The Short List

Sat Jun 17 2023

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Hello, friends of the Short List! I'm Nicole Fallert, filling in for John Riley . This weekend is Father's Day, a time to rest and connect with the people in our lives who care for us. I can't wait to give my own dad his gift (a fabulous list of book recommendations I've curated!) and spend the day outdoors together.

Let's get into it. Here's a look at a few outstanding reads from USA TODAY this week.

Distracted students and stressed teachers: More than three years after the COVID outbreak began, some children are thriving, but many others remain severely behind . This reality means recovering from COVID could be more costly, time-consuming, and difficult than they anticipated, leaving a generation of young people struggling to catch up.

•	US students are rowdier than ever post-COVID . Plus, a spike in outbursts, fidgeting, and nonstop chatter in classrooms coincides with a national mental health crisis.
•	What's specifically alarming educators is the high rates of students missing vast stretches of their learning time – a month, two months, or even half of the school year.
•	Here's how parents can better understand how their kids perform academically and how to support their progress better.

🔴 In Iowa Republicans — both voters and leaders alike — will reckon with former president Donald Trump's second indictment in a year and decide whether a candidate with mounting legal concerns can still effectively lead the GOP and take back the White House.

🌐 Will the US have to choose between the collapse of NATO or going to war? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised this question less than four weeks before a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where support for Ukraine will be a central topic on the agenda for the military alliance. President Joe Biden is also expected to announce increased security guarantees for Ukraine ahead of the summit in July.

📰 A 2021 wave of suicides that swept over Alaskan military bases have receded after commanders required troops to get counseling, the Pentagon added therapists and living conditions improved. But the Pentagon wants to do more to improve soldiers' mental health .

🚢 For some LGBTQ+ travelers, gay cruises have offered a kind of haven on the seas. While early cruises catered primarily to gay men and lesbians, the market has grown in recent years, with more options aimed at a more diverse array of queer travelers .

📅 Monday is Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the day news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas in 1865. Although Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation became effective Jan. 1, 1863, some holders of enslaved people didn't give them the message that they were free.

There are more must reads below! See you next week.