Spending or saving your
latest stimulus check?
Economists believe we’ll see a historic spending
spree as America reopens by summer. In Money
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THE NATION'S NEWS | $2 | TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Keona Shepard prepares a dose of
vaccine on March 4 in New Orleans.
CHRIS GRANGER/THE ADVOCATE VIA AP
Why do
states
lag on
doses?
As some open eligibility,
others won’t for weeks
Maureen Groppe
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – When Alaska led
the nation in offering COVID-19 vacci-
nations to all adults this month, offi-
cials could point to the state’s vaccina-
tion pace – the best in the country.
But as a growing number of states
have removed eligibility requirements
for getting vaccinated, it’s become less
clear why some act faster than others.
Mississippi, which eliminated re-
quirements in mid-March, ranks near
the bottom in the share of adult resi-
dents who have been vaccinated.
Of the 28 states that have either
opened eligibility to all or will do so in
the next two weeks, 17 have below-av-
erage adult vaccination rates, accord-
ing to figures available Sunday from
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Eleven lag other states on
fully inoculating those 65 and older,
one of the highest-risk groups.
Governors often cited increasing
See VACCINES, Page 5A
Biden: 90% to be eligible
for shot by April 19
New timeline speeds up a goal of May 1
as one top official fears “impending
doom” with rising infections. 6D
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Women in House
hit record at 28%
Female representation in Congress is on
the rise, even though it’s nowhere close
to matching the American population.
150
All women 123
Democratic women
Republican women
91
90
32
30
1917 2021
NOTE includes nonvoting members
SOURCE history.house.gov
AMY BARNETTE, DAVID ANESTA/USA TODAY
Pressure is on to achieve
that ‘post-pandemic body’
Fitness trainers are busy as people get vaccines,
but experts worry about the trend. In Life
CHAUVIN TRIAL
Full video of Floyd’s
death shown to jury
Defense attorney Eric Nelson, left, told jurors that ex-police officer Derek Chauvin followed his training. ERIC NELSON/AP
‘Landmark’ trial begins
for ex-officer in Minn.
Grace Hauck, Kevin McCoy,
N’dea Yancey-Bragg, Eric Ferkenhoff
and Tami Abdollah
USA TODAY
MINNEAPOLIS – Prosecutors
called their first three witnesses and
began laying out their case Monday in
the trial of former Minneapolis police
officer Derek Chauvin,
charged with killing
George Floyd on a viral
video that touched off
worldwide protests and
calls for police reform.
The jury heard from
Floyd three witnesses: a 911
dispatcher who was on
call that day, a cashier working across
the street who captured videos of the
incident and a mixed martial arts
fighter who witnessed Floyd’s death.
Floyd, a Black man, died in police
custody May 25, after Chauvin, who is
white, pinned his knee against Floyd’s
neck for more than nine minutes. The
bystander video went viral, igniting
protests worldwide against police bru-
See TRIAL, Page 3A
Biden tries steering straight amid crises
Border problems, guns
competing for attention
Courtney Subramanian
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – President Joe Bi-
den is putting his foot on the gas pedal
and moving ahead with his plans to
sell an expansive infrastructure pro-
posal this week as he faces mounting
pressure to act on other legislative pri-
orities that have become increasingly
difficult to ignore.
Biden, who will outline the contours
of his multitrillion-dollar economic
CARLOS CORREA
BY LYNNE SLADKY/AP
IN NEWS
What we already know
about each juror
Questions during jury selection
revealed opinions about George
Floyd’s death, policing, racial
injustice and Black Lives Matter. 1D
Black teens and their
fears of what may come
In Minneapolis, as protests died
down last summer, the trauma of
Floyd’s death lingered. For them,
Chauvin’s trial is a big deal. 1D
ONLINE
Watch the trial live
Go to usatoday.com for video and to
sign up for text alerts from our team.
plan at an event in Pittsburgh on
Wednesday, has signaled a laser focus
on defeating the coronavirus pandemic
and boosting economic growth while
also confronting intractable problems
like gun control and immigration after
two mass shootings that unfolded with-
in days of each other and an increase of
migrants at the southern border.
Though juggling multiple priorities is
part of the job, Biden has refused to let
outside challenges usurp his scripted
plans for the second phase of his “Build
Back Better” agenda, a political balanc-
ing act that frustrates some supporters
See INFRASTRUCTURE, Page 4A
MLB’s epic
free agent
shortstop
quintet
An unprecedented five
shortstops, all first-round
picks, could be free
agents who see a com-
bined $1 billion in salary
commitments. In Sports
E2
Suzette Hackney
National columnist
USA TODAY
Activists guard
memorial at site
of Floyd killing
MINNEAPOLIS – No justice, no
streets.
That’s the mantra of community
members who claimed the neighbor-
hood where George Floyd died as their
own. Until there is justice for Floyd’s
death, they say, the area where a former
Minneapolis police officer kneeled on
Floyd’s neck while he struggled to
breathe and cried for his mother belongs
to the people.
Police officers, in particular, are not
welcome. Some here call it an autono-
mous zone.
Ten months after Floyd died in police
custody, opening statements began
Monday in the murder trial of former
Minneapolis police officer Derek Chau-
vin who was captured on video kneeling
on Floyd’s neck for more than nine min-
utes. He is charged with second- and
See MEMORIAL, Page 3A
President Joe Biden is pressing ahead
on infrastructure as the U.S. struggles
to conquer COVID-19 and regain
its economic footing. EVAN VUCCI/AP
2A ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY
NATION/WORLD
2 students dead after college
crew boat capsizes at practice
Amber Mohmand, Philip Joens
and Isabella Rosario
Des Moines Register
USA TODAY NETWORK
JEWELL, Iowa – Two students died
after a boat carrying five members of the
Iowa State University crew club cap-
sized on a lake Sunday morning, the
university and authorities said.
The accident occurred as the group
was practicing on Little Wall Lake, south
of Jewell, according to a news release
from the university.
Three of the students were rescued
from the water, treated and released
from a local hospital. The body of anoth-
er student was recovered by a dive team
Sunday.
Hamilton County authorities
searched for the missing fifth member
until nightfall Sunday, when the search
was suspended and set to resume Mon-
day morning.
Hamilton County Sheriff Doug Tim-
mons said at a news conference Mon-
day that authorities found the body of
the missing crew member, marking the
second casualty from the incident.
Firefighters from the Ventura Fire
Department used an advanced sonar
imaging system to find the second body,
Timmons said Monday. The Iowa De-
partment of Natural Resources made
the identification around 10 a.m. local
time, Timmons said.
The sheriff ’s office said Sunday night
that, “out of respect for the students in-
volved they will not be named until the
families can be properly notified.”
Timmons said authorities rescued
the three students from the lake with
the help of civilians.
“We’ve also had several heroes that
live in the buildings out here, came out
and help the individuals,” Timmons
said. “This could have been a lot worse,”
he added.
Roger Fritz, the former mayor of Ro-
land who lives near the lake, said he saw
authorities by his home around
Richest Czech among
5 killed in Alaska crash
‘Heli-ski’ trip turns
tragic; 1 survivor stable
Ryan W. Miller
USA TODAY
A helicopter carrying a group on a
“heli-ski” trip in the Alaskan mountains
crashed, killing at least five people, in-
cluding the Czech Republic’s richest
person.
Only one person survived the crash
Saturday. Alaska state troopers said the
survivor was in stable but serious con-
dition.
The five people killed were identified
as Petr Kellner, 56, and Benjamin Laro-
chaix, 50, of the Czech Republic; Greg-
ory Harms, 52, of Colorado; Sean
McMannany, 38, of Girdwood; and pilot,
Zachary Russel, 33, of Anchorage, Alas-
ka state troopers said.
Kellner had a net worth more than
$17 billion, making him the Czech Re-
public’s richest man and the world’s
68th richest, according to Forbes, which
tracks the world’s richest people.
“His professional life was known for
his incredible work ethic and creativity,
but his private life belonged to his fam-
ily,” the PPF Group, an international in-
vestment company in which Kellner
was a majority stakeholder, said in a
statement confirming Kellner’s death.
Mary Ann Pruitt, a spokeswoman for
the tour company, the Tordrillo Moun-
tain Lodge, told The Associated Press
that Kellner and Larochaix “were loyal
and frequent” guests.
According to Forbes, Kellner was
married with four children. He got his
start in business selling office supplies
before starting an investment fund.
Harms and McMannany were guides
working for the company, Pruitt said.
“Greg was one of the most experienced
guides in the business,” Pruit added,
saying he worked for many years at the
lodge and founded a heli-ski that led
trips around the world. McMannany, a
10-year veteran guide who had been
working at the lodge for the past five
years, was an experienced mountain
guide on Denali, too, Pruit said.
Responders work at Little Wall Lake after members of the Iowa State crew club
were involved in a boating accident. AMBER MOHMAND/USA TODAY NETWORK
“The Iowa State community
is heartbroken to learn of this
tragic accident at Little Wall Lake.
At this time, we are focused
on providing support to club
members, their families and friends.”
Wendy Wintersteen
Iowa State University president
9:30 a.m. Sunday.
“1 person swam to south shore, 1 per-
son to north shore, 1 person rescued via
a kayak,” he tweeted.
The wind was blowing about 20 to 25
mph from the northwest when the crew
team was on the lake, Fritz said. “The
lake was pretty rough,” Timmons added.
What caused the boat to capsize was
still under investigation, Timmons said.
Little Wall Lake, a 249-acre lake
formed thousands of years ago by gla-
ciers, has a maximum depth of 13.2 feet,
according to the Iowa Department of
Petr Kellner, a victim of Saturday’s
crash, had a net worth more than
$17 billion. ROMAN VONDROUS/AP
Russel was a pilot for the contracted
helicopter company Soloy Helicopters,
Pruitt said.
“This news is devastating to our
staff, the community in which we op-
erate and the families of the de-
ceased,” the lodge said in a statement.
Federal Aviation Administration of-
ficials said the Eurocopter AS50 heli-
copter crashed near the Knik Glacier
around 6:35 p.m. Saturday. The cause
of the crash was not immediately
known.
Clint Johnson of the National
Transportation Safety Board told the
Anchorage Daily News that the site
was “in an area of very steep terrain,
snow-covered terrain, right around
5,000 to 6,000 feet.”
Johnson said crews were working to
recover the wreckage before snow ar-
rives.
According to the lodge’s website,
the cost of a heli-skiiing trip starts
around $15,000 per person for a week-
long trip.
The company says heli-skiing is off-
trail, downhill skiing accessed via a
helicopter. “It’s about skiing in natural
environments without the effort that
comes with hiking to these areas,” the
company says on its website. “Imagine
endless terrain, inspiring steeps, and
colossal vertical feet.”
The helicopter company operates a
fleet of 19 helicopters, it says on its
website.
Contributing: The Associated Press
NEWS
South may
be in for more
rain, flooding
Doyle Rice
USA TODAY
After a deadly and devastating
weekend of flooding in portions of the
South, another round of rain was ex-
pected in the region on Tuesday and
Wednesday, forecasters warned.
Over the weekend, surging water
battered the Nashville area, killing at
least five people and forcing scores
more to flee their homes in a frantic
search for higher ground.
Showers and thunderstorms were
forecast along the Gulf Coast initially
on Tuesday before expanding north-
ward into Arkansas, Mississippi, Ala-
bama, Tennessee and Kentucky on
Tuesday night, AccuWeather said.
Rainfall in those states was expect-
ed to become heavier – right over the
areas that don’t need it – and could
cause “new or worsening flooding,”
AccuWeather’s Mike LeSeney said.
But unlike weather systems in re-
cent weeks, which spawned tornadoes
Natural Resources. In most spots, it’s 6 and wind damage across the South,
to 9 feet deep, Fritz said. severe storms were not expected.
“I’m guessing they probably got There was some other good news:
swamped in some heavier waves,” “Fortunately, we`re anticipating a long
Fritz said. “Those crew boats are really dry spell once the rain finally exits the
shallow.” region later on Wednesday,” the
The lake was frozen over until three weather service in Nashville said.
weeks ago, Fritz said. At nearby Ames The weekend flooding in Nashville
Municipal Airport, the temperature was the worst to hit the region since
was 37 degrees Sunday morning, ac- May 2010. Those floods caused 21
cording to the National Weather Ser- deaths in Tennessee and an estimated
vice. $1.5 billion in damage in Nashville.
The Iowa State crew club regularly Meteorologists said 7.01 inches of
practices at Little Wall Lake, according rain fell at the Nashville airport from
to the club’s website. Saturday to Sunday. It was the second
“The Iowa State community is highest two-day rainfall total ever re-
heartbroken to learn of this tragic acci- corded in the city and the highest ever
dent at Little Wall Lake,” Iowa State for a day in March.
President Wendy Wintersteen said in a March historically is a turbulent
statement. “At this time, we are fo- month for weather in Tennessee. Last
cused on providing support to club March, tornadoes killed more than 20
members, their families and friends. people and destroyed more than 140
We ask that everyone keep them in buildings in the middle of the state.
their thoughts during this very difficult Contributing: The Tennessean; The
time.” Associated Press
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NEWS
CHAUVIN TRIAL
Trial
Continued from Page 1A
tality and touching off a racial reckoning
in the USA. Chauvin was fired and
charged with second-degree murder,
third-degree murder and second-de-
gree manslaughter.
In opening statements, prosecutor
Jerry Blackwell played all nine minutes
and 29 seconds of the video, complete
with audio of Floyd gasping, “I can’t
breathe” 27 times and witnesses urging
Chauvin to get off Floyd’s neck.
“You will see that he does not let up
and he does not get up, even when Mr.
Floyd doesn’t have a pulse,” Blackwell
said. “You can believe your eyes. It’s
homicide. It’s murder.”
Lead defense attorney Eric Nelson
told jurors the evidence is “far greater
than nine minutes and 29 seconds.”
As the video played, Chauvin sat in
the courtroom, taking notes and occa-
sionally looking up at a screen. The ju-
rors listened attentively.
During jury selection this month,
several of the jurors said they’d seen
only parts of the video. One juror, a sin-
gle mother in her 50s, called the video
“emotional.” Another, a chemist in his
20s, said he had seen snippets but
“would be willing to be uncomfortable”
by watching the video during the trial.
Blackwell walked jurors through
rules that govern the Police Depart-
ment, where Chauvin worked for 19
years. “You will learn that on May 25 of
2020, Mr. Derek Chauvin betrayed his
badge when he used excessive and un-
reasonable force upon the body of Mr.
George Floyd,” Blackwell told the jurors.
“He put his knees upon his neck and his
back, grinding and crushing him until
Memorial
Continued from Page 1A
third-degree murder and second-de-
gree manslaughter.
The intersection at 38th Street and
Chicago Avenue – called George Floyd
Square – has been blocked by concrete
barricades and makeshift checkpoints
since Floyd died in May. Those who live
in the neighborhood are free to come
and go, once they are cleared by activ-
ists and volunteers in weatherproof
stalls erected to monitor traffic.
The four-block area on the south side
of Minneapolis has become a memorial,
adorned with balloons and brightly col-
ored signs, paintings, murals and
stuffed animals. An abandoned Speed-
way gas station – dubbed the People’s
Way – serves as a trial day countdown,
updated on the signage that used to ad-
vertise the prices for petroleum. Cup
Foods, where Floyd was accused of try-
ing to pass a counterfeit $20, which led
to that fateful police response, is open
and serves as a convenience store for
residents who file in and out each day.
Roughly 3 miles from the Hennepin
County Government Center where the
trial will proceed, folks in George Floyd
Square are holding it down, just as the
National Guard is providing additional
security in downtown Minneapolis.
It’s a complicated juxtaposition, one
marked by smoldering tension between
law enforcement and the community. I
don’t know how a compromise can be
reached, particularly as emotions heat
up for Chauvin’s trial, which is likely to
last four weeks.
Hoping against history for justice
Some residents, particularly older
ones, are desperate to again see police
patrols and other reliable city services.
Activists pledged to keep the area
closed until city leaders meet 24
demands, including recalling Hennepin
County Attorney Mike Freeman; invest-
ments in housing and jobs programs;
ending qualified immunity for police;
and providing accountability and trans-
parency in cases in which police mis-
conduct has been alleged.
“Injustice closed these streets; only
justice should open them,” high school
teacher and activist Marcia Howard told
me. “Only justice.”
Howard, 47, is one of a handful of or-
ganizers leading the stand-their-ground
movement. They know who is in the
square at all times, and they film every-
thing that happens there. She calls
claims by city officials that the area has
become a crime den a “propaganda
campaign.” Although they want to see
Chauvin convicted, history has shown
that the criminal justice system fails
them when Black people are killed at the
hands of police.
the very breath ... until the very life was
squeezed out of him.”
Blackwell told jurors the case “is not
about all police” or “split-second deci-
sions” police must make. “There are 569
seconds, not a split second among
them,” he said.
In his opening statement, Nelson
said Floyd’s drug use, combined with
heart disease, high blood pressure and
adrenaline, caused his death from a
heart rhythm disturbance.
The medical examiner’s autopsy not-
ed fentanyl and methamphetamine in
Floyd’s system but listed his cause of
death as “cardiopulmonary arrest, com-
plicating law enforcement subdual (be-
ing subdued), restraint, and neck com-
pression.”
Nelson said Floyd’s arrest was com-
plicated by the difference in size be-
tween Chauvin, who is 5 feet, 9 inches
tall and about 140 pounds, and Floyd,
who was more than 6 feet tall and
weighed more than 220 pounds.
Rather than having his legs on Chau-
vin’s neck and back – as the prosecution
alleges – Nelson said Chauvin had one
leg on Floyd’s shoulder blade and anoth-
er on his arm.
“You will learn that Derek Chauvin
did exactly what he had been trained to
do over the course of his 19-year career,”
Nelson said.
The first witness for the prosecution
was Jena Scurry, a 911 dispatcher. She
testified that she alerted a police super-
visor that something appeared awry.
Prosecutor Matthew Frank showed
jurors video from a camera mounted
across the street from Cup Foods, where
Floyd was arrested. Scurry, who was
viewing a live feed from the camera, tes-
tified that she saw someone on the
ground who didn’t appear to move for a
period of time.
Activists are trying to keep control of George Floyd Square, saying they won’t
allow it to be reopened until they receive what they consider justice and city
leaders meet their demands, including changes in policing. HARRISON HILL/USA TODAY
“They want to shut down the square
just to shut down protesters,” Howard
said, wearing a GoPro video camera
strapped to her coat. “They definitely
want us gone before that miscarriage of
justice happens.”
According to Minneapolis police sta-
tistics, violent crime in the area where
