usatoday--2020-11-12--Coronavirus updates: US daily death total jumps to almost 2,000; California nears 1M cases; Ticketma

Coronavirus updates: US daily death total jumps to almost 2,000; California nears 1M cases; Ticketmaster to require proof of vaccine

The daily coronavirus death toll rocketed to almost 1,900 on Wednesday as weeks of rising infection totals are beginning to translate into fatality numbers not seen since May .
And the surge is only getting worse .
The fall surge is now killing Americans almost as quickly as the worst week of the summer surge .
After that , deaths will be measurable only to the spring surge , when for more than a week daily deaths averaged over 2,000 .
President Donald Trump and others had brushed aside the current jump in daily infections , saying improved treatments have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for awhile the average daily death total was well below 1,000 .
That was then , this is now .
The sheer number of infections has driven hospitalizations to record levels .
And in the last two days alone , more than 3,200 deaths have been reported .
• California will soon become the second state in the U.S. to surpass 1 million cases of the coronavirus .
• New Zealand partially shuts central Auckland over mystery COVID-19 case , The Guardian reports .
• New York City has introduced new restrictions aimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ de Blasio warning it was the city 's `` last chance '' to stop a second wave .
• Ticketmaster is working on a plan to safely allow people to return to concerts in 2021 by verifying if they tested negative for COVID-19 or have been vaccinated , Billboard reported .
📈 Today 's numbers : The U.S. has reported more than 10.4 million cases and 241,800 deaths , according to Johns Hopkins University data .
The global totals : 52.2 million cases and 1.28 million deaths .
🗺 Mapping coronavirus : Track @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ They think workers are like dogs ' : Did pork plant execs trim safety for profits ?
USA TODAY and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting spent five months piecing together the pivotal moments in the Triumph Foods outbreak , interviewing more than a dozen current and former workers and examining thousands of pages of government records .
The reporting found Triumph failed to respond with effective safeguards during a crucial period from mid-March to mid-April that could have contained the spread of COVID-19 .
And local health officials , who received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , missed several opportunities to investigate .
They instead took the company ’ s word that it was doing all it could to protect its workers .
Read more here .
Iowa Gov .
Kim Reynolds , a Republican , this week ordered that masks at many public gatherings .
Reynolds , who has long resisted calls from health professionals to issue a statewide mask mandate , cited the strain the surge in the state has placed on hospitals .
Republicans including Gov .
Gary Herbert of Utah and Gov .
Mike DeWine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But in South Dakota , Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken stepped in to break a 4-4 tie with the city council , rejecting a mask requirement .
He cited the city of Fargo , North Dakota 's mask mandate , which he said has `` made little to no impact . ''
Read this : Biden wants mask mandates nationwide , but he ca n't actually enforce them .
Here 's what he could do instead .
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced another $ 70 million to global efforts to develop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries .
The funding includes $ 50 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment working to secure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for 92 low- and middle-income countries .
Another $ 20 million will go to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to advance research and jumpstart the development of promising vaccine candidates .
Numerous vaccine candidates are already in the works , and one or more could gain FDA approval as soon as next month .
The distribution of the vaccines remains a complex and not fully resolved issue .
Halloween gatherings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Jersey health officials are blaming Halloween parties for at least five COVID-19 outbreaks .
Donna Leusner , spokeswoman for the state Health Department , told CNN the outbreaks include 70 cases from Halloween parties and other gatherings among students .
Leusner said all social gatherings outside of immediate family are a concern .
Gov .
Phil Murphy tweeted a warning that `` we are still in the midst of a pandemic .
Wear a mask .
Social distance .
Stay safe . ''
Leusner preached the same message .
`` If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be exposed and not even know it if someone is asymptomatic , '' Leusner said .
Ukraine president latest leader to take ill from virus Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been hospitalized after contracting the coronavirus earlier this week .
Zelenskiy and the head of the presidential office , Andriy Yermak , are being treated at Kyiv ’ s Feofaniya Clinical Hospital , a spokesman told the online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda .
An office has been set up in his hospital room and Zelenskiy continues to perform presidential duties .
The virus has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over 9,000 .
`` There are no lucky people for whom # COVID19 does not pose a threat , '' Zelenskiy tweeted .
`` Despite all the quarantine measures , I received a positive test .
I feel good & take a lot of vitamins .
Promise to isolate myself , but keep working .
I will overcome COVID19 as most people do .
It 's gon na be fine ! ''
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal is quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19 .
Grewal tested positive using a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ test came back negative , said Steven Barnes , a spokesman .
PCR tests can be more reliable than other types of tests .
Barnes said Grewal , who was asymptomatic , came into contact Monday with a staff member who later tested positive .
Grewal had tweeted Tuesday that `` We are in the Supreme Court to defend the Affordable Care Act . ''
Barnes , however , later said that Grewal had not been in the courtroom for the oral arguments .
Infections rise to new record again A record 144,133 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johns Hopkins data .
It was the ninth straight day the count surpassed 100,000 – and until nine days ago , the U.S. had never surpassed 100,000 cases .
For days , nearly every state , or every state , has reported rising case counts .
Nearly two-thirds of the states are reporting cases faster than they ever have before .
On Wednesday , seven states reported record death tolls for the latest week .
The latest U.S. daily death total of 1,893 puts the seven-day total at 7,844 .
That 's the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – and we 're on a path to quickly surpass it .
California close to becoming second state with 1M cases of coronavirus California will soon become the second state in the U.S. to surpass 1 million cases of the coronavirus .
As cases continue to surge , some of the state 's largest counties have paused reopening plans .
San Francisco , which has the lowest virus case rates among California ’ s major cities , voluntarily imposed new restrictions , including a ban on indoor dining .
In Los Angeles , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alert to residents ' cell phones warning of a rise in cases and urging people to get tested for COVID-19 .
“ We are certainly seeing , almost all across the state , an upward trajectory , ” said Dr. Mark Ghaly , the state ’ s secretary of health and human services .
If trends don ’ t ease by next week , he said , “ over half of California counties will have moved into a more restrictive tier.
” Ticketmaster plans to require proof of COVID-19 vaccine , test from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ticketmaster is working on a plan to safely allow people to return to concerts in 2021 by verifying if they tested negative for COVID-19 or have been vaccinated , Billboard reported .
While the plan is still in the development phase , the company told Billboard that customers will be required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test result approximately 24 to 72 hours , depending on local government requirements , before a concert .
Customers would then authorize vaccine distribution providers , like Labcorp or CVS Minute Clinic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pass company , like CLEAR or IBM .
If the test result is negative , the lab will notify Ticketmaster , who then will grant the customer access to their tickets .
If they test positive or have n't shown proof of vaccination , they wo n't be allowed to attend the event .
`` Ticketmaster ’ s goal is to provide enough flexibility and options that venues and fans have multiple paths to return to events , and is working to create integrations to our API and leading digital ticketing technology as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top solutions based on what ’ s green-lit by officials and desired by clients , '' Ticketmaster president Mark Yovich told Billboard .
A small Pacific island nation has recorded its first case of the novel coronavirus , shortening the list of places untouched by the global pandemic .
Vanuatu , a country of just under 300,000 people located in the south Pacific Ocean , according to the CIA , reported its first COVID-19 case on Tuesday .
The positive test was recorded in a Vanuatu citizen who returned to the nation from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States , the country 's health ministry reported .
There are few remaining places in the world that have n't reported positive COVID-19 cases , according to the World Health Organization in its `` Situation by Country , Territory & Area '' table on its website .
They are almost all remote locations , including the Federated States of Micronesia , Nauru , Samoa and Tonga .
With COVID-19 tests becoming a common entry requirement for countries and states , a black market has popped up to serve travelers who need test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ departure .
Last week , French police arrested seven people for selling falsified negative test results at Paris ' Charles de Gaulle International Airport , which is Europe 's largest .
Prosecutors said the suspects were charging between $ 180-360 for fake certificates .
The practice of falsifying COVID test results has also popped up in South America .
Thanks to more readily available testing , COVID-19 test forgery does not appear to be widespread in the U.S .
However , early on in the pandemic , the FBI and Federal Trade Commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to steal unsuspecting customers ' social security numbers and credit card information .
• In your inbox : Stay up to date with the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic from the USA TODAY Network .
Sign up for the daily Coronavirus Watch newsletter .
• Tips for coping : Every Saturday and Tuesday we 'll be in your inbox , offering you a virtual hug and a little bit of solace in these difficult times .
Sign up for Staying Apart , Together .
• On Facebook : A lot is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what we do know , we 're sharing with you .
Join our Facebook group , Coronavirus Watch , to receive daily updates in your feed and chat with others in the community about COVID-19 .

