Christmas tree shortages, Meghan McCain on exiting Why is

shipping delays possible ‘The View’ following clash Deshaun

Holiday shopping is likely to get complicated In her new book, McCain says she deemed the
Watson still
because of supply chain problems. In Money show “completely without kindness.” In Life trade bait?

USA TODAY
THE NATION'S NEWS | $2 | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 TREVOR
RUSZKOWSKI/
USA TODAY
The NFL should be
embarrassed that some-
one facing allegations of
sexual misconduct is
eligible, writes Christine
Brennan. In Sports

SPORTS

USA TODAY NETWORK INVESTIGATION

Unlikely
Section 8’s pattern alliance
takes on
of broken promises Facebook
Fear of dangers to kids
has united political foes
Ledyard King and Mabinty Quarshie
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – Near the end of a

Sheila Simmons waits to ask a hotel for more time to pay her bill. She lives on disability benefits and can’t pay deposits or
fees required by landlords, which are not covered by a Section 8 voucher. PHOTOS BY JOSH MORGAN/USA TODAY NETWORK
Federal housing vouchers leave many segregated, homeless
Fred Clasen-Kelly
USA TODAY NETWORK
ANDERSON, S.C. – Inside a cheap hotel where poor
people in this small town come because they have no-
where else, Sheila Simmons sits on a bed wondering if
she might die soon.
She eats crackers for dinner because she has no
money. On winter days, she grows afraid of being
forced to live outside.
The disabled woman and her roommate already had
asked friends and family if they could borrow $67,
enough for another night at the extended-stay hotel,
without success.
Simmons, 55, trudged almost a mile to Walmart on
her painfully swollen feet and ankles. She put her
pride aside and began begging for spare change. After
a bit, she realized she wouldn’t collect enough for the
next morning’s bill at the Intown Suites.
See SECTION 8, Page 6A
dramatic hearing this month on the
harm Instagram poses to teenagers,
Sen. Richard Blumenthal picked up his
phone and read a text from a dis-
traught parent who was watching the
proceedings live.
“I am in tears right now,” the father
wrote, describing how his 15-year-old
daughter – who once loved her body –
had developed an eating disorder after
posting images constantly on Insta-
gram.
“Suddenly she started hating her
body, her body dysmorphia, now in an-
orexia and was in deep, deep trouble
before we found treatment,” said the
dad, a constituent from Blumenthal’s
home state of Connecticut. “I fear
she’ll never be the same. I am broken-
hearted.”
The emotional moment capped a
three-hour hearing of the Senate Con-
sumer Protection Subcommittee
where Facebook whistleblower
Frances Haugen testified on algo-
rithms used by the social media giant –
and its subsidiaries such as Instagram
– to draw in users. The techniques of-
ten captivate impressionable children,
Haugen said.
Another eye-catching part of the
hearing: The bipartisanship on dis-
play. Republican Sen. Marsha Black-
See SOCIAL MEDIA, Page 4A
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Vaccine closer for
children ages 5-11
A federal advisory committee voted
17-0 for the use of Pfizer-BioNTech’s
vaccine for young children. The panel
said that while there are concerns
Theresa Mozzee and her daughter, Miracle, are staying in a hotel about unknowns, the data sufficiently
in Charleston, S.C., as they wait for repairs to their public shows the benefits would outweigh
housing. After months of issues, now they can't get a housing potential risks. Shots could get final
voucher. “Sometimes, I just want to die,” Theresa Mozzee says. approval next week. 2A

QIJFAF-03005x(O)N
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©COPYRIGHT 2021
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A division of
Gannett Co., Inc.
Pivotal race for Va. governor a dead heat
HOME DELIVERY
1-800-872-0001, USATODAYSERVICE.COM
Biden’s dipping numbers last year.
Since then, however, Virginia voters
may help GOP flip state appear to be souring on the president at
the worst time for Democrats.
Phillip M. Bailey and David Jackson With Biden scheduled to headline a
USA TODAY rally in Arlington on Tuesday, 41% ap-
Year’s top costumes prove of how the president is doing,
What you can expect to see Virginia’s bellwether race for gover- compared with 52% who disapprove of
from your friendly neighborhood nor remains close in the final stretch of his performance.
trick-or-treaters: a campaign that is testing President The president’s support has cascad-
KIDS ADULTS Joe Biden’s sagging approval numbers ed among Virginians since early in his
1. Spiderman 1. Witch going into the 2022 midterms. administration, according to a series of
2. Princess 2. Vampire Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Re- Democrat Terry McAuliffe, left, holds a polls from Morning Consult.
3. Batman 3. Ghost publican Glenn Youngkin are tied at big lead with Black voters, 81% to 8%, “There’s a long history of the Virginia
roughly 45% each, according to a USA over Republican Glenn Youngkin, right, governor’s race breaking against the
PETS TODAY/Suffolk University Poll re- who is leading handily among white White House party,” said Kyle Kondik,
1. Pumpkin leased Tuesday. But roughly 5% of voters one week ahead of the managing editor of the Crystal Ball, a
2. Hot dog likely voters say they are still undecid- gubernatorial election. CLIFF OWEN/AP political analysis newsletter at the
3. Superhero ed a week before the Nov. 2 vote. University of Virginia.
David Paleologos, director of Suf- “And I think as soon as Joe Biden
folk University Political Research Cen- The race is much closer than Demo- started to slip and his approval rating
ter, said the race is simply a “dead crats had hoped after winning two turned net negative, I think that cer-
heat” and will boil down to which party straight Virginia governor’s races, in- tainly contributed to this race getting
can get out its voters. cluding a victory by McAuliffe in 2013, closer.”
SOURCE National Retail Federation “It’s down to turnout,” Paleologos and Biden carrying the state by 10
AMY BARNETTE, TRACIE KEETON/USA TODAY said. percentage points over Donald Trump See VIRGINIA, Page 3A
2A ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY
NATION’S HEALTH
Panel pushes Pfizer vaccine
closer to use for kids ages 5-11
Karen Weintraub
and Elizabeth Weise
USA TODAY
A federal advisory commit-
tee Tuesday voted 17-0 to
authorize use of Pfizer-BioN-
Tech’s COVID-19 vaccine in
children ages 5 to 11.
Children are far less likely
than adults to be hospitalized
with COVID-19 or suffer long-
term consequences from the
disease – putting a higher bur-
den on the vaccine to prove safe
and effective to justify its risk.
The committee of vaccine
experts and pediatricians said
that although they are con-
cerned about the unknowns,
they felt the data is sufficient
to support using Pfizer-BioN-
Tech’s vaccine in that age
group because it is likely to
benefit far more children than
it will harm.
Families that are particu-
larly vulnerable to COVID-19
need to have access to the vac-
cine, several members said in
describing their support for
the measure. And the virus
continues to pose a risk to
children, they said.
“It’s very hard for me to be-
lieve that the risk for a severe
outcome is going to come close
to the known risk that we’ve
Few 911 operators have resources
to respond to mental health calls
Ryan W. Miller
USA TODAY
Cities around the country
have been testing programs in
recent years to send mental
health professionals instead
of police to some emergency
calls. But a survey of 911 call
centers suggests the people
answering the phone may not
have the resources to handle
those crises.
A survey published Tues-
day by Pew Charitable Trusts
of more than three dozen
emergency call centers found
few have staff trained to han-
dle behavioral health crises.
Most centers also did not have
access to mental health pro-
fessionals who can help with
the calls or first responder-
strained to handle such crises.
“For a lot of people, the first
contact they have when
they’re in crisis is this person
at that 911 call center,” said Tif-
fany Russell, Pew Charitable
Trusts’ project director for
mental health and justice
partnerships.
“It’s really important that
that first line of contact is
properly trained and they have
the resources or at least have
the knowledge of how to con-
nect that person to the re-
sources that can provide them
with a better response.”
Pew’s survey included re-
sponses from 37 calls centers
in 27 states. The report said
the low response rate – re-
searchers sent the survey to
more than 230 call centers – is
evidence of the strained re-
sources call centers are facing.
The data also overrepresent
areas with predominately
white populations.
Still, the results provide a
snapshot of what people ex-
perience every day when they
seek help for a mental health
crisis: That it often isn’t there,
said Angela Kimball, national
director of government rela-
tions, policy and advocacy at
the National Alliance on Men-
tal Illness, which was not in-
volved in the research.
About two-thirds of re-
sponding call centers said
their call-takers and dispatch-
ers had not received special-
ized behavioral health crisis
training.
Call centers don’t have one
national standard for how to
respond to emergency calls.
seen for this virus in this age
group,” said Dr. Patrick Moore,
a virus expert at the Pitts-
burgh Cancer Institute.
More than 40% of Ameri-
can children in the 5-to-11 age
group have already been in-
fected with COVID-19, accord-
ing to one study presented to
the committee. It is not clear
whether adding a vaccine will
provide more protection for
those children.
Dr. Cody Meissner, a pedi-
atric infectious disease spe-
cialist at Tufts Medical Center
in Boston, said that while he
supports making the vaccine
available for that age group, he
does not want the shots to be
made mandatory.
Hundreds of children ages
5 to 11 have been hospitalized
for COVID-19, and 94 have
died this year. September was
the most dangerous month of
the pandemic for American
children, who appear to be
more susceptible to the delta
coronavirus variant that took
off this summer than they
were to earlier variants.
Every medical treatment
can cause harm, and though
the side effects seen so far
with the Pfizer-BioNTech vac-
cine have been minor, it’s pos-
sible more significant ones
A dispatcher surveying her
bank of monitors at the 911
call center in Alpharetta. Ga.
BRENDAN KEEFE/WXIA-TV
That also rings true for behav-
ioral health crises, with call-
takers often relying on experi-
ence rather than formal train-
ing for identifying a mental
health crisis, the report said.
Calls to 911 for a mental
health crisis can take a variety
of forms, Russell said, from
someone directly stating they
or someone else is experienc-
ing a crisis, to someone calling
to report suspicious activity.
Because the calls can present
in such wide range, it high-
lights the need for more train-
ing to identify them, she said.
While most of the surveyed
call centers said they could
dispatch police officers
trained in crisis intervention
some of the time, fewer than 1
in 5 said they had access to
professionals other than po-
lice to respond to mental
health emergencies. Only
about 2 in 5 centers said they
had access to mobile crisis re-
sponse teams of trained police
and clinicians paired.
“Millions of people every
year experience a mental
health crisis, and they deserve
to have a response that is not a
law enforcement response,”
Kimball said.
Access to mental health
care resources can vary wide-
ly. The survey found that rural
call centers were more likely to
lack access to behavioral
health clinicians to guide the
call or connect patients to
care.
In some larger cities, pilot
programs are in place to com-
pletely remove police officers
from some mental health
emergency calls, instead pair-
ing social workers with EMTs.
Call operators in the New
York’s pilot program are to be
trained to dispatch the alter-
native response teams instead
of police when there is no
weapon or “imminent risk of
will appear as millions of chil-
dren are vaccinated, a number
of members noted.
The vaccine would be given
to children ages 5 to 11 in two
shots, administered three
weeks apart, at one-third of
the dose given to adults and
adolescents.
With the advisory commit-
tee’s approval, three more
steps remain before the Pfizer-
BioNTech vaccine will become
available to children. First, the
Food and Drug Administration
will have to sign off on the
emergency use authorization,
which is expected within the
next few days. Then another
independent panel of experts,
this time advising the Centers
for Disease Control and Pre-
vention, will review data on
safety and effectiveness. If the
panel gives an approval, CDC
Director Rochelle Walensky
will need to add her support
before vaccines become avail-
able, which is likely as soon as
the middle of next week.
Health and patient safety
coverage at USA TODAY is made
possible in part by a grant from
the Masimo Foundation for
Ethics, Innovation and Compe-
tition in Healthcare. The Masi-
mo Foundation does not pro-
vide editorial input.
violence.”
According to data released
Friday by New York on the pi-
lot program’s first three
months, fewer than half of
people were taken to a hospi-
tal when the nonpolice teams
responded to the call, com-
pared with 86% during a tradi-
tional response. But 911 opera-
tors still routed fewer than a
quarter of calls to the teams.
Meanwhile, the FCC is re-
quiring phone providers to
route all calls to 988 to the Na-
tional Suicide Prevention Life-
line by July.
But it will take time for the
public to transition from call-
ing for 911 in certain situations,
highlighting the need for fur-
ther training, Russell said.
Kimball said another wor-
rying sign in the survey was
the lack of data that 911 call
centers reported.
While most of the surveyed
call centers said they recorded
that a crisis call occurred in
their system, the methods var-
ied. Some centers said the lim-
ited dispatch codes or ways of
flagging a behavioral health
call could lead to an inappro-
priate response in the field.
Fewer than half the centers
updated call information as
details evolved or recorded the
outcome of crisis calls, and
none said they reported their
crisis-call data to the public or
policymakers.
That’s a problem, Russell
explained, because without
reporting that data, lawmak-
ers may not be able to quantify
the extent of behavioral health
crises in their communities
and in turn may not provide
funding to other aspects of
mental health care.
“It’s really hard to make a
case for additional resources
or for more funding for some-
thing if you’re not able to
clearly articulate what the
problem is,” she said.
Still, a number of call cen-
ters in the survey said they
were creating protocols to ad-
dress these issues and indi-
cated a desire to learn how to
better answer these calls.
“The hope here is that peo-
ple are starting to really recog-
nize and name mental health
crises. And they want a differ-
ent response,” Kimball said.
“So now it is really up to our
country to invest in that differ-
ent response.”
NEWS
CORONAVIRUS NEWS BRIEFING
New US infections
drop more than 50%
New coronavirus infections be vaccinated by Dec. 8.
are down 56.8% nationwide First-year Auburn football
since the delta variant surge coach Bryan Harsin, who con-
peaked in the first week of Sep- tracted COVID-19 in August and
tember, a USA TODAY analysis missed 10 days of preseason
of Johns Hopkins University practice, declined to answer re-
data shows. porters’ questions Monday on
Cases are down in every re- whether he was vaccinated.
gion. Some of the states hit The university said as of
hardest in the delta wave – Oct. 21, at least 82% of employ-
Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, South ees with university-sponsored
Carolina and Tennessee – are benefits were fully or partially
reporting cases at a rate about vaccinated.
one-sixth of where they were
less than two months ago. Ar- Fla. governor pushes plan
kansas and Louisiana cases to lure cops opposed to jab
have fallen by more than three-
quarters since then, too. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is
Yet there are some warning pushing for the state Legislature
signs from states, mostly in to authorize $5,000 bonuses and
colder climes and often with other incentives to lure police of-
low vaccination rates in some ficers from other states. More
communities. Compared with specifically, DeSantis is aiming
the week of Sept. 4, the pace of to recruit those from jurisdic-
new cases is up about 85% in tions with vaccine requirements
Alaska, 63% in Michigan and who don’t want to comply, en-
56% in Montana. They’re even couraging them to relocate to the
up 39% in Vermont, which was mandate-free Sunshine State.
an early leader in vaccination. In many parts of the nation,
The U.S. has seen sharp de- police officers and their unions
clines in the past, only to see have steadfastly resisted the
cases rise again. Winter could requirement. DeSantis has
drive social gatherings indoors, raised his national profile, par-
where infections can spread ticularly among the Republican
more easily. base, by fiercely opposing
Melissa Nolan, an assistant mask and vaccine mandates
professor of epidemiology and throughout the pandemic.
biostatistics at the University “We’re actually actively
of South Carolina Arnold working to recruit out-of-state
School of Public Health, re-
mains cautiously optimistic.
law enforcement, because we
do have needs in our police and
“Our models continue to
predict a decline and stabiliza-
tion of cases through the rest of
our sheriff ’s departments,” De-
Santis said Sunday in a Fox
News interview.
the calendar year,” Nolan said. “In the next legislative ses-
“That is assuming we do not sion, I’m going to hopefully sign
see another new variant take legislation that gives a $5,000
hold in our population.” bonus to any out-of-state law
The U.S. has recorded more enforcement that relocates in
than 45.5 million confirmed Florida,” he said. “So NYPD,
COVID-19 cases and nearly Minneapolis, Seattle, if you’re
738,000 deaths, according to not being treated well, we’ll
Johns Hopkins University da- treat you better here.”
ta. Global totals: more than 244
million cases and 4.96 million St. Louis official says Lyft
deaths. driver pulled gun over mask
More than 190 million Amer-
icans – 57% of the population – A St. Louis County council-
are fully vaccinated, according woman says a Lyft driver pulled
to the CDC. a gun on her husband when he
asked the driver to wear a
Ala. governor won’t enforce mask. Councilwoman Lisa
federal vaccine mandate Clancy tweeted at Lyft saying,
“one of your drivers just cocked
In response to Auburn Uni- a gun on my husband when he
versity’s recently announced asked him to wear a mask
vaccine mandate for all em- (which is your policy).” Clancy
ployees, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said her husband wanted to re-
issued an executive order of her port the incident but the driver
own Monday, instructing all canceled the trip and erased
state agencies to not enforce records of the transaction.
the federal vaccine mandate “Lyft is working with police
announced by President Joe Bi- and also has suspended the driv-
den that applies to companies er,” she tweeted and Lyft and po-
employing 100 or more people. lice confirmed. “We are satisfied
In a tweet, Ivey said: “The with how Lyft is handling this.”
federal government’s overreach Contributing: John Bacon,
has given us no other option.” Lindsay Schnell, Mike Stucka,
Auburn announced Friday that Bennett Durando, The Associ-
all university employees have to ated Press
TODAY’S BONUS CODE
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NEWS
POLITICS
LGBTQ candidates for office set new mark
PAC backs mostly Dems
in 2021 ‘rainbow wave’
David Jackson
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – LGBTQ candidates
are seeking office in record numbers this
election year, advancing a sea change in
the nation’s political landscape, accord-
ing to a report to be released Tuesday.
At least 410 LGBTQ candidates ran or
are running for office in 2021, a 7% in-
crease over the last odd-numbered elec-
tion year of 2019, says the report from
the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
“With LGBTQ lives increasingly used
as a political weapon in school boards,
city councils and state legislatures
across America, LGBTQ people are mo-
tivated and stepping up to run in histor-
ic numbers,” said Annise Parker, the for-
mer Houston mayor who is now presi-
dent and CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund.
LGBTQ Victory Fund is a nonpartisan
political action committee that seeks “to
achieve and sustain equality by increas-
ing the number of openly LGBTQ elect-
ed officials,” the organization says.
Most of its endorsed candidates are
Democrats, because relatively few Re-
publicans run openly as members of the
LGBTQ community. The organization,
however, hailed last year’s win by Re-
publican Eddie Mannis, who along with
Democrat Torrey Harris became the first
openly LGBTQ members of the Tennes-
see state Legislature.
The growth in the number of LGBTQ
candidates in this off-year election con-
Virginia
Continued from Page 1A
Kondik said the USA TODAY/Suffolk
University Poll fits with other publicly
shared surveys in recent weeks that
show McAuliffe and Youngkin basically
tied. He said the race always had the
potential to be this competitive as long
as the GOP didn’t nominate a “super-
Donald-Trump candidate” too far to the
political right.
“Youngkin is not a moderate, but I
think that he is probably more accept-
able to some Virginia voters than maybe
Donald Trump was or maybe some oth-
er Republicans have been,” Kondik said.
Dems ‘wrecked’ over tight race
Lisa Suhay, a 55-year-old children’s
book author from Norfolk, Virginia, said
there is palpable anxiety among left-
leaning voters about the prospect of the
GOP flipping the Old Dominion State.
“I’m wrecked as a Democrat,” she
said. “I’m very worried because I think
Youngkin will take our state in a direc-
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5830, Augusta, GA 30916
Annise Parker served as mayor of
Houston, Texas, from 2010-2016. She is
now the executive director of the
LGBTQ Victory Fund, a political action
committee in Washington, D.C., that
works to grow the number of openly
LGBTQ public officials in the U.S.
PROVIDED BY THE LGBTQ VICTORY FUND
tinues a pattern evident in even-num-
bered years, when there are more races
on the ballot that include congressional
offices. A record number of 1,006 LGBTQ
candidates ran during the nationwide
elections of 2020; that was up from 716
candidates in the elections two years
before that.
In the 2020 elections, a total of 334
LGBTQ candidates won their elections,
an increase from 300 winners in 2018, a
continuation of what the LGBTQ Vic-
tory Fund calls a “rainbow wave.”
One difference among the 2021 list of
LGBTQ candidates: more people of col-
or.
tion that won’t be a healing direction.”
McAuliffe has been losing ground for
weeks since earlier polls showed him up
by as much as 9 percentage points.
In a private virtual call with sup-
porters earlier this month, McAuliffe
acknowledged that Biden’s flailing
numbers aren’t helping. He spoke of
how “headwinds from Washington”
were hurting his campaign.
“The president is unpopular today
unfortunately here in Virginia, so we’ve
got to plow through,” McAuliffe said.
But Suhay said the former governor’s
problems are related to a deflation
among Democratic voters, who she said
are exhausted with the past year of
American politics.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily as much
that Biden is a stinker now as it is that
people have forgotten the previous com-
parison,” she said.
“Big chunks of the Democratic Party
are not motivated, and I don’t think that
Democrats in Virginia really understand
the gravity of what will happen if
Youngkin gets in.”
Among those surveyed, 40% said
they voted for Trump in the 2020 presi-
dential election compared with 47%
who pulled the lever for Biden.
The USA TODAY/Suffolk University
Poll, which has a 4.4% margin of error,
shows a significant chunk of Virginia
voters are overwhelmingly pessimistic
about the country’s direction.
About 66% said it is on the wrong
track versus about 26% who say it is
going in the right direction.
Democrat Mari Bonomi, 77, a retiree
who lives in Kilmarnock, Virginia, said
the direction of the country shouldn’t be
laid totally at Biden’s feet with just nine
months in office.
“He’s tried, but he hasn’t succeeded,”
she said.
Those same voters who were sur-
veyed have a more optimistic view of
their state compared with the rest of the
country, however. The poll found 49.8%
said Virginia is on the wrong track
versus 43.6% who believe it is heading
down the right path. But almost two-
thirds of voters said Virginia’s economy
had either gotten worse or stayed the
same over the past four years. Twenty-
nine percent said the state economy had
improved.
“There is no passion on the Demo-
cratic side in a lot of the state because
for many of us, McAuliffe should have
kept himself out of the race,” Bonomi
said. “He’s already been governor. I’m
really worried.”
Youngkin taps into school debate
The Youngkin campaign has been
aggressive with attack ads that latch
onto a movement led by conservative
activists against certain curriculum in
public schools.
In the second and final debate, when
asked about who should be in charge of
USA TODAY ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ 3A
Overall, 36% of this year’s LGBTQ
candidates identify themselves as peo-
ple of color, the report said, compared
with 32% in 2019. As a result, the report
said, this year’s list is “significantly
more racially and ethnically diverse
than U.S. candidates overall, and the
most diverse group of LGBTQ candi-
dates in history.”
One shortcoming, the report said: a
dearth of women of color.
Though women of color make up
about 20% of the U.S. population, ac-
cording to census data, the report says
they comprise only 10% of the LGBTQ
candidates on this year’s ballots.
Meanwhile, the number of Black
LGBTQ candidates has increased, as
well as the number of Asian and Pacific
Islander LGBTQ candidates, according
to the report.
Among the more prominent LGBTQ
candidates include India Walton, who is
running for mayor of Buffalo, N.Y.; Sheila
Nezhad for mayor of Minneapolis; and
Mariah Moore for the New Orleans City
Council.
Winners last year included two new
members of Congress: U.S. Rep Ritchie
Torres, D-N.Y., and Rep. Mondaire
Jones, D-N.Y. They became the first out
LGBTQ Black members of Congress.
And Todd Gloria became the mayor of
San Diego – the first LGBTQ male elect-
ed to lead an American city in the top 10
in terms of population.
Also last year, Sarah McBride was
elected a state senator in Delaware, the
first out transgender state senator in
U.S. history.
McBride introduced a bill in May to
education policy and curriculum,
McAuliffe said he wasn’t “going to let
parents come into schools and actually
take books out and make their own
decision.”
“I don’t think parents should be
telling schools what they should teach,”
he said.
That comment infuriated right-lean-
ing parents, and Youngkin’s team quick-
ly used it to slam McAuliffe as being out
of touch with parents and their values.
Asked who should have more of an
influence on a school’s curriculum,
49.8% sided with parents compared
with 38.8% who said school boards, ac-
cording to the poll.
McAuliffe also has called for
COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates
in schools and businesses. Youngkin
opposes those ideas, saying that people
should make their own decisions and
that parents know what’s best for their
children.
Virginia ‘too quickly to the left’?
Barbara Osborne, 50, of South Rid-
ing, Virginia, a Republican voter and
project manager for a defense contrac-
tor, said she supports Youngkin because
“Virginia is moving too quickly to the
left.”
She cited education policies like the
teaching of critical race theory.
“My biggest reason for supporting
Youngkin is education,” Osborne said.
Republican Mary Fischbach, 59, a
retired teacher from Chesapeake, Vir-
ginia, said she likes Youngkin because
“he’s going to stand up for parents’
rights in education.”
Sarah Longwell, a political strategist
who has conducted focus group inter-
views of Virginia voters, said her ses-
sions indicate Republicans may be more
motivated because of opposition to
Biden. Democrats, she said, may be less
enthusiastic about the race because of
frustration with Biden.
“It’s about who is motivated and who
is not,” said Longwell, a Trump critic
who is executive director of an organi-
zation called the Republican Account-
ability Project.
Third-party candidate matters
What’s received little national atten-
tion has been the influence Liberation
Party candidate Princess Blanding, the
only other name on the Virginia guber-
natorial ballot, could have on the race.
She’s raking in nearly 2% of the vote,
according to the poll, which could be
crucial in a contest in which the two ma-
jor party candidates are separated by
only about half a percentage point.
“The least-known candidate of the
three ... now holds the key to the gover-
nor’s castle,” Paleologos said. “At this
point her 2% is larger than the margin
between McAuliffe and Youngkin, and
when it comes to young voters and in-
give Delaware workers up to 12 weeks of
paid family and medical leave, which
had been a staple of her campaign.
LGBTQ candidates’ priorities range
from health care to police reform, Vic-
tory Fund said.
Tyler Titus, a candidate for executive
of Erie County, Pa., who is transgender,
said they want their campaign to tran-
scend gender identity.
“My whole life has been spent on fig-
uring out how to make the system work
better for everybody – not just some, but
everybody,” Titus told the Erie Times-
News, part of the USA TODAY Network.
“Because when you lift up the most vul-
nerable, the whole community rises.”
Like Titus, more than four-fifths of
this year’s LGBTQ candidates are run-
ning for local offices, including city
councils and judicial offices from Flori-
da to Washington state.
Overall, candidates who identify as
LGBTQ are running in 39 states. The
only states without LGBTQ candidates
are: Arkansas, Hawaii, Indiana, Ken-
tucky, Mississippi, Nevada, North Da-
kota, South Carolina, South Dakota,
West Virginia and Wyoming.
As candidates across the board pur-
sue office, the LGBTQ Victory Fund
hopes to set more records with actual
victories.
Its goal for the year is 170 winners,
surpassing the 169 LGBTQ victors dur-
ing the odd-numbered elections of 2019.
Parker, the first gay woman to serve
as mayor of Houston, said the diversity
of LGBTQ candidates makes them “criti-
cal voices to so many policy challenges
facing our nation right now.”
dependents, Blanding matters more.”
Blanding, an activist and educator,
does best among independents, where
she carries about 6% of the vote. She
also holds 5% among voters ages 18 to 35
and 6% with those who didn’t vote in the
2020 presidential election but who are
voting next Tuesday.
Erik Hrin, 47, a Marine Corps veteran
and federal employee who lives North-
ern Virginia, is an independent who is
debating whether to support Blanding
or Youngkin. He said the appeal of a
third-party candidate is a reflection of
the two-party system’s shortcomings.
“I would basically rather take my vote
out to the middle of the street and burn
it in front of everybody and say ‘Nobody
deserves it,’ ” Hrin said. “And I think
that’s the independent – especially
amongst libertarians – perspective.
Neither of you earned it.”
Split along racial lines
Youngkin, a businessman making his
first bid in politics, has focused largely
on white suburban voters, especially
those who defected from the GOP over
Trump and voted for Biden in last year’s
presidential election.
But he has embraced Trumpian is-
sues while seeking to distance himself
from the man himself. Trump, mean-
while, has heartily endorsed Youngkin
on several occasions.
Youngkin leads McAuliffe handily
among white voters, 56%-38%, the poll
found. McAuliffe, meanwhile, holds a
massive lead among Black voters,
81%-8%.
There is also a massive gender gap.
McAuliffe leads among women, 59%-
33%, and Youngkin leads among men,
58%-32%.
McAuliffe’s campaign has spent re-
cent weeks encouraging better turnout
among supporters, particularly Black
voters who helped him win the gover-
nor’s race in 2013. Their campaign fea-
tures prominent African Americans,
including Harris and former President
Barack Obama.
“If Black voters make up more than
20% of the voting electorate, McAuliffe
will prevail,” Paleologos said. “But if the
Black vote is only 16%-18% of the total
votes cast, Youngkin will be governor.”
Fischbach, the retired teacher, said
she worries that McAuliffe’s attempts to
link Youngkin to Trump could be suc-
cessful in scaring voters away from the
Republican candidate.
But for some independents, any sup-
port from Trump is a disqualification.
“In my opinion, Youngkin is not what
Virginia needs,” said independent Tarik
Moore, 45, an African American IT con-
sultant from Ashburn, Virginia.
“To be honest with you, it’s his asso-
ciation with Donald Trump,” he said. “If
the situation was flipped and he wasn’t
connected to Trump and his policies, I’d
be voting Republican.”
4A ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY
NATION
New York City floods as nor’easter slams East Coast
John Bacon
USA TODAY
Wild weather on both coasts Tues-
day pelted parts of New York City with
more than 3 inches of rain, high winds
and threats of hail and tornadoes while
California was digging rock and mud-
slides off roads after historic rains
swept across much of the state.
In the East, tens of millions of people
from Maine to Georgia faced alerts for
flooding rain and gusty winds as a
nor’easter roared along the coast. Rain
totals of 4-8 inches were forecast for
parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New
York and Connecticut into Wednesday,
AccuWeather said. New York and New
Jersey were under states of emergency.
“The northeastern coast will continue
to experience severe weather,” the Feder-
al Emergency Management Agency
tweeted Tuesday. “Beware of thunder-
storms, hail, wind & isolated tornadoes.”
In New Jersey, almost 4 inches of rain
had fallen in New Providence Township,
25 miles west of New York City, before
noon Tuesday. The weather service is-
sued flood advisories across New York
City. Manhattan and Brooklyn both had
been swamped by 3 inches of rain, the
Social media
Continued from Page 1A
burn of Tennessee shared Blumenthal’s
outrage, telling Haugen that, “as a
mother and a grandmother, this is an is-
sue that is of particular concern to me.”
Republicans and Democrats don’t
agree on much these days. Even their
concerns about social media diverge,
with Republicans accusing Big Tech of
censoring conservative voices and
Democrats criticizing the unchecked
disinformation about election fraud and
the Jan. 6 insurrection on Twitter, Face-
book and other prominent platforms.
But Instagram’s potential harm to
children has united a liberal Democrat
from the Northeast (Blumenthal) and a
hard-right conservative Republican
from the South (Blackburn).
As the top Democrat and the top Re-
publican on the Subcommittee on Con-
sumer Protection, Product Safety, and
Data Security, the two have joined
forces to go after one of the most ubiqui-
tous forces on the planet. Any legisla-
tion that carries both their support will
be seriously considered given their
committee leadership and divergent po-
litical backgrounds.
Will anything change?
Is Congress ready to go after Face-
book, which spends millions lobbying
lawmakers and lining their campaign
coffers?
The company spent more than
$9.5 million in the first half of 2021 lob-
bying Congress, according to the non-
partisan watchdog group Open Secrets.
And through its PAC, individual execu-
tives and soft money donors, it collec-
tively contributed nearly $8 million to
federal candidates and political parties
(the vast majority of them Democrats)
during the 2020 election cycle, Open
Secrets found.
Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy
Klobuchar, who has spent years chal-
lenging Big Tech, said Haugen’s testi-
mony could turn the tide.
“It feels like we have finally reached a
tipping point,” she said in a statement to
USA TODAY. “The road ahead isn’t easy
– Amazon and Facebook are the top
business lobbyists in the U.S. – but the
good news is that there is bipartisan
momentum to get something done, and
the public is on our side.”
Other senators on the subcommittee
are hopeful as well, especially because
Blumenthal and Blackburn hail from
opposite sides of the political spectrum.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, told
USA TODAY the pair created a “level of
seriousness” regarding the Facebook is-
sue. That’s a sentiment shared by Sen.
John Thune of South Dakota, the sec-
ond most powerful Republican in the
Senate.
“Facebook whistleblower Francis
Haugen brought a lot of new energy and
sense of urgency to doing something,
and so I think the conditions are right,”
Thune said. “I’m hoping they are for bi-
partisan action, so I’m always encour-
aged to see both sides working together
on that issue, it’s an important one.”
On the same day Haugen testified be-
fore Congress, Facebook CEO Mark
Zuckerberg pushed back against the al-
legations, claiming they “don’t make
People wade through floodwaters at
the Iron Buddha yoga studio after a
nor’easter moves through Westwood
and North Jersey. USA TODAY NETWORK
National Weather Service reported.
Staten Island had more than 3.5 inches.
The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
was among main traffic arteries disrupt-
ed by flooding during the morning com-
mute. Custodial staff stayed overnight
at 250 schools to make sure they with-
stood the storms, and the city’s public
schools were open Tuesday.
“New York City workers stepped up
to prepare for this storm,” Mayor Bill de
Legislation backed by Sens. Marsha
Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal on
social media could carry additional
weight because of their bipartisan
support. JIM WATSON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
any sense.”
“At the heart of these accusations is
this idea that we prioritize profit over
safety and well-being. That’s just not
true,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
But even before the hearing this
month, Blumenthal and Blackburn
worked to hold social media giants ac-
countable.
In April, the senators sent Zucker-
berg a letter calling for Facebook to re-
lease internal research on social media’s
impact on children’s mental health. “An
expanding volume of scientific research
shows that social media platforms can
have a profoundly harmful impact on
young audiences,” they wrote. “As one
of the largest platforms for young audi-
ences, Facebook has a profound obliga-
tion to ensure its products do not con-
tribute to this crisis.”
They also singled out “grave con-
cerns” they had with a now-paused In-
stagram Kids announcement, which
targeted users under the age of 13.
More recently, Blumenthal said his
office created a fake Instagram account
posing as a 13-year-old girl who followed
“easily findable” accounts associated
with extreme dieting and eating disor-
ders.
“Within a day, its recommendations
were exclusively filled with accounts
that promote self-injury and eating dis-
orders,” he said during a September
hearing. “That is the perfect storm that
Instagram has fostered and created.”
Last year, Blumenthal and Black-
burn, along with Sens. Ed Markey, D-
Mass.; Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; Bill Cassidy,
R-La.; and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., wrote a
letter to the Federal Trade Commission
calling for an investigation into the use
of children’s personal information by
tech companies as the coronavirus pan-
demic forced schools to turn to online
learning.
“Children are a uniquely vulnerable
population that deserve heighten (sic)
privacy protections. The FTC should
take extreme caution not to weaken –
either purposefully or inadvertently –
privacy protections under COPPA (Chil-
dren’s Online Privacy Protection Act),”
the lawmakers wrote.
Signed into law in 1998, COPPA pro-
tects the privacy of children under 13
years of age. But advocates warn it is not
enough to protect children because of
the evolution of the internet. COPPA
was enacted long before social media gi-
ants and streaming websites such as
Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and Tik-
Tok were launched.
Blackburn in a 2019 Senate floor
speech called Snapchat “a child preda-
tor’s dream.” That same year she and
Blumenthal wrote to YouTube’s CEO Su-
san Wojcicki about the video platform’s
Blasio said. “They delivered sandbags to
high-risk neighborhoods across
Queens, cleaned catch basins, and
monitored our schools.”
Wind gusts of up to 60 mph could
drive power outages, though minimal
disruptions were reported Tuesday. Au-
thorities were monitoring for flash
flooding. Rushing waters from Hurri-
cane Ida killed 11 people in basement
apartments last month.
“We learned a very painful lesson
from Hurricane Ida. We experienced
something we had never experienced
before in terms of the sheer intensity of
the rain,” de Blasio said. “What we’re
hearing now sounds more like a typical
storm. Let’s pray that’s true.”
The storm has been categorized as a
nor’easter since it will be spreading
northeasterly winds along the coast and
is the first such storm of the season to af-
fect the region, AccuWeather said. The
system is expected to quickly strengthen
as it moves along the Eastern Seaboard
but will begin to lose speed and become
stationary Tuesday night.
The storm was rapidly intensifying
and could reach bombogenesis, when
the central pressure of a storm drops by
0.71 of an inch of mercury or more over a
failures in protecting children from sex-
ual predators.
“The sexualization of children
through YouTube’s recommendation
engine represents the development of a
dangerous new kind of illicit content
meant to avoid law enforcement detec-
tion,” they wrote. “Action is overdue;
YouTube must ... end this disturbing
risk to children and society.”
Serge Egelman is “hopeful” about
Congress’ spotlight on protecting chil-
dren’s privacy.
The research director at the Interna-
tional Computer Science Institute,
which is affiliated with the University of
California, Berkeley, led a team of scien-
tists four years ago analyzing whether
child-directed apps on the Google Play
Store complied with federal privacy
laws. “We found that about half of them
had evidence of violating federal priva-
cy laws,” Egelman told USA TODAY.
One of the reasons that child-target-
ed apps can skirt federal laws is because
of a lack of enforcement of COPPA. FTC
employees do good work, but the or-
ganization lacks the resources com-
mensurate to investigate more cases,
Egelman said.
“The FTC has brought an average of
around two cases a year since the law
was enacted, whereas a small under-
funded research group at a university
was able to uncover literally thousands
of apps that are violating the law,” said
Egelman.
In response to his team’s research,
Google and Apple changed their privacy
practices, but “it’s kind of surprising
that there wasn’t really much enforce-
ment action at the federal level,” he said.
Enacting legislation won’t be easy
Then came the Haugen bombshell,
first reported by The Wall Street Jour-
nal, where she shared thousands of
pages of internal company documents,
warning lawmakers that Facebook has
repeatedly misled the public about how
its apps drive division and harm users,
especially children.
Blumenthal, who went after cigarette
makers in the ’90s as part of an aggres-
sive effort by several states, calls Hau-
gen’s testimony “a Big Tobacco moment
of reckoning.”
“The parallel is striking,” he told USA
TODAY. “I remember very, very well the
moment, in the course of our litigation,
when we learned of those files that
showed not only that Big Tobacco knew
that its product caused cancer but that
they had done the research (and) they
concealed the files. And now we knew.
And the world knew. And Big Tech now
faces that Big Tobacco, jaw-dropping
moment of truth.”
Blackburn accused Facebook of con-
tinually putting its corporate interests
ahead of the public good.
In his response this month, Zucker-
berg pushed back: “We care deeply
about issues like safety, well-being and
mental health. It’s difficult to see (news)
coverage that misrepresents our work
and our motives. At the most basic level,
I think most of us just don’t recognize
the false picture of the company that is
being painted.”
Blumenthal and Blackburn are not
alone in their efforts to clamp down on
Facebook and other social media com-
panies.
Cassidy and Markey introduced The
NEWS
24-hour period – becoming a bomb cy-
clone. Two bomb cyclones were blamed
for severe weather that rolled across
California in recent days, triggering rec-
ord rainfalls, mudslides and flooding.
Much of the Philadelphia metro area
was under flash flood warnings as the
nor’easter moved through the region.
Severe thunderstorms, lightning and
heavy downpours rocked the area Mon-
day night into Tuesday, A flash flood
watch was in effect until 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Some locations reported 3 inches of
rain before sunrise, and the morning
rush brought a slew of traffic accidents
and tie-ups.
The National Weather Service con-
firmed that an EF-3 tornado thrashed
the southeastern Missouri city of Fred-
ericktown on Sunday as strong storms
swept the region. A tornado with that
rating is considered strong, and wind
speeds range from 136 to 165 mph. The
severe weather also drifted into Illinois,
damaging buildings and knocking out
power. No injuries were reported.
The weather service reported over
2.5 inches of rain fell in the Chicago area
during storms the storms that started
Sunday and continued into Monday.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Pro-
tection Act of 2021, an updated version
of COPPA, in May. Markey also reintro-
duced the Children and Media Research
Advancement Act, which would autho-
rize the National Institutes of Health to
study the effects of technology on in-
fants, children and adolescents.
And last month, the Massachusetts
senator reintroduced with Blumenthal
his Kids Internet Design and Safety Act,
which would create new protections for
online users under 16 by banning push
alerts encouraging users to pull out their
devices and increase screen-time,
badges that reward kids and young
teens for increasing time spent on apps
and websites, and interface features
such as “like” buttons and follower
counts that quantify levels of popularity
for children and teens.
One proposal that lawmakers have
contemplated is repealing or amending
Section 230 of the Communications De-
cency Act of 1996, which shields social
media companies from legal liability
over what users post. Sens. Mark War-
ner, D-Va.; Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii; and
Klobuchar announced in February the
Safeguarding Against Fraud, Exploita-
tion, Threats, Extremism and Consumer
Harms Act, which would reform Section
230.
The bill would shield social media
platforms from liability for third-party
posts regarding “any speech,” not “any
information,” as Section 230 currently
designates. Immunity would not be pro-
vided for ads and paid content or for vic-
tims of online abuse, harassment and
discrimination who file lawsuits.
Big Tech companies say Section 230
has been critical to the industry’s
growth and that limiting its protections
would likely tamp down the flow of free
speech on the platform. Both Blackburn
and Blumenthal have said they want to
limit Big Tech’s liability protections, but
it’s not clear yet whether they agree on
the same reforms.
“I’m focused on reducing the choke-
hold big tech has on consumers – by
working to secure a national data priva-
cy standard framework, reforming Sec-
tion 230, protecting Americans’ data se-
curity and increasing competition,”
Blackburn said in a statement.
It’s not clear among the bipartisan
group of lawmakers how legislation will
lay out enforcement of data privacy.
Lawmakers could increase funding for
the FTC, send grant funding to states to
enforce COPPA or allow private citizens
to sue social media companies that vio-
late their privacy. Without provisions
that proactively target enforcement of
children’s privacy, much of these bills
will not likely have high impact, Egel-
man said.
Still, advocates remain optimistic
lawmakers will pass legislation into law
in the coming months given current
public momentum.
James Steyer, CEO of the children’s
advocacy nonprofit Common Sense
Media, told USA TODAY he’s met with
Blumenthal, Blackburn, Markey and
other lawmakers more than a dozen
times over the past several years to work
on legislation protecting children on-
line.
“I think that the best interests of kids
and families and consumers finally have
a chance to prevail – after years of in-
action in Washington,” Steyer said.
Contributing: Savannah Behrman
NEWS USA TODAY ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ 5A