Floyd died increased by 66% last year
and continues to soar in 2021. There is
little police presence, though officials
say officers answer emergency runs.
“People are hurting,” Police Chief
Medaria Arradondo said at a news con-
ference March 18. “They need that inter-
section reopened. The best public safety
remedy right now is to open up and get
that intersection flowing again.”
I have been in Minneapolis since jury
selection began March 9. During the
past three weeks, Mayor Jacob Frey and
Arradondo have held weekly news con-
ferences on security and safety during
the trial. They say neighbors have be-
come increasingly frustrated with the
closures around the square. Initially, the
area was not to reopen before or during
the trial. That timeline may change.
“We are not going to let the trial dic-
tate when it’s the right time to safely re-
open that intersection, so the plans I
E2 USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ 3A
“I first asked if the screen had frozen
because it hadn’t changed,” Scurry said.
“I became concerned that something
might be wrong. ... It was a gut instinct
of, in the incident, something’s not go-
ing right.”
Scurry said she called a police super-
visor. “If this was a form of use-of-force,
I was calling to let them know,” she said.
“I became concerned that
something might be wrong.
... It was a gut instinct of,
in the incident, something’s
not going right.”
Jena Scurry
911 dispatcher
Frank asked, “Have you ever, prior to
that date, made a call like that to a ser-
geant?”
“No,” Scurry replied.
In a recording of the call played in
court, Scurry said, “You can call me a
snitch if you want to. ... I don’t know if
they have used force or not. They got
something out of the squad (car) and all
of them sat on this man.”
In his cross-examination, Nelson
pointed out that the video shows the
squad car rocking as officers struggled
with Floyd inside. He asked Scurry
about her knowledge of use-of-force
policies – she had none – and he noted
she told the sergeant she was unsure
whether officers had broken protocol.
The prosecution’s second witness
was Alisha Oyler. The day Floyd died,
she was working as a cashier at Speed-
way across the street. She told Steve
present to Mayor Frey will not be based
on the trial timeline, it’s going to be
based on public safety need,” Arradon-
do said.
I try to visit George Floyd Square as
frequently as possible. I talk to activists.
I talk to residents. I talk to journalists.
There’s an apprehension about the pos-
sibility of clashes if (or when) city offi-
cials decide to force the neighborhood to
reconnect. And there are no easy an-
swers.
Sacred space
On a recent Friday, Tania Mitchell
and her 3-year-old daughter, Ellison
Hans, greeted neighbors as they walked
home from the square. Ellison, on a
scooter and wearing a dinosaur coat,
seemed at peace, looking for sticks and
enjoying the sunshine.
Mitchell, 46, moved to Minneapolis
in 2012 to accept a position as a profes-
sor at the University of Minnesota. She
was intentional in where she wanted to
live. She wanted her family to reside in a
diverse area. Since Floyd’s death, she
has also been intentional in spending
time at the memorial.
“It is really important to me as person
Schleicher, a special assistant attorney
general, that she noticed police “mess-
ing with someone.” As prosecutors
played clips Oyler recorded on her
phone alongside the surveillance video,
Oyler said several times that she didn’t
remember portions of what happened.
Asked whether she was nervous, she
nodded.
The third witness was Donald Wil-
liams, a wrestler trained in mixed mar-
tial arts who said he had been put in
chokeholds dozens of times in MMA
fights. Williams said he was on his way
to Cup Foods when he saw Floyd on the
ground, gasping and “pleading” for his
life. “You see Floyd fade away, slowly
fade away. Like (a) fish in a bag you seen
his eyes slowly pale out ... and roll to the
back of his head,” Williams said.
But before Williams could finish his
testimony, the live video feed from the
courtroom cut out in what the judge
called “a major technical glitch.” He di-
missed the jury and said Williams
would take the stand again Tuesday.
The beginning of the trial was a “very
trying and hard time” for the family,
Floyd’s brother Terrence said Monday
morning as family members, lawyers
and activist Al Sharpton gathered in
front of the courthouse. “Today starts a
landmark trial that will be a referendum
on how far America has come in its
quest for equality and justice for all,”
civil rights attorney Ben Crump said.
“The whole world is watching.”
Floyd’s brother Rodney warned
Americans watching the trial that attor-
neys for the defense would cast doubt
on Floyd’s character. “Please, don’t be
entertained by the lies they’re going to
throw out on him,” he said. “The truth is
... he was murdered in the streets.”
Contributing: Trevor Hughes, USA
TODAY; The Associated Press
raising a Black child here that my kids
not be afraid of where we live,” Mitchell
told me. “This was our community, and
it will continue to be our community.
“The idea that the community has
been able to hold this space sacred feels
really profound, and I think speaks to
the significance of Mr. Floyd’s death and
the reverberating impacts of it,” she
said. “That’s really powerful to me.”
Bryan Page, 35, moved from Oklaho-
ma to the neighborhood in the fall. He’s
helped cook for volunteers and protes-
ters in the square and finds the sense of
community “really awesome.” He talks
with pride about snow removal teams
who activated in the winter because city
crews offered limited services. He em-
braces the diversity of the residents and
their commitment to change.
When I asked Page if it was time to
reconnect the community to the city, he
didn’t hesitate to answer. “Has there
been justice? No justice, no streets,”
said Page, who is white. “I listen to peo-
ple of color in this community. They say
‘no justice, no streets,’ I stand behind
them.”
Suzette Hackney is a member of USA
TODAY’S Editorial Board.
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4A ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY
Floyd video
key in case
against
ex-officer
Defense says evidence
greater than recording
N’dea Yancey-Bragg
USA TODAY
MINNEAPOLIS – Prosecutors
opened their case in the murder trial
against Derek Chauvin by showing ju-
rors the disturbing video depicting the
former police officer kneeling on
George Floyd’s neck for more than nine
minutes.
The video, lasting 9 minutes and 29
seconds, played on several screens in
the courtroom, complete with audio of
Floyd gasping “I can’t breathe” 27
times and witnesses growing angry as
they urged Chauvin to get off Floyd’s
neck.
Chauvin, who is white, is charged
with second-degree murder, third-de-
gree murder and second-degree man-
slaughter in the death of Floyd, a Black
man.
Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell said
Chauvin “put his knees upon his
(Floyd’s) neck and his back, grinding
and crushing him until the very breath
... until the very life was squeezed out
of him.”
The case is not about the difficult
“split-second decisions police must
make,” Blackwell said. “There are 569
seconds, not a split second among
them.”
The video, which sparked nation-
wide protests over racism and police
brutality, is expected to be a key piece
of evidence. Blackwell said it would be
important for the jury to understand
what happened in those 9 minutes and
29 seconds – “the most important
numbers you will hear in this trial.”
In his opening statement, lead de-
fense attorney Eric Nelson told jurors
the evidence in the case is “far greater
than 9 minutes and 29 seconds.” He
described a scene in which Floyd was
on drugs and resisting arrest.
Floyd pleaded for his life for 4 min-
utes and 45 seconds, Blackwell said.
He was unresponsive for the final 4
minutes and 44 seconds.
The jurors listen attentively as
Blackwell laid out a timeline of the
video, pointing to when bystanders
tried to intervene and when Floyd
spoke his last words. Blackwell then
played the video, which was captured
by a bystander and shared on social
media. It shows Chauvin with his
hands in his pockets, pressing his knee
into Floyd’s neck as Floyd is hand-
cuffed face-down behind a police car.
Blackwell described Floyd pleading
with Chauvin, calling out for his moth-
er, saying he’s in pain and asking offi-
cers to tell his children he loves them.
At one point, Blackwell said, Floyd tries
to lift his right shoulder so that he can
“get room for his ribcage to expand.”
One juror drew a sharp breath as
Floyd said, “I can’t breathe, everything
hurts.” Another, a grandmother in her
60s, stared intently at the video, brow
furrowed. Another juror, a nurse,
watched with her eyes wide and briefly
gripped the armrest of her chair.
During jury selection, several of the
jurors said they’d seen only part of the
video. One, a grandmother in her 60s,
said she had probably watched it on
her own “for four or five minutes” be-
fore turning it off. “It just wasn’t some-
thing I needed to see,” she said.
Over the first 4 minutes and 45 sec-
onds, Floyd’s voice gets heavier, his
words become further apart and his
breathing gets shallower before he ut-
ters his final words, Blackwell said.
Chauvin didn’t visibly react to the
video as it played in the courtroom,
looking up at the screen periodically
and taking notes.
As the video goes on, bystanders
become more insistent and call on the
officers to check Floyd’s pulse. In the
final 3 minutes and 51 seconds, Black-
well said, Chauvin continues to kneel
on Floyd’s neck despite being told
twice Floyd does not have a pulse.
“He ain’t fine,” one person shouts to
the officers before repeatedly calling
Chauvin a “bum” and saying he’s “en-
joying what’s happening.”
Chauvin “does not let up and he
does not get up” from Floyd’s neck
even after an ambulance arrives,
Blackwell said. Chauvin then gets up
and “unceremoniously” drags Floyd’s
body onto a stretcher, Blackwell said.
Contributing: Kevin McCoy, Grace
Hauck and Tami Abdollah, USA TODAY
Woman accuses Cuomo
of unwanted kisses in 2017
She says his actions
were ‘overly sexual’
Joseph Spector
New York State Team
USA TODAY NETWORK
ALBANY, N.Y. – A Rochester-area
woman claimed Monday that Gov. An-
drew Cuomo was overly forward with
her inside her own home, calling her
beautiful and kissing her aggressively
on the cheeks during a visit to tour
flood damage along Lake Ontario in
2017.
Sherry Vill, 55, said Cuomo’s ac-
tions were jarring to her and her fam-
ily, saying it has left her rattled and
fearful to come forward.
He kissed her once inside her home
and then again outside her home.
“I know the difference between an
innocent gesture and a sexual one,”
Vill said in a Zoom news conference
with Gloria Allred, the high-profile
women’s rights attorney.
“I never felt as uncomfortable as I
did the day Gov. Cuomo came to my
house.
“His actions were very overly sexu-
al, highly inappropriate and disre-
spectful to me and my family.”
Vill marks the latest woman to de-
tail alleged unwanted advances by the
Democratic governor, who is being
urged to resign by many state leaders
for accusations from at least five cur-
rent and former aides of sexual ha-
rassment.
In one case, former aide Lindsey
Boylan said Cuomo kissed her on the
lips when they were alone together
several years ago.
Another young female aide said Cu-
omo groped her at the governor’s man-
sion last year.
Other women have described being
Infrastructure
Continued from Page 1A
but could have consequential implica-
tions on the success of his presidency.
“There are so many crises, so consis-
tently. It never stops,” said Paulette
Aniskoff, former deputy assistant to
President Barack Obama and director
of the Office of Public Engagement.
“One of the big lessons from Obama
was that the things he got done that
were big and meaningful and had huge-
ly high approval ratings were the things
he really stuck to and focused on.”
As head of public engagement,
Aniskoff was the White House gate-
keeper for advocacy organizations,
businesses and outside groups looking
to get the president’s attention. Much
like Biden’s commitment to the pas-
sage of his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief
package earlier this month, Obama
was fixated on the 2009 Recovery Act
in his first 100 days, she recalled.
“I think not getting sidetracked is
how you get the big stuff done,” Anis-
koff said. “While you are of course jug-
gling and looking at executive actions
... there’s just only so much you can do
with executive actions. They’re not go-
ing to be permanent.”
Biden had hoped to highlight his ad-
ministration’s COVID-19 response dur-
ing his first news conference last week,
including the doubling of his goal of
administering 100 million shots in his
first 100 days – a milestone his admini-
stration has already met. But the event
was largely overshadowed by ques-
tions on the brewing crisis at the bor-
der, where Republicans and Demo-
crats alike have criticized the admini-
stration about the detention of unac-
companied minors at overcrowded
facilities and whether he would fulfill a
campaign pledge to issue a raft of ex-
ecutive actions to tighten gun laws.
“It’s a matter of timing,” Biden told
reporters when asked about gun con-
trol. “As you’ve all observed, the suc-
cessful presidents better than me have
been successful in large part because
they know how to time what they’re
doing. Order it, decide and prioritize
what needs to be done.”
The comments were a marked de-
parture from the urgent language he
used days earlier in calling on Con-
gress to enact gun safety measures
after a deadly shooting in Boulder,
Colorado, the second in less than a
week. The president said then that he
didn’t “need to wait another minute” to
address gun violence.
Gloria Allred appeared Monday with Sherry Vill, the latest woman to accuse New
York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of alleged unwanted advances. AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES FILE
asked inappropriate, personal ques-
tions in one-on-one meetings with Cuo-
mo.
One former aide, Charlotte Bennett,
said Cuomo asked her if she would date
an older man and said she believed Cuo-
mo wanted to have sex with her.
Last week, Bennett’s attorney Debra
Katz told the USA TODAY Network New
York that Cuomo pressured Bennett to
sing “Danny Boy” to him soon after she
was hired in 2019.
The state Attorney General’s Office is
investigating all the allegations against
Cuomo, as is the Assembly Judiciary
Committee in a bid to determine wheth-
er the complaints should lead to Cuo-
mo’s impeachment if he doesn’t resign.
Allred said Vill planned to cooperate
with Attorney General Letitia James’
probe, but has no plans to press charges,
though she said it appears it could rise
to the level of a criminal matter.
The shift in tone was disappointing to
gun control advocates like Kris Brown,
president of the Brady: United Against
Gun Violence, a nonprofit group.
“Action on gun violence is not a mat-
ter of calendaring for the most benefi-
cial time. It’s not a matter of timing. It’s
a matter of life and death,” she said.
The message to advocacy groups
looking for executive action was clear: It
would have to wait. Instead, Biden has
turned his attention to his next major
initiative: his plan to rebuild bridges and
technology, as well as domestic invest-
ment in clean energy, access to health
care, a boost for caregivers, and over-
hauling the tax code. The White House
has not released a dollar figure for the
legislative package, but the combined
cost comes with a reported price tag of
up to $3 trillion.
“I think not getting sidetracked
is how you get the big stuff done.
There’s just only so much you can
do with executive actions.”
Paulette Aniskoff
Director of the Office of Public Engagement
under President Barack Obama
White House press secretary Jen
Psaki on Sunday confirmed that the
administration would split the package
into two legislative proposals as Biden
looks to shore up Republican support for
his next legislative push, something he
was unable to accomplish for his
COVID-19 relief bill.
The president will release details this
week on his plans to invest in physical
infrastructure, an issue that Republi-
cans have supported for years, Psaki
told “Fox News Sunday.”
“Roads, railways, rebuilding them –
that’s not a partisan issue,” she said.
The White House will unveil a second
proposal later in April that “will address
a lot of issues that American people are
struggling with – child care, the cost of
health care,” she added.
Democratic strategist Josh Schwerin
said Biden’s infrastructure plan doesn’t
preclude him from tackling other cam-
paign promises.
“From a messaging perspective, it
makes sense to have a big public eco-
nomic goal like infrastructure that you
are pushing toward. That doesn’t mean
there can’t be work done behind the
scenes to lay the groundwork on other
legislative priorities,” he said.
While there are always complaints
about in what order a president pursues
his agenda, Biden is aware he will be
NEWS
Vill, a local business owner, said that
after touring her home, Cuomo asked if
there was anything else she needed,
leaned in, held one of her hands “forc-
ibly grabbed my face with his other big
hand and kissed my cheek.”
She said Cuomo invited her to a news
conference, but she declined to attend.
Cuomo has apologized for any ac-
tions that may have offended anyone,
saying repeatedly that he is playful with
aides and often hugs and kisses people
when he greets them.
Allred said the actions by Cuomo
were more than a welcoming and were
harassment that needs to be investigat-
ed along with the other incidents.
Joseph Spector is the Government
and Politics Editor for the USA TODAY
Network’s Atlantic Group, overseeing
coverage in New York, New Jersey, Penn-
sylvania, Maryland and Delaware.
evaluated on whether he can point to a
set of legislative accomplishments that
had a meaningful impact on the lives of
Americans, particularly at the 2022
midterm elections, said William Howell,
a political scientist and professor at the
University of Chicago Harris School of
Public Policy.
“There’s just so much to do that I
think him taking a kind of hard-nosed
assessment about what’s politically
possible and moving forward on those
items, and then reserving for unilateral
action policy efforts in these other do-
mains, is eminently sensible,” Howell
said.
“The politics of infrastructure aren’t
like the politics of gun violence. It’s
about decaying roads and bridges that
are not quite as safe as they once were.
If you say we’ve got to always respond to
the latest crisis, most of the time, you’re
going to put infrastructure on the back
burner.”
The president, for his part, appears to
understand the magnitude of the mul-
tiple crises confronting him. This month
he hosted several prominent historians
at the White House to take stock of his
legislative priorities and weigh his lega-
cy even as it’s taking shape.
Psaki said the meeting, first reported
by Axios, was an open conversation to
discuss the challenges facing the country
and “a moment to step back and reflect
and use it as lessons moving forward.”
Biden, who has a long record of tack-
ling gun control both as a senator and as
vice president and who ran point on
U.S.-Mexico border security under Oba-
ma, defended his decision to prioritize
his economic package, referring to press-
ing questions on immigration and gun
control as “long-term problems” that
have vexed multiple administrations.
“So we’re going to move on these one
at a time, try to do as many simulta-
neously as we can. But that’s the reason
why I focused as I have,” he said.
An evenly divided Senate threatens
to derail parts of Biden’s agenda, raising
questions about whether he would sup-
port eliminating the filibuster, the upper
chamber’s 60-vote threshold on most
legislation. The president hinted to re-
porters at the news conference that he
was open to the idea but stopped short
of endorsing it.
“It’s hard to see, absent the elimina-
tion of the filibuster, comprehensive ac-
tion happening on either immigration or
gun safety,” Howell said.
“I don’t think his attention to in-
frastructure is him being inflexible. I
think it’s him offering a realistic assess-
ment of what is actually possible to
deliver on.”
NEWS USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ 5A