John Bacon and Jessica Flores, USA TODAY

Coronavirus updates: California second state with 1 million cases; US has 2,000 deaths in a day; Chicago closer to a lockdown
Show Caption Hide Caption Flu shot: When to get the vaccine during coronavirus pandemic Public health experts say this year everyone should get a flu shot, if possible. USA TODAY
The daily U.S. coronavirus death toll rocketed past 2,000 on Wednesday as weeks of rising infection totals are beginning to translate into fatality numbers not seen since May. In other signs the pandemic is only getting worse, Chicago neared a lockdown and California surpassed 1 million infections.
A fall uptick in cases is now killing Americans almost as quickly as the worst week of the summer surge. After that, deaths will be comparable only to the spring surge, when for more than a week daily deaths averaged over 2,000.
President Donald Trump and others had brushed aside the current jump in daily infections, saying improved treatments have lessened COVID-19's deadly impact. And for awhile the average daily death total was well below 1,000.
That was then, this is now. The sheer number of infections has driven hospitalizations to record levels. And in the last two days alone, more than 3,200 deaths have been reported.
Here is today's latest news:
Face mask mandates are gaining momentum among Republican governors in Iowa, Utah and Ohio.
California will soon become the second state to surpass 1 million cases of the coronavirus, which is forcing the state to roll back reopening plans.
New Zealand partially shuts central Auckland over mystery COVID-19 case, The Guardian reports.
Ticketmaster is working on a plan to safely allow people to return to concerts in 2021 by verifying if they tested negative for COVID-19 or have been vaccinated, Billboard reported.
📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 10.45 million cases and 242,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: 53 million cases and 1.28 million deaths.
🗺 Mapping coronavirus: Track the U.S. outbreak in your state.
California joins Texas in the 1 million club
California followed Texas by one day in becoming Thursday the second state to record at least 1 million cases of COVID-19.
The nation's most populous state, California had largely avoided the early part of the fall coronavirus surge engulfing much of the country until infections started multiplying lately. That has forced officials to undergo a massive U-turn in the effort to fully reopen.
Eleven counties were ordered this week to drop a notch on the state's tiered reopening schedule. San Diego and two other counties, Sacramento and Stanislaus, join Los Angeles County on the lowest rung of the four-step ladder. At the bottom, restrictions include no indoor dining at restaurants or indoor church services.
California still ranks low in the number of cases per 100,000 residents -- 37th in the nation with 2,534 -- but state health officials saw a danger sign in an increase in the rate of positive tests to 4.2 over a week, the highest it has been since early September. The rise has accompanied a 31% increase in COVID-related hospitalizations in the last 14 days.
"We’re seeing too many people with faces uncovered," an exasperated Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted. "Wearing a face covering is critical for keeping people safe and healthy, keeping businesses open and getting people back to work. Do your part. Wear your mask."
-- Chris Woodyard
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a new “Protect Chicago” initiative Thursday, featuring a stay-at-home advisory set to go into effect Monday morning.
The city “strongly advised” residents to only leave home to go to work or school, to seek medical care, go to the grocery store or pharmacy, pick up take-out food or receive deliveries, according to the mayor’s office.
Residents were advised not to have gatherings at home with people outside of their households, to avoid all non-essential travel and cancel in-person Thanksgiving celebrations. The city was also imposing new restrictions to limit meetings and social events to 10 people, both indoors and outdoors, including events such as weddings, birthday parties, business dinners, social events and funerals.
The city also mandated early closure of non-essential businesses at 11 p.m.
“I am more worried about COVID right now than I have been at any point since March,” said Allison Arwady, chief medical officer at Chicago Department of Public Health. “We’re in uncharted territory ... We’re not set up for this level of outbreak.”
– Grace Hauck
Bon voyage? More like breve voyage.
One of the first Caribbean cruises since the pandemic began was brief indeed as the SeaDream 1 had to cut short its trip when at least five passengers tested positive for the coronavirus. The ship had to return Wednesday to Barbados, from where it initially sailed Saturday, when the first signs of the outbreak were spotted.
The ship is carrying about 120 passengers and crew, most from the U.S., and had to dock off Barbados on Thursday while local authorities conducted testing. Parent company SeaDream Yacht Club said all crew members have tested negative and passengers are under quarantine while in the process of being tested.
There are mixed results in the efforts by some of the most powerful Europeans countries to control the latest surge of coronavirus cases.
The outbreak appears to be slowing in Germany and France, although hospitals remain crowded and are likely to face further strain in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Britain is struggling mightily, reporting its biggest one-day increase Thursday -- 33,470 new infections, or 10,520 more than the previous day. More than 50,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the UK, Europe’s deadliest toll.
Countries across the continent have implemented lockdown measures of varying intensity in recent weeks as they try to tamp down a second wave of the pandemic, with numbers of confirmed cases hitting records.
German officials are expressing cautious optimism that the anti-spread steps they took last week, including closing bars, restaurants and sports facilities, are helping contain the virus. France has also implemented restrictions, among them requiring that most adults stay at home for all but one hour a day. Schools remain open.
Glen Deshields, a Pfizer coronavirus vaccine volunteer in Texas, said the side effects of the shot were more severe than he expected, but he urged Americans to get the vaccine "as soon as you can." Deshields, appearing on "Fox & Friends," said after the first of the two-shot treatment he had a headache, fatigue and pain on the injection site for three or four days. The second shot produced similar issues but not as severe, he said.
This week Pfizer reported that its vaccine has been found to be 90% effective against COVID-19, with more than 43,000 people being tested around the world. Deshields tweeted that his grandfather once told him "one of his first memories was of bells ringing to mark the end of WWI. If true, this is that kind of moment. I am honored to be a part of this trial."
The nation's preeminent infectious disease expert says the pandemic won't be around "a lot longer" but probably won't be eradicated either. Dr. Anthony Fauci, speaking at a virtual health conference Thursday, said public health officials might need to "maintain control chronically" over COVID-19.
"It may be something that becomes endemic that we have to just be careful about," Fauci said. "Certainly it's not going to be a pandemic for a lot longer because I believe the vaccines are going to turn that around."
U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its collaborator BioNTech released early study results Monday indicating that their vaccine candidate prevented more than 90% of infections with the virus that causes COVID-19. If all goes well, FDA approval could come as soon as next month, but mass distribution of any vaccines remains months away.
A record 143,231 infections were reported Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins data. It was the ninth straight day the count surpassed 100,000. Before that, the U.S. had never reached six figures. For days, nearly every state, or every state, has reported rising case counts. Nearly two-thirds of the states are reporting cases faster than they ever have before.
On Wednesday, seven states reported record death tolls for the latest week. The latest U.S. daily death total of 2,005 puts the seven-day total at 7,956. That's the worst since the summer surge in August – and we're on a path to quickly surpass it.
– Michael Stucka
Employees who choose to work remotely should pay a tax to help those workers on low incomes who cannot, according to a research report from Deutsche Bank. The report titled "What We Must Do to Rebuild" says employees who work from home receive immediate financial benefits, including reduced costs for travel, food and clothing. The report suggests the employer would pay the tax if it does not provide the worker with a permanent desk. Otherwise, the employee would pay the tax.
"Our calculations suggest the amounts raised could fund material income subsidies for low-income earners who are unable to work remotely and thus assume more 'old economy' and health risks," said Jim Reid, global head of fundamental credit strategy and thematic research at Deutsche Bank.
– Brett Molina
The flu season so far appears mild, but health experts warn that if a feared "twindemic" of COVID-19 and the flu materializes, it could overwhelm hospitals and further strain health care professionals already stretched thin in their battle against COVID-19. The exact timing and duration of flu seasons can vary, but activity generally peaks between December and February and can last as late as May. Melissa Nolan, an infectious disease expert and professor at the University of South Carolina, said the Southern Hemisphere flu seasons was mild but revealed that "co-infections" of COVID-19 and flu are more likely to result in severe illness than infections of one or the other.
"We are hopeful that the United States will also experience a mild influenza season," she said. "But we still recommend everyone get their flu shot."
New York City, the nation's first virus "hot spot," is facing new restrictions as infections and hospitalizations are again climbing. Bars, restaurants and gyms statewide must close at 10 p.m. daily, beginning Friday.
"This is our LAST chance to stop a second wave," Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted. "We can do it, but we have to act NOW."
New York State Restaurant Association CEO Melissa Fleischut called the latest restrictions a “huge blow." But Gov. An-drew Cuomo said the outbreak across New York state was getting worse by the day.
"The fall surge is here. We are taking action but we need New Yorkers to do their part," Cuomo said. "Wear a mask. Get tested. Follow all health guidelines. Take this seriously."
USA TODAY and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting spent five months piecing together the pivotal moments in the Triumph Foods outbreak, interviewing more than a dozen current and former workers and examining thousands of pages of government records.
The reporting found Triumph, the second-largest pork processing plant in the country, failed to respond with effective safeguards during a crucial period from mid-March to mid-April that could have contained the spread of COVID-19. And local health officials, who received complaints from employees and their family members, missed several opportunities to investigate. They instead took the company’s word that it was doing all it could to protect its workers. Read more here.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, this week ordered masks for most public gatherings. Reynolds, who has long resisted calls from health professionals to issue a statewide mask mandate, cited the strain the surge in the state has placed on hospitals.
Republicans including Gov. Gary Herbert of Utah and Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio also issued mask mandates.
But in South Dakota, Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken stepped in to break a 4-4 tie with the city council, rejecting a mask requirement. He cited the city of Fargo, North Dakota's mask mandate, which he said has "made little to no impact."
Read this: Biden wants mask mandates nationwide, but he can't actually enforce them. Here's what he could do instead.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced another $70 million would go to global efforts to develop and distribute vaccines for low- and middle-income countries. The funding includes $50 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, working to secure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for 92 low- and middle-income countries. Another $20 million will go to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to advance research and jumpstart the development of promising vaccine candidates.
Numerous vaccine candidates are already in the works, and one or more could gain FDA approval as soon as next month. The distribution of the vaccines remains a complex and not fully resolved issue.
New Jersey health officials are blaming Halloween parties for at least five COVID-19 outbreaks. Donna Leusner, spokeswoman for the state Health Department, told CNN the outbreaks include 70 cases from Halloween parties and other gatherings among students. Leusner said all social gatherings outside of immediate family are a concern. Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted a warning that "we are still in the midst of a pandemic. Wear a mask. Social distance. Stay safe." Leusner preached the same message.
"If you let your guard down, you could be exposed and not even know it if someone is asymptomatic," Leusner said.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been hospitalized after contracting the coronavirus earlier this week. Zelenskiy and the head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak, are being treated at Kyiv’s Feofaniya Clinical Hospital, a spokesman told the online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda. An office has been set up in his hospital room and Zelenskiy continues to perform presidential duties. The virus has infected more than 500,000 Ukraines and killed over 9,000.
"There are no lucky people for whom #COVID19 does not pose a threat," Zelenskiy tweeted. "Despite all the quarantine measures, I received a positive test. I feel good & take a lot of vitamins. Promise to isolate myself, but keep working. I will overcome COVID19 as most people do. It's gonna be fine!"
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal is quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19. Grewal tested positive using a rapid test, but a follow-up PCR test came back negative, said Steven Barnes, a spokesman. PCR tests can be more reliable than other types of tests.
Barnes said Grewal, who was asymptomatic, came into contact Monday with a staff member who later tested positive.
Grewal had tweeted Tuesday that "We are in the Supreme Court to defend the Affordable Care Act." Barnes, however, later said that Grewal had not been in the courtroom for the oral arguments.
– Scott Fallon, NorthJersey.com
COVID-19 resources from USA TODAY
In your inbox: Stay up to date with the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic from the USA TODAY Network. Sign up for the daily Coronavirus Watch newsletter.
Stay up to date with the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic from the USA TODAY Network. Tips for coping: Every Saturday and Tuesday we'll be in your inbox, offering you a virtual hug and a little bit of solace in these difficult times. Sign up for Staying Apart, Together.
Every Saturday and Tuesday we'll be in your inbox, offering you a virtual hug and a little bit of solace in these difficult times. On Facebook: A lot is still unknown about the coronavirus. But what we do know, we're sharing with you. Join our Facebook group, Coronavirus Watch, to receive daily updates in your feed and chat with others in the community about COVID-19.
Contributing: The Associated Press