NATION+WORLD

‘Criminal couponer’ used Majority of Americans concerned

$31.8M on trips, repairs
Scott Gleeson
USA TODAY
A Virginia Beach woman who sold
$31.8 million worth of counterfeit
coupons to shoppers used the money to
pay for high-end home renovations and
vacations, according to new informa-
tion released by the FBI.
Lori Ann Talens, 41, was sentenced to
12 years in prison last month after
pleading guilty to mail, wire and health
care fraud. Her husband, Pacifico Ta-
lens Jr., 43, was sentenced to more than
seven years in prison for his role in sup-
porting the scheme.
According to the FBI, Talens used the
profits to buy high-end home renova-
tions including an in-ground swimming
pool, a new sunroom and a new kitchen.
Her family also enjoyed shopping, eat-
ing out and high-end vacations at a
deep discount.
Talens, dubbed the “criminal cou-
poner,” by the FBI, used her graphic de-
sign skills to manipulate barcodes for
coupons at nearly any store in the coun-
try. In total, she collected $400,000 over
three years from shoppers who used the
coupons. She also used the coupons to
help finance a lavish lifestyle.
In a search of Lori Ann Talens’ home,
FBI agents found about $1 million worth
of counterfeit coupons, rolls of coupon
paper and coupon designs for more than
13,000 products on her computer.
“There were coupons in every jacket
pocket; they were stuffed in her vehi-
cles,” postal Inspector Jason Thomas-
son said in the FBI news release.
Talens, who used Facebook and Tele-
gram to find coupon users, was able to
avoid authorities by using encrypted
communication services to deal with
her customers and by using cryptocur-
rencies for payments.
“If the coupons are rejected, if they
are counterfeit, then the retailer doesn’t
get paid back for them,” FBI Special
Agent Shannon Brill in the news release.
“But that whole process takes a lot of
time. By the time a coupon gets identi-
Lori Ann Talens’ home had thousands
of counterfeit coupons, rolls of
coupon paper, and coupon designs
for more than 13,000 products on her
computer. PROVIDED BY FBI
fied as being fraudulent or fake, that
coupon has already been used who
knows how many times.”
In the scheme, Talens used the on-
line name MasterChef and made
counterfeit vouchers that “were virtu-
ally indistinguishable from authentic
coupons and were often created with
inflated values, far in excess of what
an authentic coupon would offer, in or-
der to receive items from retail for free
or for a greatly reduced price,” accord-
ing to the Justice Department.
Talens shipped the counterfeit cou-
pons using the U.S. Postal Service and
accepted payment through online pay-
ment methods such as Bitcoin and
Paypal. Her husband assisted in ship-
ping the counterfeit coupons and prof-
ited from the sales, the FBI said.
The Talens’ scheme unraveled
when a customer reported them to the
Coupon Information Center, a coali-
tion dedicated to coupon integrity. The
center acted as Talens’ customer, pur-
chased coupons and confirmed they
were counterfeit. The center then noti-
fied the U.S. Postal Inspection Service,
which investigated the case.
Contributing: Gabriela Miranda
about climate, new poll reveals
Ellen Knickmeyer, Emily Swanson
and Nathan Ellgren
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON – President Joe Bi-
den heads to a vital U.N. climate sum-
mit at a time when a majority of Amer-
icans regard the climate as a problem
of high importance to them, an in-
crease from just a few years ago.
About 6 out of 10 Americans also
believe that the pace of global warm-
ing is speeding, according to a new
survey from The Associated Press-
NORC Center for Public Affairs Re-
search and the Energy Policy Institute
at the University of Chicago.
As Biden struggles to pass signifi-
cant climate legislation at home ahead
of next week’s U.N. climate summit,
the new AP-NORC/EPIC poll also
shows that 55% of Americans want
Congress to pass a bill to ensure that
more of the nation’s electricity comes
from clean energy and less from cli-
mate-damaging coal and natural gas.
Only 16% of Americans oppose such
a measure for electricity from cleaner
energy. A similar measure initially was
one of the most important parts of cli-
mate legislation Biden has before Con-
gress. But Biden’s proposal to reward
utilities with clean energy sources and
penalize those without ran into objec-
tions from a coal-state senator, Demo-
crat Joe Manchin of West Virginia,
leaving fellow Democrats scrambling
to come up with other ways to slash
pollution from burning fossil fuels.
For some of the Americans watch-
ing, it’s an exasperating delay in deal-
ing with an urgent problem.
“If you follow science, the signs are
here,” said Nancy Reilly, a Democrat in
Missouri who is retired after 40 years
as a retail manager and worries for her
children as the climate deteriorates.
“It’s already here. And what was the
first thing they start watering down to
get this bill through? Climate change.”
After President Donald Trump
pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate
accord, the Biden administration
hoped to help negotiate major emis-
sions cuts globally to slow the rise of
temperatures. But it’s unclear whether
Biden will be able to get any significant
climate legislation through Congress
before the U.N. summit starts Sunday.
In all, 59% of Americans said the
Earth’s warming is very or extremely
important to them as an issue, up from
49% in 2018. Fifty-four percent of Amer-
icans cited scientists’ voices as having a
large amount of influence on their views
about climate change, and nearly as
many, 51%, said their views were influ-
enced by recent extreme weather
events such as hurricanes, deadly heat
spells, wildfires and other natural disas-
ters around the world.
Seventy-five percent of Americans
believe climate change is happening,
while 10% believe it is not, the poll
found. Another 15% are unsure.
Among those who say it is happen-
ing, 54% say that it’s caused mostly or
entirely by human activities, compared
with just 14% who think – incorrectly,
scientists say – that it’s caused mainly
by natural changes in the environment.
Another 32% of Americans believe it’s a
mix of human and natural factors.
And while Democrats are more likely
than Republicans to say climate change
is happening, majorities of both parties
agree that it is. That breaks down to
89% of Democrats and and 57% of Re-
publicans.
The poll also gauged Americans’ will-
ingness to pay for the cost of cutting cli-
mate-wrecking pollution as well as
mitigating its consequences. Fifty-two
percent said they would support a $1-a-
month carbon fee on their energy bill to
fight climate change, but support dwin-
dles as the fee increases.
The AP-NORC poll of 5,468 adults
was conducted Sept. 8-24 using a com-
bined sample of interviews from
NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak
Panel, which is designed to represent
the U.S. population, and interviews
from opt-in online panels. The margin
of sampling error for all respondents is
plus or minus 1.7 percentage points.

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6A ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY
NATION
Section 8
Continued from Page 1A
“I’m desperate. I can’t sleep outside
in the cold,” said Simmons, who suffers
from chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease and severe arthritis. “I might
really be at the graveyard end.”
Her motel stays, borrowing, and beg-
ging came while unsuccessfully trying
to use a federal Section 8 “housing
choice voucher” – a hard-to-get ticket
that was supposed to provide housing
and some freedom in determining
where she would live. A six-month USA
TODAY Network data investigation
called “Segregated by Section 8” has un-
covered how broken the voucher system
is in the housing-segregated South,
even as President Joe Biden is poised to
expand it.
A Section 8 voucher is meant to help
people like Simmons get an apartment
or house. The government agrees to pay
a portion of rent directly to the landlord.
The renters pay the rest of the costs on
their own.
In a nation where 4 in 10 adults can-
not cover an unexpected bill of $400,
the idea is to help vulnerable people in-
cludingcombat vets, those who are old-
er and those with disabilities avoid
homelessness and handle basic needs.
For Simmons, the voucher at first had
seemed lucky.
Some people in the South wait a dec-
ade to get a Section 8 voucher and never
do. She had seen before how it could
work.
Simmons, who is Black and a former
tobacco farmworker, had years earlier
escaped a period of living in a Jeep
when she used a voucher to rent a sim-
ple two-bedroom trailer. It had water
leaks, mildew and other problems but
was a roof over her head and a warm
place at night.
She was happily living there until the
trailer failed a voucher program inspec-
tion and the government stopped pay-
ing her landlord.
Officials issued Simmons a replace-
ment voucher that was meant to help
her lease a different home. It was use-
less by that point, she said.
The voucher didn’t encompass a se-
curity deposit, and she could not afford
one. She earns roughly $500 a month in
federal disability benefits, so there was
no chance she could pay the money that
many landlords require upfront, such as
a security deposit or the last month’s
rent.
Where was that money supposed to
come from?
Simmons squatted in the moldy trail-
er that failed inspection until the land-
lord kicked her out in December. On the
day she was evicted, she sobbed as
movers took furniture, TVs, her cane,
her other possessions and dumped
them on the front lawn.
She walked away with just a book bag
bursting with clothes and two boxes of
personal papers. And a federal voucher
she couldn’t use.
Within a short period of time, her
winter fears had come true.
Simmons found herself sitting at a
bus stop with no money and no place to
spend the night. With the temperature
hovering at 40 degrees, she and her
roommate shared the one coat they
owned.
They took turns wearing it.
Patterns of a broken promise
Simmons’ experience shows how a
government program meant to improve
the lives of recipients has instead left
many people homeless, living in sub-
standard housing or pay-by-the-week
motels. Others find permanent housing
but are stuck in racially segregated
neighborhoods with dim prospects for
jobs and good schools.
USA TODAY Network-Southeast
spent months investigating what hap-
pens when people try to obtain housing
with public vouchers in North Carolina,
South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia –
four states where the nation’s severe
shortage of affordable housing has me-
tastasized into an eviction crisis.
We followed the journeys of voucher
holders as they searched for housing or
tried to keep it, and interviewed more
than 40 researchers, housing activists
and government officials.
Our project team partnered with the
University of North Carolina-Char-
lotte’s Urban Institute to analyze multi-
source federal data for 19 cities and cre-
ate exclusive maps revealing that hous-
ing available to voucher holders – who
most often are Black and Latino – often
remains concentrated in neighborhoods
where the federal government and real-
estate industry conducted redlining.
The white-dominated society’s prac-
Miracle Mozzee of Charleston, S.C., puts up a sign announcing a meeting for
public housing tenants. Black people make up about 13% of the U.S. population
but more than 40% of the tenants who live in the nation’s 1 million public
housing units. In large urban centers, Black people often make up the
overwhelming majority of public housing tenants. JOSH MORGAN/USA TODAY NETWORK
tice of redlining, now illegal, used bank
maps and lending controls to steer
Black citizens and other people of color
into certain areas and keep them from
living next to white people.
Experts who have conducted re-
search for the federal Department of
Housing and Urban Development said
the data analysis represents the first-
ever comprehensive regional examina-
tion of how voucher holders fare in a
spread of small, medium and large mar-
kets. Previous studies have generally
examined only some larger urban areas.
Alison Johnson, executive director of
the Housing Justice League, an Atlanta-
based advocacy group that runs a public
hotline, sees the scope of the problem
“Segregated by Section 8” has identi-
fied.
“We get 10 to 15 calls a day from peo-
ple with vouchers who say they want
help because they have no place to live,”
Johnson said. “If you are a mother with
four children, there is no way you are go-
ing to be able to pay a $1,675 security de-
posit. The program isn’t being allowed
to function as it was set up.”
Investigation’s key findings
h The voucher program reinforces ra-
cially segregated housing patterns
across the South, breaking the govern-
ment’s promises to use the subsidy to
promote racial integration.
h Data compiled for “Segregated by
Section 8” shows more than 70% of
voucher-eligible housing is concentrat-
ed in minority neighborhoods with ram-
pant poverty.
h Many affluent, white neighbor-
hoods in Georgia, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Virginia have almost no
voucher-eligible housing.
h If you put your name on a waiting
list for vouchers in the South, you can
wait years, even a decade, to get bene-
fits. Then, many people awarded vouch-
ers have their benefits terminated be-
fore they can find an appropriate place
to live.
h More than 8 million households are
eligible for Section 8 housing vouchers.
Yet only 2.2 million households receive
the rental subsidy.
h Most people who qualify for vouch-
ers never get any help. Senior citizens,
people with disabilities, military vets
and other vulnerable Black and brown
people end up sleeping in homeless
shelters, motels and crowded housing
with family or friends.
h Children of voucher holders who do
live in more affluent neighborhoods are
more likely to go to college and have
higher earnings over their lifetimes.
Backs against the wall
Inside the Wragg Borough Homes, a
public housing complex in Charleston,
South Carolina, vermin droppings and
dead cockroaches cover a kitchen
counter. Walls, cabinets and vents are
smeared with mildew and suspected
mold.
On the worst days, the place reeks of
sewage. It’s where Theresa Mozzee and
her daughter, Miracle, had lived for the
past five years.
This is where Theresa Mozzee recu-
perated from nine surgeries, where she
learned to walk again after leaving
the hospital and where she found the
only place she could afford the rent.
The disabled 59-year-old tried to make
the best of her two-bedroom unit,
cleaning whenever her arthritis allowed
and buying bug killer to keep the roach-
es away.
Orlando Ager Jr., 36, spent more than
three months calling and applying for
two-bedroom apartments and houses
with his voucher. Every time, Ager got
rejected. MIKE HENSDILL/USA TODAY NETWORK
One day last year, Mozzee started
coughing and getting headaches. A doc-
tor said a respiratory illness she suffered
might be caused by exposure to mold.
She complained to the Housing Au-
thority of Charleston, the agency that
manages public housing. The Wragg
Borough Homes apartments were first
built in the 1940s as segregated public
housing for Black people. Charleston’s
humid heat and rain make them suscep-
tible to mold, mildew and flooding.
The housing agency made some re-
pairs and later offered a dehumidifier to
reduce the chances of mold spreading.
As the months came and went, Moz-
zee, who has been diagnosed with can-
cer and lupus, grew more worried about
risks to her health. She didn’t want to
live in her apartment, but what choice
did she have?
Miracle Mozzee, 23, had quit her job
at a preschool to care for her mother and
to avoid infecting her with COVID-19.
They looked at renting a vacant
house, but the numbers didn’t work.
The Mozzees needed $1,400 to pay the
security deposit and first month’s rent.
When Miracle checked her bank ac-
count, it was overdrawn.
Disappearance of public housing
In the early 1970s, the Nixon admini-
stration put a moratorium on construc-
tion of new government housing. Presi-
dent Richard Nixon described public
housing buildings as “monstrous, de-
pressing places – rundown, overcrowd-
ed, crime-ridden.”
He and other leaders said people
could move from dilapidated public
housing by using vouchers to rent
homes from private landlords.
Public housing apartments like the
Mozzees’ have been falling into disre-
pair and vanishing at an alarming rate –
on purpose. It has been a consistent
American political choice for decades.
There is a $70 billion backlog of re-
pairs needed in public housing com-
plexes throughout the country, accord-
ing to a 2019 report from the National
Low Income Housing Coalition, a lead-
ing Washington, D.C.-based advocacy
group. More than 10,000 public housing
units are shuttered each year because
they are considered uninhabitable.
Instead of replacing all the lost units,
the federal government – under both
Republican and Democratic leadership
– has focused on providing limited rent-
al subsidies.
“We are not a country that has a lot of
care for our poor,” said Kirk McClure, an
urban planning professor emeritus at
the University of Kansas who has con-
ducted research for HUD.
The Housing Authority of Myrtle
Beach, South Carolina, opened its
voucher waiting list two years ago.
Some 1,000 people had their names
added through a lottery, said Carol
NEWS
McCall, the operations director.
In Charleston, the wait for vouchers
is longer than a year, said Don Cameron,
president and CEO of the city’s Housing
Authority. He didn’t know when The-
resa Mozzee might even get to put her
name on the waiting list.
Dealing with landlords
When someone gets a voucher, pub-
lic housing agencies explain during an
optional orientation how to use the
voucher and share listings where land-
lords accept vouchers. They must find
apartments or houses that meet inspec-
tion standards and where the rents do
not exceed the program’s limits. They
discover that landlords often refuse to
accept vouchers as payment.
Scott Dadson, recent executive direc-
tor of a group that oversees the vouchers
in parts of western North Carolina, said
60% of their clients can’t find a rental
unit with a voucher. It expires first.
He said the failure is caused by a lack
of affordable housing in the area.
At times, administrators refer vouch-
er holders to churches that might be
willing to pay security deposits or mov-
ing costs.
Some researchers and housing activ-
ists said the federal government has re-
fused to give agencies enough money.
Local agencies get 80% of what is nec-
essary, said Will Fischer, a senior direc-
tor at the Center on Budget and Policy
Priorities.
A father’s only hope
Biden has pledged to expand the
voucher program, which some experts
see as a key to curing economic suffer-
ing caused by the coronavirus pandem-
ic. Biden said he would offer vouchers to
all qualified renters, like “universal
voucher” programs used in the United
Kingdom, Australia and parts of Cana-
da.
Biden has pledged to pass legislation
that would prevent landlords from
rejecting applicants for vacant houses
and apartments because they use feder-
al benefits such as vouchers to pay rent.
HUD did not directly answer most of
our questions and did not make officials
available for on-the-record interviews.
Instead, HUD provided a written
statement, saying Congress has ap-
proved plans to launch a $50 million
demonstration project this year that
would allow selected public housing of-
fices to pay security deposits, applica-
tion fees and other costs for voucher
holders.
Housing administrators would also
provide “counseling” to help recipients
move into desirable neighborhoods and
overcome credit histories that could
scare off landlords.
The idea is to test whether the strate-
gies can improve outcomes for voucher
holders and be duplicated across the
country. Officials will likely evaluate the
strategies for 18 months to two years be-
fore deciding if they work.
The changes might come too late for
Orlando Ager Jr.
Ager had one hope for finding a place
to live – a housing voucher. In late 2020,
a public housing agency in Shelby,
North Carolina, awarded him one.
Officials gave him 90 days to find an
apartment or house. When that dead-
line came and went, they gave him an
extension.
Ager said he needed a two-bedroom
house or apartment, enough room for
the oldest of his five children, a 13-year-
old son, to live with him. “He really
wants to come stay with me,” he said.
The teen plays football and basket-
ball in middle school but has fallen off
track academically, said his dad, who
has become nervous about the boy’s fu-
ture. He wants to make sure his son
avoids the same mistakes he’s made.
Ager, 36, spent three months behind
bars after a conviction for selling or deli-
vering drugs, records show. He said he
needed the money.
He hasn’t had stable housing outside
of jail since a 2018 fire destroyed the
house where he and an uncle had lived
for years. He once spent three months in
a motel.
A $731 monthly disability check was
all the money he had coming in, and it
was not enough to pay for housing, child
support and other bills.
Ager worked in a factory making
products for plastics until last fall when
he fell ill with symptoms from sickle cell
anemia. It put him in the emergency
room a dozen times in a single year.
As spring approached, Ager was
sleeping at his parents’ house. His cell-
phone had been cut off because the bill
was unpaid, making it harder for poten-
tial landlords to contact him.
He was running out of time to find
housing with his Section 8 voucher.
NEWS
OPINION
Film sets have many
gun safety measures
That’s what makes the fatal shooting
on Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ so rare and tragic
Joey Dillon
Movie firearms handler
I woke up Friday sobbing for what
happened on a film set in Santa Fe, New
Mexico, where a horrible accident took
place that killed cinematographer Haly-
na Hutchins and injured director Joel
Souza on the set of “Rust,” starring Alec
Baldwin.
This is a nightmare. I am praying for
all involved. We are a small group of pro-
fessionals, and this is like hearing that a
family member was involved in the
worst accident imaginable, albeit per-
haps only imaginable to those “pretend-
ing” to fire guns for a living.
I facilitate the use of firearms in the
film industry as an armorer. My special-
ty has been working on the set of West-
erns. I have been asked to share some
facts about our profession to filter any
speculation about the tragedy that has
occurred.
Most firearms shown up close or fired
on film are real, which requires paper-
work, permits, lockboxes, safes and
monitoring, among other things.
Live round vs. a blank
Western movies are unique in that
they generally use a type of handgun
called a revolver. The revolvers require
no modifications to operate with blank
cartridges. A live round with the projec-
tile or a blank round with no projectile
will both fit. These guns are generally
rented by the prop master or armorer
from a rental house in the business.
The revolvers on Westerns are man-
ually cocked with a hammer by your
thumb to turn a cylinder holding the
cartridges. Every pull of that hammer
indexes one round in line with the barrel
and the hammer stays back. By pulling
the trigger the hammer drops. It has a
firing pin on it that penetrates a hole in
the rear of the frame of the gun.
It pokes past the frame – striking the
rear of a brass cartridge loaded in one of
the cylinder’s chambers, hitting a small
circular object on the back of that car-
tridge. This primer sparks inside when
struck. And that spark sets fire to the
gunpowder.
If this was a live round it would have a
lead bullet pressed into the front of the
brass cartridge. The pressure of the ex-
ploding gun powder forces the lead tip
out of the barrel.
With a blank, this would all happen
with the exception of the lead bullet. In-
stead, the tip of the cartridge is crimped
to a point. The crimped brass holds the
powder in.
In some cases, a foam wad may do
the same job and disintegrates with the
explosion. When fired the crimp opens,
letting hot gas, fire and some bits of
powder out of the muzzle. At a certain
distance, this all dissipates harmlessly.
Preparing to use firearms on set
Up close it can be dangerous. Point
blank it could be deadly. Dummy rounds
in the industry look like live rounds.
They have the lead tip. However, they
contain no gun powder and the primer
in the back is inert. Generally speaking,
live rounds are never on set except for
rare occasions for educational shows
that are actually filming on a gun range.
In place of the powder, a single BB is
placed inside. When you shake them
you know. Also, the primer on the back
is a piece of machined solid brass. These
look the part but do not fire. They are
sourced from the prop house or armory.
On a Western set, they are everywhere.
All of the gun belts are stacked with 15 to
25 rounds.
When filming a revolver, the front of
the cylinder and gap to the rear of the
cylinder are visible. You can see if it is
loaded or not. Dummy rounds are
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Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins
died Thursday. She was 42.
FRED HAYES/GETTY IMAGES FOR SAGINDIE
placed in the cylinder to give the ap-
pearance that the gun is loaded.
Before being placed in the gun, I
show them to the first assistant direc-
tor. He or she shakes them listening for
that BB inside. Then I load them in the
gun. I try to fire all of the dummy
rounds at the floor in front of the assis-
tant director. Nothing happens. I then
present the gun to the talent, also fir-
ing at the floor so they see. If they are
pointing it at another player, I also
show them.
With a large amount of crew pre-
sent, that often means the actors will
be pointing weapons in the direction
of players and crew. Sometimes the
script dictates this.
The blank ammunition we use
comes in a variety of loads and powder
types per application. They are
sourced from the prop house or ar-
mory. Generally, the same one I rent
the guns from. The boxes are clearly
marked and labeled.
There are only a few ways guns on
set can be deadly – a blank shot point-
blank to the head, something foreign
stuck in the barrel of the gun and a
blank is fired behind it creating a pro-
jectile, and if a live round is mistaken
for a dummy round and instead of dry
firing it actually fires.
When we need to have the actress
or actor fire the gun, they generally
meet with me for training. We go over
firearm safety and operation.
‘Fire in the hole’
When we are on set, we do a re-
hearsal with fake or “cold” (unloaded)
guns. When it is time to shoot, I first
shine a light down the bore of the bar-
rel to make sure there is nothing acci-
dentally stuck in there that would be-
come a projectile when fired.
Along with the assistant director,
we discuss where the actors and crew
will be. We decide what load blank to
use. We declare that to the talent and
crew. Both the talent and crew are is-
sued ear protection, and sometimes
eye protection. We load up. The gun is
now “hot.”
After everyone is set and the crew
and camera are ready, the assistant di-
rector has me hand the hot weapon to
the talent. We yell “fire in the hole” or
“hot weapon.” Sometimes we relay
how many shots will be fired. The
scene is filmed. We make any changes
necessary, we reload and go again.
In addition to myself, there are mul-
tiple levels of crew responsible for
safety, including the assistant director
running the set. The stunt coordinator
assists at times as well as the prop
master who sources the props and
books the armorer. Then there are the
producers who help put the crew to-
gether, and even the armory that the
firearms and ammunition are sourced
from. Some productions have a safety
adviser as well as a fire safety officer
looking into firearm use.
There are so many levels of gun
safety, especially on larger-budget
projects. The combined safety mea-
sures are what make incidents like the
shooting in Sante Fe so rare and tragic.
Joey Dillon, a union armorer based
in Los Angeles, is an expert gun han-
dler in the entertainment industry.
USA TODAY Chief Revenue Officer,
Editor in Chief sales and service: Kevin Gentzel
NICOLE Vice President/Local News and
CARROLL Audience Development: Amalie Nash
USA TODAY ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ 7A
MIKE THOMPSON/USA TODAY NETWORK
When your son wants
a princess costume
Halloween brings an incredible opportunity
to have some fun with self-expression. Let it go.
Lisa Kenney
Reimagine Gender
My son wants to be Elsa for Hallow-
een. What should I do?!
This type of question pops up fre-
quently on parenting message boards,
Reddit threads and Facebook groups.
Every year around Halloween, parents
reach out to me to ask how to navigate
this situation. Their son or daughter
wants to dress up as something out-
side of gender norms – and they’re not
sure what to do.
The first thing to understand is
there’s nothing problematic about
your son wanting to dress up like Elsa,
or your daughter wanting to dress up
and use the Force to get candy as Kylo
Ren. It may make you uncomfortable,
and you might be concerned about the
response they or you will get from oth-
er kids and parents.
Nonetheless, letting those concerns
get in the way of your child being able
to wear what they want on Halloween
is the wrong approach to take here and
can leave young people feeling unsup-
ported and ashamed for their inter-
ests, like they need to hide a part of
themselves.
How you respond
Halloween actually brings with it an
incredible opportunity to encourage
your children to embrace their authen-
ticity, whatever that looks like.
That unbridled joy children have
when they’re out in costume, showing
off their looks to neighbors and friends
is a powerful thing, and it can be a very
special time for many young people.
Gender has a lot to do with that. It’s
a moment to break free of limiting gen-
der norms that hold many of us back
while having some fun with self-ex-
pression. I encourage parents to not
only “allow” their kids to dress up as
whatever they want, but also to affirm
those choices and help their young
people feel proud. A shining example
of that is the father who not only sup-
ported his son’s choices, but also
dressed up as Elsa himself for an extra
dose of affirmation.
Unfortunately, kids who choose to
dress in costumes that don’t align with
the sex on their birth certificates may
sometimes attract looks or comments.
Parents may be on the receiving end of
this, too. I always advise parents to
gently talk to kids about this possibil-
ity and be prepared with language in
case it comes up.
For example, if another kid says
something like, “But you’re a boy,” your
son can say: “It’s Halloween. We can
Vice President & Executive
Editor/Investigations: Chris Davis
Executive Editor/Audience: Patty Michalski
Opinion Editor: Kristen DelGuzzi
Sisters Elsa and Anna from “Frozen.”
WALT DISNEY
be whatever we want to be!” And this
goes for parents, too. If another parent
comes up to you and says, “Is that a boy
or a girl?” you can simply tell them: “It’s
a princess!”
Thinking through some of these sce-
narios and having responses ready can
help both you and your children feel saf-
er and more empowered in the moment.
Parents also ask me, “But what does
this mean?!” Well, if your son dresses as
Elsa, the first thing it means is probably
that he loves “Frozen.” For many kids,
costumes are a form of play, a way to ex-
periment with expression and an op-
portunity to celebrate the characters
they love. It’s a real opportunity for us to
explore, embrace and play with gender,
particularly in a world where younger
generations increasingly see gender as
expansive and fluid.
Of note, 23% of Gen Z-ers expect
their gender identity to change at least
once in their lifetime, according to a
2019 report from Irregular Labs. And a
Vice survey found that 41% say they
identify as neutral on the spectrum of
femininity and masculinity.
After Halloween
For some kids, you may notice that
when Halloween ends, they continue to
seek out the princess dress or the wig.
Use those moments as an opportunity
to dive deeper and have an exploratory
conversation: “I noticed you love put-
ting on that dress. How does it make you
feel?” These don’t need to be heavy, big
discussions, but they can make a world
of difference in helping your young per-
son feel seen and accepted. Simply no-
tice and create space to talk openly.
Halloween is one of my favorite holi-
days because it’s time for all of us – no
matter who we are or how old we are – to
play and experiment with what feels
good. Halloween can be the perfect
starting point for parents and kids to
foster a culture of love, individuality
and support around the topic of gender.
Lisa Kenney is the CEO of Reimagine
Gender and the former executive direc-
tor of Gender Spectrum.
Executive Editor/News and
Network Enterprise: Jeff Taylor
Executive Editor/News
and Initiatives: Kristen Go
8A ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