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Vaccines “It took away some of the process and

Continued from Page 1A
vaccine supplies as the driver of the de-
cision to remove eligibility limits. But as
the number of available doses grows,
there’s still a large variance on who can
get a vaccine, though most states are
likely to meet President Joe Biden’s goal
of making every adult eligible by May 1.
“Where you are in line kind of de-
pends on where you live,” said Jennifer
Tolbert, director of state health reform
at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “There
does not seem to be a consistent ratio-
nale.”
Various explanations
Experts said reasons for the differ-
ences include how confident governors
are in the increased projections of dos-
es, demographic differences among
states and whether states have had
trouble filling appointment slots. The
latter could be a reflection of how easy
states have made it to get vaccinated. It
could also mean residents have been
less interested in getting shots.
“Some states may be experiencing
vaccine hesitancy sooner than other
states,” said James Blumenstock, senior
vice president of pandemic response
and recovery for the Association of
State and Territorial Health Officials.
“And therefore, that means they’ve got
to sort of open up the gate to allow other
categories in just so that precious time
is not lost.”
Officials are particularly concerned
about avoiding unclaimed appoint-
ments as variants spread.
“We really want to get to that goal of
getting as many people vaccinated as
possible, as quickly as possible, espe-
cially with variants,” said Hemi Tewar-
son at the Duke-Margolis Center for
Health Policy.
Concerned about a “possible trend”
of increasing infection and hospitaliza-
tion rates, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker gave
health officials permission Friday to
make vaccines available to anyone who
wants them if demand in an area has
waned.
“Each county is different and local
Paramedic Greg Karlik administers the Moderna vaccine to Zane Welker on March
16 at Ted Ferry Civic Center in Ketchikan, Alaska. DUSTIN SAFRANEK/AP
health departments know better how to
vaccinate people in their communities
as soon as and as equitably as possible,”
Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois De-
partment of Public Health, said in a
statement.
Some states have kept the focus on
moving systemically through the priori-
ty levels recommended by the CDC.
“As it relates to other states, you
know, we’re taking the approach we’re
taking,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy
said last week. Garden State residents
under 65 aren’t eligible unless they have
certain high-risk medical conditions or
hold certain jobs. “We’re trying to as
methodically and doggedly get to as
good a place as we can.”
Trish Riley, executive director of the
National Academy for State Health Pol-
icy, said some states put a greater focus
on assuring that vaccines go to those
most in need and most at risk. “And oth-
er states think that, you know, throw the
doors open and let’s get everybody in
and get as many shots as possible,” Ri-
ley said. “They’re just different ap-
proaches to the same problem.”
Riley said there’s a concern that fast-
er moving states don’t let up on making
sure the most vulnerable are vaccinat-
ed.
“The equity story isn’t over with vac-
cines for all,” said bioethicist Harald
Schmidt at the University of Pennsylva-
nia. “By simply saying, ‘Oh, you know,
we’ve opened for all and now come and
get it,’ that can’t be good enough, neither
for equity, nor for public health.”
Different approaches have been a
hallmark of the vaccination rollout that
began under the Trump administration,
which left many decisions up to states.
The CDC guidance on how to priori-
tize populations was helpful, Riley said,
but posed challenging questions for
states on how to define an essential
worker. Should hospital billing clerks
share the same top priority as nurses
and doctors? Is a waiter less essential
than a hotel clerk?
Some decided it was simpler to vacci-
nate strictly by age, after inoculating
health care workers and nursing home
residents.
Connecticut switched to an age-
based approach in March and plans to
open up to all adults by April 5.
When Alaska made vaccines avail-
able to everyone 16 and older, there
weren’t enough vaccines for all, Tewar-
son said, but simplifying eligibility
made messaging and distribution easi-
er.
effort they were putting into trying to
tier the different populations and prio-
ritize,” Tewarson said.
Nearly 3 in 10 adult Alaskans have
been fully vaccinated, one of the highest
rates in the nation. About 6 in 10 Alas-
kans age 65 and older are vaccinated,
also one of the best rates for that high
priority group.
No definitive rules
Federal guidance does not specify
what share of a priority tier should be
vaccinated before a state moves on to
the next tier. The suggested factors to
consider include when appointments
are less than 80% filled for several days,
when doses substantially increase,
when a state’s target vaccination rate
for a group has been met and when dos-
es in certain areas are at risk of going
unused.
The measure of progress by priority
tier that is most easily comparable from
public data is the vaccination rates for
senior citizens. Seniors account for 80%
of COVID-19 deaths.
If states are vaccinating this group at
a lower rate, it suggests there might be
barriers – such as the ease of making,
and getting to, vaccination appoint-
ments – that should be addressed, Tol-
bert said. Those barriers may exist for
other high-risk or hard-to-reach popu-
lations, including the poor, minorities
and people in rural areas.
“We could see some of those equity
issues get worse if there’s not a concert-
ed effort to continue to ensure that, as
they begin to vaccinate more and more
people, the states are also focusing on
outreach and other efforts to ensure
that there is a more equitable admini-
stration of the vaccine,” she said.
Asked whether it’s a mistake for
states that are behind in vaccinating
seniors to expand eligibility to all adults,
Jeff Zients, the coordinator of the White
House’s coronavirus task force, reiterat-
ed Biden’s goal of opening vaccinations
to the public by the end of April. “But we
have to keep prioritizing the most vul-
nerable populations,” he said. “And if
there are states that are lagging behind,
we’re working with those states.”
Contributing: Scott Fallon