usatoday--2020-11-12--Police, county attorney's office hide 738,000 records in Kentucky sex abuse case

LOUISVILLE — Louisville Metro Police concealed at least 738,000 records documenting the sexual abuse of Explorer Scouts by two officers — then lied to keep the files from the public , records show .
The Louisville Courier Journal , part of the USA TODAY Network , last year requested all records regarding sexual abuse of minors by two officers in the Explorer Scout program for youths interested in law enforcement careers .
Police officials and the Jefferson County Attorney ’ s office said they could n't comply , insisting all the records had been turned over to the FBI for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true , according to records The Courier Journal recently obtained in the appeal of its open-records case .
In fact , the department still had at least 738,000 records , which the city allowed to be deleted .
The records could shed light on when department and city officials first learned of allegations of sexual abuse of youths by officers in the program and what the officials did — or failed to do — about it .
`` I have practiced open-records law since the law was enacted 45 years ago , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Jon Fleischaker , an attorney for The Courier Journal .
`` I think it an outrage . ''
Another lawyer for The Courier Journal , Michael Abate , said the city ’ s conduct was especially egregious given the case involves the sexual abuse of children by police officers and the department ’ s failure to prevent it .
Sgt .
John Bradley , an LMPD spokesman , said the department had no comment .
Kenyon Meyer , a lawyer hired by the county attorney ’ s office to investigate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continuing , but he insisted he has found no evidence the office violated the open-records act or did anything wrong .
The Explorer scandal began to unfold in October 2016 , when the police department confirmed an officer was under investigation for his conduct in the program for young people considering careers in law enforcement .
Five months later , a 22-year-old identified as N.C. , alleged in a lawsuit he was sexually abused by officers Kenneth Betts and Brandon Wood in the Explorer program when he was between 17 and 19 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their homes and police cars .
The suit , which six other plaintiffs later joined , also accused the city , the police department and then Lt. Curtis Flaherty , who ran the program , of conspiring to cover up the abuse .
The defendants , who also include the Boy Scouts of America , later denied the allegations .
The Courier Journal and other news outlets then reported Betts had been investigated in 2013 and 2014 for improper conduct with a female Explorer , but Conrad closed the investigation when Betts resigned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 , Mayor Greg Fischer shut the program down .
Former U.S. Attorney Kerry Harvey , who was hired by the city , found LMPD mishandled allegations that teens were sexually abused and harassed in the program and there was “ violations of policy and mistakes in judgment , some significant . ''
But he concluded there was no evidence senior police commanders worked to cover up allegations of misconduct .
In April 2017 , the FBI opened a criminal investigation into the Explorer program , after a request from the mayor .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminal charges .
Wood was sentenced to 70 months in prison for attempted enticement of a teen in the youth mentoring program .
Betts was sentenced to 16 years on child pornography and enticement charges .
He also pleaded guilty to sodomy charges in state court .
Wood , 34 , is incarcerated in a federal prison in Lisbon , Ohio , and scheduled for release in 2024 .
Betts , 36 , is in prison in Loretto , Pennsylvania , and his release date is in 2032 .
The lawsuits and criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says it did n't have records .
But it did .
In May and July of 2019 , Courier Journal reporter Matt Glowicki filed requests for LMPD 's investigative files onofficers Brandon Wood and Kenneth Betts , who were accused of sexually abusing youths in the Explorer program .
LMPD records custodian Alicia Smiley responded that `` any records … would previously have been turned over to the FBI , ” which headed a joint task force that is still investigating the program .
When The Courier Journal appealed the denial of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office , Assistant Jefferson County Attorney Annale Taylor told the AG ’ s office the same thing .
`` LMPD does not have possession or control of the records , '' she wrote in a Sept. 3 , 2019 , letter to Assistant Attorney General Marcus Jones .
`` When the investigation was taken by the FBI , all copies of the investigative materials … were physically removed from the premises , digital devices and servers of LMPD . ''
In fact , LMPD still had hundreds of thousands of records on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying it did n't .
Three months earlier , in June , Louisville Sgt .
Robert Banta , a task force member , had told Taylor in an email he could provide `` any and all documents involved in the Explorer investigation up until April 1 , 2017 , when the federal investigation was initiated .
“ All that information still resides in the PIU ( Professional Integrity Unit ) case file and is available to the county attorney ’ s office , ” Banta said in his June 6 , 2019 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then-Chief Steve Conrad and LMPD legal adviser Dennis Sims .
The Public Integrity Unit investigates allegations of criminal conduct by police and other city employees .
Banta told Taylor specifically to `` please advise what specific information you still need at this time , and we will ensure you have it by COB ( close of business ) tomorrow . ''
Fifteen days after telling the AG ’ s office the department had no records , Taylor advised in a second letter dated Sept. 18 , 2019 , LMPD had found about “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ folder.
” But instead of keeping them , in response to The Courier Journal ’ s appeal in the open records case , the city ’ s information technology team removed the records and gave them to the FBI .
It turned out far more documents — hundreds of thousands — were found and deleted .
In an Oct. 21 letter to The Courier Journal 's lawyers `` amending previous factual statements made in error , ” Assistant County Attorney Roy Denny acknowledged 9,700 folders containing 738,000 documents — 470 gigabytes of data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ folder .
Denny said those files would have been available on the city ’ s encrypted backup system for 30 days but now there is no way to recover them .
In the same letter , Denny said the city would ask the FBI and U.S. Attorney 's office to turn over records responsive to The Courier Journal 's open request .
But he said because the documents are either subject to a protective order or contain the identity of minors , certain records may not be released .
'They did n't tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Fleischaker said the city had in effect destroyed evidence .
`` They have destroyed their ability to comply with the open-records law , and they did it purposely , and they didn ’ t tell the truth about it , ” he said .
`` They ca n't require us to go elsewhere to get those documents . ''
Meyer disputes that , saying `` no records were destroyed '' and `` The Courier Journal has every ability to obtain the records from the custodian of the records — the FBI .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed a request to the FBI under the Freedom of Information Act , which was denied .
Meyer said Taylor “ communicated to the attorney general what she believed to be the truth '' — that the records were in the custody and control of the FBI .
But Fleischaker says the open records law does n't require The Courier Journal to go to the FBI to get the records if LMPD has them .
`` The law requires them to truthfully tell us what records they have in their possession , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them to maintain the integrity of the documents .
What they did is quite the opposite .
That is a violation of the open-records law and potentially a violation of the law of tampering with evidence . ''
`` They intentionally put them out of reach , '' Abate added .
Meyer said even though Banta knew the information still was `` in the PIU file , '' Taylor thought the FBI would only allow it to be disclosed in lawsuits filed by former Explorer Scouts who allege they were sexually abused .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on behalf of the FBI about what the FBI would permit regarding the records it controlled , ” Meyer said .
He also cited a letter from a federal prosecutor to LMPD saying the four sergeants deputized on the task force were prohibited by a federal rule from disclosing materials because the case was subject to a grand jury investigation .
Taylor , who left the county attorney ’ s office last March and now works in City Hall , did not respond to a request for comment .
Courier Journal Editor Richard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with LMPD 's failure to provide the Explorer documents .
“ Over and over again , this is a police department that obfuscates and fails to remember it works for the taxpayers of Louisville and our commonwealth , ” he said .
“ We will continue to vigilantly pursue the truth and these records , which must be analyzed .
`` The Explorer case represents a total breakdown in trust between police and teens who had an interest in the law enforcement profession , '' Green added .
`` To now dodge the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to an institutional disregard for the Open Records Act and the very residents LMPD is to serve and protect .
My frustration with how it 's been handled only underscores our commitment to dig even deeper and hold those in power to account . ''
In a statement , County Attorney Mike O ’ Connell said Monday he immediately hired outside counsel to investigate after The Courier Journal 's lawyers alleged misconduct in court papers Oct. 23 .
`` The newspaper made significant claims , and I felt it was important to engage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connection to my office to assist in this matter , ” O'Connell said .
`` There are serious disagreements regarding the allegations made by the Courier Journal .
Those will be addressed as expeditiously as possible .
My immediate action should show that I take the matter seriously . ''
Meyer is being paid $ 293 an hour , which he described as a reduced rate .
The Courier Journal is scheduled to take depositions Nov. 13 from Banta and another task force member , Sgt .
Kristen Downes .
Elizabeth Kuhn , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cameron , didn ’ t directly respond when asked if the office had been misled about the availability of records .
However , she said : “ In a matter as consequential as the Explorer child sex abuse scandal , the transparency promised by the Open Records Act is essential , and the attorney general ’ s office relies upon the candor and diligence of the agencies subject to the act.
” In October 2019 , the attorney general 's office issued an opinion in favor of The Courier Journal , saying LMPD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ search for responsive records and by failing to cite a statutory reason for withholding records .
The city and LMPD have sued to reverse that opinion .
Taylor ’ s second letter to the AG ’ s office included a Sept. 17 affidavit from Conrad in which he swore `` at the time of the FBI ’ s adoption of the investigation , the LMPD investigative records … were removed from LMPD to be stored and maintained by the FBI , as it was no longer an LMPD investigation.
” Meyer said Conrad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the records.
” Fischer fired Conrad June 1 after learning that officers at the fatal shooting of popular West End restaurant owner David McAtee did not have their body cameras turned on .
Conrad had already announced he would retire at the end of June amid increasing pressure in the wake of the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor .

Andrew Wolfson, Louisville Courier Journal

Police, county attorney's office hide 738,000 records in Kentucky sex abuse case
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville Metro Police concealed at least 738,000 records documenting the sexual abuse of Explorer Scouts by two officers – then lied to keep the files from the public, records show.
The Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, last year requested all records on the sexual abuse of minors by two officers in the Explorer Scout program for young people interested in law enforcement careers.
Police officials and the Jefferson County Attorney’s office said they couldn't comply and insisted all the records had been turned over to the FBI for its investigation.
But that wasn't true, according to records The Courier Journal recently obtained in the appeal of its open-records case.
In fact, the department still had at least 738,000 records, which the city allowed to be deleted.
The records could shed light on when department and city officials first learned of allegations of sexual abuse by officers in the program and what the officials did – or failed to do – about it.
"I have practiced open-records law since the law was enacted 45 years ago, and I have never seen anything so brazen," said Jon Fleischaker, an attorney for The Courier Journal. "I think it an outrage."
Another lawyer for The Courier Journal, Michael Abate, said the city’s conduct was especially egregious given the case involves the sexual abuse of children by police officers and the department’s failure to prevent it.
Sgt. John Bradley, a Louisville Metro Police spokesman, said the department had no comment.
Kenyon Meyer, a lawyer hired by the county attorney’s office to investigate the claims, said his review is continuing, but he insisted he has found no evidence the office violated the open-records act or did anything wrong.
Explorer Scouts program riddled with sex abuse claims
The Explorer scandal began to unfold in October 2016, when the police department confirmed an officer was under investigation for his conduct in the program for young people considering careers in law enforcement.
Five months later, a 22-year-old identified as N.C. alleged in a lawsuit that he was sexually abused by officers Kenneth Betts and Brandon Wood in the Explorer program when he was between 17 and 19 years old and that the abuse occurred in their homes and police cars.
The suit, which six other plaintiffs later joined, also accused the city, the police department and then-Lt. Curtis Flaherty, who ran the program, of conspiring to cover up the abuse. The defendants, who also include the Boy Scouts of America, later denied the allegations.
The Courier Journal and other news outlets then reported Betts had been investigated in 2013 and 2014 on suspicion of improper conduct with a female Explorer, but the investigation was closed when Betts resigned in 2014.
On March 13, 2017, Mayor Greg Fischer shut the program down.
Former U.S. Attorney Kerry Harvey, who was hired by the city, found that Louisville police mishandled allegations that teens were sexually abused and harassed in the program and that there were “violations of policy and mistakes in judgment, some significant."
But he concluded there was no evidence senior police commanders worked to cover up allegations of misconduct.
In April 2017, the FBI opened a criminal investigation into the Explorer program, after a request from the mayor. Wood and Betts eventually pleaded guilty to criminal charges.
Wood was sentenced to 70 months in prison for attempted enticement of a teen in the youth mentoring program.
Betts was sentenced to 16 years on child pornography and enticement charges. He also pleaded guilty to sodomy charges in state court.
Wood, 34, is incarcerated in a federal prison in Lisbon, Ohio, and scheduled for release in 2024. Betts, 36, is in prison in Loretto, Pennsylvania, and his release date is in 2032.
The lawsuits and criminal investigation are still pending.
Louisville police says it didn't have records. But it did.
In May and July of 2019, Courier Journal reporter Matt Glowicki filed requests for the Louisville Metro Police Department's investigative files on officers Wood and Betts.
Records custodian Alicia Smiley responded that "any records … would previously have been turned over to the FBI,” which headed a joint task force that is still investigating the program.
When The Courier Journal appealed the denial of its request to the attorney general’s office, Assistant Jefferson County Attorney Annale Taylor told the AG’s office the same thing.
"LMPD does not have possession or control of the records," she wrote in a Sept. 3, 2019, letter to Assistant Attorney General Marcus Jones. "When the investigation was taken by the FBI, all copies of the investigative materials … were physically removed from the premises, digital devices and servers of LMPD."
In fact, the department still had hundreds of thousands of records on the Explorer investigation – despite saying it didn't.
Three months earlier, in June, Louisville Sgt. Robert Banta, a task force member, had told Taylor in an email that he could provide "any and all documents involved in the Explorer investigation up until April 1, 2017, when the federal investigation was initiated."
“All that information still resides in the PIU (Professional Integrity Unit) case file and is available to the county attorney’s office,” Banta said in his June 6, 2019, email, which he also sent to then-Chief Steve Conrad and LMPD legal adviser Dennis Sims.
The Public Integrity Unit investigates allegations of criminal conduct by police and other city employees.
Banta told Taylor specifically to "please advise what specific information you still need at this time, and we will ensure you have it by COB (close of business) tomorrow."
Timeline: Events in the Louisville Explorer Scout program sex abuse scandal
Fifteen days after telling the AG’s office the department had no records, Taylor advised in a second letter dated Sept. 18, 2019, that the department had found about “9,000 documents” on a “hidden folder.”
But instead of keeping them, in response to The Courier Journal’s appeal in the open records case, the city’s information technology team removed the records and gave them to the FBI.
It turned out far more documents – hundreds of thousands – were found and deleted.
In an Oct. 21 letter to The Courier Journal's lawyers "amending previous factual statements made in error,” Assistant County Attorney Roy Denny acknowledged 9,700 folders containing 738,000 documents – 470 gigabytes of data – had been found on the secret folder.
Denny said those files would have been available on the city’s encrypted backup system for 30 days, but now there is no way to recover them.
In the same letter, Denny said the city would ask the FBI and U.S. attorney's office to turn over records responsive to The Courier Journal's open request. But he said that because the documents are either subject to a protective order or contain the identity of minors, certain records may not be released.
'They didn't tell the truth about it'
In an interview, Fleischaker said the city had in effect destroyed evidence.
"They have destroyed their ability to comply with the open-records law, and they did it purposely, and they didn’t tell the truth about it,” he said. "They can't require us to go elsewhere to get those documents."
Meyer disputes that, saying "no records were destroyed" and "The Courier Journal has every ability to obtain the records from the custodian of the records – the FBI."
In fact, the newspaper already filed a request to the FBI under the Freedom of Information Act, which was denied.
Meyer said Taylor “communicated to the attorney general what she believed to be the truth" – that the records were in the custody and control of the FBI.
But Fleischaker says the open-records law doesn't require The Courier Journal to go to the FBI to get the records if the police department has them.
"The law requires them to truthfully tell us what records they have in their possession," Fleischaker said.
"The law requires them to maintain the integrity of the documents. What they did is quite the opposite. That is a violation of the open-records law and potentially a violation of the law of tampering with evidence."
"They intentionally put them out of reach," Abate added.
Meyer said that even though Banta knew the information still was "in the PIU file," Taylor thought the FBI would allow it to be disclosed only in lawsuits filed by former Explorer Scouts who say they were sexually abused.
“She understood that Banta was communicating on behalf of the FBI about what the FBI would permit regarding the records it controlled,” Meyer said.
He also cited a letter from a federal prosecutor to the Louisville Metro Police saying the four sergeants deputized on the task force were prohibited by a federal rule from disclosing materials because the case was subject to a grand jury investigation.
Taylor, who left the county attorney’s office last March and now works in City Hall, did not respond to a request for comment.
Courier Journal Editor Richard Green said he's baffled and angry with the police department's failure to provide the Explorer documents.
“Over and over again, this is a police department that obfuscates and fails to remember it works for the taxpayers of Louisville and our commonwealth,” he said. “We will continue to vigilantly pursue the truth and these records, which must be analyzed.
"The Explorer case represents a total breakdown in trust between police and teens who had an interest in the law enforcement profession," Green added. "To now dodge the public's access to these documents speaks to an institutional disregard for the Open Records Act and the very residents LMPD is to serve and protect. My frustration with how it's been handled only underscores our commitment to dig even deeper and hold those in power to account."
Background: LMPD violated state law by withholding Explorer sex abuse records, attorney general rules
County attorney hires outside lawyer
In a statement, County Attorney Mike O’Connell said Monday that he immediately hired outside counsel to investigate after The Courier Journal's lawyers alleged misconduct in court papers Oct. 23.
"The newspaper made significant claims, and I felt it was important to engage someone at the highest level with no connection to my office to assist in this matter,” O'Connell said.
"There are serious disagreements regarding the allegations made by the Courier Journal. Those will be addressed as expeditiously as possible. My immediate action should show that I take the matter seriously."
Meyer is being paid $293 an hour, which he described as a reduced rate.
The Courier Journal is scheduled to take depositions Nov. 13 from Banta and another task force member, Sgt. Kristen Downes.
Elizabeth Kuhn, a spokeswoman for Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, didn’t directly respond when asked if the office had been misled about the availability of records.
However, she said: “In a matter as consequential as the Explorer child sex abuse scandal, the transparency promised by the Open Records Act is essential, and the attorney general’s office relies upon the candor and diligence of the agencies subject to the act.”
In October 2019, the attorney general's office issued an opinion in favor of The Courier Journal, saying Louisville Metro Police violated the open-records act by failing to search for responsive records and by failing to cite a statutory reason for withholding records.
The city and the police department have sued to reverse that opinion.
Taylor’s second letter to the AG’s office included a Sept. 17 affidavit from Conrad in which he swore "at the time of the FBI’s adoption of the investigation, the LMPD investigative records … were removed from LMPD to be stored and maintained by the FBI, as it was no longer an LMPD investigation.”
Meyer said Conrad “truthfully set forth his understanding regarding the records.”
Fischer fired Conrad June 1 after learning that officers at the fatal shooting of popular West End restaurant owner David McAtee did not have their body cameras turned on.
Conrad already had announced he would retire at the end of June amid increasing pressure in the wake of the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor in March.
Follow Andrew Wolfson on Twitter: @adwolfson.