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MONEY
You can check the headlines
from your home state or city
We survey and compile the top news stories
USA TODAY | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 | SECTION B from all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. Page 3B
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than a traditional smartphone or tablet. Page 4B

MONEYLINE

TRAVEL SYSTEM WILL OPEN

Supply chain
TO INTERNATIONAL VISITORS
The U.S. will roll out a new travel sys-
tem in two weeks that will open bor-
ders up for millions of vaccinated

clogs could alter

international visitors. The system
launching Nov. 8 will end the U.S. trav-
el ban that has been in place for doz-
ens of countries since the start of the
pandemic. It also will make reentry

holiday shopping
more challenging for unvaccinated
U.S. citizens and permanent residents
and establish stringent testing re-
quirements for the rare unvaccinated
foreign nationals allowed to visit.

WILFREDO LEE/AP

CDC EXTENDS COVID-19

PROTOCOL FOR CRUISES
Cruise lines will be required to follow
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention protocol for COVID-19 on
ships through Jan.15. The CDC ex-
tended the order which was released
nearly one year ago when the agency's
No Sail Order was about to expire. As
of Monday, the order applies to for-
eign-flagged commercial passenger
vessels with the capacity to carry 250
people operating or planning to oper-
ate for overnight stays for passengers Expert: All prices won’t necessarily skyrocket
or crew in U.S. waters. Cruise Lines
International Association said that the
changes to the order show that the points in the transportation system, could cut into
Biden administration recognizes the supply. We’re hearing talk about potential shortages of
industry's successful resumption. Susan Tompor toys, trees and, yes, maybe even holiday sweaters.
Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY NETWORK Where’s Jay and Silent Bob?

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
ON THE RISE IN OCTOBER
U.S. consumer confidence rose in
October after three straight declines
as anxiety about the delta variant of
the coronavirus appear to have abat-
ed. The Conference Board reported
Tuesday that its consumer confidence
index rose to a reading of 113.8 in
October, up from 109.8 in September.
Consumers’ view of the present situa-
tion rose to a reading of 147.4 from
144.3, while the future expectations
index climbed to 91.33 from 86.7.
Dow Jones Industrial Avg.
36,000
35,000 +15.73
34,000
Go back just a year ago and it wouldn’t have mat-
tered that three 40-foot corrugated metal shipping
containers stuffed with thousands of ugly holiday
sweaters couldn’t make their way out of a California
port.
Who was going out to the bars? Or heading to a big
family dinner? Who worried about buying a new
quirky sweater when life looked grim as COVID-19
cases soared?
Fred Hajjar, president of Commerce Township,
Michigan-based UglyChristmasSweater.com, sold a
lot of holiday lounge pants and pajamas last year as
people stayed home.
Now he sees the ugly sweaters making a beautiful
comeback as more people feel festive, plan to see fam-
ily and continue to shop from home. He estimates the
online retailer will sell 100,000 or more holiday sweat-
ers.
“I’m fairly confident, it’s going to be a big year,” Haj-
jar said. “Christmas sweaters, there’ll definitely be a
35,756 shortage.”
Demand is driving optimism this year but kinks in
the supply chain, including bottlenecks along various
The ugly sweater story is a local snapshot of short-
ages, higher prices and headaches or opportunities,
depending on your point of view. Many ugly vintage
Christmas sweaters, after all, started out in the late
1980s and as another person’s merry fashion state-
ment.
Hajjar is facing skyrocketing transportation costs,
extraordinary delays and worrying about those three
containers of sweaters and pajamas.
“Ours are stuck, I believe, in Long Beach,” Hajjar
said.
The containers are packed with a popular holiday
sweater featuring the movie characters Jay and Silent
Bob and a special line of holiday pajamas where fam-
ilies can have their names printed on the PJs. A family
of three can spend $120 or more on matching holiday-
themed sleepwear.
Roughly, 30,000 pieces of fun holiday gear – each
container can hold 10,000 items – should be in Com-
merce Township, ready go, but in mid-October, they
were caught up in one giant supply chain mess.
See TOMPOR, Page 2B

33,000 GETTY IMAGES ILLUSTRATION

32,000
APRIL OCT.
AP

TUESDAY MARKETS
INDEX
Dow Jones Industrial Avg.
CLOSE
35,756.88 x
CHG
15.73
Tesla hits $1T Create a
in market value
S&P 500 4,574.79 x 8.31
Nasdaq composite 15,235.71 x 9.01

workplace
T-note, 10-year yield 1.610 y 0.026
SOURCES USA TODAY RESEARCH, ASSOCIATED PRESS

for its first time

USA TODAY SNAPSHOTS © Jessica Menton and Nathan Bomey USA TODAY

Tesla, the world’s most valuable automaker, just

people
Mortgage rates
Rates reported Tuesday.
Current Week ago
joined the trillionaire club.
With its stock price closing at an all-time high of
$1,024.86 on Monday, the company’s market value
love
eclipsed $1 trillion. Following a record run, shares of
30 yr. fixed 3.27% 3.17% the electric vehicle maker took a breather Tuesday,
15 yr. fixed 2.52% 2.44% dipping 0.6% to snap four straight days of gains.
Tesla, led by billionaire Elon Musk, is the fifth U.S.
5/1 ARM 2.76% 2.80% company to hit the milestone, which includes Apple,
7/1 ARM 2.86% 2.91% Microsoft, Amazon and Google parent Alphabet. The
30 yr. jumbo 3.28% 3.17% latest rally came after rental car company Hertz,
which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection early
30 yr. FHA 2.86% 2.72% in the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Monday that
it plans to buy 100,000 cars from Tesla by the end of
2022 in a pivot toward electric vehicles. It’s among
the largest electric vehicle orders ever placed.
A recent streak of strong earnings and a bullish
Make hybrid work
outlook from Wall Street analysts at Morgan Stanley
have also added to optimism about Tesla’s stock. Desks | Rooms | Visitors | Deliveries | Mobile | Protect
21-ENV-014-14-146360-1

BANKRATE.COM See TESLA $1 TRILLION, Page 4B

2B ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY
Tompor
Continued from Page 1B
What it takes to
get back to normal
This holiday, many people want to
get back to normal – or at least within
six feet of normal.
And for many, no holiday is complete
without showing up somewhere in a
garish green-and-red sweater with
Dwight K. Schrute from “The Office” on
the front or donning a sparkly, candy
cane-covered black blazer.
Many are giving up on sitting on the
couch trying to Zoom for the holidays.
People have money to spend, thanks to
the federal stimulus rollouts and the up-
tick in the economy.
“If you follow college football at all,
there’s like 100,000 people in the stadi-
ums,” said Hajjar, who got his start in
the novelty clothing business selling T-
shirts out of his Hubbard Hall dorm
room at Michigan State University.
Make no mistake, his 42,000-square-
foot warehouse is stacked with boxes
and boxes and boxes of clever sweaters
ready for the season.
What’s going to be tougher to buy this
holiday – or much higher priced – may
be debatable. Retailers, of course, have
an incentive to get customers to buy
early – and often – as the fear of missing
out builds into a frenzy.
Clogs clearly exist in the supply chain
system as a backlog of cargo ships cre-
ates a traffic jam in the Pacific Ocean.
And logistics experts warn that the
trucking system is short on drivers.
Baby Yoda, Kiss
and 91 other designs
Yet as I walked with Hajjar, 41, and his
brother Mark Hajjar, 38, through the
Oakland County, Michigan, warehouse,
I had to wonder: What holiday short-
age? They have 93 varieties of holiday
sweaters this year.
They pulled a black, gray, white and
red “Merry KISSmas” sweater out of the
packaging and showed me how the
Gene Simmons-licensed red tongue
flaps up and down with a special gadget
in the sleeve. Price: $52.95 to $59.99 for
bigger sizes.
And they highlighted the new black-
and-white-and-green, 3D Baby Yoda
sweater – which Whoopi Goldberg was
photographed wearing on “The View”
late last December. Baby Yoda’s left
hand, which is holding some Christmas
trees, moves when you squeeze him.
Price: $49.95.
The Baby Yoda sweater was sent to
influencers last year, including a major
Star Wars blog, even though it wasn’t
really available to be sold in time for
Christmas 2020. The Star Wars blog,
Hajjar said, then sent the sweater to
Goldberg, a big Baby Yoda fan, and she
actually wore it on the show.
“We didn’t even expect it,” Hajjar
said.
Goldberg loves holiday sweaters and
launched a line of her own Christmas
sweaters back in 2016 that retailed then
for $139.
Last year, though, Goldberg declared
on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy
Fallon” that she wasn’t going to feature a
holiday sweater on the show. “‘Cause
who was going out? Nobody. Nobody’s
going out. They’re not partying in
sweaters.” Instead, Fallon showed off
Goldberg’s red snow globe holiday scarf.
Family party back
on holiday calendar
This year, many remain concerned
about the path of the COVID-19 delta
variant. Even so, half of consumers plan
to attend a gathering with family – up
significantly from 26% last year, accord-
ing to a September survey by KPMG.
While some of his inventory could ar-
rive late to his warehouse, Hajjar’s spec-
ulating that supply chain disruptions
could work in the company’s favor too.
Many big retailers, he reasons, will
prioritize shipments and might not pur-
chase as many seasonal items that
won’t sell if they get caught in delays
and show up in February.
The company, founded in 2011, has
had to work hard to outsmart big retail-
ers that began stocking some garish
holiday sweaters several years ago. The
Michigan company has come up with
creative designs – such as a “Baby It’s
COVID Outside” sweater – to play off
pop culture and offer a twist that might
not be found in Kohl’s or Walmart.
In addition, the company has worked
directly with big brands – such as Red
Lobster, Swiss Miss and cloud software
giant Salesforce – to design and make
Corrections & Clarifications
Workers fulfill and pack online orders at UglyChristmasSweater.com inside a warehouse in Commerce Township, Mich.,
on Oct. 12. The online retail store has many items stuck on freighters off the coast of California. ERIC SEALS/USA TODAY NETWORK
Parked cargo container trucks are seen in a street on Oct. 20 in Wilmington, Calif.
RINGO H.W. CHIU/AP
holiday sweaters for promotions, em-
ployees and retail sales. The Red Lob-
ster sweater promoted in 2019, for ex-
ample, sold for $39.99 and was adorned
with lobsters and shrimp, It also had an
insulated pouch where you could keep
the Cheddar Bay biscuits warm.
Christmas-themed apparel isn’t all
that’s at risk because of supply chain is-
sues this holiday.
The Hajjar brothers, who grew up in
West Bloomfield, Michigan, sell lawn
decorations – some in the PG-13 catego-
ry like the reindeer playing adult games
– online too.
One shipping container full of inflat-
able holiday lawn decorations is sitting
in the Port of Vancouver, British Colum-
bia, unable to get unloaded as a result of
supply chain woes that were made
worse because of the pandemic. Prices
on those lawn decorations increased an
average of 26% this year. Price increases
range from 18% to 42% on some items.
Hajjar’s company’s cost of shipping
has gone up from $3,900 a container in
2019, he said, to $28,000 a container in
September. That’s nearly more than
double the $15,000 cost in April. Smaller
operations are facing greater pressure
from higher shipping costs.
Hajjar estimates that the price of
sweaters will go up around 10%, as the
company will pass on part of its extra
cost to customers.
We’re seeing potential trouble spots
when it comes to imports of goods relat-
ing to Christmas festivities, based on
government data, according to Jason
Miller, associate professor of logistics in
the department of Supply Chain Man-
agement at Michigan State University’s
Eli Broad College of Business.
He noted that there’s been a dropoff
in the metric tons of imports of Christ-
mas items through August, compared
with the same time last year.
Will there be an American
Christmas tree shortage?
The American Christmas Tree Asso-
ciation, for example, predicted that both
live and artificial trees will be hit by holi-
day shortages and price hikes too. Prices
of artificial trees, for example, could go
up 20% to 30% this season.
The group blamed the price increases
on “extreme weather events in the Pa-
cific Northwest and Midwest, supply
chain congestion in and out of ports,
and shipping container shortages.”
Wayne Bronner, CEO of Bronner’s
CHRISTmas Wonderland in Franken-
muth, Michigan, said his store is well-
A story Oct. 26 about frustrated homebuyers misstated the width
of Amber Otto’s computer monitors. They are 24-inch monitors.
stocked with high-quality Christmas
trees, priced at $300 and up, and Bron-
ner’s has not raised prices on the trees.
But he is experiencing some issues re-
lating to the supply chain disruptions.
“We’re receiving things about two
months later than we anticipated,” said
Bronner, whose father, Wally Bronner,
founded the store in 1945. Bronner says
his father has been in heaven since
2008.
The year-round Christmas store,
which currently has 510 staff members,
saw shipments that would have arrived
in July and August later show up in Sep-
tember and October. Sometimes, the
delays involve Christmas ornaments.
But he’s not worried.
“We have over 8,000 styles, so it real-
ly hasn’t cramped our style too much,”
Bronner, 69, said.
This year, he said, people seem ready
to get out after being cooped up for a
long time. But again, he said, some un-
certainty remains given the delta vari-
ant. While much of the conversation
about holiday shortages is focused on
potential lack of supply, some experts
say the trouble started because of an in-
credible spike in demand after trillions
of dollars in stimulus cash flooded into
households. The third economic stimu-
lus payment that rolled out in March
was the largest of the bunch. Eligible
married couples, for example, received
up to $2,800 – plus $1,400 for each de-
pendent.
“All of this stimulus money was pro-
vided and people couldn’t spend it on
services, so they spent it on goods,”
MSU’s Miller said.
“The March 2021 stimulus is the key
factor that pushes consumer demand to
even higher levels,” Miller said.
Incredible gains in the stock market
and cryptocurrency, he said, only gave
some people even more buying power.
Record demand in the spring caused
retailers to restock quickly and contrib-
uted to chokepoints in the supply chain.
What many don’t understand, Miller
said, is that the hike in shipping costs
isn’t uniform and smaller importers face
a disproportionate impact. As a result,
he said, prices won’t necessarily sky-
rocket everywhere due to rising ship-
ping costs. Powerhouse importers –
such as Walmart, Target, Home Depot,
Lowe’s and Costco – pay nowhere near
the dramatic prices, he said, now faced
by smaller importers, like UglyChrist-
masSweater.com. “Do we have a log
jam? Yes, we do,” Miller said.
Miller said some smaller businesses
may have decided that it’s simply not
MONEY
doable to take on the higher costs
they’re facing for shipping some sea-
sonal goods that don’t have high profit
margins. Retail sales, adjusted for infla-
tion and excluding motor vehicle and
parts dealers rose an incredible 17.1%
from January through August, he said.
And, Miller said, imports increased
16.9% for this same time frame. He not-
ed that the shipping and transportation
systems in place could not possibly
have that much excess capacity to easily
absorb this surging demand.
Other supply chain
challenges in the US
Unloading a ship is only part of it, of
course. Chokepoints can pop up
throughout the system. Trucks must
haul goods across the country once
they’re unloaded at the docks.
Items also have to be warehoused
and then more regional or local deliver-
ies must be made to stores. Clerks must
be there to stock the shelves.
Challenges include bottlenecks on
highways, clogged rail yards, and ports,
as well as shortages of containers and
overburdened warehouses, especially
near the largest ports in the U.S.
“While I’ve read a lot about labor
shortages,” Miller said, “the finalized
data from the Quarterly Census of Em-
ployment and Wages shows there has
been substantial headcount increases
in warehousing, with California seeing
an increase of over 40,000 workers.”
Yet, he said, there are fewer long-
distance truck drivers than before
COVID-19, which makes it difficult to
handle additional import volume.
On Oct. 13, President Joe Biden an-
nounced efforts to address supply chain
bottlenecks. The Port of Los Angeles
agreed to essentially double its hours
and go to 24-hour, seven-day-a-week
operations. The Port of Long Beach
launched nighttime and weekend shifts
a few weeks ago.
Biden noted in his remarks that 40%
of shipping containers that are import-
ed into the U.S. come to the two ports in
California. The International Longshore
and Warehouse Union members agreed
to work extra shifts.
FedEx and UPS also committed to
significantly increasing the number of
goods they are moving at night.
While some are hopeful that such ef-
forts can help, many do not see the situ-
ation resolving soon.
Brian Calley, president of the Small
Business Association of Michigan, said
the supply chain concerns started out as
a few problems here and there but the
concerns are more widespread through-
out a variety of businesses.
“Little things that you never really
had to think about are being impacted or
disrupted,” Calley said.
“Things have to work very much in
harmony for these worldwide supply
chains to work effectively.”
Much of the focus now is on the holi-
day crunch time for retailers and those
selling seasonal goods online.
But the clogs in the supply chain pre-
sent serious threats to the financial
well-being of so many small businesses
and others across the country –— not
simply those in retailing.
Gridlock isn’t going to go away soon,
experts warn, and could even remain a
threat for far more than ugly Christmas
sweaters well into 2022.
USA TODAY is committed to accuracy.
To reach us at any time, call 800-872-7073 or e-mail
accuracy@usatoday.com. Please indicate whether you’re
responding to content online or in the newspaper.
MONEY USA TODAY ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ 3B

AMERICA’S MARKETS ALL THE MARKET ACTION IN REAL TIME

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DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE
+15.73
S&P 500 • STANDARD & POOR’S NASDAQ COMPOSITE RUSSELL 2000
Closing: 35,756.88 Closing: 4,574.79 Closing: 15,235.71 Closing: 2,296.08
Change: +.0%
YTD % Chg: +16.8% +8.31 Change: +.2%
YTD % Chg: +21.8% +9.01 Change: +.1%
YTD % Chg: +18.2% -16.56 Change: -.7%
YTD % Chg: +16.3%

MARKET PERFORMANCE BY SECTOR MARKET NOTEBOOK TOP 10 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS COMMODITIES
Sector Close Chg. 4wk 1 YTD 1 Issues NYSE NASDAQ ETF, ranked by volume Ticker Close Chg. % Chg %YTD Commodities Close Prev. Chg. % Chg. % YTD
Energy 59.14 +0.34 +11.8% +56.0% Advancing 986 1,394 ProShs UltPro ShtQQQ SQQQ 7.19 -0.06 -0.8% -52.6% Cattle (lb.) 1.27 1.25 +0.02 +1.4% +12.3%
Declining 1,462 2,041 SPDR S&P500 ETF Tr SPY 455.96 +0.41 +0.1% +22.0% Corn (bushel) 5.44 5.38 +0.06 +1.0% +12.3%
Financials 40.60 +0.03 +6.6% +37.7%
Unchanged 84 196 Invesco QQQ Trust QQQ 379.12 +1.19 +0.3% +20.8% Gold (troy oz.) 1,792.70 1,806.00 -13.30 -0.7% -5.3%
Consumer discret. 197.56 +0.03 +8.4% +22.9%
Total 2,532 3,631 ProShs UltraPro QQQ TQQQ 146.88 +1.36 +0.9% +61.6% Hogs, lean (lb.) .73 .74 -0.01 -2.2% +3.3%
Technology 159.38 +0.45 +5.8% +22.6% Natural Gas (Btu.) 5.88 5.90 -0.02 -0.3% +131.7%
Issues at SPDR Financial XLF 40.60 +0.03 +0.1% +37.7%
Materials 85.92 +0.24 +6.5% +18.7% 183 iShs Emerg Mkts EEM 52.04 -0.27 -0.5% +0.7% Oil, heating (gal.) 2.58 2.56 +0.02 +0.5% +73.8%
New 52 Week High 166
Industrials 104.39 -0.65 +4.6% +17.9% 71 iPath Sh Term Fut VXX 21.47 +0.41 +1.9% ...% Oil, lt. swt. crude (bar.) 84.65 83.76 +0.89 +1.1% +74.5%
New 52 Week Low 12
Health care 132.48 +0.65 +3.6% +16.8% iShs Core MSCI EmMkt IEMG 63.65 -0.37 -0.6% +2.6% Silver (troy oz.) 24.09 24.57 -0.48 -2.0% -8.5%
Share Volume
Telecom 84.78 -0.54 ...% +14.2% Total 3,471,610,945 6,100,429,466 iShs China Large Cap FXI 41.48 -0.85 -2.0% -10.7% Soybeans (bushel) 12.38 12.37 +0.01 +0.1% -5.9%
3,377,518,030 iShares Brazil EWZ 30.49 -0.71 -2.3% -17.8% Wheat (bushel) 7.52 7.60 -0.08 -1.0% +17.5%
Utilities 67.32 +0.36 +5.9% +7.4% Advancing 1,309,727,794
Declining 2,096,740,415 2,596,651,025
Consumer staples 71.49 +0.25 +2.9% +6.0%
Unchanged 65,142,736 126,260,411
FOREIGN CURRENCIES FOREIGN MARKETS
Currency per dollar Close Prev. 6 mo. ago Yr. ago
S&P 500’S BIGGEST GAINERS S&P 500’S BIGGEST LOSERS British pound .7264 .7262 .7191 .7681
Country Close Prev. Change %Chg. %YTD
Frankfurt 15,757.06 15,599.23 +157.83 +1.0% +14.9%
Company (ticker) Price $ Chg . % Chg. YTD Company (ticker) Price $ Chg . % Chg. YTD Canadian dollar 1.2385 1.2385 1.2400 1.3199 Hong Kong 26,038.27 26,132.03 -93.76 -0.4% -4.4%
UPS class B (UPS) 218.07 +14.17 +6.9 +29.5 Lockheed Martin (LMT) 331.91 -44.42 -11.8 -6.5 Japan (Nikkei) 29,106.01 28,600.41 +505.60 +1.8% +6.1%
Chinese yuan 6.3830 6.3858 6.4855 6.7122
Nvidia Corporation (NVDA) 247.17 +15.51 +6.7 +89.3 Universal Hlth Svc (UHS) 126.17 -7.52 -5.6 -8.2 London 7,277.62 7,222.82 +54.80 +0.8% +12.7%
Corning Inc (GLW) 36.58 -2.03 -5.3 +1.6 Euro .8622 .8611 .8270 .8464
Arista Networks (ANET) 403.59 +17.55 +4.5 +38.9 Mexico City 52,206.59 51,833.80 +372.79 +0.7% +18.5%
Centene Corp (CNC) 70.97 +3.00 +4.4 +18.2 L3Harris Technolog (LHX) 233.39 -10.88 -4.5 +23.5 Japanese yen 114.17 113.71 108.12 104.87
S&P Global Inc (SPGI) 464.62 +17.25 +3.9 +41.3 Facebook Inc (FB) 315.81 -12.88 -3.9 +15.6 Mexican peso 20.1971 20.1625 19.8622 20.9290 SOURCE Morningstar, Dow Jones Indexes, The Associated Press