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6A ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY
NATION/WORLD
Grounded Suez Canal ship is freed
Expert: Minimal effect of
blockage on US goods
John Bacon
USA TODAY
Tugboat horns blared and salvage
workers chanted Monday as one of the
largest ships in the world was refloated
and churned through the Suez Canal,
opening a crucial global shipping lane
that had been blocked for almost a week.
Hopes heightened that hundreds of
waiting ships would soon be sailing
through the canal. The tugs pulled the
Ever Given to Great Bitter Lake, a wider
stretch of water in the middle of the ca-
nal where the ship will undergo a tech-
nical inspection, canal authorities said.
“We pulled it off!” Peter Berdowski,
CEO of Boskalis, the salvage firm hired
to extract the ship, said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear when
ships would again flow through the 120-
mile-long waterway linking the Medi-
terranean and Red seas. The canal car-
ries more than 10% of world trade. Ger-
man insurer Allianz estimated the cost
of the blockage at up to $10 billion a day.
Jeffrey Bergstrand, professor of fi-
nance at the University of Notre Dame’s
Mendoza College of Business, special-
izes in trade and the world economy.
Bergstrand said the blockage ultimately
should have little effect on the U.S.
"Since most of the imports blocked
Bald eagle
numbers
are soaring
Mary Whitfill
The Patriot Ledger
USA TODAY NETWORK
The number of American bald ea-
gles has quadrupled since 2009, and
more than 300,000 birds soar over the
lower 48 states, government scientists
said in a report.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
announced last week that bald eagles,
the national symbol that once teetered
on the brink of extinction, have flour-
ished in recent years, growing to more
than 71,400 nesting pairs and about
316,700 birds.
“We’re approaching 80 pairs of bald
eagles statewide, which is absolutely
wonderful, “ said Dave Paulson of the
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries
and Wildlife (MassWildlife). “This is a
great time of year because right now,
the eagles have either laid eggs or they
will be soon. They’ll start hatching in
April and May, and they’ll be very ac-
tive once that happens.”
Paulson said the eagles tend to nest
in tall white pines near lakes, ponds
and rivers. He said reporting of nests
by the public helps the state agency
paint a picture of the population’s
growth.
A nesting eaglet was seen last year
on the South Shore of Massachusetts,
Paulson said, and before that, the last
sighting of a baby was 115 years ago.
“It really captivates the local com-
munity because they are this majestic
species that people grew up not see-
ing, but we’re seeing them more and
more,” he said. “The fact that they are
starting to enter into these suburbs
and easterly towns is wonderful.”
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haa-
land hailed the eagle’s recovery and
noted that the bird has always been
considered sacred to Native American
tribes and the USA generally.
Bald eagles reached 417 known
nesting pairs in 1963 in the lower 48
states. After decades of protection, in-
cluding banning the pesticide DDT
and placement on the endangered
species list in more than 40 states, the
population has grown. The bald eagle
was removed from the threatened or
endangered species list in 2007.
Contributing: The Associated Press
An eagle soars over Hingham Harbor,
Mass. GREG DERR/USA TODAY NETWORK
A photo released by the Suez Canal Authority on Monday shows tugboats pulling
the MV Ever Given container ship. PROVIDED BY SUEZ CANAL AUTHORITY/AFP VIA GETTY
over the last week are heading to
Europe, U.S. consumers will likely see
little effect," he said.
The Panamanian-flagged cargo ship
weighs 220,000 tons, is nearly a quar-
ter-mile long and carries 20,000 con-
tainers. The ship, almost as long as the
Empire State Building is tall, spun
around and ran aground in high winds
last Tuesday.
Workers dredged 30,000 cubic me-
ters of sand – enough to fill about a doz-
en Olympic-size swimming pools –
while more than a dozen tugboats la-
bored for days to free the ship. The stern
of the Ever Given, which had been
grounded about four yards from the
bank, finally was swung more than 100
Former President Barack Obama poses with his step-grandmother Sarah Obama, right, and a student during an opening
ceremony for the Sauti Kuu Sports, Vocational and Training Centre in Kogelo, Kenya, in July 2018. DAI KUROKAWA/EPA-EFE
‘Mama Sarah,’ matriarch of
Obama family, dies in Kenya
Tom Odula
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NAIROBI, Kenya – Sarah Obama,
the matriarch of Barack Obama’s Ken-
yan family, died, relatives and officials
confirmed Monday. She was at least 99
years old.
Mama Sarah, as the step-grand-
mother of the former U.S. president
was called, promoted education for
girls and orphans in her rural Kogelo
village. She died while being treated at
the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching
and Referral hospital in Kisumu, Ke-
nya’s third-largest city in the country’s
west, according to her daughter Mar-
sat Onyango.
“She died this morning. We are dev-
astated,” Onyango told The Associated
Press.
“Mama was sick with normal dis-
eases; she did not die of COVID-19,”
family spokesman Sheik Musa Ismail
said, adding that she had tested nega-
tive for the coronavirus. He said she
had been ill for a week before being
taken to the hospital.
Barack Obama sent his condo-
lences.
She will be buried Tuesday before
midday, and the funeral will be held
under Islamic rites.
“The passing away of Mama Sarah
is a big blow to our nation. We’ve lost a
“We pulled it off!”
Peter Berdowski
CEO of salvage firm Boskalis
yards from shore.
"This was the result of successful
push and tow maneuvers, which led to
the restoration of 80% of the vessel’s di-
rection," the Egyptian-owned Suez Ca-
nal Authority said in a statement.
Videos showed tugboats blaring their
horns in celebration. Egyptian Presi-
dent Abdel Fattah el-Sisi lauded the ef-
fort on social media. "Today, the Egyp-
tians have succeeded in ending the cri-
strong, virtuous woman, a matriarch
who held together the Obama family
and was an icon of family values,” Presi-
dent Uhuru Kenyatta said.
She will be remembered for her work
to promote education to empower or-
phans, Kisumu Gov. Anyang Nyong’o
said, offering his condolences to the
people of Kogelo village.
“She was a philanthropist who mobi-
lized funds to pay school fees for the or-
phans,” he said.
Sarah Obama was the second wife of
Barack Obama’s grandfather and helped
raise his father, Barack Obama Sr. The
family is part of Kenya’s Luo ethnic
group.
“My family and I are mourning the
loss of our beloved grandmother, Sarah
Ogwel Onyango Obama, affectionately
known to many as ‘Mama Sarah’ but
known to us as ‘Dani’ or Granny. We will
miss her dearly, but we’ll celebrate with
gratitude her long and remarkable life,”
the former president wrote Monday.
“When our family had difficulties, her
homestead was a refuge for her children
and grandchildren, and her presence
was a constant, stabilizing force,” he
said.
Obama referred to her as “Granny” in
his memoir, “Dreams from My Father.”
He described meeting her in 1988 during
a trip to his father’s homeland and their
initial awkwardness as they struggled to
NEWS
sis of the delinquent ship in the Suez Ca-
nal despite the tremendous technical
complexity that surrounded this proc-
ess from every side," he tweeted.
Admiral Osama Rabie, who manages
the authority, said the blockage cost his
country about $13 million a day. He said
the more than 360 ships awaiting pas-
sage could start sailing through the ca-
nal as soon as Tuesday.
The authority said it would take more
than three days to clear the traffic jam.
The global shipping company Maersk
estimated it could take twice that long.
The data firm Refinitiv estimated it
could take more than 10 days.
Maersk said it has three vessels stuck
in the canal and another 29 waiting to
enter.
The company had rerouted 15 vessels
to sail around Africa, a time-consuming
and expensive 3,100-mile detour. Re-
moving some or all of the load in an ef-
fort to lighten the ship would have taken
weeks and added to the backlog of ships
awaiting passage.
Reinsurers that insulate insurance
companies could face losses totaling
hundreds of millions of dollars, the
credit rating agency Fitch Ratings said.
The firm said the ship owner’s protec-
tion and indemnity insurers probably
will face claims from the owners of the
cargo on the Ever Given and of the other
ships facing losses related to perishable
goods and supply chain disruptions.
Contributing: The Associated Press
communicate, which developed into a
warm bond. She attended his first inau-
guration as president in 2009.
For decades, Sarah Obama helped or-
phans, raising some in her home. The
Mama Sarah Obama Foundation pro-
vided food, education, school supplies,
uniforms and fees and basic medical
needs to children who lost their parents.
In an interview with AP in 2014, she
said letters would arrive, but she
couldn’t read them. She said she didn’t
want her children to be illiterate, so she
saw that all her family’s children went to
school.
She recalled pedaling the president’s
father 6 miles to school on the back of
her bicycle every day from the family’s
home village of Kogelo to the bigger
town of Ngiya to make sure he got the
education she never had.
“I love education,” Sarah Obama said,
because children “learn they can be self-
sufficient,” especially girls who too of-
ten had no opportunity to go to school.
“If a woman gets an education, she
will not only educate her family but edu-
cate the entire village,” she said.
In recognition of her work to support
education, she was honored by the Unit-
ed Nations in 2014, receiving the inau-
gural Women’s Entrepreneurship Day
Education Pioneer Award.
Contributing: Matt Brown, USA TO-
DAY
NEWS
OPINION
Will unvaccinated
people be shunned?
This could get messy, like
segregating smokers
Scott Craven
Anyone who is older than they care to
admit remembers the time when smok-
ing not only was expected, but welcome
outside the small designated areas de-
signed to corral and shame those with-
in.
Smokers and non-smokers mingled
easily in offices, hospitals and bars —
wherever people tended to gather in
clumps large and small. That all
changed when science determined the
hazardous chemicals within smoke
withered the lungs of all who inhaled it.
Non-smokers insisted on social dis-
tancing from smokers, the kind requir-
ing physical barriers.
For those too young to have ever
boarded a plane divided into smoking
and non-smoking sections — apparent-
ly airborne particulates could do what
no 3-year-old could, stay in their area —
you’ll soon experience what it was like
as the vaccinated and non-vaccinated
mix in greater numbers.
The divide between the two is al-
ready emerging.
COVID-19 vaccination cards. MARK HENLE/THE REPUBLIC
According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos
poll, 62% said unvaccinated people
should not be allowed to travel on air-
planes. Furthermore, more than 50%
said that unvaccinated people should
not exercise in public gyms, sit in movie
theaters or attend concerts.
And 72% said it was important to
know if people nearby (and certainly
within 6 feet) were vaccinated.
When it came to avoiding those who
could cause them potential ill, non-
smokers had it much easier than the
vaccinated will.
Smokers self-identified the second
they fired up an unfiltered Camel. Non-
smokers could easily evacuate the in-
fected area or, if they’d had a little too
much to drink in the non-smoking sec-
tion of the bar, grab the cigarette and
stub it out in an overly exaggerated way.
But what are the vaccinated to do
when, after restrictions are lifted, a per-
son no more than 6 feet away sneezes,
and into their hands rather than their el-
bow?
Or worse, they cough through a
loosely held fist, propelling aerosolized
droplets past 6 feet?
You could demand to see a vaccine
card, but that could lead to charges and
surely a viral TikTok video labeled #vac-
cinHated. Or worse, given how masks
divided the nation between those acting
responsibly and those fighting for free-
dom.
That’s why it will be up to the vacci-
nated to display their health status in
public.
Israel is already ahead of the game
with its “green pass,” first issued in Feb-
“USA TODAY hopes to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation.” – Allen H. Neuharth, Founder, Sept. 15, 1982
Chairman and CEO USA TODAY Publisher
Gannett Co. President of News
MICHAEL MARIBEL
REED PEREZ WADSWORTH
ruary. Consider it akin to Monopoly’s
“Get out of jail free” card, only it gets
you into the best places in the coolest
bars and restaurants.
Other countries are considering
similar passports, weighing privacy
concerns against the joys of being
maskless in public. White House offi-
cials said any such passports should
be free, secure and issued by a concern
other than the federal government.
For this, all we need to do is follow
the lead of those convention-goers
who insist on wearing their passes in
public, flaunting (if not lording over
everyone) the fact they are attending a
series of inconsequential seminars in-
volving obscure topics. And drinking
at a no-host bar filled with two kinds of
light beer.
Anyone determined by Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention stan-
dards to be fully vaccinated shall be
given a Vaccination Passport to be dis-
played from a lanyard, the color of
which is among the WHO-approved
hues.
The passport guarantees VIP (Vac-
cinated Impervious Person) access to
any restaurant, bar, theater or the like
boasting a section in which people are
allowed to mingle in conditions not re-
quiring masks or distancing. VIPs will
be allowed to shake hands, clap one
another on the shoulder and even
share a socially acceptable hug (if all
parties give consent).
There may come a time when VIPs
are first to board their flight, and the
worst row will be the one directly in
front of the plexiglass shield separat-
ing them from the unvaccinated.
Stadiums and arenas may provide
VIP-only entrances, allowing the vac-
cinated to pass safely to their “Vacci-
nated Only” seats down front. Theme
parks could establish VIP lines, which
will move three times faster than the
other line because they can occupy
each and every seat on the ride.
In places where it would be impos-
sible to separate the vaccinated from
the non-vaccinated (parks, national
forests), officials could take a cue from
the smoking era and designate unpop-
ular, out-of-the-way areas from for
coughing, sneezing and sniffling.
None of this will avoid the inevita-
ble confrontation.
If it doesn’t become a vaccine caste
system (“Get your Johnson & Johnson
hands off my Pfizer grandfather”), it
could stray into vaccine passports of
questionable veracity (“That lanyard
is not a WHO-approved hue!”)
Or we can simply act civilly, con-
tinuing to wear masks while maintain-
ing social distance until science tells
us we’re safe. But where’s the drama in
that?
Scott Craven is a former reporter for
the Arizona Republic, where this col-
umn originally appeared.
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 ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ 7A
MIKE THOMPSON/USA TODAY NETWORK
The question Biden
should have dodged
He said he planned to run in 2024, but he won’t
Peter Funt
In the White House press office they
must have wondered when President
Joe Biden would “get the question.” It
came Thursday from Nancy Cordes of
CBS News: “Have you decided whether
you are going to run for reelection in
2024?”
Biden could have sidestepped it by
saying, “We’re still in our first 100 days
with a lot of work to do. I’ll worry about
a second term when the time comes.”
Instead, he opted for a seemingly
decisive and confident approach. “The
answer is yes,” he said. “My plan is to
run for reelection. That’s my expecta-
tion.”
For Biden and his party, the ques-
tion was a Morton’s fork — one in
which all possible answers are unde-
sirable. Declare you’re not running and
you become a lame duck almost imme-
diately after taking office, while also
placing intense scrutiny on your vice
president (and possible successor) Ka-
mala Harris. However, say you do ex-
pect to run again and you fire up critics
who claim that at 78, you’re already too
old, while frustrating Democrats who
believed you when you described
yourself as a “bridge” president.
Since this is an opinion column, let
me be clear about mine. There is no
chance, zero, that Biden will seek to
become the nation’s first octogenarian
presidential candidate. As Dana Car-
vey’s George H.W. Bush would put it:
“Na ga da — not going to do it.”
“Look, I view myself as a bridge, not
as anything else," Biden said just over a
year ago. "There's an entire generation
of leaders you saw stand behind me.
They are the future of this country."
Many Biden supporters took that as
tacit assurance there would be no sec-
ond term.
Proving he’s fit and strong
Underscoring the single-term as-
sumption was reporting like this from
Ryan Lizza in Politico early in the cam-
paign: “According to four people who
regularly talk to Biden, all of whom
asked for anonymity to discuss inter-
nal campaign matters, it is virtually in-
conceivable that he will run for reelec-
tion in 2024.”
So, what’s changed? Nothing, I’d
submit, except Biden’s determination
to appear fit and strong as he tackles
myriad problems — from COVID to im-
migration to the economy. But report-
ers will spend the next four years
dwelling on Biden’s reelection plans.
Moments after Cordes asked the ques-
tion, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins returned to
it, asking Biden would he really run
again? And would Harris remain on
the ticket? And does Biden expect
Donald Trump to be the GOP nominee?
Finally, Biden said “Oh, come on,”
Vice President & Executive
Editor/Investigations: Chris Davis
Executive Editor/Audience: Patty Michalski
Opinion Editor: Kristen DelGuzzi
There is no chance, zero, that Joe
Biden will seek to become the nation’s
first octogenarian presidential
candidate.
and tried to change the subject.
Like many Americans, I’m sick of the
nonstop campaign. The day after Bi-
den’s news conference, the first bit of
actual campaigning by a presumed Re-
publican hopeful took place in Iowa, as
former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
spoke to about 100 people at a restau-
rant in Urbandale. Pompeo isn’t official-
ly a candidate, but he sure looked like
one on his two-day swing across Iowa.
When Trump won four years ago, he
filed for reelection with the Federal Elec-
tion Commission on Jan. 20, 2017, the
day of his inauguration. If that isn’t an
endless campaign I don’t know what is.
The art of deflection is underrated
Despite Biden’s statement that he
“expects” to seek reelection, his age has
already created enormous pressure on
Harris. No vice president has entered
office with so much speculation that she
would be the front-runner for her par-
ty’s presidential nomination in the next
cycle.
Giving Harris the impossible task of
fixing immigration problems is not like-
ly to boost her stock. The issue was ar-
guably the worst part of the Obama-Bi-
den record and things only got worse
during Trump’s term. Now, it’s a raging
crisis.
If Biden really cares about giving
Democrats the longest possible run in
the White House, he should find a way
to signal he’s only serving one term.
Never in the nation’s history has a presi-
dent served two full terms and then had
his vice president serve two terms as
president.
Biden could have deflected the sec-
ond-term question last week by saying
he had more important things to worry
about. Instead, he gave an unbelievable
answer, provoking critics and come-
dians. Michael Che took a shot on “Sat-
urday Night Live” saying: “President Bi-
den was asked if he plans to run for re-
election in 2024, which is probably the
nicest way to ask him if he plans on be-
ing alive in three years.”
Peter Funt is a writer and host of
“Candid Camera.” He’s at work on a book
about TV portrayals of sitting presi-
dents titled “Playing POTUS.”
WANT TO COMMENT? Have Your Say at
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digital or other forms. For letters, include name,
address and phone number. Letters may be mailed
to 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA, 22108.
Executive Editor/News and
Network Enterprise: Jeff Taylor
Executive Editor/News
and Initiatives: Kristen Go
8A ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

