Your weekend must reads 🗞

A COVID election conspiracy theory, more.

Advertisement Read in browser Read in browser The Short List Sat Sep 23 2023 John Riley | Audience Editor 👋🏽Welcome to The Short List weekend edition✨, your guide the best stories of the week from USA TODAY. I'm John Riley, newsletter editor, and I hope your weekend has gotten off on the right foot.🦶 Let's get to the news, shall we? Did you know?: Today marks the autumnal equinox − the unofficial start of fall 🍂 − when day and night are roughly 12 hours long each in most of the world. Here's what you need to know. Now, here are the week's must reads: New conspiracy theory spreading online centers on COVID 💻It's a false, but rising, conspiracy theory: as COVID-19 rates climb later this year, the Biden administration will reinstate pandemic restrictions and push mail-in ballots to influence the next election. And some social media platforms are now allowing it to spread openly. Read more • Troubling changes at X: 2024 presidential election threats now pose bigger risk VA suicide hotline botched veteran's cry for help 🔵Workers at the national Veterans Crisis Line mismanaged communication with a veteran who died by suicide within an hour of texting the hotline, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General. The VA also failed for 10 years to establish protocols to save veterans' text messages for future follow-up. Read more • One year later: What's working and what's not with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline When DNA test kits unearth family secrets 🧬At-home DNA tests can yield valuable information about a person's genetic heritage. But for some families, these tests are revealing scandalous secrets that were kept from the rest of the family, often in the form of a child. Before you send off your results, mental health professionals suggest you consider the consequences and prepare for potentially life-altering news. Read more 👇🏼Don't stop now: There are more great stories below. Thanks for reading! Supreme Court weighs first cases about Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol A Supreme Court challenge over the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol could undermine an indictment against former President Donald Trump. READ MORE Advertisement DEI is under attack. Big business urges Biden to weigh in. Corporations are wrestling with the implications of a Supreme Court ruling reversing affirmative action and rising legal challenges to DEI initiatives READ MORE What is 'modern monogamy'? Why it's a fit for some couples. Modern monogamy is when an individual prefers an exclusive partnership with another person but understands relationships as impermanent or seasonal. READ MORE Inside Texas, Oklahoma's exit from Big 12: What did it cost the schools? The Big 12 reached an agreement with Texas and Oklahoma allowing the schools to leave for the SEC in 2024. The agreement has some unexpected twists. READ MORE $70M Powerball winner says winners should remain anonymous. Here's why. A Powerball winner in Michigan advocates for lottery winners to have the option to remain anonymous after her identity was used without consent. READ MORE Man paralyzed after being shot by police while living on public land An Idaho family's violent eviction is one of the most egregious cases of unhoused people facing hostility from police for having nowhere else to go. READ MORE Pain at the pump as gas prices rise again: Where in US are they highest? Saudi Arabia, Russia and US inflation are causing rising gasoline prices. Where are prices highest in the US? We dive into the numbers. READ MORE David Byrne's ex-bandmate says sorry is 'not in his vocabulary' Talking Heads sat down with USA TODAY to chat concert movie "Stop Making Sense," David Byrne's big suit, and finally reuniting after "family feuds." READ MORE Coach for Tom Brady, Drew Brees has radical advice for sports parents Coach Steve spoke with Tom House, who's worked with Tom Brady and Drew Brees, about the ways to be a better sports parent for young athletes. READ MORE Advertisement Sign up for the news you want Exclusive newsletters are part of your subscription, don't miss out! We're always working to add benefits for subscribers like you. SEE ALL NEWSLETTERS ➔ SEE ALL NEWSLETTERS ➔ Newsletters   |    eNewspaper   |   Crosswords Follow Us Problem viewing email? View in browser Unsubscribe  •  Manage Newsletters  •  Terms of Service  •  Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights  •   Privacy Notice  •  Do Not Sell My Info/Cookie Policy  •  Feedback