usatoday--2020-12-01--Louisville police's 'no-knock' warrants most often targeted Black residents, analysis shows

LOUISVILLE , Ky. – Police disproportionately targeted Black residents for `` no-knock '' search warrants like the one that led officers to Breonna Taylor 's door the night they fatally shot her , an analysis shows .
The findings by the Louisville Courier Journal , part of the USA TODAY Network , echo the concerns of civil rights advocates and experts who say no-knock warrants are used more frequently against Black and brown Americans .
`` The common factors are the poor and people of color – in a highly disproportionate way , '' said Peter Kraska , a professor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the U.S. Senate on law enforcement 's use of military tactics and equipment .
In the past two years , before the city banned them in June , Louisville Metro Police Department officers received court approval for at least 27 no-knock warrants – allowing police to legally break in to homes without first knocking , announcing themselves and waiting for residents to respond , usually about 30 seconds .
An analysis by the Courier Journal showed that for 22 of those warrants , 82 % of the listed suspects were Black and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ West End , a section of Louisville with predominantly Black neighborhoods .
Several of the warrants remain sealed by a judge .
State Rep. Attica Scott , sponsor of Breonna 's Law , which would ban no-knock search warrants statewide , said the findings are another example of over-policing in Louisville 's Black communities .
`` Policing has historically , and continues to be , racially disparate , '' she said .
`` It 's not mentally , emotionally , physically or spiritually healthy for people to live in fear of law enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming . ''
The warrants are a fraction of the thousands of search warrants the LMPD serves each year .
In 2019 , the department conducted more than 3,000 court-authorized searches .
Related : After Breonna Taylor 's death , Louisville promised police reforms .
What happened to them ?
Supporters of no-knocks said they help protect officers searching for potentially dangerous suspects who might be armed .
In 17 of the no-knock warrants the Courier Journal analyzed , LMPD officers cited a history of violence or the possibility of weapons as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ element of surprise was crucial so police did n't walk into an ambush .
In at least 15 searches , officers reported finding firearms or drugs , according to inventory logs attached to the warrants .
LMPD declined an interview for this story , offering an emailed statement saying the department is `` aware of the varying opinions regarding no-knock warrants . ''
`` Since Metro Council has passed an ordinance prohibiting their use by LMPD , '' wrote Sgt .
John Bradley , an LMPD spokesman , `` discussions on the merits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rendered moot for us . ''
Searches in which police knock , announce and quickly break down a door can cause as much harm as no-knock entries , Kraska said .
In October 2018 , a Louisville SWAT team with a search warrant used a battering ram and a flash-bang grenade to get the Daugherty family out of their West End home , so police could search for marijuana .
The family 's lawsuit in 2019 alleged police did n't have probable cause for the warrant , which was based on `` materially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instances , I 'm sure they found whatever they were looking for , '' said Sadiqa Reynolds , president and CEO of the Louisville Urban League and a frequent critic of LMPD tactics .
`` Think about the times when they have n't found anything and the trauma on those families . ''
In a statement , Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said he expects all city employees to be committed to fairness and equity .
He said he supported banning no-knock warrants .
`` The danger which no-knock warrants pose to both civilians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefit , '' Fischer spokeswoman Jean Porter said .
`` The top-to-bottom review of LMPD that is underway will look at current policies , procedures and protocols LMPD uses . ''
Searches most often involve suspects who are Black The Courier Journal found Black residents have been disproportionately targeted for no-knock searches the past two years : 23 of the 28 suspects LMPD identified in the analyzed no-knock warrants were Black , about 82 % .
Black residents also were disproportionately targeted for search warrants without no-knock provisions , the Courier Journal found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 2019 showed 243 suspects identified by race .
Of that group , 48 % were Black and 48 % were white , the analysis found .
Bradley , the LMPD spokesman , said race is n't a factor in requesting search warrants .
`` Each search warrant is based on the evidence surrounding an individual case and gives no consideration to the targeting of any specific race of person , nor geographic area within the city , '' he said .
More : Louisville police have released body camera footage from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Here 's what it shows .
'We may be getting robbed' Ashlea Burr , Mario Daugherty and their three children live in a part of Louisville targeted more frequently in LMPD 's search warrants .
They can vouch for the terror they can generate .
On the morning of Oct. 26 , 2018 , SWAT officers arrived at the door .
Within moments , officers broke the glass on their front door , busted it open with a battering ram and shouted that they were police with a search warrant .
Weapons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grenade .
Smoke filled the home as the family screamed .
`` We were confused and first thought we may be getting robbed , '' Burr and Daugherty wrote , through their attorney , to the Courier Journal .
`` We were scared and kept thinking that one of our family members was going to be killed . ''
As police called out family members from the front , one of the 14-year-old girls ran through a back door .
SWAT officers in the alley pointed weapons at her and told her to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ camera footage of the raid showed her crying as police broke through a gate in the back .
`` Is she a kid ? ''
one of the officers asked .
A minute after the raid began , the remaining family members walked out with their hands up , crying .
Burr and Daugherty sued the city in October 2019 , five months before Taylor 's death .
LMPD declined to comment on the lawsuit or the raid .
In a court filing in response to the lawsuit , the city 's attorneys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of marijuana were found during the search '' but were not `` packaged for sale . ''
U.S. District Court Judge David Hale granted the city 's motion to dismiss the lawsuit this month .
`` The facts alleged in the complaint are egregious , '' he wrote in his ruling .
`` Those factual allegations do not support plaintiffs ’ claim against Louisville Metro , however . ''
The attorney for the family filed an amended lawsuit .
Though the search warrant did not contain a no-knock provision , body camera footage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – breaking in the door at the same time they announced themselves , giving the family no time to react .
`` Nobody should have their home raided by 18 SWAT officers with assault rifles pointed at their children , especially people who don ’ t represent any danger , '' Burr and Daugherty said .
'She did n't deserve to die ' : Louisville officer involved in Breonna Taylor case speaks out 'We like to move faster than that' A 2015 study by University of Louisville researcher Brian Schaefer indicates what happened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as if they have a no-knock provision when they do n't – is not an aberration .
Schaefer spent 21 months shadowing two police units conducting 73 raids connected to drug and gun investigations .
While the report uses the pseudonym Bourbonville for the city and police department , the demographics and other descriptors of the `` Southern-Midwest '' and `` vibrant river city '' match Louisville .
`` Of the 73 search warrant entries observed , every entry involved using a ram to break the door down , '' Schaefer wrote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as we announce our presence , we are good .
We don ’ t want to give them any time to destroy evidence or grab a weapon , so we go fast and get through the door quick . '
'' Schaefer wrote that detectives said they `` generally avoid no-knock exemptions because they require additional oversight , '' even though they were n't difficult to obtain .
`` 'No-knocks are a hassle , ' '' one detective said , Schaefer wrote .
`` It just slows things down .
… We like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The no-knock search warrant that brought seven LMPD officers to Taylor 's apartment door shortly before 1 a.m. March 13 has been criticized locally and nationally .
Police said they requested the warrant as part of a larger narcotics investigation , seeking cash and drugs they suspected Taylor held for Jamarcus Glover , her ex-boyfriend and a convicted drug trafficker .
Officers said they decided not to use the no-knock provision and knocked on Taylor 's door , shouting , `` Police ! ''
Taylor 's boyfriend , Kenneth Walker , who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he never heard police announce themselves .
Who is responsible for Breonna Taylor 's death ?
A cop and Taylor 's boyfriend blame each other When officers forced their way in , Walker fired one shot from his legally owned handgun , which police said struck Sgt .
Jonathan Mattingly in the thigh .
Mattingly and Detectives Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison fired back 32 times , hitting Taylor , who was n't armed , six times , killing her .
No cash or drugs were recovered from her apartment .
The Courier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including for Taylor 's apartment , showed five were connected to drug raids March 13 centered on the West End .
The no-knock provisions were needed , officers said , because the suspects had a history of destroying evidence .
They mentioned cameras that could `` compromise detectives '' as they approached .
There were no surveillance cameras at Taylor ’ s apartment .
The search warrant for her home may be part of an FBI investigation into her shooting .
The judge who signed the warrant said she 's concerned an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
After the Louisville Metro Council voted to ban the use of no-knock warrants in June , several states , including Kentucky , filed bills that would outlaw them .
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul , R-Ky. , filed similar legislation in Congress .
'An encyclopedia of police incompetence ' : Breonna Taylor case exposes array of LMPD errors Reynolds , the head of the Louisville Urban League , said the problem illustrated by no-knock warrants is n't simply that police are focusing more on Black communities .
It 's also the tactics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no-knock warrants or aggressive methods instead of knocking and announcing in the middle of the day or calling a suspect 's attorney .
`` They 're training officers to be afraid of us , '' Reynolds said .
`` They 're training officers to be afraid of Black residents . ''
In 2019 , a Courier Journal series showed police used traffic stops in the West End to roust motorists for minor violations as a way to try to find drugs and guns .
According to the Courier Journal ’ s analysis of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 2016 to 2018 , Black motorists were stopped more often and were three times as likely to be searched as white drivers .
The practice was halted after the Courier Journal reported that Tae-Ahn Lee , 18 , was searched , handcuffed and detained for making a `` wide turn , '' which infuriated Black residents and Metro Council members who watched the stop captured on officers ' body cameras .
Scott , the Kentucky state representative , said there are many steps to restoring community trust in police , including `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policing '' and how it impacts Black Americans .
`` We could reallocate some of the money we spend on policing to affordable housing , to access to fresh foods , to a more robust public transportation system , to mental health services , to so much more of what people need in west Louisville , '' she said , `` rather than to continue to fund a system that was never designed for us and continues to act disproportionately toward us . ''
More : Ex-police chief said Louisville cops are n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taylor More than two years after SWAT broke into their home , Burr and Daugherty said , the raid still impacts their family .
`` Little things bring the nightmare back , like knocks on the door , '' they said .
`` The children were ashamed and embarrassed because they felt like people would think they were criminals or did something wrong . ''
That 's something , they said , no amount of money can ever restore .
How the Courier Journal reported this story The Courier Journal reviewed thousands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 and the first eight months of 2020 in search ofcourt-approved “ no-knock ” warrants the Louisville Metro Police Department obtained before the city banned their use .
Reporters collected information from 806 Jefferson County search warrants from 2019 , including who was targeted and where ; when the warrant was obtained ; race and gender information of the suspects listed ; and details about the investigation described in the warrant affidavit .
Not all warrants listed race and gender for each suspect .
Through that search and discovery in a criminal case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ search warrants LMPD obtained in 2019-20 .
In May , former Police Chief Steve Conrad told Metro Council the department had obtained at least 27 such warrants , although he cautioned his numbers may not be comprehensive .
The newspaper found an additional no-knock warrant obtained by the Kentucky State Police .
The Courier Journal 's examination collected information about the listed suspects ’ criminal histories and cases connected to the search warrants .
And it looked at what police found in those searches and the justification they gave in asking a judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , The Courier Journal interviewed policing and racial justice experts and reviewed LMPD ’ s internal investigative records from the Breonna Taylor case and other public records .