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MONEY+LIFE
Battle of the monsters
promises an epic throwdown
When it comes to Godzilla vs. King Kong, bigger is
USA TODAY | TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 | SECTION B better, and more complicated. Page 5B

MONEYLINE

VOLKSWAGEN RECALLS
150,000 AUDIS OVER AIRBAGS
Volkswagen is recalling more than
Spend or save
your stimulus
150,000 Audi cars because of con-
cerns that the passenger side airbag
might not activate, according to Reu-
ters and Bloomberg reports. The recall
affects Audi A3 cars built between

check?
2015 and 2020, including the Sedan,
Etron and Cabriolet models, as well as
some S3 Sedans, the Reuters story
said, citing a filing with the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Neither Volkswagen nor NHTSA imme-
diately responded to requests for
more information.

Boston Dynamics’ new robot, called

Stretch. PROVIDED BY BOSTON DYNAMICS

STRETCH THE ROBOT CAN

ASSIST IN WAREHOUSES

Boston Dynamics has unveiled a new

GETTY
bot targeting warehouses.The compa-
IMAGES
ny's new robot called Stretch was
designed for moving boxes at ware-
houses and distribution centers.
Stretch features a small, omni-direc-
tional mobile base, a custom-de-
signed lightweight arm and a smart-
gripper with advanced sensing and
controls. Boston Dynamics said it

Recovery hangs in balance

plans to deploy Stretch in 2022.