usatoday--2020-11-12--Winners and losers from college basketball's early signing period feature Michigan, Duke

College basketball 's early signing day period left surely some teams ecstatic and others not so excited , following a unique recruiting season for coaches with limited travel due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Although there 's still much to be determined for the 2020-21 season , post-signing day conclusions can be drawn .
USA TODAY Sports tracked the signing period to see which teams bolstered their programs the most and which fell short ( by their own standards in some cases ) and were left frustrated as Wednesday 's big day concluded .
Here are the winners and losers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 247 Sports ' Composite Rankings used for team and player rankings ) : Duke .
The Blue Devils are still pursuing the nation 's No .
1 recruit , Robert Baldwin Jr. , a 6-9 versatile forward who is also considering Wisconsin-Milwaukee ( you read that right ) , where his father , Patrick , is the head coach .
But as of right now coach Mike Krzyzewski already has an elite class with the commitments of top-10 recruits Paolo Banchero ( No .
3 ) and AJ Griffin ( No .
6 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also in the mix for five-star shooting guard Trevor Keels and 6-11 big man Charles Bediako .
OPINION : Why it 's Juwan Howard and Tom Izzo against the college basketball world in 2021 RECRUITING RANKINGS : A look at top early signing period classes by conference Michigan .
Coach Juwan Howard had big shoes to fill in taking over for coach John Beilein and he 's wasted little time in blazing his way to success on the recruiting trail .
Currently he has the Wolverines ranked with the No .
1 class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( No .
8 recruit ) and Moussa Diabate ( No .
20 ) .
Michigan State .
The Spartans signed three players Wednesday — five-star shooting guard Max Christie , four-star point guard Jaden Akins and four-star combo guard Pierre Brooks II — to climb to the No .
6 recruiting class in the country , one of coach Tom Izzo 's best ever .
Florida State .
It 's a good sign when you can suffer a major de-commitment ( five-star Bryce McGowens opted out in October ) and still have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- for now .
Coach Leonard Hamilton has used his team 's first ACC regular-season title to fuel a major haul with two five-star recruits in Matthew Cleveland and Jalen Warley , and a top junior college prospect in 7-3 center Naheem McLeod .
Kansas .
The Jayhawks ' top 2021 commitment is four-star power forward Zach Clemence .
While KU is in the mix for some other elite recruits , right now the lack of a major haul of talent is a large drop from years ' past for coach Bill Self @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Independent Accountability Resolution Process ( IARP ) where potential postseason bans are looming .
North Carolina .
The Tar Heels still could end up with a solid class , currently in contention to sign Hunter Sallis ( No .
7 recruit ) , Trey Kaufman ( a four-star ) and Skyy Clark .
But right now coach Roy Williams only has commitments from two four-star recruits Dontrez Styles and D'Marco Dunn , whereas his 2020 class had three five-stars and two four-stars .
Kentucky .
Jaden Hardy , coach John Calipari 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he chooses Thursday on national television .
UK is also in the mix for five-star Hunter Sallis .
But for right now the Wildcats ' 2021 class is led by Daimion Collins , the No .
19 prospect .
This is the No .
3 class in the country , but considering UK typically will have top-15 commitments in flux , the program will fall into the loser category for now .

Winners and losers from college basketball's early signing period feature Michigan, Duke
College basketball's early signing day period left surely some teams ecstatic and others not so excited, following a unique recruiting season for coaches with limited travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although there's still much to be determined for the 2020-21 season, post-signing day conclusions can be drawn.
USA TODAY Sports tracked the signing period to see which teams bolstered their programs the most and which fell short (by their own standards in some cases) and were left frustrated as Wednesday's big day concluded.
Here are the winners and losers of college hoops' signing day (247 Sports' Composite Rankings used for team and player rankings):
Winners
Duke. The Blue Devils are still pursuing the nation's No. 1 recruit, Robert Baldwin Jr., a 6-9 versatile forward who is also considering Wisconsin-Milwaukee (you read that right), where his father, Patrick, is the head coach. But as of right now coach Mike Krzyzewski already has an elite class with the commitments of top-10 recruits Paolo Banchero (No. 3) and AJ Griffin (No. 6). Coach K and Co. are also in the mix for five-star shooting guard Trevor Keels and 6-11 big man Charles Bediako.
OPINION: Why it's Juwan Howard and Tom Izzo against the college basketball world in 2021
RECRUITING RANKINGS: A look at top early signing period classes by conference
Michigan. Coach Juwan Howard had big shoes to fill in taking over for coach John Beilein and he's wasted little time in blazing his way to success on the recruiting trail. Currently he has the Wolverines ranked with the No. 1 class behind commitments from five-star prospects Caleb Houstan (No. 8 recruit) and Moussa Diabate (No. 20).
Michigan State. The Spartans signed three players Wednesday — five-star shooting guard Max Christie, four-star point guard Jaden Akins and four-star combo guard Pierre Brooks II — to climb to the No. 6 recruiting class in the country, one of coach Tom Izzo's best ever.
Florida State. It's a good sign when you can suffer a major de-commitment (five-star Bryce McGowens opted out in October) and still have the strongest recruiting class in the ACC -- for now. Coach Leonard Hamilton has used his team's first ACC regular-season title to fuel a major haul with two five-star recruits in Matthew Cleveland and Jalen Warley, and a top junior college prospect in 7-3 center Naheem McLeod.
Losers
Kansas. The Jayhawks' top 2021 commitment is four-star power forward Zach Clemence. While KU is in the mix for some other elite recruits, right now the lack of a major haul of talent is a large drop from years' past for coach Bill Self as the program remains under investigation by the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) where potential postseason bans are looming.
North Carolina. The Tar Heels still could end up with a solid class, currently in contention to sign Hunter Sallis (No. 7 recruit), Trey Kaufman (a four-star) and Skyy Clark. But right now coach Roy Williams only has commitments from two four-star recruits Dontrez Styles and D'Marco Dunn, whereas his 2020 class had three five-stars and two four-stars.
Kentucky. Jaden Hardy, coach John Calipari's prime target, will announce which school he chooses Thursday on national television. UK is also in the mix for five-star Hunter Sallis. But for right now the Wildcats' 2021 class is led by Daimion Collins, the No. 19 prospect. This is the No. 3 class in the country, but considering UK typically will have top-15 commitments in flux, the program will fall into the loser category for now.
Follow college basketball reporter Scott Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson.


usatoday--2020-11-12--Election 2020 live updates: Ohio GOP Gov. DeWine says Biden is president-elect, ex-VP taps chief of

Election 2020 live updates: Ohio GOP Gov. DeWine says Biden is president-elect, ex-VP taps chief of staff