News from across the USA

ALABAMA Tuskegee: Members of HIGHLIGHT: MASSACHUSETTS OREGON Salem: U.S. Sens. Ron Wy-
Tuskegee University’s marching band den and Jeff Merkley are still waiting
are threatening to quit performing at for answers to questions they asked
school events to protest what they six years ago about Chemawa Indian
call a lack of resources and support. School and submitted a letter Mon-
day to the inspector general for the
ALASKA Juneau: An open container
U.S. Interior Department.
citation against a lawmaker has been
dismissed because the trooper who PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: The
issued it is no longer employed after five-person commission redrawing
being accused of abusing of a minor. General Assembly district lines gave
its approval Monday to adjusted and
ARIZONA Phoenix: After a heavy
validated census-based data it will
monsoon, the state is seeing the most
use to craft preliminary maps. It also
cases of West Nile virus since the
voted to certify census data that
Arizona Department of Health Ser-
shifts just under 27,000 state prison
vices began collecting data in 2004.
inmates back to their home districts.
ARKANSAS Conway: Police fatally
RHODE ISLAND Providence: Brown
shot a driver who opened fire during
University will expand financial aid
a traffic stop, wounding an officer,
Susan Baur and Mary Grauerholz gather trash from a pond. USA TODAY NETWORK and work to improve college access
according to Arkansas State Police.
following lucrative hauls from its
CALIFORNIA San Francisco: A pow- endowment and fundraising. The Ivy
erful storm that swept through the Hyannis: Senior citizens in scuba gear have made it their mission to clean up League school said it will fully cover
state set rainfall records and helped Cape Cod. The group Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage has in the past tuition for families earning $125,000
douse wildfires, but it remained to be four years traveled to large ponds from Chatham to Falmouth, cleaning up trash or less. Students from families mak-
seen Tuesday how much of a dent it left by visitors and residents and debris that blows into the water from nearby ing less than $60,000 a year will have
made in California’s drought. homes and roadways. They find lawn chairs, beer and soda cans, discarded boat other expenses covered, too.
rigs, garden gnomes, charcoal grills and more. While 75% of the trash is along the
COLORADO Fort Collins: Colorado SOUTH CAROLINA Beaufort: The
water’s edge, Susan Baur, 81, said the group often travels into the middle of ponds
State University has opened a center 158-year-old Tabernacle Baptist
to pull out bigger, heavier objects like car tires and even a fender.
dedicated to cannabinoid research. Church has been given a $250,000
grant through a national program
CONNECTICUT Hartford: State Rep.
aimed at preserving historic houses
Michael DiMassa, D-West Haven, has
of worship.
resigned from the Legislature after
being charged last week with mis- KANSAS Topeka: The state’s top NEBRASKA Lincoln: The state’s SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Com-
using federal pandemic relief funds. court heard arguments Tuesday on unemployment rate of 2% in Sep- mittees in the state House and Sen-
whether a law requiring judges to tember was the nation’s lowest and ate approved different legislative
DELAWARE Dover: The office of the
issue quick decisions in lawsuits the lowest on record for Nebraska. district maps Monday, showing a
embattled state auditor violated the
against county-level COVID-19 re- schism among Republicans.
state’s Freedom of Information Act NEVADA Las Vegas: The state is
strictions is constitutional.
over several years by failing to prop- allocating $5 million in federal pan- TENNESSEE Nashville: GOP legisla-
erly maintain logs of public records KENTUCKY Frankfort: Republican demic aid for a program officials tors are gearing up in a special ses-
requests, the Delaware attorney gen- legislative leaders rejected a request said will provide grants to children sion starting Wednesday to take a
eral’s office has determined. to appoint members to a group to with disabilities and their families. broad swipe at officials who've had a
discuss using pandemic aid to re- role in COVID-19-related protections.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washing- NEW HAMPSHIRE Hanover: Dart-
ward front-line workers with bonus-
ton: Howard University has named a mouth College is now requiring even TEXAS Houston: A legal debate over
es, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday.
street after Lucy Diggs Slowe, WUSA- those employees working remotely whether spiritual advisers can touch
TV reports. Slowe was a founding LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: The to be vaccinated against COVID-19. inmates and pray aloud as the con-
member of Alpha Kappa Alpha soror- state’s teacher shortage is growing demned are being put to death has
NEW JERSEY Kearny: President Joe
ity, the first chapter of which was worse, with rising retirements and delayed the final two executions
Biden brought his push for his infra-
created at Howard in 1908, and later declining ranks of new educators. scheduled this year in the state.
structure plan to the Garden State
the university’s first dean of women.
MAINE Portland: An 86-acre private on Monday, touting a recently UTAH St. George: A new report from
FLORIDA Orlando: A prosecutor has island in Casco Bay with a massive jump-started $2 billion project to the advocacy group Center for West-
filed a motion to clear the names of mansion and other buildings has replace a century-old rail bridge. ern Priorities found campgrounds in
the “Groveland Four,” young African been sold for $7 million. the state have been booming, with
NEW MEXICO Farmington: An exhi-
American men wrongly accused of well over 90% of sites near national
MARYLAND Annapolis: Glenn Ivey, bition opening Nov. 12 at the Far-
raping a white woman in 1949. parks occupied in recent summers.
a former Prince George’s County mington Museum will mark the
GEORGIA Brunswick: The final giant state’s attorney, and state Del. Jazz 100th anniversary of the drilling of VERMONT Royalton: A federal judge
chunk of an overturned cargo ship Lewis announced Tuesday that they the first commercial natural gas well has ruled that Vermont Law School
was removed from waters along the would seek the U.S. House seat set in the San Juan Basin. can conceal two large murals that
state’s coast Monday, almost a year to open up after Rep Anthony some find racially offensive.
NEW YORK New York: A rare judi-
after demolition began. Brown announced he is running for
cial inquiry under a provision of the VIRGINIA Lynchburg: A former
Maryland attorney general.
HAWAII Hilo: Sixteen nurses, most city charter began Monday into the spokesperson for Liberty University
from the Big Island, have graduated MICHIGAN Hillsdale: State officials death of Eric Garner as he was re- is suing the evangelical school, alleg-
from Hilo Medical Center’s residency have barred the clerk of Adams strained by police. ing his firing was retaliation for voic-
program in nursing, offering hope to Township from running her com- ing concerns that sexual misconduct
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: State
the community amid a shortage. munity’s local election next week, accusations were mishandled.
wildlife officials are advising resi-
saying she failed to take steps to
IDAHO Boise: Police exchanged gun- dents to expect to hear some howl- WASHINGTON Spokane: A federal
ensure the security of the vote.
fire with a suspect Monday during a ing this week, not because Hallow- judge on Monday denied a bid by
shooting at a shopping mall that MINNESOTA St. Paul: Contentious een is approaching but because firefighters, state troopers and others
killed two people and injured four, disagreements over COVID-19 pol- young coyotes are leaving their par- to halt a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
including an officer, authorities said. icies and critical race theory have ents to strike out on their own.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: Victims
caused local school board resigna-
ILLINOIS Chicago: An order barring a NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: The of domestic violence and sexual as-
tions in the state to triple this year.
police union leader from publicly state Department of Health on sault in Kanawha County can access
encouraging members to disobey a MISSISSIPPI Hattiesburg: The Uni- Tuesday switched off comments on the court system without fear of be-
city vaccine mandate expired Mon- versity of Southern Mississippi is its social media accounts in an ef- ing in the same room as their assail-
day. Still, police leaders, who call it a now displaying flags to recognize fort to stop the spread of misin- ants under a pilot program launched
matter of protecting officers and the students enrolled there from six formation, mostly about COVID-19. Monday by West Virginia Supreme
public, say few officers haven’t com- Native American nations. Court Chief Justice Evan Jenkins.
OHIO Columbus: A federal judge on
plied, risking their employment.
MISSOURI St. Louis: Harris-Stowe Monday dismissed more of the un- WISCONSIN Marengo: Two people
INDIANA Greensburg: The rural city University says it’s is using federal settled lawsuits filed by men who who died when their small plane
has piqued the interest of hundreds pandemic aid to eliminate student say Ohio State University failed to crashed into a house Saturday were a
of families considering a move after it debt from the last academic year. stop sexual abuse decades ago by brother and sister known to the
offered stand-in “grandparents” to now-deceased team doctor Richard homeowners, who escaped injury.
MONTANA Helena: Republican
babysit their children. Strauss, saying the legal window for
leaders in the Legislature on Mon- WYOMING Gillette: A man allegedly
such claims has passed.
IOWA Des Moines: An activist ac- day approved a request by Demo- tried getting out of a drunken driving
quitted of interfering in an arrest last cratic lawmakers to look into the OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: The charge by claiming his 4-year-old son
year has been acquitted of another state Department of Justice’s in- state Supreme Court on Monday was behind the wheel, according to
charge in which police accused him volvement in investigating a com- blocked three anti-abortion laws sheriff ’s deputies.
of blocking a street during a protest plaint made by the family of a hos- that were scheduled to take effect From USA TODAY Network and
against treatment of migrant women. pitalized COVID-19 patient. Nov. 1. wire reports
4B ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY
Amazon’s Kindle
Paperwhite may be
contrast you need
Size, weight help make it perfect for book lovers
Brett Molina
USA TODAY
With smartphones and tablets, we’re
packing digital Swiss army knives: tools
capable of multiple tasks from email
and web browsing to streaming videos
and taking pictures.
The all-new Kindle Paperwhite from
Amazon, which will start shipping
Wednesday starting at $139.99, proves
it’s OK to own a device that mostly does
one thing, so long as it does that one
thing really well.
In the case of the Paperwhite, the lat-
est in Amazon’s longstanding Kindle
line that propelled its endeavors into
tech gadgets, that one thing it’s great at
is serving as your personal, portable li-
brary.
I’ve had the chance to use the Signa-
ture Edition of the Paperwhite for about
a week now. Reading books on the Pa-
perwhite is a delight, and Amazon has
added some key features that make it
easier to dive into a book no matter
where you are.
The latest edition of Paperwhite has a
larger display at 6.8 inches. The display
is brighter, too, and glare-free according
to Amazon. The device is light, weighing
in at just more than seven ounces.
Setup was simple. I pulled up the
Kindle app on my iPhone to add my
account and perform some additional
setup steps before finishing on the
Paperwhite.
Like previous Paperwhites and Kin-
dle e-readers, this version has an E-ink
display, so content is in black and white.
E-ink displays also are not as respon-
sive when scrolling as a smartphone. It
feels more like you’re flipping a page up-
ward to “scroll” instead of the fluid
movement you experience on a smart-
phone.
Amazon upgraded the Kindle reading
experience with an interface that allows
People look at a Tesla Model Y electric vehicle on a showroom floor at the
Miami Design District on Oct. 21 in Miami. JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES
Tesla $1 trillion
Continued from Page 1B
Its market value stands greater than
General Motors, Toyota, Ford, Volks-
wagen, BMW and several other auto gi-
ants combined.
Here’s a breakdown of what is fueling
Tesla’s eye-popping market cap:
Hertz deal
Hertz’s move to buy 100,000 cars
from Tesla by the end of 2022 is among
the largest electric vehicle orders ever
placed, matching the 100,000 electric
vans that Amazon has ordered from
startup Rivian.
The deal is worth about $4.2 billion,
estimated Wedbush Securities analyst
Dan Ives.
Hertz also plans to install thousands
of electric vehicle charging stations at
its locations.
The move represents the largest in-
vestment by a rental car agency in tech-
nology widely considered the future of
the automotive business but still
viewed with caution by many Ameri-
cans worried about running out of bat-
tery power while driving.
Strong earnings
Last week, Tesla posted a third
straight record quarterly profit on the
back of record deliveries.
Tesla hit a record number of vehicle
deliveries in the third quarter. It deliv-
MONEY
swapping among reading modes ef-
fortlessly.
Let’s say you’re getting ready for
bed and want to read. Swipe down
from the top of the screen and you’ll
see various settings, including a
white-on-black dark mode and adjust-
able warm light. You also can tap at the
top of the screen to pull up the menu to
quickly return to your library or access
other features such as Smart Lookup
to check out words in the dictionary.
Since I would shift from reading
during the day to night, this interface
felt essential when I wanted to jump to
dark mode without leaving the page in
my book.
Both the standard and Signature
editions are waterproof. The Signature
edition, which costs $50 more, offers
wireless charging and a sensor that
will automatically adjust the display’s
brightness. You get 32 GB of storage,
compared with 8 GB on the standard
model.
Amazon says the Paperwhites pack
up to 10 weeks of battery life, and can
charge from zero to full in 21⁄2 hours if
you use a minimum 9-watt adapter.
Of course, since we’re talking about
Amazon, there are plenty of books to
read. The Kindles come with limited- The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is $189.99. PROVIDED BY AMAZON
time access to Kindle Unlimited, which
offers millions of books, not to men-
tion the countless titles you could buy
separately to fill up your e-reader. It is
easy to build up a large library on a
Kindle.
I found the experience reading on a
So far, I’ve found the experience of Paperwhite more pleasant than a
reading on a Paperwhite more pleas-
ant than a traditional smartphone or traditional smartphone or tablet. It’s the
tablet. It’s the ideal size and weight, ideal size and weight, flipping through
flipping through pages is smooth, and
it’s nice to focus on my book without pages is smooth, and it’s nice to focus on
getting dinged by notifications period-
ically. If you’re an avid book reader or
my book without getting dinged by
want to read more, the Paperwhite notifications periodically.
represents a great option.
ered 241,300 of its electric vehicles
globally between July and September, Introducing USA TODAY’s first annual
up 73% from last year.
Musk, the world’s wealthiest per-
Best of Humankind Awards, honoring everyday
son, has benefited as the company’s people who have showcased the highest level of
largest shareholder. His Tesla hold- kindness, compassion, and perseverance in 2021.
ings, including vested and unvested
options, were worth roughly $297 bil-
lion as of Monday, according to The
Wall Street Journal, citing corporate
governance data company Equilar.
To be sure, Tesla still faces chal-
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lenges growing its earnings in the
coming quarters due to supply chain
disruptions.
TODAY
“A variety of challenges, including
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semiconductor shortages, congestion
at ports and rolling blackouts, have
been impacting our ability to keep fac-
tories running at full speed,” the com-
pany told shareholders last week. YOU COULD WIN
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On Sunday, Adam Jonas, analyst at
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$900, citing higher vehicle sales vol-
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Tesla’s third-quarter sales surged HumankindAwards.com
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lations, even as global automobile pro-
duction fell by about a fifth.
Jato Dynamics, a global supplier of
automotive business intelligence, said
Monday that Tesla’s Model 3 electric
sedan became the first fully electric
vehicle to top new car sales overall in
Europe in September.
SPORTS
USA TODAY | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 | SECTION C
PERFECT
STORM
Braves left fielder Eddie Rosario a walk-off RBI against the Dodgers in the NLCS, while Georgia running back Kendall Milton
gets lifted up by lineman Jamaree Salyer after a TD. PHOTOS BY DALE ZANINE/USA TODAY SPORTS
‘Perfect storm’ for fans of UGA, Braves in title hunts
Marc Weiszer
Athens Banner-Herald
USA TODAY Network
ATHENS, Ga. – Richard Costigan
wears his disdain for Florida on the Cali-
fornia license plate of his Jeep Wrangler.
GATR H8R
The University of Georgia graduate
has tickets for Saturday’s ‘Cocktail Par-
ty’ football game in Jacksonville, Flori-
da, but he’s probably going to bypass
that and try to land tickets to the Braves’
World Series home game that night.
Yes, this is quite the time for sports
fans in the Peach State, especially those
who are fans of the No. 1 Bulldogs who
are seeking their first national title since
1980 and the National League champion
Braves who last won the World Series in
100 days out: Key questions
ahead of Beijing Winter Olympics
Tom Schad
USA TODAY
Another iteration of the
Olympic Games is just around
the corner.
And these Games, like the
Summer Olympics in Tokyo be-
fore them, promise to be mem-
orable.
With the opening ceremony
of the 2022 Beijing Olympics
now just 100 days away, Beijing
2022 organizers are continuing
to refine the COVID-19 proto-
cols that will be in place for the
Games. Human rights groups
are continuing to call on Olym-
pic stakeholders to speak out
about China’s detention of
Uyghur Muslims, among other
issues. And some of Team
USA’s marquee athletes are re-
turning to competition after a
summer of training, with their A security guard wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of
the coronavirus patrols past a Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic
See BEIJING, Page 7C Games decoration at the Olympic Tower in Beijing. ANDY WONG/AP
Ex-Blackhawks GM resigns as
GM of US Olympic men’s team
Bowman earlier quit in Chicago in wake of Black-
hawks sexual assault investigation. Page 5C
1995 and are playing in their first since
1999.
“I’d rather have a national champion-
ship than a World Series,” said Costigan,
a 1988 UGA graduate and a partner in
the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
in government relations and public af-
fairs. “I’d certainly love to have both. … If
we get a Braves win as well, that would
be fantastic with all that’s gone on over
the last few months.”
Georgia plays Florida at 3:30 p.m. ET
Saturday on CBS. The Braves meet the
Astros in Game 4 of the World Series at 8
that night on Fox.
“It’s just kind of a perfect storm this
year as you know if you’re a Braves fan
or a Georgia fan,” said Luke Goddard of
Macon who is a fan of both teams. “One
has expectations with the talent and
Latest news, results, opinion
24/7 at sports.usatoday.com
Complete coverage, from who won and how, from
Game 1 of the Braves-Astros World Series.
what they’re building there in Athens
and the other one is sort of playing with
house money right now.”
That’s because Atlanta made its play-
off run despite missing some big pieces
this season.
“I think it’s really cool that the Braves
are in the World Series and we don’t
have Ronald (Acuna) and we don’t have
(Mike) Soroka,” said Georgia punter
Jake Camarda, who is from Norcross.
“That should show in the next couple of
years, Braves Country should be pretty
excited with the fact we’ve got a really
good team.”
Goddard goes to a few Bulldog games
a year. His father is a UGA grad with sea-
son tickets.
See TITLE HUNTS, Page 7C
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Christine Brennan
Columnist
USA TODAY
Watson
should be
ineligible
to play
Trade talk has intensified in the ig-
nominious life of Deshaun Watson,
with the Miami Dolphins and Caroli-
na Panthers both reportedly interest-
ed in bringing the alleged sexual as-
saulter into their communities to toss
a football, represent their towns and
be a standard-bearer for all the girls
and boys and families who cheer for
those NFL teams.
Yippee.
Throw in the 650,000 internal
league and team emails still shroud-
ed in secrecy, hiding who knows how
many more racists, sexists, misogy-
nists, homophobes and transphobes
beyond Jon Gruden, and the NFL
really is having a heck of a month.
After taking some significant
steps following the 2014 Ray Rice do-
mestic violence scandal, the NFL
seems to be heading backward –
backward to a time many team own-
ers and other executives must long
for, a time when the Watsons and
Grudens of the world could not only
get their way (in allegedly different
ways of course), but thrive and be
celebrated for it.
How else do we interpret the fact
that as of right now, Watson is still
NFL trade bait? How is it possible
that a man facing 22 civil lawsuits
stemming from sexual misconduct or
sexual assault allegations from 23
women is being discussed as if he
were any other talented quarterback
who is available as the trade deadline
approaches?
What an embarrassment this is for
the NFL. The Houston Texans gave
the league time to figure out what ac-
tion to take against Watson when
they made it clear they would not
consider playing him this season af-
ter Watson demanded a trade in Jan-
uary. In each game this season, the
Texans have kept Watson on the in-
active list.
But that solution wasn’t going to
last forever, and now here we are,
with experts on air, online and in
front offices having the utterly un-
seemly conversations about which
team he might go to, and what the
Texans want in return.
To discuss Watson solely as a foot-
ball player is to entirely miss the past
five years or so of conversations in
this country about how we treat vic-
tims of alleged sexual misconduct
and sexual assault, how we listen to
them, how we believe them, how we
See BRENNAN, Page 7C
2C ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

COMMENTARY

All the pressure is on Harbaugh this week

Jeff Seidel
Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network
DETROIT – This is awesome.
No matter what side you are on.
Here you haveMichigan. Undefeated.
Ranked No. 6 in the country. Coached by
a guy who took a pay cut to keep coach-
ing his alma mater.
Then you have Michigan State. Un-
defeated. Ranked No. 7. Coached by a
guy who barely moved in (he has
coached just 14 games for MSU) and he
is rumored to be a candidate for the LSU
job.
The two teams will play on Saturday
in East Lansing. And they are both
ranked in the top 10? That hasn’t hap-
pened since 1964.
For just a second, we should appreci-
ate that. It’s simply awesome. Both
teams, both coaches, deserve all kinds
of credit for having such a great start to
the season.
East Lansing will be the center of the
college football world on Saturday. Fox’s
pregame show is coming, so is ESPN’s
“College GameDay.”
“Huge game,” Michigan coach Jim
Harbaugh said on Monday.
No doubt.
For both teams.
“It’s elimination mindset,” Harbaugh
said.
That’s an interesting choice of words.
Because this will be an elimination
game for U-M, one way or the other. The
Wolverines have a chance to eliminate
all the questions that remain about this
team. Or they are gonna get eliminated
from the conference race.
A must-win?
There is more pressure on Harbaugh
to win this game than MSU’s coach Mel
Tucker.
Not because the Wolverines are fa-
vored to win, according to Vegas odds-
makers.
No, there is more pressure on Har-
Head coach Jim Harbaugh has a 56-22 record in his seventh season at Michigan.
KIRTHMON F. DOZIER/DETROIT FREE PRESS
baugh because of the circumstances
and state of the programs.
Tucker is in Year 2, trying to build
something (let’s leave the LSU talk aside
for the moment).
But Harbaugh is in Year 7 at Michi-
gan, trying to hold onto his job.
Even though U-M has had a fantastic
start to the season, this is as close to a
must-win game for Harbaugh as you
can get, other than playing against Ohio
State. Because the ramifications are
enormous.
“It means everything,” linebacker
Josh Ross said.
Think about everything that hinges
on this game.
First, think about everything that
could go wrong for the Wolverines.
If Michigan loses Saturday and then
drops another to Ohio State (right now, I
don’t see either U-M or MSU beating the
Buckeyes), I don’t care if the Wolverines
started the year so well, Harbaugh will
be in a precarious position.
Because you can’t keep losing to your
rivals. Can you imagine the fallout if
Harbaugh loses to Tucker for two
straight years? In Tucker’s first two
years?
Fire up that hot seat in Ann Arbor.
Of course, that’s just one possibility.
If Michigan can beat MSU, it could
push the Wolverines to the next level.
Hopes of a conference title will still be
alive.
“I think it could really help propel us
through the rest of the season,” left
tackle Ryan Hayes said.
In many ways, this is the real start of
the season for Michigan. Everything
else was just a prequel, not to mention
significantly easier. The Wolverines
have the seventh-hardest schedule left
in the country, according to Pro Football
Focus.
“Huge game,” Harbaugh repeated.
While there is a prevailing narrative
about Michigan – how this team has a
new culture with better leadership and
an influx of younger coaches – there are
still plenty of questions about this Wol-
verines team.
U-M has beaten two Mid-American
schools, needed to force a late, fourth-
quarter turnover to secure the win over
Nebraska and barely held on against
Rutgers (0-4 in Big Ten).
Even Michigan’s win at Wisconsin
doesn’t look so great now, considering
the Badgers are 4-3.
It is fair to wonder if Michigan’s for-
mula – running the ball, rarely passing
the ball downfield successfully and rely-
ing on a stingy defense – will work
against better teams.
You can only play who is on your
schedule. Harbaugh should be given
credit for getting his team to this point.
But the real season begins Saturday for
the Wolverines. And all the pressure is
on Harbaugh to prove that this change is
real.
Because if U-M loses to MSU and
Ohio State, what has really changed?
But if U-M can beat the Spartans? A
top-10 team on the road? In what prom-
ises to be a crazy environment? That
would inject even more energy into this
surging Michigan program.
“It would give it a boost,” Harbaugh
said.
“A big boost?” a reporter asked.
“Yeah, win the conference, win the
national championship,” Harbaugh
said. “Playoff-mindset at this point.”
This is an amazing opportunity for
the Wolverines to climb to the next level.
But on the flip side, it could also be
the start of the end.
Either way, something is going to be
eliminated.
Either the doubt about this team.
Or dreams of something bigger.

Practice will determine which Georgia QB starts

Marc Weiszer
Athens Banner-Herald
USA TODAY Network
ATHENS, Ga. – Switching
starting quarterbacks to face
Florida in Jacksonville back-
fired for Georgia the last time it
made the move in 2015 under a
previous staff.
Turning to unproven third-
stringer Faton Bauta was a
gamble that didn’t pay divi-
dends in a 27-3 loss.
If Georgia coach Kirby Smart
doesn’t stick with Stetson Ben-
nett on Saturday to start for
top-ranked Georgia against un-
ranked Florida, his other option
is the guy who hasn’t lost as a
Georgia starter and held the job
before a strained lat muscle
sidelined him.
JT Daniels is 7-0 as a Bull-
dogs starter and has had the
bye week to help mend from an
injury that has kept him out
since a 62-0 rout of Vanderbilt
on Sept. 25, but Smart said last
week Daniels showed “rust” as
he increased his practice reps.
So now that it’s game week,
Smart summed up the quarter-
back decision in relatively sim-
ple terms on Monday.
“It’s going to be based on
practice,” he said. “No decision
has been made whatsoever.”
Bennett, who also started
against UAB in Week 2 when
Daniels was out with an
oblique injury, leads the South-
eastern Conference with a
210.93 passing efficiency rate,
ahead of Alabama’s Bryce
Young’s 180.04, and is tops in
yards per attempt at 12.2.
Bennett’s passing efficiency
for three games starting in Oc-
tober – all against top 20 teams
at the time in Arkansas, Au-
burn and Kentucky – ranks
sixth nationally at 188.37, ac-
cording to Cfstats.com He
threw five touchdowns and no
interceptions in those games.
Daniels’ season pass efficiency
rating is 160.75 with five touch-
downs and two interceptions.
Bennett’s “confidence is
there now,” offensive tackle
Warren McClendon said. “Just
having him getting the reps, we
believe in him, we trust him.”
Daniels has completed
76.1% of his passes this season
and has three games in his Bull-
dogs career throwing for more
than 300 yards passing, includ-
ing against South Carolina this
season.
Smart was peppered by
quarterback questions during
his regular Monday game week
press conference.
Smart was asked if it was
likely that both Bennett and
Daniels will play against Flori-
da.
“It’s going to depend on how
they practice and what they
do,” he said. “Is it likely that we
will see both of them? I don’t
know that. I haven’t seen prac-
tice today. I’d like to see prac-
tice today to know a little bit
better to know, OK, where’s he
at. Based on Wednesday and
Thursday, he was able to throw
without pain. That’s step one.
The next step is can I move?
Can I throw with accuracy? Can Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) warms up while JT
I do all the things required to Daniels (18) looks on. JOSHUA L. JONES/USA TODAY NETWORK
play quarterback? I don’t know
if he can do those things just
yet. We’ll see by how he prac-
tices this week.”
What about rotating quar-
terbacks week to week or dur-
ing a game?
“I’ll say it again, I’m really NOTICES
OK with whoever the best guy LEGAL NOTICE
that gives us the best chance to UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, HOUSTON DIVISION
win is,” Smart said. “That’s In re: WASHINGTON PRIME GROUP INC., et al.,1 ) Chapter 11, Case No. 21-31948 (MI)
Debtors. ) (Jointly Administered)
based on practice and health NOTICE OF OCCURRENCE OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE DEBTORS’ SECOND
AMENDED JOINT CHAPTER 11 PLAN OF REORGANIZATION
and it will continue to be that TO ALL CREDITORS,INTEREST HOLDERS,AND OTHER PARTIES IN INTEREST:
way the rest of the year. The PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT, on September 3, 2021, Marvin Isgur, United States Bankruptcy Judge of the
United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the“Bankruptcy Court”),entered the Order
question of ‘Are you OK rotating Approving the Debtors’ Disclosure Statement and Confirming the Second Amended Joint Chapter 11 Plan of
Reorganization of Washington Prime Group, Inc. and its Debtor Affiliates [Docket No. 1022] (the“Confirmation
them’ is really not relevant if Order”), confirming the Second Amended Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization of Washington Prime Group,
Inc.,anditsDebtorAffiliates[DocketNo.976](the“Plan”).2
they’re not both completely PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE THAT, copies of the Confirmation Order, the Plan, and all documents
filed in these Chapter 11 Cases are available free of charge by visiting https://cases.primeclerk.com/
healthy.’ ” washingtonprime. You may also obtain copies of any pleadings by visiting the Bankruptcy Court’s website at
https://ecf.txsb.uscourts.govinaccordancewiththeproceduresandfeessetforththerein.
PLEASETAKEFURTHERNOTICETHAT,theEffectiveDateofthePlanoccurredonOctober21,2021.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE THAT, unless otherwise provided by the Plan, the Confirmation Order,
any other applicable order of the Bankruptcy Court, or agreed to by the Holder of an Allowed Administrative
Claim and the Debtors,all requests for payment of Administrative Claims,other than Professional Fee Claims,
must be filed and served on the Debtors no later than 30 days after the Effective Date (the“Administrative

Tomlin shoots down college rumors
Michael
Middlehurst-Schwartz
USA TODAY
Mike Tomlin stated in no un-
certain terms that he has zero
interest in leaving the NFL for
any college job.
After some speculated that
he could be a candidate for the
vacancies at Southern Cal and
LSU, the Steelers coach offered
a firm rebuke Tuesday when
asked about his potential inter-
est in moving to the collegiate
level.
sional sport. Why would I have
any interest in coaching college
football? That will be the last
time I address it – not only to-
day, but moving forward.”
Tomlin has served as Pitts-
burgh’s head coach since 2007,
which gives him the third-long-
est tenure of any active NFL
coach. He has compiled a 148-
81-1 record, leading Pittsburgh
to a Super Bowl title in the 2008
season and nine playoff berths.
He has not worked at the
college level since 2000, when
he was a defensive backs coach
interview with Dan Patrick as a
“wild card” in the Trojans’
coaching search. Palmer said
he has given his input to the
school.
Tomlin closed the door on
that idea. “Never say never, but
never,” he said. “Anybody else
got any questions about any
college jobs? There’s not a
booster with a big enough
blank check.”
Tomlin then questioned why
he was being pressed on spec-
ulation about college jobs.
“Anybody asking (Saints
Claims Bar Date”).Holders of Administrative Claims that are required to,but do not,File and serve a
request for payment of such Administrative Claims by the Administrative Claims Bar Date shall
be forever barred, estopped, and enjoined from asserting such Administrative Claims against
the Debtors, the Reorganized Debtors, or their property and such Administrative Claims shall
be deemed discharged as of the Effective Date without the need for any objection from the
ReorganizedDebtorsoranyactionbytheBankruptcyCourt.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE THAT, unless otherwise provided by a Final Order of the Bankruptcy
Court,all Proofs of Claim with respect to Claims arising from the rejection of Executory Contracts or Unexpired
Leases, pursuant to the Plan or the Confirmation Order, if any, must be Filed with the Solicitation Agent and
served on the Reorganized Debtors no later than 30 days after the effective date of such rejection.
Any Claims arising from the rejection of an Executory Contract or Unexpired Lease not Filed with
the Solicitation Agent within such time will be automatically disallowed, forever barred from
assertion,andshallnotbeenforceableagainsttheDebtors,theReorganizedDebtors,theDebtors’
Estates, or their property, without the need for any objection by the Debtors or Reorganized
Debtors,or further notice to,action,order,or approval of the Bankruptcy Court or any other Entity,
and any Claim arising out of the rejection of the Executory Contract or Unexpired Lease shall be
deemed fully satisfied, released, and discharged, and be subject to the permanent injunction set
forthinArticleVIII.GofthePlan,notwithstandinganythinginaProofofClaimtothecontrary.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE THAT, pursuant to Article VIII.J of the Plan and paragraph 47 of the
Confirmation Order, the automatic stay pursuant to section 362 of the Bankruptcy Code shall terminate as of
theEffectiveDate.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE THAT, the Plan and its provisions are binding on the Debtors, the
Reorganized Debtors,and any Holder of a Claim against or Interest in the Debtors,and such Holder’s respective
successors and assigns,regardless of whether such Holder (a) will receive any property or interest in property
under the Plan,(b) has filed a Proof of Claim or Interest in the Chapter 11 Cases,or (c) failed to vote to accept or
rejectthePlanoraffirmativelyvotedtorejectthePlan.
1
A complete list of each of the Debtors in these chapter 11 cases and the last four digits of their federal
tax identification numbers may be obtained on the website of the Debtors’ claims and noticing agent at
https://cases.primeclerk.com/washingtonprime. The Debtors’ service address is 180 East Broad Street,
Columbus,Ohio43215.
2
Capitalized terms used but undefined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Plan or the
ConfirmationOrder,asapplicable.