SWISS BANK WARNS OF

HEDGE FUND DEFAULT Paul Davidson
USA TODAY

Swiss bank Credit Suisse said Monday

it may have suffered a “highly signifi- Americans received three rounds of
cant” loss from a default by a U.S.- government stimulus checks, enhanced
based hedge fund on margin calls that unemployment benefits and other pan-
it and other banks made last week, demic-related federal aid, though
while Japan’s Nomura said it could they’ve been largely confined to their
face a loss of $2 billion due to an homes and have few places to spend it.
event with a U.S. client. Credit Suisse The big question: How much of the
didn’t identify the “significant” hedge cash will they unleash when the econo-
fund or the other banks affected, or my reopens as people are vaccinated?
give other details of what happened. The answer will determine how quick-
News reports identified the hedge ly the economy returns to pre-COVID-19
fund as New York-based Archegos output levels and whether the surge in GETTY IMAGES

Capital Management. The Financial outlays will be robust enough to set off a
Times reported that Archegos had spike in inflation that jeopardizes the re- INSIDE loose,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist
large exposures to ViacomCBS and covery. of Moody’s Analytics. “It’s just going to
Tompor
several Chinese technology stocks. Many economists said the unprece- take time to shake the lifestyles they’ve
column:
dented circumstances set the stage for a had for the past year.”
No
historic spending spree. However, Ethan Harris, head of global economic
stimulus
spending will be moderated by the incli- research for Bank of America Merrill
check
nation of higher-income households to Lynch, said the spending binge could be
Dow Jones Industrial Avg. save most of the money and a hesitancy
yet?
massive.
34,000 You’re
33,171 by many Americans to come out of their “There’s lots of deferred spending
not out
COVID-19 shells. that could come into the economy very
32,000 of luck
“People are going to happily spend,
yet. B4
but they’re not going to completely let See STIMULUS, Page 3B
30,000

28,000 98.49
26,000
SEPT. MARCH
AP

MONDAY MARKETS
INDEX
Dow Jones Industrial Avg.
CLOSE
33,171.37 x
CHG
98.49
Get your paddle
and get out on
S&P 500 3,971.09 y 3.45
Nasdaq composite 13,059.65 y 79.08
T-note, 10-year yield 1.715 x 0.03
SOURCES USA TODAY RESEARCH, BLOOMBERG

the water this

USA TODAY SNAPSHOTS © spring, summer
Sarah Sekula
Special to USA TODAY

Picture this: It’s after dark and you’re kayaking

through Florida’s Merritt Island National Wildlife Ref-
uge, about an hour from Walt Disney World. The sky is
so dark that the stars are in clear view. The only noise
you hear is your paddle as it slices through the water.
Treasury rates You’re already perfectly content.
Rates as of Monday market close. Then, a pod of more than 20 dolphins shows up.
That, in itself, is enough to get the endorphins going.
Rate Week ago
But, wait, it gets better.
1 mo. T-bill 0.02% 0.02% When the dolphins exhale, the water spray ex-
3 mo. T-bill 0.03% 0.03%
pelled from their blowholes begins to glow. You are
suddenly surrounded by sea sparkles in every direc-
5-yr. T-note 0.89% 0.87% tion. As dolphins dart beneath you and beside you
10-yr. T-note 1.72% 1.69% they glow a lovely neon blue. Dip your hand in the wa-
30-yr. T-bond 2.42% 2.38%
ter, and the brilliant blue shows up yet again.

ASSOCIATED PRESS See KAYAKING, Page 3B

2B ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY
CAREERS
Online classes can boost earnings
Even free courses can
help you financially
Jennifer Jolly
Special to USA TODAY
Cooking at home, skipping exotic va-
cations to far-off lands, and scaling-
back on the late-night pandemic online
shopping binges – can be great ways to
keep debt down and stay ahead of ex-
penses. But you know what might help
even more? Earning more money.
I’m not talking about working harder.
The last thing most of us need is another
side-hustle to juggle in our already too
busy lives. Besides, you already have a
job, and you’re pretty good at it. But late-
ly, you've been wondering what it would
feel like to command a higher salary.
For many of us, it’s as simple as tak-
ing an online course – even for free. Ac-
cording to a recent survey by online
education platform Coursera, a whop-
ping 87% of people who learned a new
skill over the past year said it boosted
their career financially.
Here are seven of the most promising
online courses to provide a payday
boost, without even leaving your house.
Digital marketing
Remember when people used flyers
to advertise their business? While you
might still see an ad or two stapled on a
public bulletin board in your local coffee
shop, most mainstream marketing has
moved online. Whether you are selling a
service, restaurant meal, yoga practice,
pandemic art project, or even your latest
mask-making skills, learning a bit about
digital marketing is a must.
If you are promoting your own side
gig, you can learn the basics for free in
Google's bite-sized classes in the Google
Digital Garage. Or, if you are looking for
even more in-depth education on how
to drive customer behavior online, you
can get a mini-MBA on the topic for $79
a month through Coursera’s six-course
overview “Digital Marketing Specializa-
tion” class. Coursera’s site says nearly
50% of people who took this course
managed to switch jobs as a result, and
nearly 16% of people got a pay raise.
Learn to code
Coding sounds hard. And while your
ASK HUMAN RESOURCES
Child care, work from home is juggling act
Tackle distractions with
empathy for co-workers
Johnny C. Taylor
Columnist
USA TODAY
Johnny C. Taylor Jr., a human re-
sources expert, is tackling your ques-
tions as part of a series for USA TODAY.
Taylor is president and CEO of the Soci-
ety for Human Resource Management,
the world's largest HR professional soci-
ety.
The questions are submitted by read-
ers, and Taylor's answers below have
been edited for length and clarity.
Question: My colleague is working
from home due to COVID-19 and re-
cently had a baby. She used her mater-
nity leave and is back at work (on-
line). The baby is now almost a year
old, and she does not have a caregiver
for the child. It’s distracting when we
are on a video conference, and she
needs to stop to attend to the child.
She doesn't feel she needs child care
because she is working from home.
How should I navigate this? – Anony-
mous
Johnny C. Taylor Jr.: Whether some-
one is at the physical worksite or work-
ing remotely, caregiving responsibilities
have made returning to the workplace
complex. Many employees are juggling
their work and home life – and some-
times we see this play out on our Zoom
screens and hear it on the phone.
As a first step, review your compa-
ny’s policies. There may be guidelines
on working from home protocol, espe-
cially during calls or video conferences.
I would also have a respectful conver-
Coursera’s site says many who take courses boost their pay. PROVIDED BY COURSERA
teen already understands it, it could
very well be the last thing you ever in-
tend to learn. But simply polishing up on
your technical skills can do everything
from increase your value at the job you
have, help you get a new job, or provide a
side gig. And, in the world of tech, flex-
ible schedules and high salaries that let
you work from home are the norm.
There are countless online classes to
help you master everything from build-
ing Web sites in WordPress (less than
$20 at Udemy) or go all in and learn the
highest-earning programming language
out there at the moment – Scala (and
potentially earn $150K a year) – at
Coursera for $49 a month.
IT support
Most of us already provide some kind
of IT support for ourselves or our loved
ones. But beyond the basic, “did you
turn it off and back on again,” trouble-
shooting tech issues can be a huge pain.
If you’re already the go-to in your family
for gadget glitches, consider actually
making money from it too.
There’s a huge need for people who
can help identify and fix all levels of
technical troubles.
Google recently launched an online
classroom designed to help people find
a career in tech support. Try its free in-
troductory class to see if this might
work for you. If it seems like a fit, dive in
and get a micro-Bachelors degree IT at
EdX.org ($899).
Many employees are juggling their work and home life during the COVID-19
pandemic. GETTY IMAGES
sation with your people manager and
explain how your work is being impact-
ed by distractions. However, I encour-
age you to come to the meeting with
ideas for a solution.
Does your team have guidelines for
video conferences and calls? If not, per-
haps you can establish some moving
forward. This can include ensuring par-
ticipants have their microphones on
mute when not speaking or instructions
for when cameras should be turned on
or off. You may also suggest recording
meetings so if a team member misses
anything, they can go back and listen.
As the pandemic continues to exac-
erbate the challenges of balancing the
personal and the professional, employ-
ers are doing their best to be empathetic
and provide their workforce with the
tools and resources they need.
Project management
According to jobs site The Ladders,
project management is one of the six
key skills that will earn you the most
money in 2021. This is another job you
often can do remotely as well. It's not
easy to keep everyone focused on work
and meeting goals, but if you do, and do
it well, you could be in high demand.
At EdX.org, you can earn a Micro-
Masters in eight months for $1,212. Or,
for free you can just get a taste of what
it’s about with an overview class. At
Coursera, you also can earn a Project
Manager Certificate for free, after taking
a 6-month specialization for $777.
Data science
Companies have been collecting so
much data since the dawn of the infor-
mation age that they are drowning in it.
So every company needs someone to
pore through all the facts and figures
and make sense of it. People who can do
this are rare.
If you have a background in science
or math and aren’t working in your own
field, this is the chance to jump back in
and make real money. According to
staffing site Robert Half, the 2021 salary
midpoint for a data scientist is around
$129,000.
At EdX.org, you can earn a Micro-
Masters in the subject for $1,260. Or, if
you just want to find out if this is inter-
esting to you, you can take an intro class
at Alison for free.
In fact, 41% of HR professionals feel
they can make an impact by adapting
flexibility and leave policies to better fit
the needs of working parents or those
with eldercare responsibilities.
I understand distractions can be dif-
ficult, but with the help of your people
manager, hopefully, your team can
come to a solution that works for every-
one.
Be well!
Q: I recently accepted what I
thought was a better job opportunity.
After one week, I decided to leave. I
was not comfortable with the ethics of
the CEO and overall lack of compli-
ance. Because I was there such a short
time, how do I address this in my résu-
mé or when a future employer asks?
Unfortunately, returning to my prior
employer is not an option because of
MONEY
Video and audio production
Unless you’ve been hiding under a
rock, you’ve probably noticed a rise in
Instagram Reels and fancy-looking Tik-
Tok videos. This is how we’re all com-
municating these days, and the smart-
est companies know it.
There’s a huge demand for video
marketing content, with one recent
HubSpot report showing some 54% of
people want to see more video from
companies and products they are inter-
ested in, and 87% of advertising groups
rely on skilled video and audio employ-
ees and freelancers.
One of the best sites for this is Lynda-
.com, which is now called LinkedIn
Learning. Both my husband, who is an
award-winning director of photography
and I take classes here for everything
from mastering better smartphone,
drone, and GoPro video production to
learning the latest video and audio ed-
iting shortcuts. You can take classes for
free for a month, then either pay $29.99
per month or $19.99 annually.
Emotional intelligence
As more and more people move to
working remotely, emotional intelli-
gence, or EQ, is a much sought-after
skill. If you have trouble connecting
with someone over Zoom, or get more
frustrated than ever trying to read be-
tween the lines of “reply all,” emails, get-
ting a refresher course here might boost
your morale, and your paycheck.
According to global EQ training com-
pany TalentSmart, people with strong
emotional intelligence earn, on average,
$29,000 more than those without. Ude-
my offers a master class in emotional in-
telligence for $13 and EdX.org offers a
class (through UC Berkeley) that teach-
es empathy and emotional intelligence,
which is free if you don’t want the ($129)
certificate.
No matter what your current job
skills are, there are always ways to boost
your bank account. At the very least,
you might have fun picking up a new
skill. But at best? You might even add
another figure to your annual salary.
Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-
winning consumer tech columnist and
host of USA TODAY's digital video show
TECHNOW. The views and opinions ex-
pressed are the author’s and do not nec-
essarily reflect those of USA TODAY.
budget cuts. – Nissa M.
Taylor: I’m sorry to hear your oppor-
tunity did not work out. With 1 in 4 em-
ployees saying they dread going to
work, it’s critically important to fit in
with an organization’s culture and val-
ues.
First, I want to emphasize something
I’ve learned over the years: it’s OK to not
list every job you’ve ever had on your ré-
sumé. Ideally, your résumé highlights
your applicable work experience, skills,
and accomplishments that would make
you a good fit for the position you’re
seeking.
Since you were in your most recent
position for less than a week, it may be
difficult to include meaningful informa-
tion about your responsibilities and ex-
perience from that particular job.
When you’re deciding what to in-
clude on your résumé, ask yourself, “Did
I achieve significant results, and do they
relate to the job I am applying for?” If the
answer is yes, I would bet hiring man-
agers will want to hear more about these
experiences during a potential inter-
view.
When asked about your last position,
it’s best to keep the conversation open
and honest. Be truthful and profession-
al, and share what you learned from the
experience while stressing your com-
mitment to your next employer.
Ultimately, what’s important is the
ability to transfer your skills and
achievements to a new organization and
convey to hiring managers your interest
and how your professional experience
could make you an asset to the team.
Remember, hiring managers and HR
have seen this type of situation play out
before –you aren’t the first person to
recognize an organization wasn’t a good
culture fit, and you likely won’t be the
last. Have confidence in yourself, and
keep moving forward.
Best of luck with your job search!
MONEY USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ 3B