USA TODAY 'S coverage of the 2020 election continues this week after former Vice President Joe Biden won a bitterly fought election against President Donald Trump and states work to finish counting their remaining ballots .
Nearly all states have been called at this point as the Trump campaign challenges the outcomes in many states .
Biden meanwhile is continuing with his transition , meeting with advisors and world leaders and possibly naming staff in the days and weeks to come .
Be sure to refresh this page often to get the latest information on how things are going .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the country .
After a vague statement Monday , Ohio Gov .
Mike DeWine made his thoughts on the presidential election clear : former Vice President Joe Biden won .
“ We need to consider the former vice president as the president-elect , '' DeWine told CNN Thursday morning .
`` Joe Biden is the president-elect.
” Contrast that with DeWine 's statement Monday : “ I congratulate Vice-President Biden , '' he said .
`` When lawsuits have concluded and election results are certified , it is important for all Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president-elect might seem like a hair-splitting distinction , but it 's one few Republicans have made .
On Monday , Ohio Republican Party leader Jane Timken told supporters in an email that the race was n't over .
`` It is premature for Democrats and the media to call the race for Biden when there are many questions regarding fraudulent voting that have yet to be answered , '' Timken wrote .
DeWine was the co-chair of Trump 's reelection committee in Ohio , a state the president won by 8 percentage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ohio Gov .
Mike DeWine : Republican says 'Joe Biden is the president-elect' Republican Sen. James Lankford said he ’ d “ step in ” if President-elect Joe Biden doesn ’ t start receiving official government briefings , which have not yet been given to him as he prepares to be sworn in Jan. 20 .
Lankford , of Oklahoma , discussed the transition process with Tulsa radio station KRMG and host Russell Mills on Wednesday .
When the issue of Biden not receiving briefings was raised , Lankford replied , “ That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the U.S. General Services Administration can start certifying state election results Friday and that he , as a member of the Senate Oversight Committee , has “ already started engaging in this area.
” He noted President Bill Clinton made available briefings to then-Texas Gov .
George W. Bush in 2000 .
Biden 's cabinet : President-elect Joe Biden seeks diverse Cabinet to 'look like America ' in leading federal departments 'Our time is far from over ' : Without Donald Trump , what happens to global populism ?
“ There ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting the briefings to be able to prepare himself so that he can be ready .
The president ’ s already getting those .
There ’ s nothing wrong with the former vice president getting those , ” he told KRMG .
“ If that ’ s not occurring by Friday , I will step in as well to be able to push and say ‘ This needs to occur ’ so that regardless of the outcome of the election , whichever way that it goes , people can be ready for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the winner of the presidential election , though President Donald Trump and his campaign are alleging unsubstantiated voter fraud in a number of states .
Over the coming weeks states will certify their election results .
Biden names chief of staff , first White House official picked for administration Ron Klain , a senior campaign advisor for Joe Biden and one-time top aide for the former vice president , is set to become the president-elect 's White House chief of staff , the Biden campaign announced Wednesday night .
Klain was Biden 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president and also served as chief of staff to vice president Al Gore .
By tapping Klain to lead his White House , Biden has chosen a Washington veteran with experience fighting the Ebola outbreak just as the new president makes ending the COVID-19 pandemic his top priority .
The hire , the first made by Biden for his new administration , marks another step toward his White House transition as President Donald Trump contests election results with baseless claims of voter fraud .
Biden chief of staff : Ron Klain named Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House official picked for administration Trump endorses McDaniel for another term as Republican Party chairwoman President Donald Trump sought to clear the political air Wednesday by endorsing Ronna McDaniel for another term as chairwoman of the Republican National Committee .
`` With 72 MILLION votes , we received more votes than any sitting President in U.S. history - and we will win ! ''
tweeted Trump , who is continuing his long-shot legal challenge to the election victory by Democrat Joe Biden .
McDaniel is expected to seek a third term as party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She has been helping promote Trump 's lawsuits and election protests , even as many aides believe they will be unsuccessful .
The president 's endorsement should tamp down news reports that another Trump supporter – perhaps even his son , Donald Trump Jr. – might challenge McDaniel 's leadership .
The younger Trump had denied any interest in running the RNC .

David Jackson and Sean Rossman, USA TODAY

Election 2020 live updates: Biden talks with Pelosi, Schumer about need for COVID bill
Show Caption Hide Caption GOP Senator: I will step in to get Biden briefings Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma said President-elect Joe Biden needs intelligence briefings, regardless of who wins the election. Lankford told KRMG Radio in Tulsa he will step in and make sure it happens, if necessary. (Nov. 12) AP
USA TODAY'S coverage of the 2020 election continues this week after former Vice President Joe Biden won a bitterly fought election against President Donald Trump and states work to finish counting their remaining ballots. Nearly all states have been called at this point as the Trump campaign challenges the outcomes in many states. Biden meanwhile is continuing with his transition, meeting with advisors and world leaders and possibly naming staff in the days and weeks to come.
Be sure to refresh this page often to get the latest information on how things are going.
USA TODAY has live election information from across the country.
President Donald Trump has told some advisers that if the election is certified for President-elect Joe Biden, he will announce he will be running in 2024 shortly afterwards, according to The New York Times and NBC News.
Biden has been projected to win the 2020 election as he is currently leading Trump 290-217 in the Electoral College, surpassing the 270 electoral votes needed to become the 46th President of the United States.
Trump has not yet conceded to Biden, and is instead filing lawsuits in several key states, and claiming the election was fraudulent.
The New York Times reported that, according to one advisor, Trump “knows it’s over,” but instead of conceding the race to Biden, is hoping to ensure he has the continued support of his GOP base as he contemplates his future, post-presidency.
Axios first reported on Monday Trump was considering running again in 2024, just two days after the race was called for Biden.
— Savannah Behrmann
President-elect Joe Biden talked with Congress' top Democrats on Thursday about his legislative priorities and the need to quickly pass a bipartisan COVID-19 relief package.
Biden highlighted his hopes for a coronavirus stimulus package during the lame-duck session, the period between the election and January when he and other newly elected leaders will start serving, in a conversation with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
The trio discussed the rise in coronavirus cases across the U.S. and the financial needs of Americans, according to a readout of the call provided by Pelosi and Schumer.
"They discussed the urgent need for the Congress to come together in the lame duck session on a bipartisan basis to pass a bill that provides resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, relief for working families and small businesses, support for state and local governments trying to keep frontline workers on the payroll, expanded unemployment insurance, and affordable health care for millions of families," a readout of the call says.
While leaders in both parties have expressed a desire to pass a stimulus bill before the end of the year, the outlook for a deal appears grim. Leaders in both parties have not relented from key stances that have kept them at an impasse for months, Trump is focused on contesting the election and Pelosi has not spoken to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, a key White House negotiator, since before the election.
Along with COVID-19 stimulus relief, the leaders discussed uniting the country with bipartisanship and a host of issues that could gain support from both parties in the next Congress, including investments in infrastructure and clean energy.
– Christal Hayes
Georgia's hand recount and audit of the presidential race will begin at 9 a.m. Friday, state election officials said Thursday.
The recount will conclude at midnight on Wednesday, Nov. 18, said Gabe Sterling, voting implementation manager.
“This will be the largest hand recount and audit in United States history,” Sterling said.
He added that the biggest concern going in will be the potential for human error during the hand recount.
“Human beings are the most flawed part of the process,” he said. “The numbers will shift a bit (because of human involvement).”
Sterling said most of the changes usually come on the hand-marked paper ballots, with the absentee ballots being “the most problematic” due to the amount of human interaction with them.
″(Humans) will be the weak link. There’s no way to prevent it. We have to try and circumvent that,” he said.
Addressing claims that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is performing a hand recount and audit at the request of President Donald Trump or other Georgia Republican leaders, such as Sens. David Perdue or Kelly Loeffler, Sterling said those claims are the “farthest from the truth.”
“If it was 14,000 votes the other way, we would be doing the exact same thing,” he said.
“If we see a shift in 14-to-15,000 ballots, we have bigger issues to address (than just this election). We want to get it right. We want to make sure it is accurate. This is the reason and rationale for the audit.”
Sterling added that whatever came from the hand recount and audit would be the certified results for the election.
“The work on this audit will be done by the county workers. They are the boots on the ground,” he said. “We encouraged them to please stream (the hand recount and audit) so people can see the process.
“We are working to be as transparent as possible.”
– Savannah Morning News
President-elect Joe Biden, who will be the nation's second Catholic president after John F. Kennedy, spoke to Pope Francis on Thursday.
According to a readout of the call, Biden expressed his desire to work with Francis to address issues like climate change and welcoming immigrants and refugees into the U.S.
Francis also congratulated and extended his blessings to Biden for winning the 2020 presidential election, according to the readout. Biden throughout the week has spoken with several world leaders.
Throughout the campaign, Biden often touted his Catholic faith. During his victory speech Saturday, Biden recited the Catholic hymn "On Eagle's Wings.”
– Rebecca Morin
Does Donald Trump believe the end is near? Some of his tweets suggest yes.
Intentionally or not, Trump retweeted several items Thursday warning about the prospect of a Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate – something that can only happen if Joe Biden and Kamala Harris become president and vice-president.
"If the Democrats take control of the Senate, they want to turn America into a socialist state. The future of our country is at stake," said Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., one of several Georgia-related posts retweeted by Trump.
But Democratic control of the Senate only happens if Biden and Harris take office.
The Republicans are assured of 50 seats in the Senate that takes office in January. if Democrats win Jan. 5 runoffs in Georgia for two remaining Senate positions, they will also control 50 seats – a tie that can be broken by the vice president, who would have to be Harris if Democrats are to take control, as Trump fears.
Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, made a similar mistake on Wednesday. She tweeted, and then deleted, a post that described Harris as the "deciding vote" in a Democratic Senate.
Aides said Trump remains confident that he will prevail in lawsuits and election challenges, and that he will get a second term with Mike Pence as his vice president – and the tie-breaking vote in the Senate.
"I do think this ends up in President Trump's favor," campaign senior adviser Jason Miller told Fox Business Network.
– David Jackson
Top congressional Democrats called on President Donald Trump and Republicans to accept the results of the election and move on in a Thursday press conference.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, told reporters Republicans should “stop their shenanigans” about the election and that Republicans are “auditioning for profiles in cowardice.”
And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Republicans were “engaged in an absurd circus right now refusing to accept reality.” The delay in the presidential transition, they said, could make it harder to address the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recession.
Trump has refused to concede the election, and most congressional Republicans have backed his efforts to wage legal challenges to the election result.
Asked about Democrats’ concerns about Trump’s refusal to concede, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the top House Republican, told reporters Thursday “every recount needs to be finished” and “every challenge needs to be heard.”
Despite the election results, both sides seem not to have budged on COVID-19 stimulus as a months-long impasse over more relief lingers. Pelosi and Schumer said they were at the same place as before the election and said they still supported the roughly $2.2 trillion Democratic plan, arguing Biden’s win gave them a mandate and a “better chance” to get a bill done before Biden is inaugurated and a new Congress was sworn in.
Republicans, on the other hand, said stimulus was needed before the end of the year but were still unlikely to support a larger bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters with improvements in the economy, he believed Congress needed to move on the roughly $500 billion plan Republicans had supported.
Democrats’ plan, however, was “not a place I think we’re willing to go,” he said.
– Nicholas Wu
After a vague statement Monday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine made his thoughts on the presidential election clear: former Vice President Joe Biden won.
“We need to consider the former vice president as the president-elect," DeWine told CNN Thursday morning. "Joe Biden is the president-elect.”
Contrast that with DeWine's statement Monday: “I congratulate Vice-President Biden," he said. "When lawsuits have concluded and election results are certified, it is important for all Americans to honor the outcome.”
Calling Biden the president-elect might seem like a hair-splitting distinction, but it's one few Republicans have made. On Monday, Ohio Republican Party leader Jane Timken told supporters in an email that the race wasn't over.
"It is premature for Democrats and the media to call the race for Biden when there are many questions regarding fraudulent voting that have yet to be answered," Timken wrote.
DeWine was the co-chair of Trump's reelection committee in Ohio, a state the president won by 8 percentage points in final, unofficial results.
– Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati Enquirer
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine: Republican says 'Joe Biden is the president-elect'
Republican Sen. James Lankford said he’d “step in” if President-elect Joe Biden doesn’t start receiving official government briefings, which have not yet been given to him as he prepares to be sworn in Jan. 20.
Lankford, of Oklahoma, discussed the transition process with Tulsa radio station KRMG and host Russell Mills on Wednesday. When the issue of Biden not receiving briefings was raised, Lankford replied, “That should be resolved by Friday.” He said the U.S. General Services Administration can start certifying state election results Friday and that he, as a member of the Senate Oversight Committee, has “already started engaging in this area.” He noted President Bill Clinton made available briefings to then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in 2000.
Biden's cabinet: President-elect Joe Biden seeks diverse Cabinet to 'look like America' in leading federal departments
'Our time is far from over': Without Donald Trump, what happens to global populism?
“There’s nothing wrong with Vice President Biden getting the briefings to be able to prepare himself so that he can be ready. The president’s already getting those. There’s nothing wrong with the former vice president getting those,” he told KRMG. “If that’s not occurring by Friday, I will step in as well to be able to push and say ‘This needs to occur’ so that regardless of the outcome of the election, whichever way that it goes, people can be ready for the actual task.”
Biden has been declared the winner of the presidential election, though President Donald Trump and his campaign are alleging unsubstantiated voter fraud in a number of states. Over the coming weeks states will certify their election results.
– Sean Rossman
Biden transition: Joe Biden's team says 'theatrics' of Trump's legal fights won't impede a smooth transition
Ron Klain, a senior campaign advisor for Joe Biden and one-time top aide for the former vice president, is set to become the president-elect's White House chief of staff, the Biden campaign announced Wednesday night.
Klain was Biden's chief of staff when he was vice president and also served as chief of staff to vice president Al Gore. By tapping Klain to lead his White House, Biden has chosen a Washington veteran with experience fighting the Ebola outbreak just as the new president makes ending the COVID-19 pandemic his top priority.
The hire, the first made by Biden for his new administration, marks another step toward his White House transition as President Donald Trump contests election results with baseless claims of voter fraud.
– Joey Garrison, John Fritze and Savannah Behrmann
Biden chief of staff: Ron Klain named Biden's chief of staff, first White House official picked for administration
President Donald Trump sought to clear the political air Wednesday by endorsing Ronna McDaniel for another term as chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.
"With 72 MILLION votes, we received more votes than any sitting President in U.S. history - and we will win!" tweeted Trump, who is continuing his long-shot legal challenge to the election victory by Democrat Joe Biden.
McDaniel is expected to seek a third term as party chair when the RNC meets in January. She has been helping promote Trump's lawsuits and election protests, even as many aides believe they will be unsuccessful.
The president's endorsement should tamp down news reports that another Trump supporter – perhaps even his son, Donald Trump Jr. – might challenge McDaniel's leadership. The younger Trump had denied any interest in running the RNC.
— David Jackson