“Hey guys, I don’t have time
for that speculation,” he said.
“That’s a joke to me. I have one
of the best jobs in all of profes-
at Cincinnati.
On Monday, former USC
quarterback Carson Palmer
dropped Tomlin’s name in an
GET NOTICED!
coach) Sean Payton about
that?” Tomlin said. “Anybody
asking (Chiefs coach) Andy Advertise in USA TODAY’s Marketplace! Call:1-800-397-0070
Reid about stuff like that?”
SPORTS
Two Snitkers battle in World Series
Brian manages Braves;
Troy an Astros coach
Gabe Lacques
USA TODAY
HOUSTON – In any World Series,
themes of resilience and perseverance
and love will abound. You don’t navigate
a 162-game season and three rounds of
playoffs without them.
Yet while those concepts exist more
often on a visceral level, this 2021 World
Series pitting the Braves against the As-
tros will house a pair of shining exam-
ples – one in each dugout.
When Braves manager Brian Snitker
gazes across the diamond at Minute
Maid Park on Tuesday night, his eye
might catch a glimpse of his son, Troy, a
hitting coach for the Astros. And while
Snitker should be consumed with where
to stand during pregame introductions
or the ground rules of Minute Maid Park
or how, exactly, to slay a deep and pow-
erful Astros team that’s banked 102
wins (including the postseason), he can
be forgiven if his mind wanders a bit.
In a sport increasingly given over to
fast-rising whiz kids and managerial
hires with no actual managerial experi-
ence, Snitker is an ode to the grinders.
He was already a grandfather by the
time he took over as Braves manager in
May 2016; the 2021 season marks his
45th year in the organization, easily
spanning all of Troy’s 32 years.
And so Snitker’s only son summered
in locales like Macon and Durham, Sum-
ter and Danville, just 5 years old when
he befriended a prospect named Chip-
per Jones. He scrubbed the cleats and
rode busses and got rides home from
clubhouse attendants when his work
was done.
And even as he saw his father dealt
some gut-punch losses on the field –
1,309 of ‘em in the minors – and some
soul-crushing setbacks when he was
bounced back to the minors after stints
with the big club, Troy took it all in and
decided that this life was for him, too.
For the elder Snitker, 66, it was a qui-
et endorsement after decades spent
away from his family while readying a
never-ending parade of Braves
prospects for the big leagues.
“Kind of validated the fact that may-
be I did something right, the way he
turned out,” Snitker said Monday, when
he arrived, admittedly wide-eyed, to
baseball’s grandest stage for a workout
day. “He’s a heck of a young man. And he
does have a great work ethic, I know
that.”
Snitker has never stopped working in
baseball, even when it worked him over
a bit.
‘The coolest thing ever’
Hired by none other than Hank Aar-
on, Snitker transitioned from itinerant
Braves minor league catcher to do-any-
thing instructor, be it in 20 years as a
manager or roving through their many
Inside connection between Giants WR, WS
Dante Pettis’ dad is
Astros’ 3rd-base coach
Art Stapleton
NorthJersey.com | USA TODAY Network
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Dante
Pettis once dreamed of tracking fly balls
just like his five-time Gold Glove-win-
ning father did throughout his 11-year
MLB career.
When he was in college, the New York
Giants wide receiver would visit the
ballpark in Seattle whenever Gary Pet-
tis, now the third base coach of the
Houston Astros, was in town.
That’s when Dante lived out his fan-
tasy of being just like Dad, shagging flies
at the outfield wall, trying to rob home
runs while showing off the family gene –
even if he ultimately chose the gridiron
instead of the diamond.
“I love baseball, it’s definitely still in
my blood,” Dante told NorthJersey.com
this summer. “But I’m a football player
now. Still a baseball fan, though, a Gary
Pettis fan, for sure.”
Which is why Dante will be watching
intently from New Jersey on Tuesday
night when his father and the Astros
open the World Series at home against
the Atlanta Braves.
He had a few friends over to his
apartment last Friday when the Astros
clinched the American League pennant,
and promised he’d be rooting like heck
for a team that – let’s be honest – isn’t
exactly a popular one around here.
Astros hitting coach Troy Snitker, left, stands with his father, Braves manager Brian Snitker, before a spring baseball
exhibition game in 2019. JOHN RAOUX/AP
affiliates in the South. He got a taste of
the good life as the Braves’ third-base
coach from 2007-13. But a staff shakeup
under manager Fredi Gonzalez sent
Snitker back to the minors as Class AAA
Gwinnett’s manager.
“I definitely think there was a point,”
said Troy, “where he probably didn’t
think it was going to happen anymore,
which makes this very special.”
When Gonzalez started the 2016 sea-
son 9-28 and was fired, Snitker was
hired as the interim. And won just
enough to earn the permanent job.
Two years later, he was NL Manager
of the Year and Atlanta won the first of
its four consecutive AL East titles. And
in a particularly rare dynamic, they did
so with a manager who was with the
core of the team on the way up in the mi-
nors.
Yeah, they’re nearly as happy for him
as they are themselves.
“Everyone that’s in this room that’s in
the Atlanta area knows how special that
man is and how hard he’s worked in his
life to just get to this point,” said All-Star
first baseman Freddie Freeman, a Brave
since they drafted him in 2007. “I
watched him get off the bus today when
we get here for the workout.
“And it was the coolest thing ever
watching Brian Snitker walk into a
World Series workout day.”
Hours earlier, it was Troy Snitker
Then on Sunday, one day after he
turned 26, Dante went out and delivered
for the short-handed Giants.
From throwing that pass to quarter-
back Daniel Jones, to catching a touch-
down from him six plays later, Dante
stepped up and made the most of his
time in the spotlight of the Big Apple.
This is an emotional time for the Pet-
tis family, given Dante’s sudden contri-
butions to the Giants and Gary’s return
to the World Series one year after an-
nouncing he had to leave the game tem-
porarily to fight multiple myeloma, a
blood disorder.
Gary returned to the Astros this sum-
mer, resumed his full-time coaching du-
ties in late July, and now he’s in position
to win his second World Series ring in
five years.
“My dad’s definitely an inspiration
for me, no question,” Dante said. “He’s
coached me all my life.”
That’s why Giants coach Joe Judge
made a joke in his post-game news con-
ference following Sunday’s 25-3 victory
over the Panthers that Dante might not
be welcomed home for Thanksgiving
dinner if he didn’t make a good throw on
the play that Jones turned into a viral
moment with a circus catch.
Of course, Gary and the Astros were
not too far from Dante’s mind.
When he scored the 5-yard touch-
down, Dante offered up a tribute in cele-
bration to Astros shortstop Carlos Cor-
rea by pointing to his wrist. That’s what
Correa did when he hit a home run
against the Red Sox in the ALCS, and the
USA TODAY ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ 3C
perched behind the same batting cage,
sunglasses wrapped around his face as
he watched his charges take their hacks.
The younger Snitker brings a much-de-
sired blend of progressive hitting phi-
losophies and an old-school demeanor
to his gig, for which he was hired in the
2018 offseason.
Snitker inherited a proverbial Maser-
ati, with the Astros coming off a 2017
World Series. In coming years, Yordan
Alvarez and Kyle Tucker would be inte-
grated into the mix and Houston would
advance to five consecutive AL Champi-
onship Series.
Yet he’s hardly just rolling out the
balls.
“Troy is an extremely hard worker,”
said All-Star third baseman Alex Breg-
man. “I probably keep him too long in
the cage over time. He works his tail off,
and he’s super smart and knowledge-
able about the swing, about the human
body and how it works. We hit together
every day. We’ve become really close
friends as well.
“I mean, he’s the man.”
Yet it’s possible neither father nor
son are the MVP of the family.
‘An absolute rock star’
Ronnie Snitker, father and son agree,
will be a mess Tuesday night. Wife of
Brian and mother of Troy, she’ll be with
Dante Pettis threw a pass and caught a
TD pass in the Giants game Sunday.
CHRIS PEDOTA/NORTHJERSEY.COM
gesture meant, “It’s my time.”
“It’s his time, just like it’s Carlos’
time,” Gary, 63, told Julia Morales of
AT&T SportsNet SW on Monday when
asked of Dante’s post-touchdown shout
out. “I absolutely loved it. The guys
loved it.”
The journey to football
Pettis gave up baseball as a sopho-
more in high school because of his com-
mitment to football and basketball. It’s
not that he lost interest – the opposite
actually – but his talent made the choice
a relatively easy one.
Gary played for the Angels, Tigers
and Rangers in his career, while Dante’s
the couple’s other child, Erin, in the
Minute Maid Park stands, trying, likely
in vain, to split her loyalties.
Supporting her husband’s career
meant bringing home an additional in-
come as a schoolteacher while shoul-
dering a significant portion of parenting
Erin and Troy.
“She was an absolute rock star,” said
Troy. “There’s not many people that can
stick with the professional baseball life,
especially in the minor leagues. Literally
right after the last day of school, she was
picking us up, and we were going wher-
ever he was. First day of spring break,
we were there wherever he was.
“She would always just drop on a
dime to take us to go see our dad. There
were six months out of the year where
we were either away or without him,
and I think, if you asked both my sister
and myself, we wouldn’t have had it any
other way. It was special the way we
grew up.”
Father and son anticipate limited and
perfunctory contact this week, hoping
to connect later Monday before the swirl
of Game 1 approaches. They smile but
maintain a stubborn streak when talk-
ing about beating the other. It is compe-
tition, after all, though all the glory and
gratitude won’t be confined within the
white lines.
“We’re so grateful,” said Troy, “he’s
getting this opportunity.”
uncle Stacey played in the minor
leagues for seven years and became a
scout for the Mariners and Cardinals.
Three days after Gary and the Astros
won the World Series in 2017, Dante set
an NCAA record for punt-return touch-
downs when he scored in the second
quarter of Washington’s 38-3 victory
over Oregon.
Dante was a second-round selection
of the 49ers in 2018, but he was waived
last season after a disappointing start to
his NFL career. The Giants claimed him,
and he’s earned the respect of his team-
mates and coaches with the way he has
developed since.
“Every time Dante gets an opportuni-
ty to do something, he does it in a posi-
tive way,” Giants wide receivers coach
Tyke Tolbert said. “Doesn’t surprise me
one bit when Dante gets in the game and
he’s productive.”
Dante spent the first six weeks on the
practice squad, but he earned his pro-
motion to the active roster when, as a
game-day addition, he had five catches
for 48 yards on a stunning 11 targets.
Against Carolina, Dante hauled in all
five of his targets from Jones for 39
yards and that touchdown. Not surpris-
ingly, though, his one pass garnered all
the attention.
“I thought that was a dime if he would
have kept running,” Dante said with a
laugh, poking fun at Jones and, presum-
ably, his nickname Danny Dimes. “Just
growing up, I could always throw pretty
well. I guess (his father’s baseball tal-
ent) just carried over.”
4C ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY
Carr has led Raiders’
post-Gruden surge
Mike Jones
Columnist
USA TODAY
When Jon Gruden resigned as head
coach of the Raiders this month in Oc-
tober amid the scandal involving his
racist, homophobic and misogynistic
language in emails, the organization
found itself with a leadership void.
General manager Mike Mayock in-
creased his guidance within the front
office and his communications with
the coaching staff to promote stability.
Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia –
previously the special teams coordina-
tor – aimed to serve as a calming force
for assistant coaches and players.
But as quarterback Derek Carr as-
sessed the situation, he felt compelled
to step up as well.
“When Coach Gruden walked into a
room, all eyes were on him, and when
we lost that, someone had to fill that
void,” Carr told reporters on Sunday.
Carr had already ranked among the
more vocal players on the team. But
the eighth-year veteran understood
that now more than ever, he had to put
his team on his back.
Carr began looking for additional
ways to assert himself. In some cases,
it has meant taking on a larger owner-
ship role of the offense while working
closely with offensive coordinator
Greg Olson. But it also has included in-
creasing his interactions with defen-
sive and special teams players, en-
couraging or admonishing wherever
he sees the need.
“It’s not only me,” Carr said, “but as
the quarterback and a leader that’s
been here for a while, I’ve got to take
that part of what I do to another level.
... I’m just trying to do everything I can
to encourage, uplift and motivate our
guys to keep going in every situation.”
The efforts have gone a long way to-
ward ensuring even greater unification
in a locker room that very well could
have splintered amid the controversy
that prompted Gruden’s exit.
But Carr and the Raiders have any-
thing but crumble. Las Vegas has gone
2-0 under Bisaccia, winning each
game by double digits while topping
the 30-point mark twice. The 34 points
scored last week in the win over the
Broncos marked a season high, and the
11-point margin of victory in Sunday’s
win over the Eagles represented the
Raiders’ biggest point differential of
the season.
Having improved to 5-2, the Raiders
lead the AFC West, standing ahead of
the Broncos, Chargers and Chiefs.
None of that would have been pos-
sible without Carr, on and off the field,
Raiders players and coaches say.
Playoff race: Cards, Bengals
hold top conference seeds
Jeremy Cluff
The Arizona Republic | USA TODAY Network
We’re just seven weeks into the NFL
season and while much can and will
change before the playoffs, some
teams have put themselves in a good
early position for the postseason.
The Arizona Cardinals would be the
top seed in the NFC if the playoffs were
to begin today.
The Cincinnati Bengals would hold
the top seed in the AFC.
Just like we all predicted before the
season, right?
The top seed in each conference
gets a bye in the playoffs and the other
division winners get the No. 2 through
No. 4 seeds.
The No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7 seeds go
to the non-division winners with the
best records.
NFC playoff picture after Week 7:
h No. 1 Arizona Cardinals (7-0)
h No. 2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-1)
h No. 3 Green Bay Packers (6-1)
h No. 4 Dallas Cowboys (5-1)
h No. 5 Los Angeles Rams (6-1)
h No. 6 New Orleans Saints (4-2)
h No. 7 Minnesota Vikings (3-3)
In the hunt:
h Atlanta Falcons (3-3)
h Chicago Bears (3-4)
h Carolina Panthers (3-4)
h Seattle Seahawks (2-4)
h San Francisco 49ers (2-4)
The Raiders’ Derek Carr has 12 TD
passes against five picks this season.
GARY A. VASQUEZ/USA TODAY SPORTS
Ironic that the same guy who en-
dured yet another offseason of scruti-
ny about his ability to elevate the team
is now left standing as the unques-
tioned leader.
“Derek is the voice of the Raiders
right now,” Bisaccia said. “Players al-
ways want to go to him, always want to
listen to him. They ask him all kinds of
things. ... He’s a tremendous leader
both on and off the field.”
Carr’s expanded leadership role has
also coincided with improved effec-
tiveness on the field. , Carr on Sunday
completed a blistering 91% of his
passes (31-for-34) for 323 yards, two
touchdowns and an interception. He
ranks second in the league in passing
yards (2,269), trailing only the Bucca-
neers’ Tom Brady.
Improved comfort in Year 4 of the
same system has paved the way for
Carr’s success, as has his strong rela-
tionship with Olson, who now has
more say over the game plans and has
taken over as the team’s play-caller.
“He’s in concert with (Olson) and
he’s so accurate,” Bisaccia said. “He
can go through Wednesday and Thurs-
day practice with literally only two or
three incompletes and then he throws
them again. He has tremendous com-
mand of the offense, knows where ev-
eryone is supposed to be. First one in
the building, last to leave. His prepara-
tion – I’ve been around a lot of good
quarterbacks, but his preparation is
second to none.”
While taking over as the new tone-
setter of the Raiders, Carr has tried to
impart the same mindset he adapted
entering training camp.
“Just have fun,” Carr said he has re-
minded himself, writing that as his fi-
nal note each Saturday meeting while
underlining it and adding exclamation
points. “I remind myself of that. We are
preaching that: Have fun, have a blast,
be free, have fun, cut it loose.”
NFC playoff matchups right now:
h No. 2 Buccaneers vs. No. 7 Vikings
h No. 3 Packers vs. No. 6 Saints
h No. 4 Cowboys vs. No. 5 Rams
Notes: The Buccaneers take a tie-
breaker over the Packers on strength of
victory, while the Vikings take a tie-
breaker over the Falcons on win per-
centage in conference games.
AFC playoff picture after Week 7:
h No. 1 Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)
h No. 2 Las Vegas Raiders (5-2)
h No. 3 Tennessee Titans (5-2)
h No. 4 Buffalo Bills (4-2)
h No. 5 Baltimore Ravens (5-2)
h No. 6 Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)
h No. 7 Cleveland Browns (4-3)
In the hunt:
h Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3)
h New England Patriots (3-4)
h Indianapolis Colts (3-4)
h Kansas City Chiefs (3-4)
h Denver Broncos (3-4)
AFC playoff matchups right now:
h No. 2 Raiders vs. No. 7 Browns
h No. 3 Titans vs. No. 6 Chargers
h No. 4 Bills vs. No. 5 Ravens
Notes: The Bengals take a tiebreak-
er over the Raiders and Titans on win
percentage in conference games. The
Raiders take a tiebreaker over Tennes-
see based on strength of victory.
SPORTS
Saints capitalize on Seahawks’
mistakes to win ‘MNF’ game
Tim Booth
The Associated Press
side on a long field goal attempt. Both
penalties gave New Orleans first downs,
and Johnson’s field goal coming out of
SEATTLE – Alvin Kamara and Jameis the two-minute warning put the Saints
Winston were the happy beneficiaries ahead.
of the Seahawks’ many mistakes. Johnson, a rookie from Virginia Tech,
Then it was rookie Brian Johnson’s made an extra point and both field goal
turn to make sure the Saints got the win tries, connecting from 21 yards in the
they needed to keep pace in the NFC first half.
South. “It was tough trying to see what the
“In a game like this where things are wind was doing because it was chang-
close, things get a little a little ugly to- ing constantly throughout pregame and
wards the end, it builds confidence to be the game itself,” Johnson said. “So just
able to come into a game like this and stick with my plan that I had coming
close it out the way we did,” Saints de- into it and really focusing on just hitting
fensive end Cameron Jordan said. my ball and hitting good contact that
Johnson kicked a 33-yard field goal will cut through the wind.”
with 1:56 remaining in his NFL debut, Geno Smith made his second start for
and New Orleans outlasted Seattle 13-10 Seattle (2-5) since Wilson suffered a se-
on Monday night. rious finger injury in a loss to the Rams.
Kamara carried the load for New Or- The backup hit DK Metcalf for an 84-
leans and Winston made a handful of yard touchdown in the first quarter but
plays when needed, but the Saints (4-2) went nowhere when the Seahawks had
escaped Seattle thanks largely to a se- a final chance to tie or win.
ries of blunders by the home team, Smith was sacked on consecutive
which is sorely missing injured quarter- plays by Malcolm Jenkins and Demario
back Russell Wilson. Davis. On 4th-and-28, Smith was pres-
Two of the Seahawks’ biggest mis- sured again and his throw to Metcalf fell
takes came on New Orleans’ deciding incomplete.
drive when Seattle was flagged for Seattle has lost three straight for the
roughing the passer and jumping off- first time since 2011.
NFL POWER RANKINGS
Rank, team LW Comment by Nate Davis
Don’t believe in the league’s only unbeaten team? Arizona also boasts the NFL’s
largest point differential (+111), is the toughest team to score on (16.3 points al-
lowed per game), is getting defensive reinforcements off the COVID-19 list – in-
1. Cardinals 1
cluding OLB Chandler Jones – and is already effectively integrating new TE Zach
Ertz, the first player to catch a TD pass in successive weeks ... for different teams.
Oh yeah ... and Kyler Murray.
Update, they’re now 40-0 under Sean McVay when leading at halftime. That will tick
2. Rams 2
up to 41-0 given the Rams’ next stop is Houston.
Seems Tom Brady, uh, overcame his fourth-down issues from 2020 against Chicago.
3. Buccaneers 3 Next up, he tries to solve New Orleans in regular season after getting decisively
swept last year ... before the playoffs.
After resting his calf strain during bye week, is QB Dak Prescott ready to help set a
4. Cowboys 4 Dallas record by leading “Dem Boyz” to a fifth consecutive game with at least 35
points?
The first team to win six straight after losing the opener by at least 35 points, they
head to desert for enticing matchup with Arizona – which will mark the highest
combined winning percentage (.929) of opponents in a post-September Thursday
5. Packers 6
night game during Super Bowl era (since 1966). But pandemic is already putting a
damper on showdown, All-Pro WR Davante Adams going to the COVID/reserve list
Monday.
All-Pro RB Derrick Henry is leading the NFL in rushing yards (869) and TDs (10).
Yawn. He’s a legit MVP candidate because he’s also tops in touches (209) and yards
6. Titans 7
from scrimmage (1,023) and already has 18 receptions – one off his career high.
And now he’s throwing TDs? This could get epic.
A bitter loss and the bye in the rear view, Buffalo returns to a three-week murdered
7. Bills 8 row against Miami, Jacksonville and the Jets, who are a combined 3-16 (.158). Great
opportunity for Buffalo to create breathing room on AFC pack.
All the chatter about Cincinnati’s (current) No. 1 seed and rookie WR Ja’Marr Chase’s
8. Bengals 13 record-setting start is warranted. But props to TE C.J. Uzomah, who’s rebounded
from last year’s torn Achilles and has already hauled in a career-best five TD grabs.
Bye would be good time to reset a defense that’s permitted at least 33 points and
9. Ravens 5 at least 490 yards three times. No such tinkering required for QB Lamar Jackson,
who’s besting his career average through the air by more than 100 yards per game.
Last time they hosted Patriots in Los Angeles, New England won 45-0. We’ll assume
10. Chargers 9
a better outcome this Sunday at SoFi.
They’re humming post-Gruden, all the way to the top of the AFC West, averaging
33.5 points and 434 yards past two weeks. And with six players already exceeding
11. Raiders 17
300 yards from scrimmage, this crew’s on track to be best Las Vegas team in NFL
history.
Wasn’t pretty, but RB Alvin Kamara and Co. might just be a playoff team without
12. Saints 11 retired QB Drew Brees. Kamara is the fastest player (66 games) to record 3,000
yards both rushing and receiving.
Going back to Super Bowl 55, they’ve been torched for 29.3 points per game while
13. Chiefs 10 averaging 24.6 and are -12 in turnover differential during that eight-game stretch.
Time to get back to fundamentals.
Don’t forget Kevin Stefanski was Case Keenum’s QB coach in Minnesota in 2017
14. Browns 12 when the Vikings won the division and reached the NFC title round. This just might
work ...
Hope your bye week was restful, gents. A horror show begins Halloween night with
15. Vikings 14 a visit from Dallas ... followed by matchups against Baltimore, the Bolts and Green
Bay.
Save OLB T.J. Watt, who has seven sacks, no one else on Pittsburgh’s previously
16. Steelers 18 vaunted defense has more than two. That’s gotta improve for Steelers to avoid
missing postseason once again.
QB Carson Wentz has one INT after hoisting league-high 15 in 2020, and he’s also
17. Colts 22 sporting career-best 102.8 passer rating. This whole Frank Reich reunion apparently
is just what the doctor ordered.
Their bevy of pass interference penalties Sunday night is indicative of carelessness,
18. 49ers 20
San Francisco pacing NFL with 81 penalty yards per game.
QB Justin Fields coughed the ball up five times Sunday, the first five-turnover
game in the league in two years and first time a Chicago QB has been guilty of such
19. Bears 16
shenanigans since the immortal Matt Barkley in 2016. It’s getting ugly in the Windy
City.
Inexplicable that this team ran 14 times in Week 7 at Cleveland. If any offense
20. Broncos 21
should be 4.5 yards and a cloud of dust, it might be this one.
Before you get overly excited about their 41-point shellacking of the Jets, un-
21. Patriots 23
derstand New England is the first team in the Super Bowl era to notch its first three
wins against rookie QBs. If the pattern holds, the Pats’ next victory will come in
Week 17 against Trevor Lawrence’s Jags.
They’re 2-5 for first time in Russell Wilson era, and injured QB will miss at least one
22. Seahawks 19 more game. Already five games out of NFC West lead, midnight might’ve already
struck in Seattle.
No defense is getting targeted more through air than this one ... and that’s be-
23. Eagles 24
cause Philadelphia allows league-worst 74.4% completion rate.
Since start of 2020 season, they have five wins against NFC East teams and four
24. Washington 25 against everybody else. Bummer WFT won’t play another divisional game until
Week 14.
Appears they’ve figured out how to leverage Kyle Pitts’ estimable talents. After
exploding for 282 receiving yards over the past two games, he’s on pace for 1,335
25. Falcons 26
over the full season – which would obliterate Hall of Famer Mike Ditka’s rookie
record for tight ends, 1,076 in 1961.
26. Giants 30
OLB Azeez Ojulari might be the steal of 2021 draft. The 50th overall selection leads
all rookies with 5.5 sacks.
They’ve devolved from losing to being non-competitive against Giants. Crucial five
27. Panthers 15 weeks ahead with Arizona the only squad Carolina will face that’s currently above
.500.
Lawrence seems to be quietly figuring out pro game, completing 66.3% of his
28. Jaguars 28 passes and posting 93.8 QB rating over his past three outings. A date with Seattle’s
secondary should keep the arrow trending up.
29. Dolphins 29
Despite what Chase is doing in Cincy, credit Miami WR Jaylen Waddle, whose 44
receptions are nine more than any other rookie.
Another missed opportunity in Week 7, but Sunday brings a feasible opportunity –
30. Lions 32
a home date against the Eagles – to finally shatter prospect of a 0-17 campaign.
NOW they trade for 2020 QB2 Joe Flacco when they could’ve just re-signed him to
31. Jets 27 be their Plan B QB, not to mention a steady resource for now-injured rookie Zach
Wilson? The faces change here, but the results never seem to.
Welp, maybe they’re at least about to emerge from Deshaun Watson’s very long
32. Texans 31
shadow.
SPORTS USA TODAY ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ 5C