Kayaking ation, says the bloom is consistent be-

Continued from Page 1B
It’s all thanks to a large concentration
of single-celled bioluminescent orga-
nisms called dinoflagellates that bloom
here from June to October each year.
They light up like fireflies in the water,
creating an unforgettable spectacle like
something straight out of “Avatar.”
Just ask Justin Buzzi, the founder of
Get up and Go Kayaking, an Orlando,
Florida-based company that leads
guests on this bucket-list adventure in
see-through kayaks. He’s experienced
the phenomenon the past several years.
“The unique thing about where we
paddle in the refuge is that it’s in the
middle of a 140,000-acre wildlife refuge
with no light pollution,” Buzzi says. “It’s
so dark that you can even see the Milky
Way on clear nights.”
It’s equal parts peaceful and thrilling.
And don’t be surprised if a jumping mul-
let (also glowing bright blue) occasion-
ally goes kerplunk into your kayak.
Chances are, it will be a giggle fest as
you try to help the fish back in the water.
You may be wondering why does the
bioluminescence happen regularly
here? Edith Widder, founder of the
Ocean Research & Conservation Associ-
cause it happens in an estuary that
tends to be protected and stable.
Lucky for us, that means it’s some-
thing to easily plan ahead for. Tours run
from May to October, but Buzzi says the
best nights for viewing the biolumines-
cence are the darkest nights. He recom-
mends a night with a 55% moon phase
or lower, with July and August being the
peak season.
Make like a superhero in Hawaii
Think surfboard. Now add a long
metal rod to that board that elevates it
above the water. Add a small motor, lith-
ium battery and a remote control and
you’ve got a Fliteboard, a watercraftthat
looks like a surfboard but maneuvers on
water with the quickness of a jet ski.
Make your way to Maui and rent a Fli-
teboard at E-Foil Hawaii. The family-
owned business offers lessons and rent-
als. After orientation, you hop on a
board and through gorgeous waters
where you might catch a glimpse of a
turtle, manta ray, or dolphin. If you visit
between mid-December and mid-May,
you’ll likely spot humpback whales.
Rent a vintage boat in Michigan
For something tamer, make a beeline
A Fliteboard, a battery-powered
watercraft, looks like a surfboard but
maneuvers on water with the
quickness of a jet ski. PROVIDED BY
JENNIFER STENGLEIN FOR FLITEBOARD
for Retro Boat Rentals in Saugatuck,
Michigan. There you can rent a vintage
boat to take in views of Kalamazoo Lake,
a picturesque inland body of water that
makes for the perfect backdrop. Choose
from a fleet of old-school boats that
have been retrofitted as electric.
Jane, a 1958 Geneva is a popular pick.
So is Ruby, a 1959 Bell Boy Banchee that
seats four. Keep in mind, the boats only
reach about 5 mph, so it’s more about
the experience and less about speed.
For something roomier, opt for a Do-
nut Boat, which holds up to 10 people.
The electric, easy-to-maneuver boats
have a round table in the middle, so you
can picnic the whole time. It’s also pet-
friendly, so bringing your dog or adven-
turous cat along is absolutely OK. Pon-
toon boats and Duffy boats are also
available. They are perfect for a sunny
day since they have shaded areas. And
on a cold day, clear panels can be added
for extra warmth.
Scuba dive with sea lions in
Mexico
For an adventurous day, book a dive
with San Diego-based Waterhorse
Charters to explore the Coronado Is-
lands, an 11⁄2-hour boat ride from San
Diego’s Mission Bay. This spot is known
for good underwater visibility and its
large population of sea lions. Once you
arrive, the three-tank dive gives you
plenty of time to interact with the in-
quisitive mammals.
Be sure to bring your GoPro along to
capture them on camera. It’s common to
see a sea lion colony of 40 to 60 pinni-
peds. Not only that, but there’s a good
chance you’ll see moray eels, harbor
seals and horn sharks. Keep your eyes
peeled for triggerfish, sea hares and lots
of reef fish. Waterhorse Charters pro-
vides wetsuits, hoodies, gloves and
booties to keep divers from getting cold.

Stimulus and middle-income households will

Continued from Page 1B
fast,” Harris said.
Americans in total have about $2 tril-
lion in bolstered savings as a result of
the federal payments and their con-
strained lifestyles, including about
$850 billion in stimulus checks, accord-
ing to Zandi and Harris.
That includes rounds of $1,200 and
$600 payments last spring and in Janu-
ary, and the current $1,400 checks.
A Federal Reserve survey in October
found that 29% of Americans' initial
stimulus payments was spent, 36% was
saved and 35% was used to pay down
debt.
Zandi said that pattern will largely be
repeated this year as Americans on av-
erage spend about a third of their $1,400
checks in addition to 20% of their total
COVID-19-related savings. Though low-
spend all or most of the reserves, high-
income people will probably spend only
about 4% and save the rest because they
view it as wealth, he said.
Zandi estimated the top fifth of in-
come earners own 75% of the excess
savings. Goldman Sachs reckoned that
group has about 40% – still a dispropor-
tionately large share.
Dwight Safer, 50, of Colchester, Ver-
mont, invested all of the stimulus mon-
ey he received last year in stocks and
plans to do the same this year.
“I didn’t need it,” said Safer, a semi-
conductor industry engineer who re-
cently received a large bonus.
“It’s nice to get it, but I wish it would
go someplace else of better use.”
Zandi said consumer spending will
grow 6.4% this year and the splurge
from COVID-19-related savings will add
2 percentage points to economic
growth, which he estimated will total
6%.
He doesn’t foresee a run-up in infla-
tion that would prompt the Fed to raise
interest rates.
Harris is more bullish. He said a rela-
tively modest portion of the initial stim-
ulus checks was spent a year ago be-
cause people were nervous about the
early recovery.
The economy is in better shape – vac-
cinations are growing rapidly and many
more spending outlets will soon be
open.
Harris said high-paid workers will
view much of their stimulus payments
and excess savings as income rather
than wealth that’s typically amassed
over a long period. If that’s the case,
they could spend about 30% of it as they
release pent-up demand, he said, while
lower-income households spend most
of their cache.
All told, Harris expects consumer
spending to grow 8.4% this year while
the economy grows 7%, paving the way
for a possible surge in inflation by 2023.
Ted Adams, 77, of Wayzata, Minne-
sota, saved previous stimulus checks,
but he partly used the latest $2,800 pay-
ment for him and his wife to buy two
new iPhone 12 costing $1,600. The stim-
ulus check prompted them to move up
the purchases, which they had planned
to make next year.
“It’s like found money,” said Adams, a
retired serial entrepreneur.
Mary von Tobel, 66, of O’Fallon, Illi-
nois, saved part of the stimulus money
but used some of it to increase her dona-
tions to food banks and will probably
use some to defray tax and insurance
payments due next month. The pay-
ments could help fund trips she and her
husband plan to take locally and to Ja-
pan this year. Although they would have
taken the vacations anyway, the money
may prompt them to spend somewhat
more lavishly, she said.
“I look at it more as wealth,” said von
Tobel, a retired technical writer. “We
didn’t earn it.”

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4B ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY MONEY

AMERICA’S MARKETS ALL THE MARKET ACTION IN REAL TIME

MARKETS.USATODAY.COM

DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE
+98.49
S&P 500 • STANDARD & POOR’S NASDAQ COMPOSITE RUSSELL 2000
Closing: 33,171.37 Closing: 3,971.09 Closing: 13,059.65 Closing: 2,158.68
Change: +.3%
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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 49.83 -0.60 +0.9% +31.5% Advancing 790 690 SPDR S&P500 ETF Tr SPY 395.78 -0.20 -0.1% +5.9% Cattle (lb.) 1.21 1.20 +0.01 +0.7% +7.1%
Declining 1,701 2,649 ProShs UltPro ShtQQQ SQQQ 13.55 +0.02 +0.1% -10.7% Corn (bushel) 5.47 5.53 -0.06 -1.0% +13.0%
Financials 34.07 -0.30 +2.3% +15.6%
Unchanged 54 102 SPDR Financial XLF 34.07 -0.30 -0.9% +15.6% Gold (troy oz.) 1,712.10 1,732.20 -20.10 -1.2% -9.6%
Industrials 98.34 +0.02 +5.8% +11.1%
Total 2,545 3,441 iPath Sh Term Fut VXX 12.01 +0.27 +2.3% -28.5% Hogs, lean (lb.) 1.00 1.01 -0.01 -0.4% +42.8%
Materials 79.42 -0.27 +5.3% +9.7% 113 Natural Gas (Btu.) 2.61 2.56 +0.05 +1.9% +2.6%
Issues at Invesco QQQ Trust QQQ 315.91 -0.09 ...% +0.7%
Telecom 80.22 +0.44 -1.0% +8.1% 51 iShs Emerg Mkts EEM 52.90 -0.37 -0.7% +2.4% Oil, heating (gal.) 1.81 1.81 unch. -0.0% +22.0%
New 52 Week High 196
Health care 117.57 +0.55 +3.1% +3.6% ProShs UltraPro QQQ TQQQ 88.60 -0.05 -0.1% -2.5% Oil, lt. swt. crude (bar.) 61.56 60.97 +0.59 +1.0% +26.9%
New 52 Week Low 10
Consumer staples 69.27 +0.69 +8.3% +2.7% iShares Rus 2000 IWM 214.40 -6.21 -2.8% +9.4% Silver (troy oz.) 24.71 25.09 -0.38 -1.5% -6.2%
Share Volume
Consumer discret. 165.15 -0.91 +0.1% +2.7% Total 3,959,200,378 4,620,512,065 iShares Brazil EWZ 32.37 -0.04 -0.1% -12.7% Soybeans (bushel) 13.93 14.01 -0.08 -0.5% +5.9%
1,486,480,053 Direx SOX Bull 3X SOXL 35.79 -1.90 -5.0% ...% Wheat (bushel) 6.17 6.13 +0.04 +0.6% -3.7%
Utilities 64.15 +0.68 +7.5% +2.3% Advancing 1,106,602,090
Declining 2,830,551,631 3,120,406,977
Technology 131.98 -0.69 -2.2% +1.5%
Unchanged 22,046,657 13,625,035
FOREIGN CURRENCIES FOREIGN MARKETS
S&P 500’S BIGGEST GAINERS S&P 500’S BIGGEST LOSERS Currency per dollar
British pound
Close
.7267
Prev.
.7254
6 mo. ago
.7776
Yr. ago
.8014
Country Close Prev. Change %Chg. %YTD
Frankfurt 14,817.72 14,748.94 +68.78 +0.5% +8.0%
Company (ticker) Price $ Chg . % Chg. YTD Company (ticker) Price $ Chg . % Chg. YTD Canadian dollar 1.2597 1.2594 1.3386 1.3947 Hong Kong 28,338.30 28,336.43 +1.87 +0.0% +4.1%
CenterPoint Energy (CNP) 22.65 +.68 +3.1 +4.7 Penn Natl Gaming (PENN) 98.21 -8.37 -7.9 +13.7 Japan (Nikkei) 29,384.52 29,176.70 +207.82 +0.7% +7.1%
Chinese yuan 6.5697 6.5415 6.8165 7.0964
Molson Coors B (TAP) 52.91 +1.54 +3.0 +17.1 CBS Corp B (VIAC) 45.01 -3.22 -6.7 +20.8 London 6,736.17 6,687.76 +48.41 +0.7% +4.3%
Enphase Energy Inc (ENPH) 142.14 -9.93 -6.5 -19.0 Euro .8500 .8482 .8520 .8995
Carrier Global Corp (CARR) 42.34 +1.25 +3.0 +12.2 Mexico City 47,747.36 47,379.19 +368.17 +0.8% +8.4%
Facebook Inc (FB) 290.82 +7.80 +2.8 +6.5 Caesars Entertainm (CZR) 82.44 -5.09 -5.8 +11.0 Japanese yen 109.83 109.69 105.68 107.76
Twitter Inc (TWTR) 62.94 +1.68 +2.7 +16.2 Tapestry Inc (TPR) 39.49 -2.31 -5.5 +27.1 Mexican peso 20.6381 20.5746 22.4205 23.3242 SOURCE Morningstar, Dow Jones Indexes, The Associated Press

Glazing Missing stimulus check?

over your You’re not out of luck yet
Mondays Lawmakers look out
is OK for faster response