usatoday--2020-11-12--Netlfix's 'Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey' soars with diverse cast — and some flying

The holidays are extra special for David Talbert .
The director of `` Almost Christmas '' and `` El Camino Christmas '' followed up with the festive film `` Jingle Jangle : A Christmas Journey '' ( out on Netflix Thursday ) in hopes of redefining a holiday classic that his son could see himself reflected in .
`` I think it ’ s time for a new story , '' Phylicia Rashad 's character reads at the start of the film .
The need for a feel-good musical full of people of color became apparent to Talbert after his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like `` Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory '' and `` Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , '' fell flat .
`` I got my popcorn… and put ( `` Chitty Chitty Bang Bang '' ) on surround sound .
I had my 4-year-old son there , '' Talbert tells USA TODAY .
`` I look over at him and he ’ s playing with his Legos . ''
He continued : `` I look at the screen and it hit me that this is perhaps the whitest movie ever made in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couldn ’ t see himself in the screen . ''
'Jingle Jangle ' and more : Christmas movies coming to Netflix this year The musical starring Forest Whitaker , Phylicia Rashad , Keegan-Michael Key , Anika Noni Rose , Ricky Martin and newcomer Madalen Mills ( whose performance Talbert compares to a `` young July Garland in 'The Wizard of Oz ' '' ) is rich in holiday spirit and inclusion .
Even an impromptu snowball fight integrated Afro beats and dance .
But `` Jingle Jangle '' is not just a movie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touches on `` heart , humanity , wonder and hope , '' common ideas that families worldwide can relate to around the holidays .
`` It ’ s the universal themes of the movie that I hope everyone will take in because it speaks to everyone , '' Talbert says .
`` But we are normalizing people of color in places that you wouldn ’ t normally see them . ''
The 20 best Christmas movies of all time , ranked ( from 'It 's a Wonderful Life ' to 'Die Hard ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toymaker Jeronicus Jangle 's ( Whitaker ) quest to create a new toy for children by Christmas .
Martin lends his velvety chops to the manipulative matador doll , Don Juan Diego , who convinces apprentice Gustafston ( Key ) to steal the toymaker ’ s book of inventions .
It 's up to Jangle 's estranged granddaughter Journey ( Mills ) to reawaken the magic within her grandfather .
`` The story involves second chances , believing in yourself , healing your family and forgiveness , '' Whitaker tells USA TODAY .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ : people are cooped up and not feeling like they are going to make it and reclaim their lives .
And the theme of the movie talks about that . ''
What to stream this weekend : Netflix 's 'Operation Christmas Drop , ' 'Proxima , ' 'Triggered' '' Jingle Jangle '' has all the elements of a Christmas spectacle .
There 's a colorful Victorian town , city-wide musical sequences , magical toys that come to life and even flying .
Whitaker has `` flight camp '' to thank for that .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ when we were flying around the room , '' he says .
`` They got these rigs up , like ropes and stuff .
They start you off with just straight lines , pulling you up and you learning how to flip over and turn around .
And then they start making it three-dimensional , where you can go in circles and stuff . ''
`` Seeing him fly… was like I was like seeing myself and seeing this story finally fly , '' Talbert says , adding that he had to reassure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not going to break . ''
Talbert added : `` Just seeing him up there was magical .
He was like a big kid again . ''

Netflix's 'Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey' soars with diverse cast — and some flying
The holidays are extra special for David Talbert.
The director of "Almost Christmas" and "El Camino Christmas" followed up with the festive film "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey" (streaming on Netflix) in hopes of redefining a holiday classic that his son could see himself reflected in.
"I think it’s time for a new story," Phylicia Rashad's character reads at the start of the film.
The need for a feel-good musical full of people of color became apparent to Talbert after his attempts to introduce his son to classics, like "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," fell flat.
"I got my popcorn… and put ("Chitty Chitty Bang Bang") on surround sound. I had my 4-year-old son there," Talbert tells USA TODAY. "I look over at him and he’s playing with his Legos."
He continued: "I look at the screen and it hit me that this is perhaps the whitest movie ever made in the history in mankind. I realized he couldn’t see himself in the screen."
'Jingle Jangle' and more: Christmas movies coming to Netflix this year
The musical starring Forest Whitaker, Phylicia Rashad, Keegan-Michael Key, Anika Noni Rose, Ricky Martin and newcomer Madalen Mills (whose performance Talbert compares to a "young July Garland in 'The Wizard of Oz'") is rich in holiday spirit and inclusion.
Even an impromptu snowball fight integrated Afro beats and dance.
But "Jingle Jangle" is not just a movie with a diverse cast. The film touches on "heart, humanity, wonder and hope," common ideas that families worldwide can relate to around the holidays.
"It’s the universal themes of the movie that I hope everyone will take in because it speaks to everyone," Talbert says. "But we are normalizing people of color in places that you wouldn’t normally see them."
The 20 best Christmas movies of all time, ranked (from 'It's a Wonderful Life' to 'Die Hard')
"Jingle Jangle" follows brilliant toymaker Jeronicus Jangle's (Whitaker) quest to create a new toy for children by Christmas.
Martin lends his velvety chops to the manipulative matador doll, Don Juan Diego, who convinces apprentice Gustafston (Key) to steal the toymaker’s book of inventions.
It's up to Jangle's estranged granddaughter Journey (Mills) to reawaken the magic within her grandfather.
"The story involves second chances, believing in yourself, healing your family and forgiveness," Whitaker tells USA TODAY. "Everyone is struggling with COVID-19 issues: People are cooped up and not feeling like they are going to make it and reclaim their lives. And the theme of the movie talks about that."
What to stream this weekend: Netflix's 'Operation Christmas Drop,' 'Proxima,' 'Triggered'
"Jingle Jangle" has all the elements of a Christmas spectacle. There's a colorful Victorian town, citywide musical sequences, magical toys that come to life and even flying.
Whitaker has "flight camp" to thank for that.
"We had a lot of fun when we were flying around the room," he says. "They got these rigs up, like ropes and stuff. They start you off with just straight lines, pulling you up and you learning how to flip over and turn around. And then they start making it three-dimensional, where you can go in circles and stuff."
Witnessing Whitaker fly was a tearful experience for Talbert, "a big hot emotional mess."
"Seeing him fly… was like I was like seeing myself and seeing this story finally fly," Talbert says, adding that he had to reassure Whitaker several times that the "wires are not going to break."
Talbert added: "Just seeing him up there was magical. He was like a big kid again."