Matt Mencarini, Darcy Costello and Tessa Duvall, Louisville Courier Journal

Louisville police's 'no-knock' warrants most often targeted Black residents, analysis shows
Show Caption Hide Caption Louisville police body cam footage: SWAT team enters home Ashlea Burr and Mario Daugherty and their three children were in their home when LMPD SWAT officers arrived at their door on the morning of Oct. 26, 2018. LMPD body cam video
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Police disproportionately targeted Black residents for "no-knock" search warrants like the one that led officers to Breonna Taylor's door the night they fatally shot her, an analysis shows.
The findings by the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, echo the concerns of civil rights advocates and experts who say no-knock warrants are used more frequently against Black and brown Americans.
"The common factors are the poor and people of color – in a highly disproportionate way," said Peter Kraska, a professor at Eastern Kentucky University who has testified before the U.S. Senate on law enforcement's use of military tactics and equipment.
In the past two years, before the city banned them in June, Louisville Metro Police Department officers received court approval for at least 27 no-knock warrants – allowing police to legally break in to homes without first knocking, announcing themselves and waiting for residents to respond, usually about 30 seconds.
An analysis by the Courier Journal showed that for 22 of those warrants, 82% of the listed suspects were Black and 68% were for addresses in the West End, a section of Louisville with predominantly Black neighborhoods. Several of the warrants remain sealed by a judge.
State Rep. Attica Scott, sponsor of Breonna's Law, which would ban no-knock search warrants statewide, said the findings are another example of over-policing in Louisville's Black communities.
"Policing has historically, and continues to be, racially disparate," she said. "It's not mentally, emotionally, physically or spiritually healthy for people to live in fear of law enforcement or to cringe when they see them coming."
The warrants are a fraction of the thousands of search warrants the LMPD serves each year. In 2019, the department conducted more than 3,000 court-authorized searches.
Related: After Breonna Taylor's death, Louisville promised police reforms. What happened to them?
'Breonna's Law' signed in Virginia: Third state to prohibit no-knock search warrants
Supporters of no-knocks said they help protect officers searching for potentially dangerous suspects who might be armed.
In 17 of the no-knock warrants the Courier Journal analyzed, LMPD officers cited a history of violence or the possibility of weapons as the reason for the request – arguing the element of surprise was crucial so police didn't walk into an ambush.
In at least 15 searches, officers reported finding firearms or drugs, according to inventory logs attached to the warrants.
LMPD declined an interview for this story, offering an emailed statement saying the department is "aware of the varying opinions regarding no-knock warrants."
"Since Metro Council has passed an ordinance prohibiting their use by LMPD," wrote Sgt. John Bradley, an LMPD spokesman, "discussions on the merits and disadvantages of this tactic have been rendered moot for us."
Searches in which police knock, announce and quickly break down a door can cause as much harm as no-knock entries, Kraska said.
In October 2018, a Louisville SWAT team with a search warrant used a battering ram and a flash-bang grenade to get the Daugherty family out of their West End home, so police could search for marijuana.
The family's lawsuit in 2019 alleged police didn't have probable cause for the warrant, which was based on "materially false statements."
"In some instances, I'm sure they found whatever they were looking for," said Sadiqa Reynolds, president and CEO of the Louisville Urban League and a frequent critic of LMPD tactics. "Think about the times when they haven't found anything and the trauma on those families."
In a statement, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said he expects all city employees to be committed to fairness and equity. He said he supported banning no-knock warrants.
"The danger which no-knock warrants pose to both civilians and police officers is greater than any benefit," Fischer spokeswoman Jean Porter said. "The top-to-bottom review of LMPD that is underway will look at current policies, procedures and protocols LMPD uses."
Searches most often involve suspects who are Black
The Courier Journal found Black residents have been disproportionately targeted for no-knock searches the past two years: 23 of the 28 suspects LMPD identified in the analyzed no-knock warrants were Black, about 82%.
70% of Jefferson County's 750,000 residents are white.
Black residents also were disproportionately targeted for search warrants without no-knock provisions, the Courier Journal found.
A sampling of 356 search warrants for 2019 showed 243 suspects identified by race. Of that group, 48% were Black and 48% were white, the analysis found.
Bradley, the LMPD spokesman, said race isn't a factor in requesting search warrants.
"Each search warrant is based on the evidence surrounding an individual case and gives no consideration to the targeting of any specific race of person, nor geographic area within the city," he said.
More: Louisville police have released body camera footage from the night of Breonna Taylor's fatal shooting. Here's what it shows.
How the bail system increased wealth and racial inequalities There have long been calls to end money bail in the U.S. prison system. Here's what some jurisdictions are doing to reform it. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
'We may be getting robbed'
Ashlea Burr, Mario Daugherty and their three children live in a part of Louisville targeted more frequently in LMPD's search warrants.
They can vouch for the terror they can generate.
On the morning of Oct. 26, 2018, SWAT officers arrived at the door.
Within moments, officers broke the glass on their front door, busted it open with a battering ram and shouted that they were police with a search warrant. Weapons drawn, officers threw in a flash-bang grenade.
Smoke filled the home as the family screamed.
"We were confused and first thought we may be getting robbed," Burr and Daugherty wrote, through their attorney, to the Courier Journal. "We were scared and kept thinking that one of our family members was going to be killed."
As police called out family members from the front, one of the 14-year-old girls ran through a back door. SWAT officers in the alley pointed weapons at her and told her to get on the ground.
Police body camera footage of the raid showed her crying as police broke through a gate in the back.
"Is she a kid?" one of the officers asked.
A minute after the raid began, the remaining family members walked out with their hands up, crying.
Burr and Daugherty sued the city in October 2019, five months before Taylor's death.
LMPD declined to comment on the lawsuit or the raid. In a court filing in response to the lawsuit, the city's attorneys denied the allegations and wrote "bags of marijuana were found during the search" but were not "packaged for sale."
U.S. District Court Judge David Hale granted the city's motion to dismiss the lawsuit this month.
"The facts alleged in the complaint are egregious," he wrote in his ruling. "Those factual allegations do not support plaintiffs’ claim against Louisville Metro, however."
The attorney for the family filed an amended lawsuit.
Though the search warrant did not contain a no-knock provision, body camera footage shows police essentially treated it as one – breaking in the door at the same time they announced themselves, giving the family no time to react.
"Nobody should have their home raided by 18 SWAT officers with assault rifles pointed at their children, especially people who don’t represent any danger," Burr and Daugherty said.
'She didn't deserve to die': Louisville officer involved in Breonna Taylor case speaks out
'We like to move faster than that'
A 2015 study by University of Louisville researcher Brian Schaefer indicates what happened with Burr and Daugherty – police entering as if they have a no-knock provision when they don't – is not an aberration.
Schaefer spent 21 months shadowing two police units conducting 73 raids connected to drug and gun investigations. While the report uses the pseudonym Bourbonville for the city and police department, the demographics and other descriptors of the "Southern-Midwest" and "vibrant river city" match Louisville.
"Of the 73 search warrant entries observed, every entry involved using a ram to break the door down," Schaefer wrote.
"A detective explained, 'As long as we announce our presence, we are good. We don’t want to give them any time to destroy evidence or grab a weapon, so we go fast and get through the door quick.'"
Schaefer wrote that detectives said they "generally avoid no-knock exemptions because they require additional oversight," even though they weren't difficult to obtain.
"'No-knocks are a hassle,'" one detective said, Schaefer wrote. "It just slows things down. … We like to move faster than that."
Breonna Taylor search warrant
The no-knock search warrant that brought seven LMPD officers to Taylor's apartment door shortly before 1 a.m. March 13 has been criticized locally and nationally.
Police said they requested the warrant as part of a larger narcotics investigation, seeking cash and drugs they suspected Taylor held for Jamarcus Glover, her ex-boyfriend and a convicted drug trafficker.
Officers said they decided not to use the no-knock provision and knocked on Taylor's door, shouting, "Police!" Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who was inside the apartment with her, said he never heard police announce themselves.
