The vulgar slur gripping a nation

View this email in your browser Brought to you by USATODAY.com About that slur  A debate has raged since Thursday over whether President Trump uttered the word "shithole" — or some version of it — to describe African and some Latin American countries during a meeting with senators about immigration. Trump denies using the word. Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., say he totally did. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told a Senate committee Tuesday that she never heard it. Some Democrats condemned Trump's remarks as "racist." The debate has created uncertainty that an immigration deal can be reached by the end of the week, raising the possibility of a government shutdown. The tragic 'house of horrors' story in California Facebook photos seem to tell a happy tale of a large, smiling California family at Disneyland, in Las Vegas and even with an Elvis impersonator. Those photos are in stark contrast to the squalor, filth and chains authorities say they found this week at the family's home . David Turpin, 57, and Louise Turpin, 49, were being held Tuesday in lieu of $9 million bail, booked on charges of torture and child endangerment after a 17-year old girl grabbed a cellphone and fled the apparent house of horrors early Sunday. She called 911, claiming her 12 brothers and sisters were being held captive. "I thought the kids were home-schooled," Kimberly Milligan, who lives across the street, told the Los Angeles Times. "You know something is off, but you don't want to think bad of people." Are we ready for a Lambo SUV? And other fun facts from the Detroit Auto Show SUVs are the hottest set of wheels to own right now, which is probably why Lamborghini — maker of the famous supercar — is rolling out its own. In Detroit, the company unveiled the Urus, which looks like a standard SUV except it can go from zero to 62 mph in under four seconds. But it's not cheap, starting at $200,000.   Don't knock selfies. They might be works of art. Your modern self-portraits could very well be masterpieces, thanks to Google. The tech giant introduced a feature to its Arts and Culture app where users can snap a selfie, then find out what works of art it most closely resembles. Although the app has been around more than two years, and the feature was introduced last month, it's taken a few weeks for social media to catch on. Now, it's gone viral. This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY. Invite others to enjoy The Short List newsletter. Thank you for subscribing to The Short List. Unsubscribe  |  Manage subscriptions  |  Contact us  |  Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights  |  Ad Choices  |  Terms of Service © 2018 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22102

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