usatoday--2020-11-12--Google releases predictions of popular holiday gifts from Apple iPhone, PlayStation 5 to Fat Brain S

Before you make a list and check it twice , Google has a tip for you : These are the 100 holiday gifts it predicts your loved ones will want to find under the tree on Christmas morning .
Many of the products on the Google Shopping 100 list , which the tech giant shared exclusively with USA TODAY , will come as no surprise with the latest Apple products – Watch Series 6 , iPhone 12 and iPad Air 4 – new Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X included .
Three Google products including two versions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV also made the list .
And there are some gift ideas with a COVID-19 element from blue light blocking glasses , coffee makers to heaters .
'Lawn and Order ' : Four Seasons Total Landscaping selling out of 'Make America Rake Again ' shirts The list , posted at https : //shopping.google.com , was compiled by combing through several months of Google search data , the company said , identifying which products had risen in popularity and extrapolating to make a `` forward-looking prediction of popular products . ''
“ This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to trend , so it will be interesting to see how things actually play out over the shopping season , ” Google spokesperson Craig Ewer told USA TODAY .
“ If there ’ s anything we ’ ve learned this year , it ’ s that 2020 is full of surprises !
” Holiday sales have kicked off earlier than past years with more deals being offered online-only as retailers look to reduce crowds and eliminate the need to rush into a store .
Experts say it 's critical for retailers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be faced with restrictions on how many can be in a store at a time and concerns about online orders not arriving on time .
It 's not unusual for some products to be hard to find during the holiday season , when shoppers are clamoring for gifts and deals .
But `` during a holiday that 's impacted by COVID , there may be even more '' shortages , says Karl Haller , Consumer Center of Competency leader and retail industry expert for IBM Global Business Services .
Ewer and experts recommend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to avoid being empty-handed .
`` If you find it , it 's probably the right time to go ahead and get it because ... there will be a little more scarcity than we ’ ve seen in the past , '' Rod Sides of Deloitte recently told USA TODAY .
• The Elf on the Shelf : A Christmas Tradition Set

Google releases predictions of popular holiday gifts from Apple iPhone, PlayStation 5 to Fat Brain Simpl Dimpl
Show Caption Hide Caption Google predicts 7 gifts to expect this holiday season These are a few gifts that Google predicts your loved ones will want to find under the tree on Christmas morning. USA TODAY
Before you make a list and check it twice, Google has a tip for you: These are the 100 holiday gifts it predicts your loved ones will want to find under the tree on Christmas morning.
Many of the products on the Google Shopping 100 list, which the tech giant shared exclusively with USA TODAY, will come as no surprise with the latest Apple products – Watch Series 6, iPhone 12 and iPad Air 4 – new Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X included. Three Google products including two versions of the Pixel and Google Chromecast with Google TV also made the list.
And there are some gift ideas with a COVID-19 element from blue light blocking glasses, coffee makers to heaters.
'Lawn and Order': Four Seasons Total Landscaping selling out of 'Make America Rake Again' shirts
Turkey insurance: Whole Foods and Progressive offering 'Thanksgiving Turkey Protection Plan'
The list, posted at https://shopping.google.com, was compiled by combing through several months of Google search data, the company said, identifying which products had risen in popularity and extrapolating to make a "forward-looking prediction of popular products."
“This is only our prediction of what’s going to trend, so it will be interesting to see how things actually play out over the shopping season,” Google spokesperson Craig Ewer told USA TODAY. “If there’s anything we’ve learned this year, it’s that 2020 is full of surprises!”
Holiday sales have kicked off earlier than past years with more deals being offered online-only as retailers look to reduce crowds and eliminate the need to rush into a store.
Experts say it's critical for retailers to start the season early as consumers will be faced with restrictions on how many can be in a store at a time and concerns about online orders not arriving on time.
It's not unusual for some products to be hard to find during the holiday season, when shoppers are clamoring for gifts and deals.
But "during a holiday that's impacted by COVID, there may be even more'' shortages, says Karl Haller, Consumer Center of Competency leader and retail industry expert for IBM Global Business Services.
Ewer and experts recommend getting a jump start on holiday lists to avoid being empty-handed.
"If you find it, it's probably the right time to go ahead and get it because ... there will be a little more scarcity than we’ve seen in the past,'' Rod Sides of Deloitte recently told USA TODAY.
Tech gifts
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080
Oculus Quest 2
Apple Watch Series 6
Apple iPhone 12
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Google Pixel 5
Google Pixel 4a
Samsung Galaxy Watch3
Google Chromecast with Google TV
Apple iPad Air 4
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
LG OLED-CX 4K UltraHD
SteelSeries Arctis 7P
Samsung Q900 8K TV
Samsung Galaxy A11
Sony BRAVIA X900H 4K UltraHD
Kitchen gear
Mr. Coffee Iced Coffee Maker
Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Oven
Ball Mason Regular Mouth Jars
PowerXL Vortex Air Fryer
Stoneware Kitchen Canister Sets
Keurig K-Duo Essentials
Rectangle Serving Platter Acacia
Cotton Candy Makers
Ninja Foodi Smart XL 6-in-1 Indoor Grill
Expert Grill 30QT Turkey Fryer
Toys and games
Fat Brain Simpl Dimpl
Barbie Dreamhouse
Chuckle & Roar Pop it!
Harry Potter HP Mystery Wand
LEGO Super Mario Adventures
Crayola Globbles
Rainbow High Sunny Madison
Anki Vector Robot
Zuru 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2
Na! Na! Na! Ultimate Surprise Mix
Reversible Octopus Plushie
Paw Patrol Adventure Playset
The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition Set
Coraline in Raincoat
Barbie 3-in-1 Dream Camper
L.O.L. Surprise! House
PlayStation 5 announced for 2020 holiday season Sony confirmed the 'Playstation 5' name and release date on October 8th. Cover Media - Shareable
Gaming
Sony PlayStation 5
Microsoft Xbox Series X
Microsoft Xbox Series S
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Madden NFL 21
FIFA 21
NBA 2K21
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
Ghost of Tsushima
NHL 21
Mafia: Definitive Edition
Star Wars: Squadrons
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
Marvel's Avengers
Cyberpunk 2077
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
Sports and fitness
The North Face Women's Yukiona Mid Boots
Fitbit Versa 3
The North Face Women's Shellista III Mid
Airwalk Men's Snowboard
ESPN Air Powered Hockey Table
5th Element Grid Wide Snowboard 2020
Nike KD Trey 5 VIII Basketball Shoes
The Coldest Sports Water Bottle
Segway E12 Electric Scooter
Brooks Ghost 12
Oakley Flight Deck XM Goggles
HotHands 10-Pack Hand Warmers
Wahoo KICKR Smart Trainer
Skechers Men's Max Cushioning Premier
Santa Claus is coming to town but it might look different this year Santa Claus is still coming to town, but face-to-face visits will look different due to COVID-19. USA TODAY
Home goods
White Artificial Christmas Tree with Lights
Propane Steel Patio Heaters
Bissell CrossWave 1785
Snow-Tipped Winter Greenery Wreaths
Bissell Crosswave Pet Pro
BLACK+DECKER Heater
Personalized Christmas Stockings
The Comfy Wearable Sherpa Blanket
Equate Invisible Cool Mist Humidifier
Beautyrest Zuri Oversized Faux Fur Heated Throw
The Big One Supersoft Plush Throw
Shark VM200 Wet/Dry Vacuum
Health and beauty
Dior Men's Sauvage
Oral-B iO Series 9
Blue Light Blocking Glasses
Dyson Airwrap Complete
Revlon Pro Collection Hair Dryer and Volumizer
Zedwell Miss Rose Box Makeup Palette
Cloud by Ariana Grande
Dyson Supersonic
Waterpik Ultra Water Flosser
Oral-B Pro 1000
Morphe The James Charles Artistry Palette
Sephora Favorites Holiday Perfume Sampler Sets
L'Oréal Telescopic
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick
Hero Cosmetics Mighty Ance Patch
Philips Sonicare Protective Clean 4100
Contributing: Charisse Jones
Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko