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 | | | School's out in Chicago | | A COVID conflict leads the Windy City to cancel classes, the U.S. Capitol Police are in the spotlight and more news to start your Wednesday. | | |
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| Happy hump day, Daily Briefing readers! Lessons for hundreds of thousands of students in Chicago are on hold after city leaders canceled classes in response to teachers voting to switch to remote learning. The U.S Capitol police chief will appear before a Senate panel on the eve of the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection. And, CES is back! But, like everything else, it's being hindered by COVID-19. |
| It's Steve and Jane, with Wednesday's news. |
| 🦠 President Biden sought to reassure the public that the federal government is prepared to address the growing COVID-19 health crisis amid a staggering increase in infections driven by the omicron variant. For the latest COVID updates, tap here. |
| 😷 Flu + Coronavirus = Flurona. The name conjures images of cheap cable horror flicks – think "Sharknado" — but the flu-COVID dual infections are real. |
| 🏚 Home alone: The parents of an 11-year-old boy were arrested in Arizona after sheriff's deputies alleged he was left alone at home and had not attended school for at least two weeks. |
| 📺 Victim of a crime: "Jeopardy!" champion Amy Schneider said she is feeling "fine" after she was robbed of her credit cards, ID and phone over New Year's weekend. |
| 🏈 "I know I can do it": Terrell Owens, 48, wants to replace Antonio Brown on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. |
| 😷 Reviewed: Should you be wearing an N95 mask? What to know and where to buy them online. |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, domestic security correspondent Josh Meyer reports on government failures to stop domestic extremism. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what's happening today: |
Trouble in Chicago: COVID conflict leads schools to cancel classes |
| Teachers in Chicago, the nation's third-largest school district, voted late Tuesday to switch to remote learning, and city leaders reacted by canceling classes Wednesday for most of the district's 330,000 students . The Chicago Teachers Union voted to pause in-person learning and work remotely until Jan. 18, or until COVID-19 cases fall below a particular threshold. The union, which has roughly 25,000 members, is also demanding the district require negative tests from students and staff before returning to school. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the vote constituted an "illegal work action," and Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez described it as a "walkout." Teachers who do not show up will not be paid, Lightfoot said. School buildings will be open Wednesday and will provide essential services, such as meals and COVID-19 testing, Martinez said. The status of instruction for the rest of the week remained in limbo, while district leaders said a plan to "continue student learning" would come later Wednesday. |
US Capitol Police in the spotlight at Senate hearing |
| A Senate panel on Wednesday will hold a hearing on the U.S. Capitol Police in the aftermath of last year's U.S. Capitol insurrection. U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger and other witnesses are expected to appear at the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration hearing, which comes on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the attack on Jan. 6, 2021. Manger replaced ex-chief Steven Sund, who resigned on Jan. 7. In addition to the Senate hearing, Attorney General Merrick Garland is expected to give a speech Wednesday about the Justice Department's efforts to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the attack. The Washington Post was the first to report about Garland's speech. About 140 officers were injured in the Capitol attack, and four died by suicide in the weeks that followed. More than 700 people have been arrested and charged for their roles in the insurrection. |
Just for subscribers: |
| 🔵 "This is insane": As Congress relives Jan. 6 horror, efforts to rewrite history stir fury on Capitol Hill. |
| ⚖️ He spent 6 years in prison for a crime he didn't do. Now he copes with the reality that his youth vanished in the years he spent behind bars. |
| 🧪 Opinion: America has gone from Operation Warp Speed to Biden's Snail Speed on COVID tests. |
| 🩲 NASA and Tide are working on a long-standing space problem: cleaning astronauts' laundry. |
| 🤝 What is a platonic life partnership? These couples are breaking societal relationship norms. |
| These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. Here is all of our subscriber content. |
Major East Coast highway expected to resume normalcy for rush hour |