Who is responsible for Breonna Taylor's death? A cop and Taylor's boyfriend blame each other
When officers forced their way in, Walker fired one shot from his legally owned handgun, which police said struck Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in the thigh.
Mattingly and Detectives Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison fired back 32 times, hitting Taylor, who wasn't armed, six times, killing her.
No cash or drugs were recovered from her apartment.
The Courier Journal's review of 22 no-knock warrants, including for Taylor's apartment, showed five were connected to drug raids March 13 centered on the West End.
The no-knock provisions were needed, officers said, because the suspects had a history of destroying evidence. They mentioned cameras that could "compromise detectives" as they approached.
There were no surveillance cameras at Taylor’s apartment.
The search warrant for her home may be part of an FBI investigation into her shooting. The judge who signed the warrant said she's concerned an LMPD detective may have lied to obtain it.
After the Louisville Metro Council voted to ban the use of no-knock warrants in June, several states, including Kentucky, filed bills that would outlaw them. U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., filed similar legislation in Congress.
'An encyclopedia of police incompetence': Breonna Taylor case exposes array of LMPD errors
When Black residents stop trusting police
Reynolds, the head of the Louisville Urban League, said the problem illustrated by no-knock warrants isn't simply that police are focusing more on Black communities.
It's also the tactics officers use in those communities, using no-knock warrants or aggressive methods instead of knocking and announcing in the middle of the day or calling a suspect's attorney.
"They're training officers to be afraid of us," Reynolds said. "They're training officers to be afraid of Black residents."
In 2019, a Courier Journal series showed police used traffic stops in the West End to roust motorists for minor violations as a way to try to find drugs and guns.
According to the Courier Journal’s analysis of 130,999 Louisville traffic stops resulting in citations from 2016 to 2018, Black motorists were stopped more often and were three times as likely to be searched as white drivers.
The practice was halted after the Courier Journal reported that Tae-Ahn Lee, 18, was searched, handcuffed and detained for making a "wide turn," which infuriated Black residents and Metro Council members who watched the stop captured on officers' body cameras.
Scott, the Kentucky state representative, said there are many steps to restoring community trust in police, including "a deep reckoning with the history of policing" and how it impacts Black Americans.
"We could reallocate some of the money we spend on policing to affordable housing, to access to fresh foods, to a more robust public transportation system, to mental health services, to so much more of what people need in west Louisville," she said, "rather than to continue to fund a system that was never designed for us and continues to act disproportionately toward us."
More: Ex-police chief said Louisville cops aren't trusted. It started long before Breonna Taylor
More than two years after SWAT broke into their home, Burr and Daugherty said, the raid still impacts their family.
"Little things bring the nightmare back, like knocks on the door," they said. "The children were ashamed and embarrassed because they felt like people would think they were criminals or did something wrong."
That's something, they said, no amount of money can ever restore.
Follow Matt Mencarini on Twitter: @MattMencarini. Tessa Duvall: @TessaDuvall. Darcy Costello: @dctello.
How the Courier Journal reported this story
The Courier Journal reviewed thousands of unsealed search warrants for Jefferson County in 2019 and the first eight months of 2020 in search of court-approved “no-knock” warrants the Louisville Metro Police Department obtained before the city banned their use.
Reporters collected information from 806 Jefferson County search warrants from 2019, including who was targeted and where; when the warrant was obtained; race and gender information of the suspects listed; and details about the investigation described in the warrant affidavit. Not all warrants listed race and gender for each suspect.
Through that search and discovery in a criminal case, the Courier Journal obtained 22 no-knock search warrants LMPD obtained in 2019-20. In May, former Police Chief Steve Conrad told Metro Council the department had obtained at least 27 such warrants, although he cautioned his numbers may not be comprehensive. The newspaper found an additional no-knock warrant obtained by the Kentucky State Police.
The Courier Journal's examination collected information about the listed suspects’ criminal histories and cases connected to the search warrants. And it looked at what police found in those searches and the justification they gave in asking a judge to approve the no-knock provision.
Additionally, The Courier Journal interviewed policing and racial justice experts and reviewed LMPD’s internal investigative records from the Breonna Taylor case and other public records.


usatoday--2020-12-01--A farewell to Donald Trump editorials and USA TODAY: It's been anything but tweed

In 2002 , when I was considering an offer to become an editorial writer at USA TODAY , a friend tried to warn me off .
I was , at the time , just in my 40s and was contemplating a job with a reputation for being a last stop before retirement .
“ You ’ re not ready for tweed jackets , ” he said .
As it turns out , the job became my last stop before retirement , at least from full-time journalism , which will begin on Wednesday .
But it would take nearly 20 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the cozy and sedate affair represented by the tweed jacket motif .
To call the past two decades a tumultuous period in journalism is to call the sun hot .
Publications that once made a good living from print , and print ads , have been forced to chase much lower digital ad rates .
As a result , journalism has lost roughly a quarter of its jobs , and newspapers have lost more than half of theirs .
News organizations have not only downsized but moved to a younger , more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home to me after attending a reunion of my 1987 class of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism .
Of roughly 150 people , fewer than 10 were still employed in the field .
If this weren ’ t enough to depress a career journalist , the past four years have been one of the lowest points in American political history , with a president who produced near daily doses of incompetence , outrage , inhumanity and mendacity .
While friends often complimented me for my searing critiques of an administration untroubled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ utterly unequal to tasks such as keeping a pandemic at bay , I had to remind them of the downside .
To render these unfavorable verdicts , I had to read the president 's speeches and follow his tweets , enough to put anyone in a sour mood .
This president spewed lies with such volume and ferocity that he seemed like some kind of deranged hybrid of Big Brother and the cult-driven dictators I encountered in Africa when I lived there in the 1980s .
Much to my dismay , however , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of millions of my fellow Americans .
Lies and conspiracy theories might have predated this president .
But , thanks to him , they are now a big business .
And yet , as I leave USA TODAY , I find myself fighting off a quaint sentiment that I haven ’ t experienced in years : optimism .
For one , American newspapers strike me as finally having found a bottom .
Most have gone to a digital subscription basis and are showing some impressive increases in paid readership , even amid a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are reaching equilibrium as they realize that they are not supposed to be omnipresent and at everyone ’ s doorstep , but rather to serve as high-quality news products available for purchase and for delivery via a variety of platforms .
One can even imagine something bigger .
The television and movie industries are in a mad dash to reconstitute themselves as media companies ( as opposed to the mere content providers they had allowed themselves to become ) by creating their own streaming platforms such as Hulu , Peacock and ESPN+ .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ back much of the power over their destiny that they have ceded to social media , search and the internet in general .
As far as the junk news , conspiracy theories , lies and the other unpleasantness of the last four years , they will continue .
But products like these — designed to play to people ’ s emotions , grudges , insecurities , political leanings and preconceived notions — are , at bottom , entertainment .
And entertainment has a way of growing stale and having to be reimagined , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t go away .
But it could be overused or lose its potency as its ability to impact actual events is questioned .
I imagine it someday being more of a guilty pleasure — like WWE , or astrology — than a motivating force .
Pollyannaish perhaps .
But two decades at USA TODAY is enough to make one see the positive side .
It has been an absolutely delightful place to work and has provided front-row viewing to an America engulfed in rapid , and at times painful , change .
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simple fact : I ’ ve always really liked tweed .
Dan Carney is retiring as an editorial writer for USA TODAY .
Follow him on Twitter : @ dancarney301

A farewell to Donald Trump editorials and USA TODAY: It's been anything but tweed To call the past two decades a tumultuous period in news is to call the sun hot. Yet, as I retire from the newsroom, I'm fighting off a quaint sentiment I haven’t experienced in years: optimism.
In 2002, when I was considering an offer to become an editorial writer at USA TODAY, a friend tried to warn me off. I was, at the time, just in my 40s and was contemplating a job with a reputation for being a last stop before retirement. “You’re not ready for tweed jackets,” he said.
As it turns out, the job became my last stop before retirement, at least from full-time journalism, which will begin on Wednesday. But it would take nearly 20 years, and those years would be anything but the cozy and sedate affair represented by the tweed jacket motif.
To call the past two decades a tumultuous period in journalism is to call the sun hot. Publications that once made a good living from print, and print ads, have been forced to chase much lower digital ad rates. As a result, journalism has lost roughly a quarter of its jobs, and newspapers have lost more than half of theirs.
News organizations have not only downsized but moved to a younger, more tech-savvy workforce. This point was driven home to me after attending a reunion of my 1987 class of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Of roughly 150 people, fewer than 10 were still employed in the field.
If this weren’t enough to depress a career journalist, the past four years have been one of the lowest points in American political history, with a president who produced near daily doses of incompetence, outrage, inhumanity and mendacity.
While friends often complimented me for my searing critiques of an administration untroubled by law and the Constitution, and utterly unequal to tasks such as keeping a pandemic at bay, I had to remind them of the downside. To render these unfavorable verdicts, I had to read the president's speeches and follow his tweets, enough to put anyone in a sour mood.
This president spewed lies with such volume and ferocity that he seemed like some kind of deranged hybrid of Big Brother and the cult-driven dictators I encountered in Africa when I lived there in the 1980s. Much to my dismay, however, it worked, at least with tens of millions of my fellow Americans. Lies and conspiracy theories might have predated this president. But, thanks to him, they are now a big business.
And yet, as I leave USA TODAY, I find myself fighting off a quaint sentiment that I haven’t experienced in years: optimism.
For one, American newspapers strike me as finally having found a bottom. Most have gone to a digital subscription basis and are showing some impressive increases in paid readership, even amid a recession-driven collapse in advertising revenue. They are reaching equilibrium as they realize that they are not supposed to be omnipresent and at everyone’s doorstep, but rather to serve as high-quality news products available for purchase and for delivery via a variety of platforms.
One can even imagine something bigger. The television and movie industries are in a mad dash to reconstitute themselves as media companies (as opposed to the mere content providers they had allowed themselves to become) by creating their own streaming platforms such as Hulu, Peacock and ESPN+. Newspapers could do something similar, taking back much of the power over their destiny that they have ceded to social media, search and the internet in general.
As far as the junk news, conspiracy theories, lies and the other unpleasantness of the last four years, they will continue. But products like these — designed to play to people’s emotions, grudges, insecurities, political leanings and preconceived notions — are, at bottom, entertainment. And entertainment has a way of growing stale and having to be reimagined, or scrapped.
Fake news won’t go away. But it could be overused or lose its potency as its ability to impact actual events is questioned. I imagine it someday being more of a guilty pleasure — like WWE, or astrology — than a motivating force.
Pollyannaish perhaps. But two decades at USA TODAY is enough to make one see the positive side. It has been an absolutely delightful place to work and has provided front-row viewing to an America engulfed in rapid, and at times painful, change.
What’s more, there is this simple fact: I’ve always really liked tweed.
Dan Carney is retiring as an editorial writer for USA TODAY. Follow him on Twitter: @dancarney301


usatoday--2020-12-01--Trump lashes out at GOP Gov. Doug Ducey after certification of Arizona results showing Biden win

President Donald Trump publicly and repeatedly lashed out at Gov .
Doug Ducey on Monday , contending the Republican leader and Trump supporter had `` betrayed the people of Arizona '' by certifying an election that did n't go the president 's way .
Trump unleashed a series of blistering posts on Twitter a few hours after Ducey and other state officials signed off on Arizona 's general election results , confirming Democratic President-elect Joe Biden ’ s victory in the once reliably red state .
`` Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office ? ''
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussing getting Senator-elect Mark Kelly sworn in as soon as possible .
`` Especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now . ''
By `` hearing , '' Trump meant the public meeting between Trump campaign lawyers and a handful of state lawmakers taking place two miles from the Arizona Capitol .
In front of an audience that included at least two Arizona congressmen , the president 's team had made unsubstantiated claims of election fraud and urged the Legislature to throw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What is going on with @ dougducey ? ''
Trump continued on Twitter .
`` Republicans will long remember ! ''
The president then reposted a claim from a conservative cable host that Ducey had `` betrayed the people of Arizona , '' commenting , simply , `` TRUE . ''
He also shared a post that asked : `` Who needs Democrats when you have Republicans like ( Georgia Gov . )
Brian Kemp and Doug Ducey ? ''
Afterward , Trump reposted a fictional exchange in which Kemp said Georgia had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American history , '' and Ducey responded with , `` Hold my beer . ''
Ducey did not immediately address the president 's comments Monday .
But his staff had previously disputed media reports that Arizona 's results created a rift between the politicians .
And while Ducey was signing the certification documents Monday , his cell phone buzzed with the ringtone of `` Hail to the Chief . ''
Ducey previously has said he set that for calls coming from the White House .
On Monday , he muted the ring tone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to sign documents that made Trump 's loss official .
Later Monday , Ducey made several posts on Twitter defending his actions in certifying the vote and defending election integrity in Arizona , given the state 's long history of voting by mail and other laws in place to prevent voter fraud .
He did n't mention the president by name , or specifically reference his comments .
`` The problems that exist in other states simply do n't apply here .
I 've also said all along , I 'm going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what the law says , '' Ducey wrote .
`` It requires the Secretary of State , in the presence of the Governor and the Attorney General , to canvass the election on the fourth Monday following the general election .
That was today .
This can ONLY be delayed if counties DECLINE to certify their results .
ALL 15 counties in Arizona — counties run by both parties — certified their results .
The canvass of the election triggers a 5-day window for any elector to bring a credible challenge to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to contest the results , now is the time .
Bring your challenges .
That ’ s the law .
I ’ ve sworn an oath to uphold it , and I take my responsibility seriously . ''
During Trump 's last Arizona visit before Election Day , the president had made it clear he was expecting Ducey to deliver him the battleground state 's 11 electoral votes .
`` I 'm going to be so angry , Doug , if we do n't get there , '' he said during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actively sowing doubt about the state 's election system , as Trump had encouraged Republicans to do , though he took weeks to publicly acknowledge Biden 's Arizona win .
`` In Arizona , we count votes received up until Election Day .
That ’ s it , '' the governor said in a social media post in early November .
`` No judges have intervened , and no last-minute changes have been enacted .
We ’ re following established Arizona election law to the letter . ''
Still , Trump waited until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through Arizona courts and state officials certified results to publicly unload on Ducey .
`` Such total corruption , '' Trump wrote of the state and its leadership Monday evening .
`` So sad for our country ! ''
The rise and fall of Trump and Ducey Ducey 's support for the president appeared to be at an all-time high leading up to the election , having evolved since the early days of Trump 's candidacy .
The governor did not personally welcome or meet with the presidential hopeful when he visited Arizona @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican nomination , Ducey for a time walked the tightrope between conservatives who fervently backed Trump and others who found him too extreme .
But he began forging a closer , more public relationship with the president in 2018 .
When Trump visited Arizona to stump for then U.S. Senate candidate Martha McSally that year , Ducey briefly took the microphone to credit the president with “ how far we 've come as a state and a country.
” “ Two years ago , families and small businesses were getting crushed , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demeanor for a fired-up growl .
`` Today , under President Trump , our economy is booming , thanks to historic tax reform .
Washington was on a regulation binge , destroying jobs and killing innovations . ''
Trump similarly warmed to Ducey , inviting the governor to multiple White House functions over the next two years .
During one event , which honored immigration and border officials , Trump thanked Ducey by name and applauded the `` great job '' the governor had done securing the Arizona-Mexico border .
Late this summer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a leader in COVID-19 containment measures , with the president saying Ducey had `` done an incredible job '' controlling the virus .
Ducey also flew to Washington , D.C. , to watch Trump accept the Republican nomination and appeared at his Arizona campaign events , feeding speculation that he would jump ship for a Washington , D.C. , cabinet position if Trump won reelection .
It 's unclear what the governor might pursue instead now , with his last gubernatorial term coming to an end in two years and many Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
But it 's probably safe to assume it wo n't involve Trump .
`` Watching the Arizona hearings and then watching Gov .
Ducey sign those papers , '' the president retweeted Monday , `` Why bother voting for Republicans if what you get is Ducey and Kemp ? ''
Reach the reporter at maria.polletta @ arizonarepublic.com or 602-653-6807 .
Follow her on Twitter @ mpolletta .