FOR THE RECORD

All Times EDT W L Pct GB Chicago 9 16 7 34 36 51
GM Bowman resigns
after Blackhawks probe
Golden State 3 0 1.000 — Toronto FC 6 17 8 26 35 60
Phoenix 1 2 .333 2 Cincinnati 4 19 8 20 33 64
NFL L.A. Clippers 1 2 .333 2 Western Conference
L.A. Lakers 1 2 .333 2 W L T Pts GF GA
Sacramento 1 2 .333 2 Seattle 17 7 7 58 51 28
AMERICAN CONFERENCE Sporting KC 16 7 7 55 54 34
East Monday’s Games
Colorado 15 6 10 55 45 32
W L T Pct PF PA Milwaukee 119, Indiana 109
Boston 140, Charlotte 129, OT Portland 14 13 4 46 48 51 Jay Cohen and Stephen Whyno incident included a failure to report the
Buffalo 4 2 0 .667 203 98
New England 3 4 0 .429 179 140 Atlanta 122, Detroit 104 LA Galaxy
Minnesota United
13 11 7 46 46 48
12 10 9 45 36 38
The Associated Press matter to Chicago ownership, both as to
N.Y. Jets 1 5 0 .167 80 175 Brooklyn 104, Washington 90
Miami 1 6 0 .143 127 207 Miami 107, Orlando 90 Vancouver
Real Salt Lake
11 9 11 44 41 42
12 12 6 42 48 46
what was alleged and how it was being
Chicago 111, Toronto 108
South
W L T Pct PF PA
New Orleans 107, Minnesota 98 Los Angeles FC 11 12 8 41 47 45 CHICAGO – The Blackhawks mis- handled.”
Cleveland 99, Denver 87 San Jose 9 12 10 37 41 48
Tennessee 5 2 0 .714 193 164
L.A. Clippers 116, Portland 86 Houston 6 14 12 30 36 51 handled allegations that an assistant Bowman said he was stepping aside
Indianapolis 3 4 0 .429 169 149 FC Dallas 6 14 11 29 43 52
Jacksonville 1 5 0 .167 116 172 Tuesday’s Games Austin FC 8 19 4 28 31 50 coach sexually assaulted a player during because he didn’t want to be a distrac-
Houston 1 6 0 .143 97 203 Philadelphia at New York
Golden State at Oklahoma City Tuesday the team’s Stanley Cup run in 2010, ac- tion for the team.
North Houston at Dallas Seattle at Los Angeles FC
Baltimore
W
5
L
2
T Pct
0 .714
PF
187
PA
164 L.A. Lakers at San Antonio Wednesday cording to an investigation commis- “Eleven years ago, while serving in
Denver at Utah Colorado at New England, 7 p.m.
Cincinnati
Cleveland
5
4
2
3
0 .714
0 .571
189
173
128
165 Wednesday’s Games Miami at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. sioned by the franchise that cast a shad- my first year as general manager, I was
Nashville at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh 3 3 0 .500 117 132 Charlotte at Orlando, 7 p.m.
Atlanta at New Orleans, 7:30 p.m. Orlando City at Columbus, 7:30 p.m. ow over the NHL on Tuesday. made aware of potential inappropriate
West Indiana at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m. Stan Bowman, the general manager behavior by a then-video coach involv-
W L T Pct PF PA New York at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
Las Vegas 5 2 0 .714 180 166 Miami at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.
L.A. Chargers 4 2 0 .667 148 150 Washington at Boston, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at FC Dallas, 8 p.m.
and president of hockey operations, re- ing a player,” he said in a statement re-
L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.
Denver
Kansas City
3
3
4
4
0
0
.429
.429
140
188
127
203 Minnesota at Milwaukee, 8 p.m. LA Galaxy at Sporting Kansas City, 8:30 p.m. signed in the wake of the findings by a leased by the team. “I promptly reported
Memphis at Portland, 10 p.m. Minnesota at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE Sacramento at Phoenix, 10 p.m. San Jose at Portland, 10 p.m. law firm, and the NHL fined the team $2 the matter to the then-president and
East Cleveland at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m. Saturday million for “the organization’s inade- CEO who committed to handling the
W L T Pct PF PA Thursday’s Games New York City FC at Miami, 1:30 p.m.
Dallas
N.Y. Giants
5 1 0 .833
2 5 0 .286
205
139
146
180
Atlanta at Washington, 7 p.m. San Jose at Real Salt Lake, 3:30 p.m.
CF Montréal at New York, 4 p.m.
quate internal procedures and insuffi- matter.
Detroit at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia
Washington
2 5 0 .286
2 5 0 .286
159
146
185
210
New York at Chicago, 8 p.m. Toronto FC at Atlanta, 6 p.m. cient and untimely response.” “I learned this year that the inappro-
Utah at Houston, 8 p.m. Columbus at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
South San Antonio at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Austin FC at FC Dallas, 8 p.m. Panthers coach Joel Quenneville and priate behavior involved a serious alle-
W L T Pct PF PA Memphis at Golden State, 10 p.m. Sunday
Tampa Bay 6 1 0 .857 233 147
Friday’s Games Sporting Kansas City at Minnesota, 1 p.m. Jets general manager Kevin Chevel- gation of sexual assault. I relied on the
New Orleans 4 2 0 .667 140 101
Atlanta 3 3 0 .500 135 176 Orlando at Toronto, 7 p.m. Colorado at Houston, 3 p.m.
Nashville at Orlando City, 4 p.m.
dayoff, who were with the Blackhawks direction of my superior that he would
Charlotte at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Carolina 3 4 0 .429 146 146
Indiana at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m. Cincinnati at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. when the sexual assault allegations take appropriate action. Looking back,
North Sacramento at New Orleans, 8 p.m.
W L T Pct PF PA Dallas at Denver, 10 p.m. NWSL were first reported, also were named in now knowing he did not handle the mat-
Green Bay 6 1 0 .857 168 146 L.A. Clippers at Portland, 10 p.m. W L T Pts GF GA
Minnesota 3 3 0 .500 147 137 Cleveland at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m. Portland 13 6 4 43 33 17 the report. ter promptly, I regret assuming he
Chicago 3 4 0 .429 101 162
Detroit 0 7 0 .000 128 200
Reign FC
Washington
12
10
8
7
3
6
39
36
34
28
24
26
The Blackhawks hired Jenner & would do so.”
West NHL Chicago 10 8 5 35 27 28 Block to conduct what they called an in- Former federal prosecutor Reid
W L T Pct PF PA Gotham FC 8 5 9 33 27 19
Arizona
L.A. Rams
7 0 0 1.000
6 1 0 .857
225
207
114
146
Houston 9 9 5 32 31 30 dependent review in response to two Schar, who led the investigation, said
EASTERN CONFERENCE North Carolina 9 9 5 32 28 23
San Francisco 2 4 0 .333 135 149
Atlantic Division Orlando 7 9 7 28 27 31 suits filed against the franchise: one al- Tuesday that Bowman, former team
Seattle 2 5 0 .286 150 162 GP W L OT Pts GF GA Louisville 5 12 5 20 19 38
Thursday’s Game Florida 6 6 0 0 12 27 12 Kansas City 3 13 7 16 15 33 leging sexual assault by then-assistant president John McDonough, hockey op-
Cleveland 17, Denver 14 Buffalo 6 4 1 1 9 19 11 Thursday coach Brad Aldrich in the Stanley Cup erations executive Al MacIsaac, former
Sunday’s Games Detroit 6 3 2 1 7 20 21 Gotham FC at Louisville, 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta 30, Miami 28 Boston
Tampa Bay
4 3
6 2
1
3
0 6 14
1 5 16
11
26
Friday run in 2010 and another filed by a former executive vice president Jay Blunk and
Cincinnati 41, Baltimore 17 Chicago at Orlando, 7 p.m.
Green Bay 24, Washington 10 Toronto
Ottawa
7 2
6 2
4
4
1 5 13
0 4 15
23
19
Reign FC at Kansas City, 8 p.m. student whom Aldrich was convicted of then-assistant general manager Che-
N.Y. Giants 25, Carolina 3 Saturday
New England 54, N.Y. Jets 13 Montreal 6 1 5 0 2 10 20
North Carolina at Portland, 10 p.m.
assaulting in Michigan. veldayoff met with then-coach Quenne-
Tennessee 27, Kansas City 3 Metropolitan Division Team CEO Danny Wirtz called the re- ville and mental skills coach Jim Gary to
L.A. Rams 28, Detroit 19 GP W L OT Pts GF GA
English Premier League
Las Vegas 33, Philadelphia 22
Arizona 31, Houston 5
Carolina
Washington 6 4
5 5 0
0
0 10 22 8
2 10 26 16 GP W D L GF GA Pts port “both disturbing and difficult to discuss the allegations in May 2010.
Chelsea 9 7 1 1 23 3 22
Tampa Bay 38, Chicago 3 N.Y. Rangers 7 4
Pittsburgh 5 3
2
0
1 9 15 18
2 8 23 12 Liverpool 9 6 3 0 27 6 21 read,” and NHL Commissioner Gary Be- Schar said accounts of the meeting
Indianapolis 30, San Francisco 18 Man City 9 6 2 1 20 4 20
Open: Buffalo, Jacksonville, L.A. Chargers, Columbus 6 4
N.Y. Islanders 6 3
2
2
0 8 19 15
1 7 15 15 West Ham 9 5 2 2 16 10 17 ttman said it “makes clear that senior “vary significantly.”
Pittsburgh, Dallas, Minnesota
Monday’s Game New Jersey 4 3 1 0 6 11 10 Brighton
Tottenham
9 4
9 5
3
0
2
4
9
9 13
9 15
15
management’s handling of the alleged
Philadelphia 4 2 1 1 5 18 13
New Orleans 13, Seattle 10 Man United 9 4 2 3 16 15 14
Oct. 28 WESTERN CONFERENCE Everton 9 4 2 3 15 14 14
Green Bay at Arizona, 8:20 p.m. Central Division Leicester 9 4 2 3 15 15 14
GP W L OT Pts GF GA Arsenal 9 4 2 3 10 13 14
Oct. 31 St. Louis 5 5 0 0 10 25 11 Wolverhampton 9 4 1 4 9 9 13
Carolina at Atlanta, 1 p.m. Minnesota 5 4 1 0 8 17 16 Brentford 9 3 3 3 11 9 12
Cincinnati at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m.
L.A. Rams at Houston, 1 p.m.
Dallas
Winnipeg
6 3
5 2
3
2
0 6 12 15
1 5 20 19
Aston Villa
Watford
9 3
9 3
1
1
5
5
13
12
15
17
10
10
SPORTS WEEKLY
Miami at Buffalo, 1 p.m. Colorado 5 2 3 0 4 15 20 Crystal Palace 9 1 6 2 11 14 9
Philadelphia at Detroit, 1 p.m. Nashville 6 2 4 0 4 17 19 Southampton 9 1 5 3 8 12 8
Pittsburgh at Cleveland, 1 p.m. Chicago 6 0 5 1 1 12 27 Leeds 9 1 4 4 8 16 7 On newsstands now: Our picks and rankings, 32 things we learned from
San Francisco at Chicago, 1 p.m. Arizona 6 0 5 1 1 11 30 Burnley 9 0 4 5 7 15 4
Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1 p.m. Newcastle 9 0 4 5 11 20 4 betting advice for professional and NFL Week 7 and why it feels good to be
Jacksonville at Seattle, 4:05 p.m. Pacific Division
New England at L.A. Chargers, 4:05 p.m. GP W L OT Pts GF GA Norwich 9 0 2 7 2 23 2 college football games. Plus, Joe Bur- Michigan heading into its showdown
Edmonton 5 5 0 0 10 24 13 Saturday
Tampa Bay at New Orleans, 4:25 p.m.
Washington at Denver, 4:25 p.m. San Jose 5 4 1 0 8 19 11 Leicester vs. Arsenal, 7:30 a.m. row, Ja’Marr Chase and the first-place with Michigan State. To subscribe, go to
Calgary 5 3 1 1 7 16 12 Burnley vs. Brentford, 10 a.m.
Dallas at Minnesota, 8:20 p.m. Vancouver 6 3 2 1 7 18 18 Bengals blow apart previous percep- mysportsweekly.com or call 800-872-
Open: Baltimore, Las Vegas Liverpool vs. Brighton, 10 a.m.
Anaheim 6 2 3 1 5 17 20 Man City vs. Crystal Palace, 10 a.m.
Nov. 1 Los Angeles 6 1 4 1 3 14 20 Newcastle vs. Chelsea, 10 a.m.
tions of them. Also, fantasy football 1415.
N.Y. Giants at Kansas City, 8:15 p.m. Seattle 6 1 4 1 3 13 23 Watford vs. Southampton, 10 a.m.
Vegas 5 1 4 0 2 10 19 Tottenham vs. Man United, 12:30 p.m.
MLB Monday’s Games Sunday
Columbus 4, Dallas 1 Norwich vs. Leeds, 10 a.m.
Buffalo 5, Tampa Bay 1 Aston Villa vs. West Ham, 12:30 p.m.
Calgary 5, N.Y. Rangers 1
WORLD SERIES
(Best-of-7, x-if necessary)
Carolina 4, Toronto 1 ODDS PROVIDED BY OHIO STATE
NOTRE DAME
18.5
3.5
60.5 -1000
62.5 -175
Penn State
North Carolina
Tuesday: Atlanta (Morton 14-6) at Houston
Florida 5, Arizona 3 DEALS NC STATE 6.5 56.5 -270 Louisville
Washington 7, Ottawa 5
(Valdez 11-6) St. Louis 3, Los Angeles 0 UTAH 6.5 60.5 -240 ucla
Wednesday: Atlanta (Fried 14-7) at Houston Tuesday’s Games Tuesday BYU 2.5 62.5 -135 Virginia
(Urquidy 8-3), 8:09 p.m. (Fox) Calgary at New Jersey SAN DIEGO ST. 1.5 44.5 -117 Fresno State
Friday: Houston at Atlanta, 8:09 p.m. (Fox) BASEBALL STANFORD 2.5 47.5 -135 Washington
Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh
Saturday: Houston at Atlanta, 8:09 p.m. (Fox) Vegas at Colorado Major League Baseball
x-Sunday: Houston at Atlanta, 8:15 p.m. (Fox) San Jose at Nashville American League NBA
x-Nov. 2: Atlanta at Houston, 8:09 p.m. (Fox) Minnesota at Vancouver HOUSTON ASTROS — Activated 2B Marwin Wednesday
x-Nov. 3: Atlanta at Houston, 8:09 p.m. (Fox) Montreal at Seattle Gonzalez. Reassigned LF Jake Meyers to the Favorite Spread O/U ML Underdog
Winnipeg at Anaheim minor leagues. Hornets 5.5 - -250 MAGIC
National League Odds available as of print deadline
NBA Wednesday’s Games NETS 4.5 - -200 Heat
Boston at Florida, 7 p.m. ATLANTA BRAVES — Activated LF Terrance Hawks 5.5 - -250 PELICANS
Detroit at Washington, 7 p.m. Gore and RHP Kyle Wright. Reassigned 1B Jo- NHL CELTICS 4.5 - -190 Wizards
Toronto at Chicago, 7:30 p.m. han Camargo and RHP Jacob Webb to the mi- Wednesday RAPTORS 1.5 - -105 Pacers
EASTERN CONFERENCE nor leagues.
Vegas at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Favorite Spread O/U ML Underdog SUNS 7.5 - -400 Kings
Atlantic Division Philadelphia at Edmonton, 10 p.m. NEW YORK METS — Announced they will exer- CAPITALS - - -135 Red Wings
W L Pct GB cise their option on pitching coach Jeremy TRAIL BLAZERS 2.5 - -133 Grizzlies
New York 2 1 .667 — Thursday’s Games Hefner for the 2022 season. Maple Leafs - - -116 BLACKHAWKS CLIPPERS 8.5 - -400 Cavaliers
Philadelphia 2 1 .667 — Arizona at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. OILERS - - -112 Flyers
Brooklyn 2 2 .500 ½ Boston at Carolina, 7 p.m. BASKETBALL NFL
Boston 2 2 .500 ½ Calgary at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. National Basketball Associa- NCAAF
Colorado at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Thursday
Toronto 1 3 .250 1½ tion Thursday Favorite Spread O/U ML Underdog
Buffalo at Anaheim, 10 p.m. ORLANDO MAGIC — Signed G Mychal Mulder
Southeast Division Minnesota at Seattle, 10 p.m.
Favorite Spread O/U ML Underdog CARDINALS 6.5 50.5 -270 Packers
W L Pct GB to a two-way contract. CSTL CAROL. 18.5 51.5 -1100 Troy
Charlotte 3 1 .750 — Philadelphia at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Sunday
Montreal at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. FOOTBALL E. CAROLINA 9.5 55.5 -370 South Florida
Miami 2 1 .667 ½ Favorite Spread O/U ML Underdog
Washington 2 1 .667 ½ Winnipeg at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. National Football League Friday
ARIZONA CARDINALS — Signed S Javon Hagan Rams 14.5 47.5 -1100 TEXANS
Atlanta 2 1 .667 ½ Friday’s Games and CB Lavert Hill to the practice squad. Re- Favorite Spread O/U ML Underdog Bengals 10.5 43.5 -550 JETS
Orlando 1 3 .250 2 Arizona at Washington, 7 p.m. TULSA 11.5 47.5 -500 Navy 49ers 3.5 39.5 -175 BEARS
Chicago at Carolina, 7 p.m. leased DL Jeremiah Ledbetter.
Central Division Columbus at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m. BALTIMORE RAVENS — Designated DE Derek NEVADA 20.5 58.5 -1100 unlv Eagles 3.5 48.5 -190 LIONS
W L Pct GB Wolfe to return to practice. BILLS 13.5 49.5 -900 Dolphins
Chicago 4 0 1.000 — Florida at Detroit, 7 p.m. Saturday
Anaheim at Vegas, 8 p.m. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Signed S Jahlee Ad- BROWNS 3.5 42.5 -200 Steelers
Milwaukee 3 1 .750 1 dae and TE Eli Wolf to the practice squad. Re- Favorite Spread O/U ML Underdog
Cleveland 2 2 .500 2 Ottawa at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. LIBERTY 36.5 58.5 -100000 umass Titans 1.5 50.5 -120 COLTS
leased OL Zack Bailey. FALCONS 3.5 45.5 -160 Panthers
Indiana 1 3 .250 3 Michigan 4.5 49.5 -205 MICHIGAN ST.
Detroit 0 3 .000 3½ HOCKEY CHARGERS 5.5 49.5 -240 Patriots
MARYLAND 5.5 49.5 -230 Indiana
WESTERN CONFERENCE SOCCER National Hockey League GA TECH 4.5 56.5 -200 Virginia Tech SEAHAWKS 3.5 43.5 -175 Jaguars
ANAHEIM DUCKS — Recalled C Sam Carrick BRONCOS 2.5 43.5 -160 Washington
Southwest Division and LW Sonny Milano from San Diego (AHL). BUFFALO 13.5 51.5 -550 Bowling Green
W L Pct GB UL LAFAYETTE 20.5 58.5 -1200 Texas State Buccaneers 5.5 49.5 -240 SAINTS
Memphis 2 1 .667 —
MLS BOSTON BRUINS — Recalled C Oskar Steen and Cowboys 2.5 54.5 -145 VIKINGS
Eastern Conference C Jack Studnicka from Providence (AHL). Rutgers 1.5 42.5 -125 ILLINOIS
Dallas 1 1 .500 ½ COLORADO AVALANCHE — Recalled D Jacob PITTSBURGH 9.5 61.5 -380 Miami (FL)
Houston 1 2 .333 1 W L T Pts GF GA Monday
New England 21 4 7 70 64 40 MacDonald from Colorado (AHL). ucf 10.5 51.5 -420 TEMPLE Favorite Spread O/U ML Underdog
San Antonio 1 2 .333 1
New Orleans 1 3 .250 1½ Philadelphia 13 8 10 49 43 32 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS — Assigned LW Justin Cincinnati 24.5 61.5 -3000 TULANE CHIEFS 9.5 51.5 -475
Giants
Nashville 11 4 16 49 47 28 Almeida from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) to WISCONSIN 3.5 36.5 -175 Iowa
Northwest Division Orlando City 12 8 11 47 45 44 Wheeling (ECHL). Recalled RW Kasper Bjorkq- BAYLOR 2.5 61.5 -155 Texas Odds are subject to change. Tipico Sportsbook
W L Pct GB New York City FC 12 11 8 44 51 34 vist from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Utah 2 0 1.000 — RICE 2.5 57.5 -130 North Texas does not offer lines for New Jersey-based college
New York 12 11 7 43 37 31 VANCOUVER CANUCKS — Recalled RW Justin Iowa State 6.5 47.5 -290 WEST VIRGINIA
Denver 2 1 .667 ½ Atlanta 11 9 10 43 40 34 Bailey from Abbotsford (AHL). sports teams. Gannett may earn revenue from
Minnesota 2 1 .667 ½ CF Montréal 11 10 10 43 44 41
ARIZONA ST. 15.5 52.5 -750 Washington State audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms
Portland 1 2 .333 1½ COLLEGE Missouri 15.5 63.5 -850 VANDERBILT
D.C. United 12 14 5 41 51 50 AUSTIN PEAY — Announced women’s soccer are independent of any such relationships and
Oklahoma City 0 3 .000 2½ Inter Miami CF 11 15 5 38 33 48 head coach Naomi Kolarova has resigned.
UTAH STATE 5.5 65.5 -220 Hawaii
Pacific Division Columbus 10 13 8 38 38 42 SYRACUSE 6.5 50.5 -250 Boston College there is no influence on news coverage. Terms and
Georgia 14.5 50.5 -650 FLORIDA conditions apply, see site for details. 21+ only.
OREGON 23.5 48.5 -2500 Colorado Gambling Problem? Call: 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA,
Minnesota 7.5 43.5 -320 N’WESTERN
Louisiana Tech 5.5 52.5 -230 OLD DOMINION IL, VA), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, NV, KS),
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NEBRASKA 7.5 52.5 -320 Purdue
MIDDLE TN 13.5 47.5 -650 Southern Miss For the latest picks and expert analysis, go to
1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (7-0) def. Ser- 9. Chandler (Ariz.) (7-0) def. Queen Creek 19. St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) (7-0) def. De- MARSHALL 21.5 65.5 -1200 fiu
vite 46-37. 27-6. Matha 14-7. sportsbookwire.com
2. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) (7-0) def. 10. Katy (Texas) (8-0) Idle. 20. Bixby (Okla.) (8-0) def. Muskogee 56-14. W. KENTUCKY 17.5 73.5 -1000 Charlotte
East St. Louis 49-8. 11. Centennial (Corona, Calif.) (9-0) def. Roo- 21. Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.) (9-1) def. 24-21 WAKE FOREST 16.5 69.5 -700 Duke
SAN JOSE STATE 2.5 40.5 -150 Wyoming
3. Westlake (Austin, Texas) (8-0) def. Akins
55-6.
sevelt 64-0.
12. Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) (8-0)
loss to Hoover.
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Santa Margarita 41-16. 13. Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.) (8-0) def. Blake 44-0. 23. Catholic (Baton Rouge, La.) (8-0) def. St. FL ATLANTIC 10.5 47.5 -420 utep
5. Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) (8-0) def. 14. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) Amant 53-7. USC 21.5 56.5 -1400 Arizona See up-to-the-minute
Seton Hall Prep 38-28. (8-1) def. Dillard 23-13. 24. Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.) (8-0) def. Lexing- Boise State 2.5 51.5 -135 COLO. ST.
6. Servite (Anaheim, Calif.) (8-1) lost to Mater 15. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) (5-1) Idle. ton 49-3. HOUSTON 0.5 61.5 -108 smu lines and compete in
Dei 46-37. 16. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) (7-0) Idle. 25. North Cobb (Kennesaw, Ga.) (7-1) def. Hill- OKLAHOMA ST. 30.5 54.5 -10000 Kansas
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tain View 28-0. 18. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) (8-1) def.
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6C ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

PFL steps into decagon with new ideas

Scooby Axson learner and it’s going well so far.”
USA TODAY Shields, 26, is scheduled to fight
Wednesday (8 ET) on ESPN2 when she
For almost three decades, the Ulti- takes on Abigail Montes for the PFL
mate Fighting Championship has stood championship. She admits she is still
mostly head and shoulders above other green at certain aspects of mixed mar-
entities trying to make a dent in promo- tial arts and is taking it seriously.
tions of mixed martial arts. “I had to build up muscles that I
Backed with a lucrative seven-year haven’t used in a long time,” Shields
deal from ESPN to broadcast their pay- says. “The grappling was very challeng-
per-view bouts and a rapidly expanding ing at the beginning because of how
fan base, the UFC is no longer seen as a sore I would get. I actually like the wres-
niche entity. It can command attention tling and of course the punching.”
for an entire weekend night, with social She won her MMA debut in June
engagement on par with some of the na- against Brittney Elkin, scoring a third-
tion’s biggest sporting events. round technical knockout after holding
The Professional Fighting League, off multiple submission tries by Elkin.
founded three years ago, wants to buck Even though that was a learning ex-
the trend of what MMA fans are used to perience, she knows she is years away
seeing on a given broadcast. The foun- from earning a title shot where big mon-
der and chairman of the PFL, Donn Da- ey on a main event is involved. In the
vis, says they are not the UFC’s competi- meantime, she has a subtle message for
tion but a complementary piece in the her doubters and future opponents.
overall plan to make the sport already “The biggest thing an opponent has
more popular than it is. to worry about when facing me is that I
Davis considers himself a company am coming for fight,” she said. “I am
builder and an entrepreneurial venture here to whoop your ass. I am coming in
capitalist, and he started the league as Claressa Sheilds, shown in May training in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is here to hurt you. It’s never going to be a
soon as the UFC was sold in 2016 for scheduled to fight Wednesday in the PFL. STEVEN ST JOHN/USA TODAY SPORTS fight when an opponent says it was easy
$4 billion. and they are not going to want to fight
Davis says he wants to change how against me again.”
championships are decided, starting est punch and even artificial intelli- Harrison,” Davis says. “She is a mega- The task now for the fledging PFL is
with not just throwing two fighters to- gence showing the fighter that is ahead star and an incredible empowerment to back up those claims and get athletes
gether for the fun of it, and equates it to after each round. story for women. She is PFL developed, such as Harrison and Shields even more
LeBron James being put in the NBA Fi- As of now, the judges will not have PFL signed and a PFL star. Some of the recognition than they already have. Da-
nals every year because the commis- access to any of that data and will have biggest fighters will move to the PFL.” vis has said that the PFL wants to have
sioner felt like it. He says the matchups to use the time-honored tradition in While that assertion remains to be more than 450 hours of content by
will be determined by wins and losses, scoring fights: their eyes. seen, another female striker is garner- 2025.
not politics or social media. “We are creating a computer model ing attention in a style and confidence And of course, Shields believes she
“I saw a big opportunity that was that’s right every time,” Davis says. “And that’s all of her own. will be front and center when that hap-
very underserved. There are 550 million we are going to display it.” Taking a break from training for her pens.
MMA fans. It’s the third largest fan base Part of the technology includes the next bout, Claressa Shields likes talking “I’m the one to boost up the PFL be-
in the world, and they’re only getting 40 referee wearing a camera, and a “ghost the talk and walking the walk and isn’t cause I have accomplished everything
events a year,” Davis said to USA TODAY cam,” where the cage will disappear on a afraid to let you know about it. in boxing. I can be a monster inside of
Sports. “This isn’t even a sport yet. In a television screen when the combatants Shields, a two-time Olympic gold the ring and a beauty outside of the
sport, the meritocracy of the athlete are wrestling on the ground in order to medalist in her own right, albeit in box- ring,” said Shields, who is currently the
controls the outcome. In the boxing or emphasize the fighters. ing, says she got the MMA bug when women’s undisputed boxing champion
MMA world, a promotor decides who In terms of actual promotion of fight- talk started swirling around Amanda at junior middleweight. “I am not afraid
fights for the championship.” ers, Davis plans on using the talent al- Nunes and arguments about who the to be myself. People want to see me
While only new to the game, PFL for ready on the roster such as Kayla Harri- better fighter is. fight.”
now will rely on ESPN’s backing, word son and possibly the recruitment of oth- Nunes hasn’t budged on boxing “The thrill here is to see one of the
of mouth and its touted technology to ers. Shields but instead said she would greatest ever,” Davis added. “And try to
bring in more fans. The 31-year-old Harrison is a two- “wrestle the (expletive) out of her” get another sport that is a hobby. And
Fans watching the broadcast can see time Olympic gold medalist in judo and whenever the two meet in a MMA cage. try to conquer another sport. Not as a
data in real time from the fight, such as has won each of her 11 MMA fights to “That lit a fire in me,” Shields told hobby, not as a sideshow, but to become
how many punches are being thrown date. USA TODAY Sports. “I wanted to see one of the best ever in that second sport.
from each fighter, who threw the hard- “PFL has real rising stars like Kayla how badass I really am. But I am quick It’s going to be a great thing to watch.”

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As rain from a strengthen- Seattle
Olympia
ing nor’easter diminishes in New 55 Bangor
55 Spokane
50
England today, gusty winds are Portland 52 Helena Miles City
Bismarck Duluth Marquette

forecast to persist. The same Salem 58 57 58 48 50

59 52 Burlington Augusta

system has the potential to evolve Boise Fargo Mpls-St. Paul 54 Montpelier
49
Bend
59 Billings 51 54 Boston
into a sub-tropical or tropical 59 56
Rapid City Grand Buffalo 53 53
Burns
59 Milwaukee Rapids 58 Albany
storm into the end of the week 57 Pierre Sioux Falls
56 54 56
Detroit
57
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Eureka Idaho Falls Jackson
58 52 Cleveland 55
while moving out to sea. 63 52 Hole Casper
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Reno 41 51 North Platte 56 TODAY
Much of the rest of the east- Sacramento
63
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69 55 Salt Lake City 60 Chicago Philadelphia
ern third of the nation will be 55
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56 Columbus Harrisburg
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49 55 58 68 67
dry. However, a potent storm is San Francisco 62 Kansas City Washington Annapolis
58 62 Indianapolis Cincinnati
70 68
expected to produce a band of 68 St. George Aspen
Denver
Topeka 57 57
Las Vegas
68 39 56 Charleston Richmond
drenching rain over the central Fresno
74 60 Jefferson City St. Louis Louisville 57 69
66 Wichita 63 65 63
Knoxville
and northern Plains with severe Dodge City 64 Raleigh
60 59 Memphis
70
thunderstorms closer to the Gulf Los Angeles Santa Fe Charlotte
79
Palm Springs Flagstaff
59 Oklahoma 73 Nashville
71 Columbia
Coast. The severe thunderstorm 88 58 City
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69
Albuquerque 65 71
risk includes the potential for a San Diego
61 63 Little Rock Birmingham Atlanta Charleston
Phoenix THURSDAY
77 Lubbock Dallas/Ft. Worth 70 72 73 70
few tornadoes. A pocket of chilly Alaska 79 69 74 Montgomery Savannah
EXTREMES
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48 states through
and high-elevation snow showers 72 Odessa Austin
79 76 Jacksonville 3 p.m. ET yesterday
Fairbanks Hawaii 73 78 Mobile
Tallahassee
77
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Idaho. Anchorage 44 87 81 Houston 80 New 99°
35 82
Orleans Zapata, Texas
While much of the Southwest 82 Tampa

remains dry with gusty winds over Puerto Rico

84
Miami
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Plains, some rain will return to Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather Inc. ©2021
96 Mammoth Lakes, FRIDAY
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Below 10 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110+
TOP TRAVEL CITIES Air quality index (AQI)
ATLANTA BALTIMORE BOSTON CHARLOTTE CHICAGO DALLAS/FT. WORTH DENVER DETROIT HONOLULU HOUSTON LAS VEGAS LOS ANGELES
Mostly Windy Mostly Partly Partly Mostly
WED WED WED Showers WED WED WED Rain WED Windy WED WED WED T-storms WED Sunny WED Sunny
sunny 70/48 sunny sunny sunny sunny
53/47 74/55 56/35 82/57 74/58 79/62
73/56 71/49 56/49 56/48 87/74
Partly Clouds, Very Mostly Mostly A stray Plenty of
THU Rain THU sunny THU THU P.M. rain THU Rain THU THU THU THU THU Windy THU Sunny THU
sun windy sunny cloudy shower sun
65/53 64/55 63/53 55/51 76/54 79/60
55/47 74/53 60/38 61/53 86/73 85/60
Rain Sunny, Partly
FRI Shower FRI FRI Shower FRI Shower FRI Rain FRI Breezy FRI FRI Rain FRI FRI Breezy FRI Sunny FRI Sunny
62/52 warmer sunny
57/50 54/53 63/50 56/49 70/48 58/49 72/50 79/59 83/59
70/44 85/74
AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good
MIAMI MPLS-ST. PAUL NEW ORLEANS NEW YORK ORLANDO PHILADELPHIA PHOENIX SALT LAKE CITY SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO SEATTLE WASHINGTON
Sunny, P.M. rain Showers Mostly Plenty of A little
WED WED WED T-storms WED WED WED Windy WED WED Warmer WED Sunny WED Clearing WED WED Breezy
nice 54/44 around sunny sun rain
82/63 67/49 55/42 77/60 68/57 70/51
88/75 60/50 85/68 79/57 55/50
Stray Rain Mostly Partly Plenty of Mostly Mostly Mostly Incr.
THU THU THU Windy THU THU T-storms THU THU THU THU THU THU Rain THU
t-storm 51/43 sunny sunny sun sunny sunny sunny clouds
72/57 83/67 58/49
87/75 60/49 64/52 86/63 57/40 81/60 68/57 65/57
Mostly Rain, Mostly Mostly Partly Mostly
FRI Breezy FRI cloudy FRI Windy FRI P.M. rain FRI Windy FRI FRI Sunny FRI FRI FRI FRI FRI Rain
windy sunny sunny sunny cloudy
86/69 56/38 67/54 59/55 80/61 88/63 64/53
62/54 62/45 74/59 66/55 54/39
AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good
c Cloudy f Fog i Ice r Rain sf Snowflurries sn Snow w Windy dr Drizzle h Haze pc Partly cloudy s Sunny sh Showers t Thunderstorms