| Interstate 95 in Virginia is expected to resume normalcy for the Wednesday rush hour after ice and snow stranded hundreds of motorists, some for as long as 27 hours. Problems began Monday morning when a truck jackknifed on I-95, the main north-south highway along the East Coast, triggering a swift chain reaction as other vehicles lost control, state police said. On a roughly 50-mile stretch of the interstate near Fredericksburg, drivers were stuck in their cars overnight while ice blanketed the freeway. People took to social media and shared their experiences about running out of fuel, food and water as they sat for hours without moving. The Virginia Department of Transportation tweeted Tuesday evening that the traffic had been cleared. No injuries or fatalities from the storm or the traffic backup were reported in Virginia, but state officials were facing a slew of questions about how the situation was allowed to escalate. |
 | | Motorists sit stranded on Interstate 95 in Northern, Va., on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. Hundreds of motorists were stranded all night in snow and freezing temperatures along a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 95 after a crash involving six tractor-trailers in Virginia, where authorities were struggling Tuesday to reach them. | | WJLA via AP | |
Newsmakers in their own words: NFL MVP voter calls out Aaron Rodgers |
 | | Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers acknowledges the crowd as he leaves the field following a victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 2, 2022 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. | | Photo by Dan Powers, Appleton Post-Crescent; USA TODAY Sports graphic | |
| Hub Arkush, a veteran Chicago sportswriter, told the city's 670 The Score radio station Tuesday that he will not cast his NFL MVP vote for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. |
| Arkush insulted Rodgers in multiple ways during the interview, also calling the three-time NFL MVP "a bad guy." Arkush added off-field issues had a lot to do with his decision. Rodgers is unvaccinated and spent 10 days on the COVID-19 reserve list. |
Is tonight the night? Report say Nets' Kyrie Irving to make season debut |
| Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving is expected to make his season debut Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, according to multiple reports. Irving has not played this season after refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19. A New York City mandate requires anyone over age 5 to be vaccinated in order to enter arenas, making Irving ineligible to compete in home games, though still eligible to play in most road games. The Nets originally decided Irving could not be a part-time player, but last month changed course and welcomed the seven-time All-Star back into the fold. On Monday, Nets coach Steve Nash said the organization is "hopeful" Irving could return Wednesday, "but no determinations have been made yet." |
 | | Kyrie Irving remains unvaccinated against COVID-19. | | Russell Isabella, USA TODAY Sports | |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday |
| 🎂 Twins in California were born just 15 minutes apart, but their birthdays are on separate days, months and years. |
| 🚗 "That's what I get for $7,500?" Used-car buyers are balking at astronomical prices. |
| ☄️ Equivalent to "30 tons of TNT": A meteor exploded in Pennsylvania on New Year's Day. |
| 👶 Tristan Thompson confirmed he fathered a third baby and apologized to Khloe Kardashian: "You don't deserve this." |
 | | Tristan Thompson is kicking off 2022 with a public apology. | | USA TODAY | |
CES kicks off, with both in-person, virtual events |
| The massive CES technology show will go on this week, starting Tuesday, in Las Vegas, but like many other recent events, it is being hindered by COVID-19. The Consumer Technology Association, which runs CES, had planned for a hybrid event to run Jan. 5-8, with some events to be held in-person and others virtually. That's a step forward from last year's CES, which was conducted completely online during the coronavirus shutdown as vaccines were just being deployed. However, in the days leading up to this year's conference, some big name exhibitors have bowed out and some media outlets have canceled plans to cover CES in person, leading to the show being shortened by one day, closing on Jan. 7. More than 2,200 companies are expected to exhibit in person. |
📸 Photo of the day: Long lines to get COVID tests remain 📸 |
 | | Hundreds of people wait in line to be tested for COVID-19 at the Florida A&M University testing site Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 in Tallahassee, Fla. | | Alicia Devine, Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK | |
| A tool to combat the spread of COVID-19 remains scarce even as the virus touches yet another calendar year – tests. In an address before Christmas, Biden acknowledged the country is "not where we should be" on testing capabilities. |
| "I know this remains frustrating," Biden said Tuesday. "Believe me, it's frustrating to me. But we're making improvements." |
| Biden said his administration has established federal testing sites "all over the country" in the past two weeks. Long lines remain at many sites across the country, however. |
| Head here to see more images as the U.S. focuses on testing and booster shots to combat the omicron variant. |
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