the earlier loss, star running back Travis Etienne ran for 124 yards and a touchdown. In all, the Tigers ran for 219 yards on 27 carries after gaining 34 yards on 33 carries in November.