Trump lashes out at GOP Gov. Doug Ducey after certification of Arizona results showing Biden win
Show Caption Hide Caption Arizona certifies state election tally, Biden win Arizona officials have certified Joe Biden’s narrow victory over President Donald Trump in the state. Biden won Arizona by 0.3% of the nearly 3.4 million ballots cast, a margin of just under 10,500 votes. (Nov. 30) AP
President Donald Trump publicly lashed out at Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday, contending the Republican leader and Trump supporter "betrayed the people of Arizona" by certifying an election that didn't go the president's way.
Trump unleashed a series of blistering posts on Twitter a few hours after Ducey and other state officials signed off on Arizona's general election results, confirming Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the once reliably Republican state.
"Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office?" Trump asked, including a clip of Ducey discussing getting Sen.-elect Mark Kelly sworn in as soon as possible. "Especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now."
By "hearing," Trump meant the public meeting between his campaign lawyers and a handful of state lawmakers 2 miles from the Arizona Capitol. In front of an audience that included at least two Arizona congressmen, the president's team claimed election fraud and urged the Legislature to throw out the state's results.
Follow Arizona politics? Our reporters stay on top of it all. Subscribe now to azcentral.com.
"What is going on with @dougducey?" Trump continued on Twitter. "Republicans will long remember!"
The president reposted a claim from a conservative cable host that Ducey "betrayed the people of Arizona," commenting, "TRUE." He shared a post that asked, "Who needs Democrats when you have Republicans like (Georgia Gov.) Brian Kemp and Doug Ducey?"
Trump reposted a fictional exchange in which Kemp said Georgia had run "the most corrupt election in American history," and Ducey responded with, "Hold my beer."
Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office, especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now. @OANN What is going on with @dougducey? Republicans will long remember! https://t.co/XILGaHcyw7 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2020
President made expectations clear
Ducey did not immediately address the president's comments Monday, but his staff disputed media reports that Arizona's results created a rift between the politicians.
As Ducey signed the certification documents Monday, his cellphone buzzed with the ringtone of "Hail to the Chief." Ducey said he set that for calls coming from the White House. Monday, he muted the ring tone and set the phone aside, continuing to sign documents that made Trump's loss official.
Later Monday, Ducey posted several times on Twitter, defending his actions in certifying the vote and defending election integrity in Arizona, which has a long history of voting by mail and laws to prevent voter fraud. He didn't mention the president or his comments.
"The problems that exist in other states simply don't apply here. I've also said all along, I'm going to follow the law. So here's what the law says," Ducey wrote.
"It requires the Secretary of State, in the presence of the Governor and the Attorney General, to canvass the election on the fourth Monday following the general election. That was today. This can ONLY be delayed if counties DECLINE to certify their results. ALL 15 counties in Arizona – counties run by both parties – certified their results. The canvass of the election triggers a 5-day window for any elector to bring a credible challenge to the election results in court. If you want to contest the results, now is the time. Bring your challenges. That’s the law. I’ve sworn an oath to uphold it, and I take my responsibility seriously."
When Trump visited Arizona before Election Day, the president made it clear he expected Ducey to deliver him the battleground state's 11 electoral votes. "I'm going to be so angry, Doug, if we don't get there," he said during a Bullhead City rally.
Ducey avoided sowing doubt about the state's election system, as Trump encouraged Republicans to do, though he took weeks to publicly acknowledge Biden's win.
"In Arizona, we count votes received up until Election Day. That’s it," the governor said in a social media post in early November. "No judges have intervened, and no last-minute changes have been enacted. We’re following established Arizona election law to the letter."
Trump waited until election lawsuits unsuccessfully worked their way through Arizona courts and state officials certified results to publicly unload on Ducey.
"Such total corruption," Trump wrote Monday evening. "So sad for our country!"
Rise and fall of Trump and Ducey
Ducey's support for the president was at an all-time high leading up to the election, having evolved since the early days of Trump's candidacy. The governor did not personally welcome or meet with the presidential hopeful when he visited Arizona in 2015.
After Trump won the Republican nomination, Ducey walked a tightrope between conservatives who fervently backed Trump and others who found him too extreme. He began forging a closer, more public relationship with the president in 2018.
When Trump visited Arizona to stump for U.S. Senate candidate Martha McSally that year, Ducey briefly took the microphone to credit the president with “how far we've come as a state and a country.”
“Two years ago, families and small businesses were getting crushed," Ducey said, trading his typically reserved demeanor for a fired-up growl. "Today, under President Trump, our economy is booming, thanks to historic tax reform. Washington was on a regulation binge, destroying jobs and killing innovations."
Trump similarly warmed to Ducey, inviting the governor to White House functions over the next two years. During an event to honor immigration and border officials, Trump thanked Ducey and applauded the "great job" the governor did securing the Arizona-Mexico border.
Late this summer, White House officials held up Arizona as a leader in COVID-19 containment measures, and the president said Ducey had "done an incredible job" controlling the virus.
Ducey flew to Washington to watch Trump accept the Republican presidential nomination and appeared at his Arizona campaign events, feeding speculation that he would jump ship for a Cabinet position if Trump won reelection.
It's unclear what the governor might pursue when his last gubernatorial term comes to an end in two years, and many Republicans are unhappy with his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's probably safe to assume it won't involve Trump. "Watching the Arizona hearings and then watching Gov. Ducey sign those papers," the president retweeted Monday, "Why bother voting for Republicans if what you get is Ducey and Kemp?"
Reach the reporter at maria.polletta@arizonarepublic.com or 602-653-6807. Follow her on Twitter @mpolletta.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.


usatoday--2020-11-30--Retired Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh died of complications of smoke inhalation in house fire, coroner says

LAS VEGAS – Retired Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh died of complications of smoke inhalation , Connecticut ’ s chief medical examiner said Monday .
The death was ruled an accident , the Connecticut office of the chief medical examiner wrote in an email to the USA TODAY Network .
Hsieh was with family when he died Friday at Connecticut 's Bridgeport Hospital , according to Las Vegas-based DTP Companies , which he founded .
He was 46 .
Hsieh suffered injuries in a Nov. 18 house fire in New London , Connecticut .
The Day newspaper reported on the day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been removed from a waterfront home in New London with possible burns and smoke inhalation .
The person , who was not identified , was eventually taken to Bridgeport Hospital , which has a burn center .
Fire Chief Thomas Curcio was quoted as saying that crews arrived around 3:30 a.m. after a report of someone trapped in he house , that firefighters had to force their way in , and that they removed the victim , performed CPR and took him to a hospital .
`` Tony Hsieh might be the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friends with , '' former venture investor Chris Sacca tweeted .
`` He questioned every assumption and shared everything he learned along the way .
He genuinely delighted in making anyone and everyone happy . ''
Skateboarder and entrepreneur Tony Hawk called Hsieh `` a visionary '' who was `` generous with his time and willing to share his invaluable expertise with anyone . ''
Ed Komenda writes about Las Vegas for the Reno Gazette Journal and USA Today Network .