U.S. CITIES TODAY THU

Cincinnati
TODAY
57/48s
THU
58/51r Hartford, Conn.
TODAY
55/44sh
THU
59/37pc Nags Head, N.C.
TODAY
66/59w
THU
66/63pc Sarasota, Fla.
TODAY
84/73s
THU
85/72t
WORLD CITIES
Akron, Ohio 59/47c 65/52c Cleveland 57/45c 64/52c Indianapolis 57/47s 54/51r Nashville, Tenn. 69/55pc 65/50sh Savannah, Ga. 72/54s 74/56t TODAY THU
Albany, N.Y. 57/41c 58/38s Colorado Springs 58/35w 60/35s Islip, N.Y. 58/47sh 60/45pc Newark, N.J. 65/49sh 64/52s Scottsdale, Ariz. 78/55s 87/61s Beijing 68/36h 64/41pc
Albuquerque 61/40w 65/41s Columbia, S.C. 71/48s 66/55t Jackson, Miss. 76/55t 66/51c New Haven, Conn. 59/48sh 59/45pc Shreveport, La. 79/56t 71/53w Buenos Aires 84/70s 83/69pc
Allentown, Pa. 64/44w 62/47pc Columbus, Ohio 58/49c 63/53c Jacksonville, Fla. 77/59s 78/58t Norfolk, Va. 67/55w 66/60pc Sioux Falls, S.D. 52/42r 57/37pc Cancun, Mexico 89/77pc 92/70t
Amarillo, Texas 66/42s 64/40w Corpus Christi, Texas 88/57t 84/55s Jefferson City, Mo. 63/48r 54/49r Oakland, Calif. 70/56s 71/56s South Bend, Ind. 55/46s 56/52r Dubai, UAE 91/78s 92/78s
Anaheim, Calif. 85/60s 92/60s Dayton, Ohio 57/49s 61/54r Kansas City 58/47r 50/45r Oklahoma City 63/49w 65/45w Spokane, Wash. 52/44pc 61/50w Frankfurt 59/41pc 56/38pc
Anchorage, Alaska 35/27c 36/31sn Daytona Beach, Fla. 81/64s 82/64t Key West, Fla. 85/80s 86/77sh Omaha, Neb. 55/46r 56/41r 60/48r 48/45r Hong Kong 81/74pc 80/73pc
Aspen, Colo. 39/22pc 48/25s Des Moines, Iowa 54/45r 52/43r Knoxville, Tenn. 64/47pc 62/51r Palm Springs, Calif. 88/67s 93/66s 62/47pc 54/49r Istanbul 62/54s 60/53pc
Atlantic City, N.J. 62/52w 61/57pc Duluth, Minn. 48/42r 49/42r Laredo, Texas 89/56s 86/58s Pensacola, Fla. 77/68s 76/58w St. Louis 65/50pc 57/50r Jerusalem 71/54s 70/56c
Augusta, Ga. 73/49s 69/54t Durham, N.C. 68/47s 66/56r Lexington, Ky. 58/47s 56/49r Pierre, S.D. 58/42c 57/33w St. Petersburg, Fla. 84/74s 83/72t Johannesburg 73/57pc 67/55c
Austin, Texas 78/51pc 77/50w El Paso, Texas 72/46s 73/47s Lincoln, Neb. 55/45r 57/40w Pittsburgh 57/43c 63/50c Syracuse, N.Y. 59/39pc 61/43s London 64/53pc 62/56pc
67/52s 72/55s Fairbanks, Alaska 28/10sf 29/16pc Little Rock, Ark. 70/54r 58/49sh Portland, Maine 48/41r 54/38pc Tallahassee, Fla. 78/63s 79/54t Mexico City 79/54t 75/55t
Baton Rouge, La. 80/57t 72/51w Flagstaff, Ariz. 58/31s 60/30s Long Beach, Calif. 80/58s 86/60s Portland, Ore. 58/55r 66/54sh Tampa, Fla. 84/74s 82/72t Montreal 54/40h 52/37s
Billings, Mont. 56/37w 58/47pc Fargo, N.D. 51/40r 54/32pc Louisville, Ky. 63/51pc 61/52r Providence, R.I. 53/46sh 56/44pc Toledo, Ohio 56/47c 63/52c Moscow 45/42sh 50/40r
Birmingham, Ala. 72/58pc 67/50sh Fort Myers, Fla. 87/75s 86/74t Lubbock, Texas 69/43s 69/41w Raleigh, N.C. 70/49s 66/56r Topeka, Kan. 60/47r 57/44r Mumbai, India 95/78s 96/78h
Bismarck, N.D. 58/40pc 57/33w Fort Smith, Ark. 65/52r 58/49r Madison, Wis. 56/44pc 54/47r Rapid City, S.D. 59/39w 56/36w Tucson, Ariz. 77/49s 87/56s Paris 63/44pc 66/49s
Boise, Idaho 59/45pc 67/47pc Fort Wayne, Ind. 54/46s 57/50r Manchester, N.H. 50/44sh 57/40pc Reno, Nev. 63/38pc 64/40s Tupelo, Miss. 75/58pc 65/50sh Rio de Janeiro 78/72c 77/71t
Buffalo, N.Y. 58/41pc 60/48pc Fresno, Calif. 66/53s 71/55s Memphis, Tenn. 73/56pc 61/49sh Richmond, Va. 69/50pc 66/56pc Tulsa, Okla. 65/51r 62/47r Rome 70/50pc 70/49pc
Burlington, Vt. 54/39pc 53/37pc Grand Rapids, Mich. 54/46pc 58/50c Milwaukee 56/51pc 58/51r Rochester, N.Y. 56/41pc 58/46pc Virginia Beach, Va. 68/58w 67/62pc Seoul 66/43s 66/45s
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 56/43pc 51/43r Green Bay, Wis. 56/43pc 58/47c Mobile, Ala. 79/62t 72/51pc Sacramento, Calif. 69/51s 71/53s Wichita, Kan. 59/47r 61/43w Singapore 88/78pc 88/79t
Charleston, S.C. 70/51s 73/58t Greensboro, N.C. 68/49s 63/52r Modesto, Calif. 68/52s 69/52s San Antonio 81/55w 80/53s Wilmington, Del. 67/48w 63/53pc Sydney 77/63s 83/70pc
Charleston, W.Va. 57/44pc 63/53sh Greenville, S.C. 70/47s 59/51r Montgomery, Ala. 76/62pc 71/52pc San Jose, Calif. 72/56s 74/56s Winston-Salem, N.C. 69/50s 62/53r Toronto 60/43s 54/48c
Cheyenne, Wyo. 49/35w 55/40w Harrisburg, Pa. 68/47pc 64/55pc Myrtle Beach, S.C. 68/53s 71/62t Santa Fe, N.M. 59/30s 62/36s Worcester, Mass. 48/42sh 52/40pc Tokyo 64/57sh 69/55s
SPORTS
Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies flips the ball during workouts Monday before Tuesday’s Game 1 of the World Series
against the Astros in Houston. TROY TAORMINA/USA TODAY SPORTS
Title hunts
Continued from Page 1C
“I get to hear those stories and hope-
fully I’m going to tell my own stories to
my kids,” said the 36-year old father of
four who works for a company that re-
stores textiles and electronics for
homes damaged by fire, water and
mold.
The Braves clinched the National
League championship and a spot in the
World Series against Houston Satur-
day night with a Game 6 win in Atlanta.
Jamaree Salyer, Georgia’s starting
left tackle and an Atlanta native,
tweeted after the game: “SGO BRAVES
#ChopOn”
Goddard, a part-time comedian who
has a following on TikTok, insisted that
with his kids asleep that he was so fired
up when the Braves won that he ran
around naked halfway down the drive-
way of his home after the Braves
clinched a World Series trip, but there
is no video proof of that.
“I went crazy,” he said. “I actually
lost my mind. I was so dang excited I
could not contain myself.”
Beijing
Continued from Page 1C
eyes set on Olympic gold.
As the 100-day countdown to Beijing
begins, here’s a look at seven key ques-
tions ahead of the Games.
1. What will Beijing’s bubble look
like?
Beijing 2022 organizers released the
first iteration of their COVID-19 proto-
cols this week – a pair of so-called “play-
books” that detail some of the principles
they had previously announced. Many
of these countermeasures, such as fre-
quent temperature checks and social
distancing, are in line with those util-
ized by Tokyo. Others are far more strict.
While Tokyo created a loose bubble
for the Summer Olympics, Beijing’s
“closed-loop” setup appears to be sig-
nificantly more strict, completely wall-
ing off Olympic stakeholders from the
rest of China. And some of the counter-
measures for those inside the bubble are
more stringent, too. The playbooks spe-
cifically reference the use of KN95
masks, for example; in Tokyo, many
stakeholders wore simple cloth masks.
Everyone inside the Beijing bubble will
also be subjected to daily COVID-19
tests, collected by throat swabs. Tokyo
used saliva tests, and some groups (in-
cluding media) were only tested once
every few days.
It will be interesting to see how all
this works and looks come February, as
well as how Beijing organizers deal with
rule breakers. Minor infractions at the
Tokyo Games typically just received a
warning. Beijing’s playbooks reference
a range of possible punishments, in-
cluding “financial sanctions.” An updat-
ed set of playbooks are due to be re-
leased by the end of the year.
2. What impact will vaccine
mandates have?
Vaccine policy is perhaps the most
notable difference between Beijing’s
Georgia coach Kirby Smart didn’t go
to that extreme during his bye week-
end, although he said Monday he was
“excited” to see the Braves World Series
bound after beating the Los Angeles
Dodgers.
“We got to see the end of the game
Saturday night after some of the col-
lege games were over,” he said. “I’m
certainly excited for Atlanta and the
state of Georgia. Those guys have done
a tremendous job of closing and play-
ing well at the end of the year.”
Costigan is a former deputy chief of
staff and legislative affairs secretary
for Arnold Schwarzenegger when he
was California’s governor.
He and his wife now live in Athens
so he’s going to lose that California
vanity plate at the end of the month.
He’s recovering from hernia surgery so
going to the Braves game is more man-
ageable.
“I was looking at Braves tickets be-
cause I’m not sure I can make the drive
all the way to Jacksonville,” said Costi-
gan, 55, who has been a season ticket
holder for 30 years and flew back once
or twice a season for games when he
lived out West.
Goddard said the Braves are “hitting
protocols and those in Tokyo. In Tokyo,
getting the shot was encouraged. In
Beijing, it will be all but mandatory.
Those who are unvaccinated will face a
21-day quarantine upon arrival.
Some Olympic delegations, includ-
ing those from the U.S. and Canada,
have decided to take uncertainty out of
the equation and require that all of their
athletes, coaches and staff members be
vaccinated before traveling to Beijing.
Jonathan Finnoff, the USOPC’s chief
medical officer, said during Team USA’s
media summit last week that the or-
ganization has seen a mixed response
from athletes to that decision. “(But) the
vast majority of people that we’ve been
talking to are really excited about this
and feel that this is the right way to go,”
he said.
About 85% of Team USA’s athletes
were vaccinated in Tokyo, and it’s un-
clear what the remaining 15% would
have done if a mandate had been in
place. It’s also worth monitoring how
Beijing’s threat of a 21-day quarantine
impacts other countries’ plans.
3. How will fan attendance shake
out?
There will be no foreign fans at the
Winter Olympics, but Beijing 2022 or-
ganizers have indicated that some spec-
tators from mainland China will be per-
mitted to attend, as long as they follow a
series of yet-to-be-announced CO-
VID-19 protocols.
The absence of foreign fans will be a
disappointment to non-Chinese ath-
letes, who won’t have their families on
hand to support them in Beijing. But the
bigger question moving forward is what
the atmosphere will be like in some of
these venues.
Will organizers allow the stands to
be, say, 80% full? Or just 20% full? Will
the venues look and feel empty, or seem
almost normal? And how will this im-
pact competition, if at all? The host
country always has something of a
home-field advantage, but this promis-
es to be a unique case.
4. How will stakeholders handle
USA TODAY ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ 7C
another gear” with their push down the
stretch of the season.
He doesn’t believe in any curse on
Georgia sports teams whose fans have
felt their share of heartache through
the years.
“I’m not that guy. I don’t think
there’s an actual curse on Georgia
sports fans,” Goddard said. “I will say if
you live in this state or don’t live in this
state… it is insane when you think what
is it going to take? You see these other
clubs pop up and get it done. There is
something to be said for the drought. It
comes down to the players on the field
performing and I don’t think half these
kids and all these other folks have giv-
en any mind to that at all.”
Georgia nose guard Jordan Davis
went to a regular season Braves game
and also attended Game 2 of the NLCS.
His roommate, former Bulldog walk-on
Blake Anderson, has season tickets.
He’s hoping to get a chance to get to a
Game 5 this weekend.
“Chop on, Braves,” Davis said.
“We’re rooting for them. Definitely
pulling for them in the World Series.
That would be crazy to experience that.
Hopefully I’ll get to catch a game on
Sunday. Go Braves!”
questions about China’s human
rights abuses?
Human rights groups and politicians
have called for the postponement or
boycott of the 2022 Olympics due to
China’s human rights abuses, specifi-
cally the detention of Uyghur Muslims,
which the U.S. government has declared
a genocide. And as the Games get closer,
those calls will only grow louder.
While the chances of such a post-
ponement or boycott appear to be nearly
zero, it will be interesting to see how
various groups of stakeholders – from
the International Olympic Committee to
sponsors to broadcasters – address (or
avoid) the issue. There will also be a par-
ticularly bright spotlight on athletes,
some of whom have referred to the
Games as a chance to drum up aware-
ness of the human rights abuses in Chi-
na.
“I can say human rights violations
are abysmal. And we all believe that it’s
really ... it tears the fabric of humanity,”
U.S. figure skater Evan Bates said last
week. “But I think to boycott the Games
would be to not take the opportunity to
shed light on this topic.”
One of the big questions here is
whether an athlete will publicly con-
demn China while competing in Beijing
– a move that would attract plenty of
eyeballs and draw the ire of the Chinese
government.
5. Is there any realistic chance of a
U.S. boycott?
In short: No. Though the U.S. govern-
ment has made its stance clear on Chi-
na’s detention of Uyghurs, a full-scale
athlete boycott appears to be far-
fetched at this point, in part due to the
USOPC’s staunch opposition.
“We believe the more effective course
of action is for the governments of the
world and China to engage directly on
human rights and geopolitical issues,”
the USOPC said in a statement this year.
That said, some sort of diplomatic
boycott – which has been proposed by
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
among others – is feasible. While it
Brennan
Continued from Page 1C
honor them.
Can you imagine a row of Watson’s
accusers sitting in front of a Senate
hearing telling their stories the way Si-
mone Biles, Aly Raisman and their
teammates did last month? And then
the NFL allowing him to be traded to,
say, Miami, and, “Here we go, first and 10
for the Dolphins at the 25-yard line …
Watson back to throw …”
How can any human being in the NFL
allow that to happen? Stash Watson
somewhere – the commissioner’s ex-
empt list is the likely spot, with its broad
“unusual circumstances” phrase – and
get him out of any sports conversations
until his vast legal troubles have run
their course.
If he’s innocent, allow him back, ob-
viously. If he’s not, tell him he is never
welcome in the NFL again.
MLB figured out a way to get rid of
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor
Bauer, who is accused of sexual assault,
by placing him on administrative leave
for the rest of the season. That was a 21st
century solution to a problem that
would have been laughed off a genera-
tion ago.
The NFL must do the same. This isn’t
the 1950s, despite what those emails
must say. The most powerful and im-
portant sports league in the nation must
start acting like it’s living in these times.
Listen to those accusers. Declare Wat-
son ineligible for the season. Do it now.
The Texans have listed quarterback
Deshaun Watson as inactive all season.
QUINN HARRIS/USA TODAY SPORTS
wouldn’t impact the actual competition,
it would certainly add some geopolitical
intrigue to one of the world’s largest
sporting events.
6. How will NBC (and U.S.
audiences) handle Olympic-Super
Bowl overlap?
One of the interesting wrinkles with
the 2022 Olympics is that they’ll overlap
with another massive sporting event:
Super Bowl 56. The game will take place
almost exactly in the middle of the
Olympics, on Day 10 of the 17-day sched-
ule. Both events are being televised by
NBC.
The logistical challenges here, from
NBC’s standpoint, are obvious. But it
will also be interesting to see if one
event dilutes interest in the other – or,
more specifically, if American fans ba-
sically ignore the Olympics for a week in
favor of NFL talk. The Winter Olympics
have traditionally started a week or two
after the Super Bowl. This will be the
first time the two marquee events over-
lap.
7. Will Team USA stars live up to
the hype?
For all the off-ice intrigue detailed
above, there’s obviously the basic ques-
tion of how Team USA – and its mar-
quee names – will fare in Beijing.
Mikaela Shiffrin, who won a gold and
a silver at the 2018 Games in Pyeong-
chang, figures to be the United States’
biggest star. She spoke recently about
competing in all five Alpine skiing
events in Beijing, which would give her
five medal chances. Shaun White is
aiming to make his fifth Olympic ap-
pearance in snowboarding. And in fig-
ure skating, all eyes will be on Nathan
Chen, who won three consecutive world
championships after a disappointing
showing in Pyeongchang.
Then, there’s men’s and women’s
hockey – where the U.S. and Canada are
likely to continue their long-standing ri-
valry. The men’s competition will again
include NHL players, who were barred
by the league from participating in 2018.
8C ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

New ESPN podcast hosts ‘country as hell’

Longtime friends Spears,
Perkins offer relatability
Chris Bumbaca
USA TODAY

The bosses asked Kendrick Perkins

for a list of people he’d be willing to co-
host a podcast alongside.
The former NBA center supplied his
ESPN superiors one name. Informed
that the requested individual’s normal
job responsibilities precluded any time
for a podcast, Perkins didn’t even an-
swer.
That was about six months ago. The
name was his longtime friend Marcus
Spears, the NFL analyst and former
Cowboys defensive lineman.
“My schedule was crazy,” said
Spears, a member of ESPN’s daily “NFL
Live” show and who regularly appears
on morning shows “Get Up!” and “First
Take.” “I was like, ‘No.’ Then they was
like, ‘What about doing it with Perk?’ I
said ‘Yeah!’ ”
Two decades removed from first
meeting each other through the same
Houston AAU program, Spears and Per-
kins, two of the fastest-rising analysts
at the network, debuted the eponymous
(counting nicknames) “Swagu & Perk”
on Tuesday.
The weekly podcast, sans guests, will
consist of about an hour conversation
between the two, offering a pair of ex-
athletes’ perspectives on the news of
the day and the happenings in their own
lives.
Their first episode touched on locker
room dynamics through the lens of the
recent Anthony Davis-Dwight Howard
spat with the Lakers, and they high-
lighted a group of Black Louisiana fa-
thers dispelling school violence.
“We both country as hell,” Perkins
told USA TODAY Sports. “We’re going to
give it to you raw. We’ll talk with the bro-
ken English. We might say some words
you don’t understand. One thing about
it, you’re not going to have to look in the
dictionary or encyclopedia to see what’s
coming out of our mouths.”
Their goal is to be unique for the seg-
ment of ESPN’s audience that the stable
of existing podcasts don’t cover while
being relatable, the formula that has
Kendrick Perkins played for four NBA teams and Marcus Spears for two NFL
teams. PERKINS BY DAVID RICHARD AND MARCUS SPEARS BY NELSON CHENAULT/USA TODAY SPORTS
driven their success on television.
“I didn’t want the podcast to be
work,” Spears told USA TODAY Sports.
“I wanted to show up, turn the mic on
and chop it up with somebody that was
going to give me the same type of ener-
gy, that wasn’t always going to agree
with me.
“People like to say 50-50. We come
100-100.”
During last season’s NBA playoffs,
Spears called Perkins asking why the
Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t
guarding Kevin Durant of the Nets. They
discussed the topic for nearly two
hours, an uncommon occurrence when
one phoned the other.
“Now you’re going to give us a plat-
form to share with the world what we’ve
been talking about? That’s what sealed
it for me,” Spears said.
Together, they want to contradict the
notion that the coveted analyst seats on
sports networks need to be filled by Hall
of Famers. Both played for iconic fran-
chises but want to show the rank-and-
file players that their careers can flour-
ish in media beyond the playing days.
Certain athletes have cushy post-
playing broadcast situations to fall into,
such as Drew Brees and NBC or Charles
Barkley and Turner.
“That don’t happen for guys like Swa-
gu and myself,” said Perkins, who also
appears on “Get Up!” “First Take” and
the network’s new daily NBA program
Marcus Spears and Kendrick Perkins’
relationship goes back more than two
decades, as they played in the same
AAU basketball program. ESPN
“NBA Today.” “You don’t just fall into the
top of the platform.”
Perkins, a champion with the 2008
Celtics, became a staple on ESPN’s bas-
ketball content with strong opinions
and a harkening for calling out the
game’s stars, including Durant.
Spears started his TV career by host-
ing an outdoors show and then went to
SEC Network under the ESPN umbrella
before advancing to become one of the
most prominent football analysts.
Equally grateful for their paths, nei-
ther has lost an ounce of authenticity.
“The one thing about me and Perk,
everything surprises us,” Spears said.
“We at ESPN and we got a podcast? Like
what?”
Spears and Perkins entered the busi-
ness while expectations existed about
how analysts are supposed to sit, talk
and look.
Perkins remembers an executive
from a different network reaching out to
him once, advocating that he hire a
speech consultant to make him conform
to television norms.
“I hung up the phone and I was like,
‘Man, get your a-- outta here,’ ” Perkins
said. “I ain’t doing that.”
And there is comfort in doing their
latest venture, the podcast, with that
same attitude.
“I just take pride in the fact me and
Perk were like, ‘Man eff that,’ ” Spears
said. “We’re going to be ourselves.”

ocial media’s biggest nigh

The American Influencer Awards presented by Mica Beauty
honors the top talent across social media. Get ready for a night
of celebration, glam and expression as we find out the winners
across 57 beauty, fashion, fitness and lifestyle categories on
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Watch Online
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AND STREAMING ON THE USA TODAY CHANNEL
Hosted By: Andy Cohen
LIFE
USA TODAY | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 | SECTION D
LIFELINE
CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION
THEY SAID WHAT?
THE STARS’ BEST QUOTES
This message is to my family ...
for hurting me deeper than
you’ll ever know!!! I know the conser-
vatorship is about to be over but I still
want justice!!! I’m only 5’4” and I’ve
played the bigger person my entire
life ... do you know how hard that is
???” – Britney Spears in an Instagram
post Monday describing the “humili-
ating” feeling of making time for peo-
ple who are only available “when it’s
convenient for them.” Her attorney
said during the Sept. 29 hearing that
he hopes the next hearing in the
case, scheduled for Nov. 12, will see
the conservatorship come to an end.
VICTORIA JONES/AP
ROYALS REPORT
QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Queen Elizabeth II held virtual audi-
ences Tuesday from Windsor Castle,
her first engagement since she was
hospitalized and ordered by doctors
to rest last week. The monarch, 95,
appeared via video chat to greet the
ambassador of the Republic of Korea,
days after she was taken to London’s
King Edward VII’s Hospital on Oct. 20
for medical tests that the palace
called “preliminary investigations”
not related to COVID-19, before re-
turning home the next afternoon. The
queen canceled a previously planned
trip to mark the 100-year anniversary
of Northern Ireland and the palace
said she “reluctantly” agreed to rest
for a few days.
IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY
WHO’S CELEBRATING TODAY
John Cleese is 82. Fran Lebowitz is
71. Kelly Osbourne is 37.
USA TODAY SNAPSHOTS ©
USA TODAY Best-sellers
Top selling titles for week ending Oct.
24. Full list in tomorrow’s USA TODAY.
1. The Judge’s List
John Grisham
2. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super
Easy!
Ree Drummond
3. Dune Frank Herbert
4. A Shadow in the Ember
Jennifer L. Armentrout
5. The Lincoln Highway
Amor Towles
USA TODAY
Billy Porter opens up in Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ puts
‘Unprotected’ memoir the squeeze on TV remakes
The star of stage and screen writes frankly of The show came out of nowhere yet Hollywood
being abused, and his path to healing. Page 2D still relies on the familiar. News & views. Page 3D
K1
K1
BOOKS MOVIES NEWS & VIEWS
We assess
Anderson’s
films and
quirks, too
Brian Truitt
USA TODAY
You know immediately when you’re
watching a Wes Anderson film.
The signature imagery, the eccen-
tricity, the camera movement, the
wide shots, the usual suspects (from
Bill Murray to Owen Wilson), the con-
stant blending of the goofy and the se-
rious – all are hallmarks of Anderson’s
cinematic work. And over the last 25
years, the Oscar-nominated, Texas-
born auteur has made movies about
dysfunctional families, thieving bud-
dies, an island of stray dogs, young
kids in love, a kooky oceanographer,
an adventurous hotel lobby boy and
many more colorful personalities.
The filmmaker’s latest all-star effort
“The French Dispatch” (in theaters), a
collection of stories centered on Amer-
ican expat journalists in France, whol-
ly embraces Anderson’s various
quirks. In honor of the new film, we’re
ranking all of the director’s films:
10. ‘Bottle Rocket’ (1996)
Luke and Owen Wilson star as
friends who plan to pull off a bunch of
heists before joining the gang of a
Meghan McCain, the daughter of late Sen. John McCain, wrapped her criminal landscaper (James Caan) un-
time as a “View” co-host in August after four seasons. LOU ROCCO/AP til one of them falls in love with a hotel
maid. Anderson’s first film – and the
debut for both Wilson brothers – is
McCain won’t rough around the edges but the talent
potential for all three is there from the
beginning.
hold back on
both the ‘Bad’
and the good
A reporter (Cate Blanchett)
interviews famed oceanographer
Erin Jensen USA TODAY Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) in “The Life
Aquatic With Steve Zissou.” PROVIDED
Meghan McCain exited ABC’s all-female panel show in August, BY BUENA VISTA PICTURES
but is continuing to share her point of “View” in her Audible mem-
oir “Bad Republican,” out now. h “Bad Republican” started out as 9. ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve
Zissou’ (2004)
“a very serious political book,” she tells USA TODAY. But submit-
ted amid a global pandemic, it was deemed too serious for the Murray plays the Jacques Cous-
teau-esque title character, a famed
times by her editor, agent, friends and husband, Ben Domenech, oceanographer and documentarian
publisher of the conservative online magazine The Federalist. who seeks the jaguar shark that killed
his best friend. The strange quest for
Her rewrite, delivered in her own his “white whale” even includes a love
spoken words, includes moments of triangle between Zissou, a pregnant
levity. “New motherhood is how I reporter (Cate Blanchett) and a man
imagine it is to do ecstasy at Burning (Owen Wilson) claiming to be his son.
Man,” McCain, who turned 37 on
Saturday, declares in “Bad Republi- 8. ‘The Isle of Dogs’ (2018)
can.” (McCain and Domenech wel-
comed daughter Liberty in Septem- Anderson pays tribute to Japanese
ber 2020.) “It’s glorious, but every- cinema and the scrappy nature of un-
one’s in weird outfits, and it doesn’t derdogs in this whimsical stop-motion
quite feel real. Also, it’s hard to stay animated comedy. A dog flu leads a
hydrated.” metropolis to banish pooches (Murray,
She writes about the early days of Edward Norton and more) to an island
her relationship with Domenech, full of trash, and an orphan boy be-
celebrates friendships and men- friends a stray (Bryan Cranston).
tions an uncomfortable phone call
from former President Donald 7. ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ (2007)
Trump, an adversary of her father,
Sen. John McCain. Darker moments “I just wanted to share A year after their father’s death, a
of McCain’s life are included: the trio of estranged brothers (Adrien Bro-
postpartum anxiety that followed and hopefully make dy, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartz-
Liberty’s birth and the miscarriage people feel a little less man) meet up for a spiritual journey/
that preceded it (and coincided with train ride through India. They bicker,
an appearance on “Late Night With alone if it’s possible.” fight, save some folks and seek out
Seth Meyers” that drew attention). their mercurial mom (Anjelica Huston)
Meghan McCain
She also details the last moments On her new memoir in the Himalayas on a thoughtful trip
with her father, who died in 2018 of sibling reconnection.
from a cancerous brain tumor. way she was treated as the panel’s
She tells USA TODAY shed tears sole conservative voice “made it im- 6. ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ (2012)
in the recording booth but hopes possible for me to stay,” she says in
these stories offer listeners comfort. the memoir. She also comments on Young talent shines in Anderson’s
“I felt so alone in so many experi- show moderator Whoopi Goldberg’s splendid 1965-set love story. The com-
ences in my life, and my stories are “open disdain” for her and says an ing-of-age romance centers on two 12-
not unique,” she says. “I just wanted on-air clash with Joy Behar sealed year-olds – a lonely boy scout (Jared
to share and hopefully make people her fate. The show “is billed as an Gilman) and a troublemaking girl (Ka-
feel a little less alone if it’s possible.” arena for women to share and dis- ra Hayward) – who run away and meet
In the last chapter, McCain re- cuss their views on politics and the up on a New England island, with the
veals why she walked away from
“The View” after four seasons. The See MCCAIN, Page 3D See ANDERSONS, Page 3D
2D ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY LIFE

BOOKS

Porter lets down his guard in ‘Unprotected’

David Oliver Plenty of space ex-
USA TODAY ists now for Porter to
stand front and cen-
Billy Porter knows a thing or two ter, along with such
about glamour. And by a thing or two, up-and-coming queer
we mean more than the space-time con- artists as Lil Nas X.
tinuum allows. Porter appeared in a
He owns the “fab” in fabulous as the video for Lil Nas X’s
Fabulous Godmother in Amazon’s latest song “That’s What I
“Cinderella” adaptation. He plays our Want“ off his new al-
heartstrings as Pray Tell, the feisty ball- bum “Montero.”
room announcer turned heart of FX’s “I am a part of the generation that
“Pose.” He pours blood (-red boots), kicked the door down so that Lil Nas X
sweat and tears into the role of Lola in can exist,” Porter says. “And it’s not lost
“Kinky Boots” on Broadway. on me that I’m also getting to reap the
And how could you forget that Chris- benefits of having been a part of this
tian Siriano 2019 Oscars tuxedo gown? generation that kicked the door down.
But life was far from glamorous for We don’t always get to walk through
Porter, 52, as he details in his new mem- those doors, we don’t always get to ben-
oir “Unprotected” (Abrams Press, 288 efit from that work. And I’m getting to do
pp., out now). Many bullied and under- Billy Porter lacks only an Oscar to complete his EGOT sweep. RICH FURY/GETTY IMAGES both.”
estimated the Pittsburgh native; his He also recognizes the industry has
own stepfather raped him for years dur- moved further in the conversation of
ing his childhood – trauma he fully be- personal healing,” Porter says. “I could Consider his Tony-winning turn in straight and cisgender actors playing
gan unfurling and unpacking during the put the energy inside of the character “Kinky Boots” and Emmy-winning turn queer and trans roles. But he suggests a
pandemic, though he has “always been and figure out how to work my way in “Pose” as proof of that. And now, of nuanced approach to the debate.
on the road to healing.” through to healing through a character. course, in the Fairy Godmother role “There also has to be space for grace
“I really, really, really have needed That’s what we get to do as artists, peri- Whitney Houston famously played op- in this conversation,” Porter says. “I
this past year to work on myself and try od.” posite Brandy in the 1997 TV film “Rodg- know a lot of people dragged “Pose” cre-
to become a better person,” Porter says “Pose” co-creator Ryan Murphy, who ers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella.” ator Murphy for casting James Corden
in an interview with USA TODAY. took up space on Porter’s vision board Porter’s enthusiasm rattled through in ‘The Prom’ but what they didn’t ever
His stepfather Bernie’s abuse trau- before they even worked together, gave his house – literally – when he won the talk about was that he also cast two
matized him and riddled him with grief. him the best possible gift: not telling witchy role. “I screamed and ran around (queer) women.” Critics of the film la-
“I split off from myself at 7 years old and Porter to tone it down – aka, not to dial the house screaming, ‘I got the Whitney mented Corden playing a stereotypical
began to experience myself as a grown- down his queer quotient. Houston part! I got the Whitney Hous- queer character when he is not queer
(expletive) man,” he writes in the mem- “My hope was that he would tell me ton part!’” himself.
oir. “I had no other choice. How was I to to let it go and he did,” Porter says. He embraces the moment with heart What’s next for Porter? He has Gram-
know that those sessions under the Porter won a history-making Emmy and humility: “It’s very significant to me my, Emmy and Tony awards. An Oscar
cloak of night with Bernie were wrong?” for the first season of “Pose” as the first because it marks a real change in our would cement his EGOT status – but
Porter shed a layer of his vulnerabil- openly gay man to win as best actor in a culture, especially for queer men of col- that’s not on his mind. His goal “is to
ity this year in an emotional interview drama series. The actor acknowledges or. When I got into this business over 35 show up and do the work,” he says.
with The Hollywood Reporter. In May, Hollywood’s efforts toward inclusion, years ago, it would never have been pos- “Whatever comes with it comes with it.
he told the outlet that he was HIV-posi- but he knows the work is not done. sible to even think about having the I’m in this for the long haul. I’m in this
tive; he found out his status in 2007 fol- He struggled throughout his life and Fairy Godmother be a nonbinary/queer whether I have an Oscar or not.”
lowing filing for bankruptcy and learn- career with not being seen as Black character.” Porter sets his prophetic sights on
ing he was a Type 2 diabetic. The after- enough, or being too gay to actually play He auditioned for and nearly landed more than just acting, however. On top
math of his revelation? gay; only straight people could play gay such a gender-bending opportunity of this book, expect new music and his
“I feel free in a way that I have never (and many still do). Eventually, he decades ago: to play the Witch in the feature directorial debut. He also just
felt in my life,” he tells USA TODAY. “And stopped caring about both dilemmas. 2002 Broadway revival of “Into the sold a TV show to Warner Bros. and Pea-
that is free of shame. Free of shame that “For me, it didn’t matter where the Woods.” The role went to Vanessa Wil- cock.
has been placed upon me since I was 5 chips fell, I needed to just make sure liams. Consider that bridge burned. “We, who are people in positions of
years old.” that I was taking care of myself and be- “They missed their chance,” he says. power, need to hold the gatekeepers ac-
“Pose,” indeed, propelled his life jour- ing as authentic as possible,” he says. “They missed their chance. They had countable, and become gatekeepers
ney forward; his character also discov- “Turns out that’s how you do it even the chance to do it, they had the chance ourselves,” he says. “That’s what I’m in-
ers he’s HIV-positive. when everybody tells you it’s never go- to do what I’m doing right now, and they terested in. It’s time for me to be a gate-
“Pray Tell truly was a proxy for my ing to work.” chose to not do it. So they don’t get it.” keeper.”

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LIFE
TELEVISION NEWS & VIEWS
Hit ‘Squid’ games the TV remake system
Kelly Lawler
USA TODAY
The buzziest TV show around right now is not one
with superheroes, Jedi knights or a title fans can rec-
ognize from the ’80s or ’90s. It’s Netflix’s “Squid
Game,” and it’s a total original.
In the past decade or so, Hollywood studios and TV
networks have tripped over themselves to adapt exist-
ing intellectual property into new movies and shows.
The goal is seemingly to remake, reboot or revive any
title that audiences might recognize. Combined with
the rise of new streaming services – all fighting for
eyeballs and subscribers by marketing familiar char-
acters to potential customers – audiences are drown-
ing in remakes.
It’s the phenomenon that leads to a new “Star Wars”
trilogy, and on a much smaller scale, CW remaking
USA Network’s rather modestly rated 2000s series
“The 4400.” It’s why a “Sex and the City” sequel is
coming back on HBO Max, why “CSI: Vegas” is on CBS,
why “Law & Order” soon will return to NBC and why
“iCarly” resurfaced as an adult on Paramount+.
There are business realities and priorities behind all
the remakes. It’s cost-effective for entertainment con-
glomerates such as Disney, WarnerMedia or NBCUni-
versal to mine existing titles, known as “intellectual
property,” from their vast libraries rather than com-
missioning original scripts. It’s no coincidence that
streamers including Apple TV+ aren’t clogged with re-
makes, because Apple is new to the entertainment
game and has no library of content to remake.
To compete in the so-called streaming wars, these
platforms need to fill their services to compete with
the likes of Netflix, and remakes, revivals and reboots
are fast, familiar and easily promoted ways to expand
their offerings. Famously risk-averse studio execu-
tives are more likely to greenlight a remake than an un-
tested concept. Look no further than Disney+: The
streamer is one big IP extension machine, adding Mar-
vel and “Star Wars” shows to its mix but also bringing
back everything from “The Mighty Ducks” to “Doogie
Howser, M.D.” from the company’s vast archive.
But is it a good idea for audiences looking for some-
thing good to watch – or conglomerates looking to
make money – to flood the market with remakes?
Based on what audiences are watching, critics are lov-
McCain
Continued from Page 1D
most important topics of the day, an arena historically
occupied by men, a space where women support and
respectfully challenge each other. But, the truth is that
the environment on the show is toxic,” McCain says in
“Bad Republican.”
USA TODAY reached out to “The View,” Goldberg
and Behar for comment. A spokesperson for the talk
show described its staff as “collaborative and suppor-
tive.” “For 25 years, ‘The View’ has been a platform on
air and behind the scenes for strong women,” the
statement reads. “Live television and different per-
spectives can often lead to surprising moments, but
the team is collaborative and supportive – focused on
delivering an informative daily talk show.”
McCain spoke with USA TODAY about her audio-
book’s most challenging chapters, the depths of her
postpartum anxiety, and where she stands with Behar
and Goldberg today:
Question: You cover very personal topics in “Bad
Republican.” What were the hardest parts to write?
Meghan McCain: Anything having to do with my
dad and cancer was very hard to write. It was hard to
write about my miscarriage and Seth Meyers. I inten-
tionally put it in the second chapter because I felt like I
just wanted to give a little more explanation for what it
feels like to be the center of a media (storm) and be
going through something so tragic and personal at the
same time. ... I just wanted to give context to a lot of the
trauma I went through. Sometimes when I look pissed
off or sad on the show, it’s because my dad just had a
seizure or I just had a D&C (dilation and curettage, per-
formed for reasons including “to clear the uterine lin-
ing after a miscarriage,” according to the Mayo Clinic).
Q: How did postpartum anxiety affect you?
McCain: I was obsessed with my child to the point
that I was nonfunctioning. I had a hard time letting
anyone else hold her, or feed her, or take care of her.
Then I became really paranoid about being so contro-
versial and being someone that was on this TV show
that America seemed to hate and that someone would
hate me so much that they would take it out on my new
baby. It’s not rational.
It was harder than grief for me because I felt like
grief was something I could really understand. I knew
that my dad died of terminal cancer so this is why I feel
this way. After I had a baby, I didn’t understand why I
was so scared of something happening to her in a way
that, again, it goes beyond just like normal mother, I
fear for my child worries. But I’m great now. I’ve been
great for a long time, thank God.
Q: You didn’t receive a welcome as warm as you
expected when you returned to “The View.” On your
second day back, you teased Behar that she missed
fighting with you, to which she responded: “I did
not miss you. Zero.” (Before that, Behar appeared
frustrated that McCain interrupted her, saying:
“Excuse me, am I done? I’m not done.”) How did it
feel returning to that?
McCain: I was really proud of the fact that I had
made it back to the show because I had such a hard
time, just physically. I had an emergency C-section,
and then I had postpartum preeclampsia. And I was in
the hospital for a week on a magnesium drip, and then
when I went home I had a really hard time, physically –
taking care of myself, walking up stairs. I had extreme-
ly high blood pressure. I had to take my blood pressure
Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) in “Squid Game,” a Korean
drama that became a surprise global hit for Netflix,
which calls it the biggest hit in the streaming
service’s history. PROVIDED BY YOUNGKYU PARK/NETFLIX
ing and the TV Academy is handing out trophies for
lately, probably not.
A string of mediocre and under-the-radar remakes
and revivals – including “Dexter: New Blood” on Show-
time, HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl” and “I Know What You
Did Last Summer” on Amazon – is just the latest evi-
dence that the reboot machine has gone too far.
Even more striking is that the shows generating
buzz are original stories: “Squid Game” has become
Netflix’s biggest show of all time, the streaming ser-
vice claims. And it’s not just an original idea, but a
high-concept, Korean-language drama without stars
recognizable to most American viewers. It’s proof that
unique, gripping and well-written stories are what au-
diences crave, and it’s about time the decision makers
in the TV industry took notice.
It’s not just “Squid” that is generating success from
an original concept. Netflix’s other recent successes,
including Emmy-winning “The Queen’s Gambit” and
Spanish drama “Money Heist” are bringing in viewers
with no nostalgic lure.
“The truly breakthrough content like ‘Squid Game’
when I first got home, every two hours and text the
doctor what it was because I sort of talked my way
out of the hospital after a week because I couldn’t
sleep there, with the noises and the machines. So it
took me a lot, physically, to get to a place where I was
really happy to go back to the show.
And then this moment (with Behar) ... I was just
deeply humiliated and heartbroken, and I felt really
worthless. I felt like I was like not being a great mom,
and I was also not being great at my job. And then
countered with what I was going through with post-
partum anxiety, I had a panic attack in my office, and
I threw up, and I couldn’t stop crying, and it just was
the catalyst for the end for me. That it was when I
decided I was leaving the show. I’m not angry at her. I
have no ill will. I’ve completely forgiven and moved
on.
Q: Were there any other factors that contribut-
ed to your decision to leave? You say in “Bad Re-
publican” you asked for an apology from Behar but
didn’t get one.
McCain: It was quite a few things. Some of it was
COVID and me just having time to reassess my life.
Some of it was the work environment, and just quite
frankly, the idea of going back into a studio where
rampant leaking (to the press) happens, where
there’s this drama and fighting. I just felt like in that
moment, and this sounds dramatic, but I literally
could see myself crying in my office, and I was like “I
am a strong, educated woman who has a lot of things
to say,” and I feel like this is becoming reality-show-
esque. I just felt like it was completely without kind-
ness and without heart, and I just didn’t want to do it
anymore. And, I’m a very impulsive person. And
sometimes when I make a decision, that’s it, and that
happened to me. It was the final thing that I was just
like, “That’s it. This is it, being welcomed back from
maternity leave with this moment is the end for me.”
And it was.
Q: Where do your relationships with Goldberg
and Behar stand?
McCain: Whoopi and I actually texted quite a bit
when I left the show, and she’s very kind and very
sweet. I think a lot of things were lost during COVID
because of the satellite relationship we had, but I love
Whoopi. I think she’s an American icon, and she’s an
innately decent and wonderful, kind person. If I ever
saw her, I would give her a hug and talk to her.
With Joy, if I saw her, I would be friendly, I don’t
know if she would be friendly to me back. I really
have no ill will.
I understand that they’re probably gonna be
pissed off about some of the things I’m sharing, but I
was pissed off at a lot of things that were shared
about me that were personal and private during the
time that I was there that just felt like rampant fodder
for gossip sites.
I do have respect for Joy and what she does and
the fact that she’s been on “The View” for 25 years.
(Behar left for two years in 2013.) She, too, is an
American television icon, and I really have no ill will
towards any of them.
I wish them all success and love and light, I know
the show’s going to go on to be incredible and they’re
gonna find somebody amazing to replace me.
I’m really grateful for the experience. I just think
sometimes in life you’re meant to stay at a place for a
season of your life, and sometimes it’s forever.
And for me, I just felt like I was in “The View” grad
school, and I did my four years, and then I was ready
to move on.
USA TODAY ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ 3D
or ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ or ‘Money Heist’ feels unex-
pected and is the outcrop of Netflix’s willingness and
ability to just spend, baby, spend on new content.
(Subscriber) growth only appears to be sustained by
new content spending,” financial analyst Michael Na-
thanson said in a report on Netflix’s content strategy.
Outside of Netflix, recent critical and Emmy-win-
ning hits include HBO’s Kate Winslet detective drama
“Mare of Easttown,” Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso,” based
on an NBC Sports promo yet is an original character by
Jason Sudeikis; and Hulu’s “Only Murders in the
Building,” a Steve Martin murder-mystery-comedy.
The May “Mare” finale drew 4 million viewers over
Memorial Day weekend across HBO platforms, and
became the most-watched new HBO title on sister
streaming service HBO Max. “Lasso” won seven Em-
mys in September and wrapped a critically acclaimed
second season. Hulu says “Only Murders,” which al-
ready has been renewed for a second season, was Hu-
lu’s most-watched day-of-release comedy.
It’s not just that recent original shows have been
good. The sheer oversaturation of the reboot/remake/
revival market has made it impossible for many to
break through the cultural conversation. Where once a
high-profile remake of a beloved sitcom such as ABC’s
“The Wonder Years” would have been the biggest news
of the TV season, the new series (which is much better
than many of its fellow remakes) premiered without
much fanfare. TV viewers couldn’t be faulted for not
knowing “Last Summer” had even been made into a TV
show on Amazon, it arrived with such a whisper.
When an original series breaks big, it doesn’t have
to break the bank. The nine-episode “Squid Game” re-
portedly cost Netflix $24 million, a tiny price tag com-
pared with many of the streamer’s other offerings.
The reality of the TV industry now is that reboots
continue to be a mostly profitable norm, and they
won’t be going away anytime soon. It’s a bit naïve to
think – even in show business, where money and
numbers reign supreme – that the recent success of a
few original series will make much of an impact on an
industry that’s deeply entrenched in what it knows.
But hopefully, as more smart, funny, shocking, scary,
intriguing series win awards and fans, Netflix, HBO
Max and others will try more new things.
The next “Squid Game” is out there, Hollywood just
has to be willing to take a chance to find it.
Ralph Fiennes is a famed concierge at a European
resort and Tony Revolori is the new bellhop in “The
Grand Budapest Hotel.” PROVIDED BY FOX SEARCHLIGHT
Anderson
Continued from Page 1D
scout’s troop leader (Norton) and girl’s parents (Mur-
ray and Frances McDormand) in hot pursuit.
5. ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ (2001)
Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson star
as genius siblings who garner fame and renown as
kids yet face lackluster adulthoods. Gene Hackman
hijacks the movie as their estranged father, who
shows up claiming to have terminal cancer in the bit-
tersweet and drolly hilarious dramedy.
4. ‘The Fantastic Mr. Fox’ (2009)
Anderson’s first foray into stop-motion is his ani-
mated masterpiece, a brilliantly charming effort with
George Clooney voicing the title character. Mr. Fox
steals food to feed his family (including Meryl Streep
as Mrs. Fox), but running afoul of three very danger-
ous farmers endangers his friends and his marriage.
3. ‘The French Dispatch’ (2021)
An excellent ode to New Wave cinema and oddball
reporters, the film follows three features in the final
issue of the titular journal, including tales of an in-
carcerated painter (Benicio del Toro) and a student
revolutionary (Timothée Chalamet). And while he’s
barely in the film, Murray is the beating heart playing
the beloved French Dispatch editor.
2. ‘Rushmore’ (1998)
Anderson’s Hollywood breakthrough was this
stellar coming-of-age comedy with Schwartzman, in
his film debut, as an idiosyncratic teenager who be-
friends a wealthy businessman (Murray). Yet the pair
become rivals for the affections of a widowed teacher
(Olivia Williams).
1. ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ (2014)
Anderson’s most multifaceted film is this wonder-
ful and wild gem with comedy, adventure, mystery,
action, high drama and themes of war and friend-
ship. In the 1930s, Zero (Tony Revolori) is a new bell-
hop at a famous European hotel who goes on the lam
with his concierge boss (Ralph Fiennes) and falls in
love with a baker (Saoirse Ronan) in a madcap story.
4D ❚ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY LIFE

MOVIES

Greer muses on her ‘beautiful’ ‘Halloween Kills’ death

Brian Truitt
USA TODAY
Spoiler alert! The following story dis-
cusses important plot points and the
ending of “Halloween Kills,” so beware if
you haven’t seen it yet. Also beware of
Michael Myers, just in general.
After years of playing best friends,
sidekicks and supporting characters
onscreen, Judy Greer finally gets to step
up and take on a legendary cinema bad
guy – only to meet the business end of
his knife.
The horror sequel “Halloween Kills”
(in theaters and streaming on Peacock)
unleashes masked murderer Michael
Myers again on Haddonfield while hero-
ine Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) re-
cuperates from a gnarly stab wound
(see: end of 2018’s “Halloween”) at a lo-
cal hospital. Her daughter, Karen
(Greer), initially wants everybody, in-
cluding Karen’s teen daughter Allyson
(Andi Matichak), to stay there and be
protected,, but Karen also joins the fray
as townsfolk track Michael back to his
childhood home.
Though Greer, 46, won’t be a part of
the long-running franchise anymore,
she’s not bitter. In an exit interview, the
actress – who next stars in HBO’s “The
White House Plumbers” with Justin
Theroux and Woody Harrelson, and the
NBC series “The Thing About Pam” with
Renee Zellweger – talks about her “Hal-
loween Kills” death scene and the de-
leted ending fans didn’t get to see.
Question: What’s the coolest part
about being in two “Halloween”
films?
Judy Greer: It’s really fun to jump into
a franchise that already has a huge fol-
lowing, I’m not going to lie. I would
probably not say that if our first movie
hadn’t been such a huge hit, but every-
one loved the first one so much that it
just made me really happy that people
got to have it back after so long.
Q: Do you have more “Halloween”
fans or “Ant-Man” fans?
Greer: I do so much more in the “Hal-
loween” movies, so my fans are more ex-
cited about me. And “Ant-Man,” they’re
more excited about Ant-Man and I just
happen to stand next to him sometimes.
Q: Did you come into the “Hallow-
een” films as a fan yourself?
Greer: I saw the original (1978 film)
when I was older and I was a fan, but I’m
scared to death of horror movies. I don’t
watch tons of them, because I have
nightmares; I’m still afraid of the dark
and I travel with a nightlight and am not
ashamed to admit it.
Q: Even after starring in two of
them?
Greer: I’m still like that. I’m even
scared watching this movie, and I read
the script and was in it!
Q: So you’ve officially been mur-
dered by Michael Myers. What’s that
like?
Greer: It was really beautiful. I’m
really happy that if I’m going to die in the
movie, he’s the one to kill me. At least it
wasn’t like falling down the stairs or
something. But I also appreciated that
my death is not very gruesome. It’s more
beautiful and cinematic and sort of op-
eratic. So I thought that was a cool way
to do it.
Q: It’s also a meaningful death be-
cause Laurie’s really going to be on
the warpath now.
Greer: They shot something that they
didn’t put in the movie at the end, which
is Laurie stomping out of the hospital
with a knife in her hand. I got to see it.
It’s not the right ending for this story,
but it was definitely cool.
Q: Did watching yourself get killed
in “Halloween Kills” bother you?
Greer: I could take myself out of it be-
cause it wasn’t super-graphic. It was
really hard for me to watch Dylan Arnold
(who plays Allyson’s boyfriend Camer-
on) get killed because it was so graphic
and I love Dylan so much.

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Animal Planet The Last Alaskans Tyler tracks caribou in Alaska. The Last Alaskans Charlie rebuilds his traplines. The Last Alaskans A caribou herd. The Last Alaskans Edna favorite meal.
BBC America Law & Order Frozen corpse discovered in dumpster. Law & Order A baby is killed by negligence. Law & Order River murder. Law & Order Stone skeptical about old man’s story.
BET Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral (2019) (6:00) Tyler Perry’s Sistas (N) Twenties (N) Twenties After (N) Tyler Perry’s Sistas (N)
Bravo The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (N) Winter House A love triangle forms. (N) What Happens (N) The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Winter House
Cartoon Teen Titans Go! Teen Titans Go! Bob’s Burgers Bob’s Burgers American Dad! American Dad! Bus tours. American Dad! Rick and Morty
CMT Last Man Standing Last Man Standing Mom Parked car. Mom Support Tammy. Mom Worry about aunt. Mom Sober retreat. American Housewife Mom Family crisis.
CNBC Shark Tank App; dog treats; dating; grilled cheese. Shark Tank Body décor is pitched. Jay Leno’s Garage Daniel Wu. (N) Jay Leno’s Garage Vice President Joe Biden drives.
CNN Anderson Cooper 360° (N) Anderson Cooper 360° (N) Don Lemon Tonight (N) Don Lemon Tonight (N)
Comedy South Park Satan plans a grand Halloween party. South Park South Park South Park South Park Daily Show (N) South Park
Discovery Expedition Unknown Searching for global mysteries. Lost Relics of the Knights Templar Hunting Atlantis Search for lost city of Atlantis. Expedition Unknown Searching for global mysteries.
Disney BUNK’D Summer camp. BUNK’D Summer camp. Jessie Naïve nanny. Jessie Naïve nanny. Big City Greens Big City Greens Gabby & the Unsittables Sydney to the Max
DisXD Phineas and Ferb Gravity Falls Rock opera. Gravity Falls Weird tales. Gravity Falls The Owl House The Owl House The Owl House Field trip. Parker Plays
DIY Bargain Mansions Tudor’s kitchen and living spaces. Bargain Mansions Traditional redone. (N) Bargain Mansions Bargain Mansions Bargain Mansions Water-damage fix.
E! Chrisley Knows Best Chrisley Knows Best The Bradshaw Bunch Clash Clash Nightly Pop The Bradshaw Bunch Nightly Pop (N)
Food Guy’s Grocery Games $60 high-end dinner. Guy’s Grocery Games 26 Ingredients. (N) Guy’s Grocery Games MLB players judge. Guy’s Grocery Games Shortened rounds.
Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight (N) Hannity (N) The Ingraham Angle (N) Gutfeld! (N)
Freeform The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The 700 Club
FX Deadpool 2 Deadpool tries to protect a young, angry mutant from a time-travelling cyborg. Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin (2018) Deadpool 2 Deadpool tries to protect young mutant. Ryan Reynolds (2018)
FXX Family Guy Family Guy Family Guy Family Guy Bob’s Burgers Bob’s Burgers Bob’s Burgers Bob’s Burgers
GSN America Says America Says America Says America Says Family Feud Family Feud Family Feud Family Feud
Hallmark A Timeless Christmas A man ends up traveling from 1903 to 2020 and meets a woman. Erin Cahill (2020) You, Me & The Christmas Trees (2021)
HGTV Hunters International (N) Hunters International (N) Houses With History (N) House Hunters (N) Hunters International (N) House Hunters Hunters International
History Counting Cars Alice Cooper’s restored Studebaker. Counting Cars Restoration experts restore classics. Cars: Hood (N) Counting Cars Counting Cars Paint job becomes a full restoration.
HLN Very Scary People Los Angeles murder. Very Scary People Bachelor number one. Forensic Files Forensic Files Forensic Files Forensic Files
ID Disappeared Missing woman. Still a Mystery Two women die mysteriously. (N) In Pursuit with John Walsh Sexual assault. (N) In Pursuit with John Walsh Abusive fugitive.
IFC Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Aquarium.
Lifetime Married at First Sight (N) Married at First Sight (N) Married at First Sight (N)
MotorTrend Texas Metal 2020 GMC Denali dually lowered. Wheeler Dealers (N) (Season premiere) Garage Squad (N) Overhaulin’ The hosts fix up a Subaru.
MSNBC All in with Chris Hayes (N) The Rachel Maddow Show (N) The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (N) The 11th Hour with Brian Williams (N)
MTV The Challenge Players compete in “Brush Contact.” (N) Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness
NatGeo Locked Up Abroad Hashish in Bali. Locked Up Abroad A hippie from Boston ships one of the biggest marijuana loads in United States history. (N) Locked Up Abroad A smuggling job.
NatGeo Wild Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER Hedgehog. Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER Chicken is treated. Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER Pig gets nail trim. Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER A Tamarin monkey.
NewsNation Dan Abrams Live NewsNationPrime Banfield On Balance with Leland Vittert
Nick Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Boy searches for missing grandfather. Dwayne Johnson (2012) Friends Chandler paid. Friends Museum hijinks. Friends Joey moves out. Friends
OWN Love It or List It A remodeled home. Love It or List It Empty nesters mull over downsizing. Love It or List It Hilary remodels a couple’s home. Love It or List It A mother thinks their home is dated.
Oxygen Dateline: Secrets Uncovered (N) Dateline: Secrets Uncovered A Florida man uses a passing hurricane to hide from his past mistakes.
Paramount The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 Marriage to Edward causes problems. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2 Bella experiences a new life and new powers after the birth of her daughter. (2012)
Pop NCIS: New Orleans Stop release. NCIS: New Orleans ATF operation. NCIS: New Orleans Old friend. NCIS: New Orleans Petty officer.
Science If We Built It Today Clean energy key. If We Built It Today (N) Unearthed (N)
Sundance Criminal Minds Serial killer sends team on search. Criminal Minds Serial killer poses as pickup artist. Criminal Minds Killer targets Phoenix cops. Criminal Minds Female drivers shot on the freeway.
Syfy Captain America: Civil War Captain America and Iron Man become divided over a UN proposal targeting them. Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. (2016) Ant-Man Thief recruited to use super-suit. (2015)
TBS Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Full Frontal (N) Full Frontal Young Sheldon
TCM Carl Laemmle Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle. (2019) Dracula A vampire moves to London. Bela Lugosi, David Manners (1931) (9:45) All Quiet on the Western Front Lew Ayres (1930)
TLC Dr. Pimple Popper Bumps on ears. Dr. Mercy Woman wants extra breasts removed. (N) My 600-Lb. Life Cillas wants to curb his food addiction before he loses his fiancée and kids.
TNT All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite NHL Hockey Philadelphia Flyers at Edmonton Oilers from Rogers Place (Live)
Travel Ghost Adventures (N) Ghost Adventures (N) Ghost Adventures Virginia City, Nev.
TruTV Impractical: Inside Jokes Impractical: Inside Jokes Impractical: Inside Jokes Impractical: Inside Jokes Impractical: Inside Jokes Impractical: Inside Jokes Impractical Jokers Impractical Jokers
TV Land Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond The King of Queens The King of Queens
USA Law & Order: Special Victims Unit A powerful judge. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit A serial rapist. The Sinner Mainland secrets. (N) Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Abusive son.
VH1 Friday Funny men in Los Angeles find trouble. (1995) Next Friday A young man is sent off to live with his uncle and cousin in the suburbs. Ice Cube (2000) Friday After Next Ice Cube, Mike Epps (2002)
Viceland QAnon: The Search for Q QAnon evangelists. QAnon: The Search for Q Hoax or operation. QAnon: The Search for Q American electorate. VICE News Tonight (N)
WE NCIS The team uncovers an internet sex ring. NCIS Gibbs befriends son of missing officer. NCIS Tony and Ziva undercover as assassins. NCIS Tony appears to be a murderer.
Weather Highway Thru Hell Scott returns from forced vacation. Highway Thru Hell Wreck may stir dangerous spill. Highway Thru Hell Crew trades stories. Deadline to Disaster Ten inches of rain in two hours.
MOVIE NETWORKS
Cinemax Emma A well-meaning, but selfish young woman decides to try and occupy her time by meddling in the love Up in the Air A seasoned business traveler finds his existence threatened by a perky up-and-comer with
lives of her friends and family. Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn (2020) new ideas that could permanently ground him. George Clooney, Vera Farmiga (2009) (10:05)
Encore John Carpenter’s Vampires A vampire hunter hired by the Vatican tries to stop a powerful vampire and his My Soul to Take Murderer vows to kill kids born on night he died & terror strikes The Seventh Sign Demi
crew from using a legendary cross that would allow them to walk in the daylight. James Woods (1998) years later. Max Thieriot, Denzel Whitaker (2010) (9:51) Moore (1988) (11:42)
FXM Nerve Dangerous online Nerve A high school senior joins a game of truth or dare online that allows people to vote and comment, When the Bough Breaks Couple’s surrogate develops a dangerous obsession
game of truth or dare. but things take a sinister turn as she advances. Emma Roberts, Dave Franco (2016) (8:40) with the husband. Morris Chestnut, Theo Rossi (2016) (10:35)
Hallmark Movies Christmas in My Heart A concert violinist tutors the daughter of a Country music star, and as they are joined Small Town Christmas When a young novelist travels to the hometown of the man who inspired her book,
through the power of music, she prepares her for the holiday concert. Heather Hemmens (2021) she reconnects with him and helps restore the town’s Christmas traditions. Ashley Newbrough (2018)
HBO Ricky Velez: Here’s Everything Ricky Velez talks Broken City An ex-cop finds himself in the middle of a scandal after being hired Succession Kendall is determined to make sure that Stewy, Sandi and his siblings
about his life. by a mayor. Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe (2013) support him; Greg turns to Ewan to help as he worries about his legal situation.
Lifetime Movie Sinfidelity A woman suspects that her husband is cheating on her due to his past infidelities, so she has a The Secret Sex Life of a Single Mom A devoted wife and mother, who found out that her emotionally abusive
one-night-stand with a man to get revenge. Jade Tailor, Aidan Bristow (2020) husband was having an affair, rediscovers herself by utilizing online dating sites. Ashley Jones (2014)
Showtime American Pie 2 Jim Levinstein and his pals reunite at a American Wedding Jim and Michelle are finally ready to get married, but their plans start getting American Pie Presents: Band Camp Teen hopes for
Lake Michigan summerhouse. Jason Biggs (2001) complicated when their family and friends pull their usual hijinks. Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan (2003) (9:20) band girls going wild. Tad Hilgenbrink (2005)
Starz BMF Meecy & Terry aim to Detroit A racially-charged uprising overtakes Detroit during the summer of 1967, occurring over the course of several days and sparked BMF Meecy & Terry aim to take what’s theirs;
take what’s theirs. by a polarizing police raid. John Boyega, Will Poulter (2017) (8:34) eyewitness reveals key information.
TMC Erin Brockovich A single mom working as a secretary at a law firm launches a personal investigation into a Out of Sight A federal agent develops feelings for the career criminal, but she attempts to look past her
case file regarding the contamination of a town’s water supply. Julia Roberts, Albert Finney (2000) emotions in order to help the FBI track him down and catch him. George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez (1998) (10:15)
SPORTS NETWORKS
ESPN NBA Basketball Atlanta Hawks at New Orleans Pelicans from Smoothie King Center (Live) NBA Basketball Memphis Grizzlies at Portland Trail Blazers from Moda Center (Live)
ESPN2 Professional Fighters League 2021 Championship (Part 2) (Live)
FS1 Breaking the Huddle MLS Soccer Sporting Kansas City at Los Angeles Galaxy from Dignity Health Sports Park (Live) To Be Announced
Golf Golf Central (Live) Ladies European Tour Golf
MLB To Be Announced Program information is unavailable at this time. To Be Announced Program information is unavailable at this time.
NBA NBA GameTime NBA GameTime
NBCSports Drone Racing League Mecum Auto Auctions
NFLN NFL Football NFL Total Access An inside look at all 32 teams.

MOVIES Eastern Time may vary in some cities

(N) New episode.