Retired Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh died of complications of smoke inhalation in house fire, coroner says
Show Caption Hide Caption Retired Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh has passed away at 46-years-old While visiting Connecticut Tony Hsieh suffered injuries in a house fire. His friends and business partners said, he wanted to make everyone happy. USA TODAY, Wochit
LAS VEGAS – Retired Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh died of complications of smoke inhalation, Connecticut’s chief medical examiner said Monday.
The death was ruled an accident, the Connecticut office of the chief medical examiner wrote in an email to the USA TODAY Network.
Hsieh was with family when he died Friday at Connecticut's Bridgeport Hospital, according to Las Vegas-based DTP Companies, which he founded. He was 46.
Hsieh suffered injuries in a Nov. 18 house fire in New London, Connecticut.
The Day newspaper reported on the day of the fire that one person had been removed from a waterfront home in New London with possible burns and smoke inhalation. The person, who was not identified, was eventually taken to Bridgeport Hospital, which has a burn center.
Fire Chief Thomas Curcio was quoted as saying that crews arrived around 3:30 a.m. after a report of someone trapped in he house, that firefighters had to force their way in, and that they removed the victim, performed CPR and took him to a hospital.
"Tony Hsieh might be the most original thinker I’ve ever been friends with," former venture investor Chris Sacca tweeted. "He questioned every assumption and shared everything he learned along the way. He genuinely delighted in making anyone and everyone happy."
Skateboarder and entrepreneur Tony Hawk called Hsieh "a visionary" who was "generous with his time and willing to share his invaluable expertise with anyone."
Contributing: The Associated Press.


usatoday--2020-12-01--Coronavirus updates: Pence says vaccine could be shipped in 2 weeks; Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida

Coronavirus updates: Pence says vaccine could be shipped in 2 weeks; Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida schools to stay open in 2021

An advisory panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meets today to vote on who should get the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine .
Front-line health workers will be first in line , with first responders , long-term care patients , people with underlying conditions , people over 65 and essential workers also being considered .
Each state ultimately makes the decision based on the panel 's recommendations .
The FDA will consider the first vaccine candidate Dec. 10 ; Vice President Mike Pence told governors the first vaccines could be shipped out in two weeks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ process could begin the week of Dec.14 , ” Pence told governors , according to a summary of the call provided by Washington Gov .
Jay Inslee .
“ The American people deserve to know the cavalry is on the way.
” It ca n't get here fast enough .
In November alone one of every 76 Americans tested positive for coronavirus .
The country reported 36,918 coronavirus deaths for the month , a toll greater than American losses in the Korean War .
Here 's what to know Tuesday : • Florida @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and families will continue to have the option to keep students at home during the COVID-19 pandemic , Gov .
Ron DeSantis announced .
• Some filmmakers have been granted permission to start production in public spaces .
In Los Angeles , Union State is being used for a remake of `` She 's All That . ''
In Atlanta , the production team and cast of `` Spider-Man '' will film at two schools .
• None Biotech company Moderna applied Monday for an emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorization .
📈 Today 's numbers : The U.S. has reported more than 13.5 million cases and over 268,000 deaths , according to Johns Hopkins University data .
The global totals : 63.3 million cases and 1.47 million deaths .
📰 What we 're reading : These four states have been hit hard by COVID-19 yet balked at strict mask mandates .
What is it like to live there ?
This file will be updated throughout the day .
For updates in your inbox , subscribe to The Daily Briefing newsletter .
Filmmakers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public spaces once again Filmmakers are once again being granted permission to start production in public spaces .
In Los Angeles , a COVID-19 testing site at Union Station had been scheduled to shut down to allow Miramax to film `` He 's All That , '' according to Deadline .
Cue outrage .
A few hours later Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted that `` my team has worked to reopen testing at Union Station on Tuesday . ''
In Atlanta , where classrooms are shut down in favor of virtual learning , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' received special permission from Atlanta Public Schools to film at two high schools starting as soon as next month , the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported .
The approval came after the movie ’ s location manager `` dangled a $ 50,000 incentive , '' the Constitution wrote .
Christie Johnston , a teacher and mother , tweeted : `` In person school is not only safe , it ’ s necessary for learning .
Too bad kids don ’ t generate the millions a movie does , or they ’ d be back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ classroom rather than a computer screen . ''
A small town in southern Spain is carrying out COVID-19 testing on its entire population after a random screening suggested 70 % of its inhabitants were infected with the virus .
Public health officials made the decision after 130 out of 182 people tested on a single day in Cuevas del Becerro were positive for the virus , EuroWeekly News reports .
Mayor Ana Maria Garcia , among those who tested positive in the town of about 1,600 , said residents will be called by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to show up they could be charged with a crime against public health .
Local authorities have set up a volunteer service to distribute food to residents .
CDC warning serves as another hit for traditional stores Brick-and-mortar malls and stores have struggled in recent years amid the boom in online shopping , but they could usually count on big crowds during the Christmas season .
But there may not be a holiday reprieve this year .
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says holiday shopping in crowded stores is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people should limit any in-person shopping .
Instead , the agency recommends shopping online , visiting outdoor markets or using curbside pickup , where workers bring orders to your car .
Try to spend as little time inside stores as possible , says Dr. Isaac Weisfuse , a public health expert at Cornell University .
“ You just want to go in and out , ” he says .
“ Get your shopping done and move on.
” It 's Giving Tuesday and donations are up 20 % already this year Giving Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giving , kickstarts December this year — a month big for donating .
Woodrow Rosenbaum , chief data officer for Giving Tuesday , said giving is up 20 % year over year in all categories to both nonprofits and small businesses — despite the decline in the first quarter .
`` The pandemic is motivating a lot of generosity , '' he said .
`` People are finding generosity as an antidote to fear , uncertainty , division . ''
If you are unable to give financially or otherwise this year , Rosenbaum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even sidewalk chalk messages as safe options amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Generosity , an 'antidote ' to fear , division ' : How to help those in need on Giving Tuesday Canada promises to spend tens of billions to help country recover Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ’ s government vowed Monday to spend billions more to help the country recover from the pandemic .
The cost to date has the federal deficit reaching a record $ 381.6 billion Canadian ( $ 294 billion ) this year , but the government said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion Canadian ( $ 308 billion ) if widespread lockdowns return in the coming weeks .
Toronto , Canada ’ s largest city , is on lockdown .
The government ’ s fall economic update proposes to send extra child-benefit payments to families next year .
The government is proposing $ 25 billion Canadian ( $ 19 billion ) in new spending .
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada entered the pandemic in the strongest fiscal position of any G7 country .
“ We can afford the investment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order begins Tuesday in Anchorage , the largest city in Alaska .
The order begins at 8 a.m. local time and is scheduled to go until Jan. 1 , 2021 .
The new order requires restaurants and bars to shut down in-door dining .
Takeout , delivery and outdoor dining are still allowed with some restrictions .
Indoor gatherings are limited to six people and outdoor gatherings at 10 people .
Gyms and fitness centers will go from 50 % capacity to 25 % .
Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson announced the new order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` record-breaking surge '' of coronavirus cases .
Former Mayor Ethan Berkowitz issued a similar order in August for a `` four-week reset , '' according to the Anchorage Daily News .
Anchorage has over 16,500 infections and 68 deaths , according to state data .
Statewide there are over 31,000 confirmed cases and 120 deaths .
Florida public schools will remain open in 2021 and families will continue to have the option to keep students at home during the COVID-19 pandemic , Gov .
Ron DeSantis announced Monday .
But the news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students who are struggling academically in remote learning situations will be notified by their school districts and the students will be required to return to in-person instruction — unless the family again actively elects to keep the student at home .
The caveat is part of a new emergency order issued by Richard Corcoran , Florida 's commissioner of education .
DeSantis at a press conference called closing public schools during the coronavirus pandemic the `` biggest public health blunder '' in modern U.S. history and called his detractors `` flat-earthers . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be felt for years .
The announcement comes as Florida has seen a surge in cases in past weeks and is poised to cross the million-case mark on Tuesday .
Michigan Rep. John Chirkun on Monday said he has tested positive for the coronavirus .
Chirkun , a Democrat , is at least the 11th state lawmaker to have either a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 .
“ Rep .
Chirkun is doing well and in very good spirits .
I wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” fellow Democrat and House Minority Leader Christine Greig said in a statement .
Greig said Chirkun will not attend meetings at the state Capitol this week , which the state Legislature is scheduled to return a two-week break .
The diagnosis comes at the same time businesses around the state face strict operating regulations and Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer wants lawmakers to pass a $ 100 million COVID-19 relief plan .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom warned a stay-at-home order could soon be implemented in counties with widespread COVID-19 transmission if they continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that could potentially overwhelm local hospital systems .
In the past two weeks , COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state increased 89 % while COVID-19 patient admissions into intensive care unit beds increased 67 % .
But that rise is just the tip of the iceberg , officials said .
“ We anticipate another large increase in cases within the next one to two weeks from Thanksgiving activities and gatherings , ” Newsom said .
Newson also said he anticipates California will receive an initial 327,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses by mid-December .
The first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second dose will be given three weeks later , Newsom said .
• 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 still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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: 50 Americans died every hour of November; Florida hits 1M cases; Pence says vaccine could be shipped in 2 weeks
Show Caption Hide Caption COVID-19: What nurses and doctors in hospitals want us to know Doctors and nurses working in hospitals across the country are sharing the realities of COVID-19. Associated Press, USA TODAY
The United States reported more than 4.4 million new coronavirus cases in November, far more than double any other month of the pandemic, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.
The numbers are startling. The total case count is nearly what the nation reported in August, September and October combined. An average rate of 99 cases were reported every minute through the month. In November alone, one of every 22 North Dakota residents tested positive. In South Dakota, it was one of 26; Wyoming, one of 29; Iowa, one of 31.
The U.S. also reported 36,918 deaths in November, a toll higher than all months but April and May. The fatalities totaled more people than the U.S. lost in the entirety of the Korean War. On average, 50 Americans died every hour.
In South Dakota, North Dakota and Illinois, more than 1 of every 1,000 residents has now died of COVID-19.
– Mike Stucka
Here's what to know Tuesday:
Florida public schools will remain open in 2021 and families will continue to have the option to keep students at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced.
An advisory panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meets Tuesday to vote on who should get the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Biotech company Moderna applied Monday for an emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine, the second vaccine maker to request FDA authorization.
📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 13.5 million cases and over 268,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: 63.4 million cases and 1.47 million deaths.
📰 What we're reading: These four states have been hit hard by COVID-19 yet balked at restrictions and mask mandates. What is it like to live there?
This file will be updated throughout the day. For updates in your inbox, subscribe to The Daily Briefing newsletter.
Maryland hospitals could see record-high numbers of COVID-19 patients in the coming days, Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday.
The state this week also lost its youngest victim yet to the virus. Hogan choked up during a news conference in Annapolis as he announced the death of a 1-year-old boy, the first Marylander younger than 9 years old to die of COVID-19.
Hogan also emphasized the need for more health care workers as the state faces its worst surge of the pandemic.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have jumped by more than 50% in the last two weeks.
As of Tuesday, the state reported 1,583 hospital beds in use by COVID-19 patients – not far below the highest-ever total of 1,711 beds, reached at the end of April.
-- Madeleine O'Neill, USA TODAY NETWORK
Leslie and Patricia McWaters – Jackson, Michigan, natives who were married almost 50 years – did "almost everything together," relatives said. They danced together. They watched their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids grow up together. And in the end, they contracted the coronavirus and died together.
Leslie, better known to friends and family as LD, and Pat, who relatives said was "definitely the boss," died at the same time, 4:23 p.m. last Tuesday, at Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson. They were 75 and 78, respectively.
"It should be no surprise that they went to be with the Lord together within the very same minute," their funeral home obituary said. "The hospital staff that cared for them, as they lost their battle to COVID, said it was too close to call. They recorded their deaths at the exact same time."
But, the obituary added: "Those of us that know them, know that mom went first and said, 'LD, it’s time to go!' "
Their story is both romantic and tragic as more than 9,000 Michiganders have died from the pandemic since March, and more than 350,000 people have had the virus.
– Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press
Coronavirus: How R-0 can be used to fight COVID-19 R-0 may be the most important scientific term you’ve never heard of when it comes to stopping the coronavirus pandemic. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
A Los Angeles County supervisor enjoyed an al fresco meal at a restaurant just hours after voting last week to ban outdoor dining at the county’s 31,000 restaurants over coronavirus safety concerns, according to a news report.
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl was seen eating outside Nov. 24 at Il Forno Trattoria near her home in Santa Monica, Fox 11 reported. Earlier in the day Kuehl was among the supervisors who voted 3 to 2 in support of prohibiting outdoor dining in Los Angeles County. Indoor dining has been banned for months during the pandemic.
“She did dine al fresco at Il Forno on the very last day it was permissible,” Kuehl’s office said in a statement Monday. “She loves Il Forno, has been saddened to see it, like so many restaurants, suffer from a decline in revenue. She ate there, taking appropriate precautions, and sadly will not dine there again until our Public Health Orders permit.”
Los Angeles County imposed a new stay-at-home order for its 10 million residents effective this week as coronavirus cases surge across the state and country.
– Associated Press
The novel coronavirus may have been circulating in the United States undetected weeks before the first case was reported in 2020, a new government study suggests.
Study authors came to the conclusion after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found evidence of coronavirus antibodies in blood collected in December 2019, according to the report published Monday in the Clinical Infections Journal.
Researchers analyzed blood donations collected by the American Red Cross from residents in nine states between Dec. 13 and Jan. 17 and found evidence of antibodies in 106 out of 7,389 samples.
Antibodies also were found in 67 blood donations in January from states that didn’t report a widespread outbreak at the time, such as Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.
– Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY
Florida became the third state to exceed 1 million cases on Tuesday and continued to get closer to a coronavirus death toll of 20,000.
But Gov. Ron DeSantis remained steadfast in his opposition to a statewide mandatory mask order or any return to lockdowns of businesses, including bars and restaurants.
"Yes, we are seeing increases, but other states are seeing even more," DeSantis said Monday during a news conference in Kissimmee with Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran. It was his first live news conference in a month.
DeSantis reiterated his opposition to mask mandates and lockdowns on CNN on Tuesday morning, the same day it was reported that Florida added 8,797 new cases Monday for a total of 1,008,166, making it the third state to exceed 1 million cases, after California and Texas.
– Jeffrey Schweers, The Tallahassee Democrat
Alabama hospitals that already are treating a record number of COVID-19 patients are bracing for a “tidal wave” of additional cases linked to holiday gatherings, a health official said Tuesday as schools and more grappled with the worsening coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the fact that less testing is going on now than earlier in the outbreak, the state has still recorded at least 2,000 new cases daily since Nov. 15. Hospitals are treating more patients than ever, and an expected post-Thanksgiving surge of cases has yet to begin, said Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Only 11% of the state’s intensive care beds were available Monday, according to the Alabama Hospital Association, and the remaining spaces could be filled as more patients are admitted than leave hospitals.
“We could really be in a situation in two to three weeks that compromises our ability to provide health care,” Marrazzo said. While experts have tried to avoid “alarmist terminology” during the crisis, she said: “I think this is a time when we need to start thinking about things like tidal wave imagery or tsunami imagery.”
– Associated Press
Rhode Island has opened two field hospitals that combined have more than 900 beds as the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state reached a new high.
There were 410 patients in the state’s hospitals with the disease as of Sunday, the most recent date for which the information was available, the state Department of Health reported Tuesday. That is the highest number of people hospitalized with the disease on a single day since the pandemic began.
Care New England opened a field hospital with more than 300 beds in Cranston on Monday, the same day the state sent an emergency alert saying conventional hospitals had reached their coronavirus capacity.
A facility with nearly 600 beds opened Tuesday at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. It is run by Lifespan, the state’s largest hospital group.
– Associated Press
The number of COVID-19 deaths in Indiana has nearly doubled for November from a month earlier as health officials continue adding to those reports and the state’s coronavirus-related hospitalizations remain at their highest point during the pandemic.
The Indiana State Department of Health added 142 deaths to the statewide toll with its daily update on Tuesday. Most of those deaths occurred over the past week with a reporting lull from local officials over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Those boost Indiana’s coronavirus deaths during November to at least 1,416 people – surpassing the previous monthly peak during April by nearly 400 and almost double October’s total of 732 deaths.
– Associated Press
As the coronavirus continues to surge in Oklahoma, nearing 200,000 total cases, Gov. Kevin Stitt has declared Thursday a day of prayer and fasting in the state.
Oklahoma’s seven-day rolling average of new cases has increased from 2,628.9 to 2,838.7, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The Oklahoma State Department of Health on Tuesday reported a one-day high of 1,718 hospitalizations and 199,482 total cases since the pandemic began, 1,737 more than Monday.
“I believe we must continue to ask God to heal those who are sick, comfort those who are hurting and provide renewed strength and wisdom to all who are managing the effects of COVID-19,” Stitt said in a Monday statement.
Stitt, who tested positive for the virus in July and previously donated plasma in an effort to help other virus patients recover, said he will make a second plasma donation.
– Associated Press
Los Angeles won't be shutting down its COVID-19 testing site in Union Station to allow a film shoot after all, while Atlanta plans on allowing "Spider Man" to shoot in closed high schools.
In Los Angeles, the testing sight had been set to shut down to allow Miramax to film some scenes for the movie "He's All That." The romcom shooting schedule ignited a frenzy of dramatic dissent, and a few hours later Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted that "my team has worked to reopen testing at Union Station on Tuesday."
According to a Miramax spokesperson, the shutdown was not a request from Miramax and once it learned of the disruption, production asked that the testing company resume its services at that location.
In Atlanta, where classrooms are shut down in favor of virtual learning, a production team and cast of "Spider-Man" received special permission from Atlanta Public Schools to film at two high schools starting as soon as next month, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The approval came after the movie’s location manager "dangled a $50,000 incentive," the Constitution wrote.
Christie Johnston, a teacher and mother, tweeted: "In person school is not only safe, it’s necessary for learning. Too bad kids don’t generate the millions a movie does, or they’d be back in front of their teacher in a classroom rather than a computer screen."
Chicago officials shut down a 300-person basement party early Sunday where attendees were not wearing masks or social distancing. A city task force issued multiple violations and closed the location.
"Actions like this are a slap in the face to the thousands of businesses and millions of Chicagoans that are making sacrifices every day to keep our city safe, and we will continue cracking down on this inexcusable activity,” Rosa Escareno, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, said in a statement.
Chicago is in the midst of a COVID-19 surge far greater than its spring spike, and indoor dining has been closed since the end of October. In the following month, the city investigated nearly 900 businesses for violations and closed a sports complex for hosting a party with over 600 people and a ballroom for hosting a party with over 200 people. Last weekend alone, officials investigated nearly 100 incidents.
The city has confirmed nearly 160,000 cases of COVID-19 and nearly 3,500 deaths since March. Upside: New daily case counts that peaked in mid-November have been steadily falling. The positivity rate Tuesday was down from the week before.
– Grace Hauck
An advisory panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meets Tuesday to vote on who should get the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Front-line health workers will be first in line. First responders, long-term care patients, people with underlying conditions, people over 65 and essential workers are also being considered. Each state ultimately makes the decision based on the panel's recommendations. The FDA will consider the first vaccine candidate Dec. 10; Vice President Mike Pence told governors the first vaccines could be shipped out in two weeks.
“We strongly believe the vaccine distribution process could begin the week of Dec.14,” Pence told governors, according to a summary of the call provided by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. “The American people deserve to know the cavalry is on the way.”
It can't get here fast enough. In November alone one of every 76 Americans tested positive for coronavirus. The country reported almost 37,000 coronavirus deaths for the month – a human cost of the 9/11 attacks every 2 1/2 days.
– Mike Stucka
A small town in southern Spain is carrying out COVID-19 testing on its entire population after a random screening suggested 70% of its inhabitants were infected with the virus. Public health officials made the decision after 130 out of 182 people tested on a single day in Cuevas del Becerro were positive for the virus, EuroWeekly News reports. Mayor Ana Maria Garcia, among those who tested positive in the town of about 1,600, said residents will be called by phone or SMS and if they fail to show up they could be charged with a crime against public health. Local authorities have set up a volunteer service to distribute food to residents.
Brick-and-mortar malls and stores have struggled in recent years amid the boom in online shopping, but they could usually count on big crowds during the Christmas season. But there may not be a holiday reprieve this year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says holiday shopping in crowded stores is a “higher risk” activity and that people should limit any in-person shopping. Instead, the agency recommends shopping online, visiting outdoor markets or using curbside pickup, where workers bring orders to your car. Try to spend as little time inside stores as possible, says Dr. Isaac Weisfuse, a public health expert at Cornell University.
“You just want to go in and out,” he says. “Get your shopping done and move on.”
Giving Tuesday, an annual day recognized for charitable giving, kickstarts December this year – a month big for donating.
Woodrow Rosenbaum, chief data officer for Giving Tuesday, said giving is up 20% year over year in all categories to both nonprofits and small businesses – despite the decline in the first quarter. "The pandemic is motivating a lot of generosity," he said. "People are finding generosity as an antidote to fear, uncertainty, division."
If you are unable to give financially or otherwise this year, Rosenbaum suggested virtual volunteering, letter-writing campaigns and even sidewalk chalk messages as safe options amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Generosity, an 'antidote' to fear, division': How to help those in need on Giving Tuesday
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government vowed Monday to spend billions more to help the country recover from the pandemic. The cost to date has the federal deficit reaching a record $381.6 billion Canadian ($294 billion) this year, but the government said it could close in on $400 billion Canadian ($308 billion) if widespread lockdowns return in the coming weeks. Toronto, Canada’s largest city, is on lockdown.
The government’s fall economic update proposes to send extra child-benefit payments to families next year. The government is proposing $25 billion Canadian ($19 billion) in new spending.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada entered the pandemic in the strongest fiscal position of any G7 country. “We can afford the investment,” Freeland said.
– Rob Gillies, Associated Press
A modified stay-at-home order begins Tuesday in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. The order begins at 8 a.m. local time and is scheduled to go until Jan. 1, 2021. The new order requires restaurants and bars to shut down indoor dining. Takeout, delivery and outdoor dining are still allowed with some restrictions. Indoor gatherings are limited to six people and outdoor gatherings at 10 people. Gyms and fitness centers will go from 50% capacity to 25%.
Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson announced the new order last week as the city experienced a "record-breaking surge" of coronavirus cases. Former Mayor Ethan Berkowitz issued a similar order in August for a "four-week reset," according to the Anchorage Daily News. Anchorage has over 16,500 infections and 68 deaths, according to state data. Statewide there are over 31,000 confirmed cases and 120 deaths.
Michigan Rep. John Chirkun on Monday said he has tested positive for the coronavirus. Chirkun, a Democrat, is at least the 11th state lawmaker to have either a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19.
“Rep. Chirkun is doing well and in very good spirits. I wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to him returning to session following his quarantine,” fellow Democrat and House Minority Leader Christine Greig said in a statement.
Greig said Chirkun will not attend meetings at the state Capitol this week, which the state Legislature is scheduled to return a two-week break. The diagnosis comes at the same time businesses around the state face strict operating regulations and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants lawmakers to pass a $100 million COVID-19 relief plan.
– Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press
Gov. Gavin Newsom warned a stay-at-home order could soon be implemented in counties with widespread COVID-19 transmission if they continue to see a surge of new cases that could potentially overwhelm local hospital systems.
In the past two weeks, COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state increased 89% while COVID-19 patient admissions into intensive care unit beds increased 67%. But that rise is just the tip of the iceberg, officials said.
“We anticipate another large increase in cases within the next one to two weeks from Thanksgiving activities and gatherings,” Newsom said.
Newson also said he anticipates California will receive an initial 327,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses by mid-December. The first dose will be given in mid-December and the second dose will be given three weeks later, Newsom said.
– Nicole Hayden, Palm Springs Desert Sun
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Contributing: The Associated Press