Krispy Kreme is coming

to the rescue, for free Susan Tompor
Columnist
Kelly Tyko USA TODAY
USA TODAY

Whether or not you’ve had a CO-
VID-19 vaccine, Krispy Kreme has a
freebie for everyone on Mondays
through May 24.
Unlike the chain’s free doughnuts
for the rest of 2021 giveaway that re-
quires showing a valid COVID-19 vac-
cination card, everybody is eligible to
take part in Krispy Kreme’s Monday
promotion for a free medium coffee
and a free Original Glazed doughnut.
No purchase is necessary.
“It’s a new work week, it’s been a
long year since lockdown, so why don’t
you take out a little time for yourself
and have a nice cup of coffee and a
doughnut,” David Skena, Krispy
Kreme chief marketing officer, said.
The Monday promotion is available
at participating U.S. Krispy Kreme
shops while supplies last. It’s not valid
with online orders or with any other
offer or coupon. According to the fine
print, it’s not valid in Puerto Rico,
Times Square, Dothan, Alabama, or
Uncasville, Connecticut, shops.
The deal was announced March 22,
the same day Krispy Kreme kicked off
free doughnuts for getting the vaccine.
It also announced “Be Sweet Week-
ends” – every weekend through May
23, you can get a “Be Sweet Dozen” for
$1 when you buy any dozen doughnuts.
Free Krispy Kreme for vaccine
Krispy Kreme offers up to four hours
of paid time off for each COVID-19 vac-
cination for its employees.
The company also has given out
free doughnuts on special occasions
such as Halloween for wearing a cos-
tume, Election Day and St. Patrick’s
Day for consumers who wore green.
The vaccine promotion has been
met with some backlash.
Some critics cited the health effects
of eating a doughnut daily, especially
during a pandemic that’s harder on
obese people.
“Every incentive helps & free
doughnuts may help move the needle,”
tweeted Leana Wen, visiting professor
of health policy and management at
the George Washington University
Milken Institute School of Public
Health. “However, donuts are a treat
that’s not good for health if eaten every
day.”
According to USA TODAY’s vaccine
tracker, as of Sunday, about 28.2% of
people in the USA have received at
least one COVID-19 shot, and about
15.5% of people are fully vaccinated.
About 20.6% of the shots distributed
haven’t been used yet.
Contributing: Paul Davidson and
Janie Haseman
PROVIDED BY KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUT CORP.
Several anxious, angry seniors and
others expressed frustration recently
about why they had not yet received
the latest, third round of stimulus
cash, according to the Detroit Free
Press, a USA TODAY Network publica-
tion.
Not receiving something by now
doesn’t mean you’re out of luck.
More money will be issued in the
coming weeks as direct deposits and
through the mail as paper checks or
debit cards.
The third set of Economic Impact
Payments – which offer up to $1,400
each for those who qualify – began hit-
ting many bank accounts via direct de-
posit on March 17. Others have begun
receiving paper checks or plastic pre-
paid Visa cards, issued by MetaBank.
So far, about 127 million people were
on track to receive a total of $325 bil-
lion in the first two weeks since Presi-
dent Joe Biden signed the American
Rescue Plan into law March 11, accord-
ing to the Internal Revenue Service.
That includes the latest 37 million
payments in the second batch of Eco-
nomic Impact Payments issued last
week.
Millions still wait for stimulus
check
Still, nearly 30 million Social Secu-
rity and Supplemental Security In-
come beneficiaries are waiting to get
money through their Economic Impact
Payments, according to a letter sent by
leaders on the House Ways and Means
Committee on Wednesday.
“Because SSA has inexplicably not
sent the necessary payment files to the
Internal Revenue Service, tens of mil-
lions of beneficiaries have yet to re-
ceive their desperately needed EIPs,”
according to Chairman Richard Neal,
D-Mass., and oversight subcommittee
chairman Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., and
others.
The letter followed another scath-
ing commentary when Democrats on
the House Ways and Means Commit-
tee criticized both the commissioners
of the IRS and the Social Security Ad-
ministration about the handling of the
latest stimulus rollout.
The letter to IRS Commissioner
Charles Rettig and Social Security
Commissioner Andrew Saul expressed
alarm that most Social Security, Sup-
plemental Security Income, Railroad
Retirement Board, and Veterans Af-
fairs beneficiaries who are not re-
quired to file a tax return had not yet
received their payments.
Saul’s office issued a statement last
Wednesday that the Social Security
Administration has worked with the
IRS during the past year to assist with
the three stimulus programs. But the
statement also noted that the agency
faced various hurdles, budget restric-
tions and did not receive any direct ap-
propriation to support its work on the
Economic Impact Payments as part of
the American Rescue Plan.
“In fact, it was the substantial ef-
forts of SSA that successfully over-
Low-income taxpayers, veterans receiving disability payments and select others
will need to file information online at IRS.gov in order to receive stimulus
payments. MATT ROURKE/AP FILE
Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass.
ANDREW HARNIK/AP
came the fact that the IRS did not have a
mechanism to automatically identify
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) re-
cipients, some of the most financially
insecure people in America,” Saul said
in a statement.
He noted that the Social Security Ad-
ministration sent initial test files to the
IRS on March 22 and the IRS confirmed
“testing success” March 24.
“Production files were delivered to
IRS before 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 25
– more than a week sooner than we
were able to provide a similar file to IRS
during the first round of EIPs,” Saul said.
He noted that the Social Security Ad-
ministration has been updating the files
that IRS will use to issue payments to
Social Security beneficiaries.
A year ago during the first stimulus
effort, many people who received gov-
ernment benefits faced similar delays.
What makes the waiting game worse
now is that the latest stimulus package
is far more generous than the last two,
and really could provide serious relief.
The IRS has not given any expected
timeline for when people who are bene-
ficiaries of these government programs
will receive their stimulus money.
“Many federal beneficiaries who filed
2019 or 2020 returns or used the Non-
Filers tool were included in these first
two batches of payments, if eligible,” ac-
cording to an IRS news release.
Others, though, continue to wait. The
IRS indicated that federal beneficiaries
who did not file a 2019 or 2020 tax return
or did not use the non-filers tool last
year at IRS.gov, may still be waiting for
the latest stimulus payments.
The IRS said it is working with the
Social Security Administration, the
Railroad Retirement Board, and the Vet-
erans Administration to obtain updated
2021 information to send these benefi-
ciaries “fast, automatic payments.”
“More information about when these
payments will be made will be provided
on IRS.gov as soon as it becomes avail-
able,” the IRS said.
On Wednesday, the answers posted
at the FAQ at www.IRS.gov remained
vague, as well, when it comes to ques-
tions regarding Social Security, Railroad
Retirement and Department of Veteran
Affairs benefit recipients.
What’s going on with Direct
Express?
Many people who receive federal
benefits get monthly payments on ex-
isting prepaid debit cards through Di-
rect Express.
But the Direct Express site only noted
on March 23: “According to the IRS, up-
dates on the timing of Economic Impact
Payments for federal beneficiaries are
expected soon. This includes informa-
tion for Direct Express cardholders who
didn’t file a tax return in 2019 or 2020.
Updates will be posted on IRS.gov as
soon as possible.”
The Direct Express program provides
4.5 million Americans – the majority of
whom do not have a bank account –
with a prepaid debit card to receive their
monthly Social Security or veterans
benefit payments. The expectation is
that the IRS would put those stimulus
payments automatically on existing Di-
rect Express cards.
The IRS is rolling out the stimulus
payments in batches – including by di-
rect deposit, as well as mailing paper
checks and plastic prepaid debit cards.
Many people who received their
money already had filed tax returns, as
they made enough money to be required
to file a return.
The second batch includes about 17
million direct deposit payments totaling
more than $38 billion.
Like the first batch of payments, the
IRS said, the payments announced
Wednesday primarily were sent to eligi-
ble taxpayers who filed 2019 or 2020 re-
turns. People who don’t typically file a
return but who successfully used the
non-filers tool on IRS.gov last year were
sent payments in second batch, too.
Those bringing home better than av-
erage paychecks won’t get money this
time around, though.
For example, a married couple filing a
joint return won’t receive the third pay-
ment if their adjusted gross income ex-
ceeds $160,000.
The cutoff is $120,000 if filing as head
of household and $80,000 for single fil-
ers and married people filing separately.
LIFE
Michael Phelps is upfront Race, sexism shake ‘Red Island
about mental health issues House’ to its foundation
The Olympian says pandemic has increased Andrea Lee’s novel tackles issues of power
USA TODAY | TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 | SECTION B awareness of the problems. Page 6B imbalance that belie its lush setting. Page 8B
K1
K1

LIFELINE MOVIES

MCGREGOR BY INVISION/AP

MAKING WAVES
OBI-WAN KENOBI

The legendary Jedi Master will be

accompanied by some familiar faces
when he returns on Disney+. The new
“Star Wars” series, following Ewan
McGregor’s version of young Obi-
Wan first seen in the prequel films,
announced Monday it will begin pro-
duction in April and unveiled a cast of
beloved actors, including two other
prequel characters making a come-
back. As already announced by Lu-
casfilm, Hayden Christensen, who
played Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
in “Attack of the Clones” and “Re- Godzilla and King Kong tussle amid the lights of Hong Kong in “Godzilla vs. Kong.” PHOTOS PROVIDED BY WARNER BROS. PICTURES
venge of the Sith,” will reprise his role

‘Godzilla vs. Kong’:

in the series. Joining him will be Joel
Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse, who
played Owen and Beru, Anakin’s step-
brother and his wife who would go on
to raise Luke Skywalker.

An epic throwdown
Brian Truitt USA TODAY

“Star Wars” movies and the “Alien” franchise inspired Adam Wingard to become a filmmaker, so putting
the two iconic giant monsters in cinema history in opposite corners and having them duke it out is pretty
much his bread and better. h “Being able to do a movie that is based on pure imagination was so great,”
says Wingard, director of the rock-’em-sock-’em spectacle “Godzilla vs. Kong” (in theaters and streaming
DAN MACMEDAN/USA TODAY
on HBO Max Wednesday). h The sci-fi creature feature is the culmination so far of the rebooted Monster-
WHERE IN THE WORLD Verse, which introduced an updated take on the classic Japanese kaiju in 2014’s “Godzilla” and brought
BRINGING HOLI HOME
back simian royalty three years later with the ’70s-set “Kong: Skull Island.” Digging into the greater mon-
COVID-19 safety protocols mean Holi ster mythology, the new film pits them in a rematch eons in the making. See THROWDOWN, Page 7B
can’t be celebrated as usual this year,
but Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick
Jonas aren’t letting that stop them
from bringing the fun home. “Holi,
the festival of colours is one of my
favourites,” Chopra Jonas wrote in an
Instagram post Sunday from her
home in London. She, Jonas and his
parents were covered in pink, orange,
blue and yellow powder. Holi marks
the advent of spring and is celebrat-
ed throughout India. Most years,
millions of people throw colored pow-
der at each other in outdoor cele-
brations, but for the second straight
year, people were encouraged to stay
home to avoid turning the festivities
into superspreader events.

The two titans leave the town in a bit of a shambles in the action-packed showdown.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

‘Post-pandemic body’ trend has

IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY
WHO’S CELEBRATING TODAY
trainers busy and therapists worried
Charles Trepany
Eric Clapton is 76. Celine Dion is 53. USA TODAY
Thomas Rhett is 31.
Lindsey Appiah had a tough time
staying in shape during the pandemic.
With gyms shuttered and fewer op-
USA TODAY SNAPSHOTS © portunities to walk around while
working from home, the Washington,
Top iTunes D.C.-based attorney, who lost 70
movie rentals pounds over the last four years, saw
her strict fitness regimen fall by the
wayside. As a result, she gained about
1. Promising Young Woman
15 pounds during the pandemic.
2. News of the World
“When you lose a lot of weight, hav-
3. The Vault
ing been overweight for a long time,
4. Monster Hunter
there’s always this fear in the back of
5. Horizon Line
your head of gaining weight back,” Ap-
piah said. “It’s almost like a dread. It’s
almost like this thing chasing you.”
So when Appiah started noticing a
growing number of social media posts
about achieving a “post-pandemic
body” – or, getting fit for when the
world returns to normal – she says it
struck a nerve.
“Do we really need to revert back to
something that wasn’t even a healthy
way of thinking to begin with?” she
AS OF MARCH 29, ITUNES/APPLE said. “Is that what we’re going to do? It
Lindsey Appiah says a growing number
of social media posts about achieving
a “post-pandemic body” struck a
nerve. PROVIDED BY LINDSEY APPIAH
just felt really wrong to me.”
Appiah isn’t the only person feeling
pressure to lose weight. As vaccines
have rolled out across the country, train-
ers say they’ve seen significant in-
creases in clients aiming to look their
best by the time the world fully reopens.
Though fitness and mental health
professionals agree a healthful lifestyle
is a worthy goal, they caution against
quick physical transformations – espe-
cially after a year that was traumatic for
so many.
Vaccines bring hope, but also
pressure
January usually is the busiest time of
the year for Los Angeles-based personal
trainer Benjamin Stone. He typically
gets an influx of new clients motivated
by their New Year’s resolutions.
But as coronavirus cases surged in
his area at the start of 2021, the calls
from new clients never came.
“It was really strange,” he said.
“Those New Year’s resolutions didn’t
happen, and it’s almost like a pandemic
resolution now. It’s like, three months
later, now I’m getting all the calls.”
As cases declined and vaccines start-
ed rolling out, Stone’s new client inqui-
ries increased fivefold from January to
March, with many saying they want to
See BODY, Page 7B
6B ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY LIFE

HEALTH AND BEHAVIOR

Phelps: Mental health is as vital as fitness

Sara M Moniuszko
USA TODAY
“Getting our thoughts and
Michael Phelps is the most decorated
Olympian of all time but he’s also made feelings out in the open is
waves being vocal about his mental something that changed my
health challenges.
The swimmer, who has spoken open- life ... You want to be the
ly about his his struggles with depres-
sion and suicidal thoughts, says he has
authentic you as much as
seen “too many articles” about suicide you possibly can.”
during the pandemic. Most recently,
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, made Michael Phelps
headlines when she spoke publicly
about her past suicidal ideation. when the pandemic hit. “There was
“When I see somebody like that, yes, I massive significant changes for me, so
do feel for them because, again, I know my emotional and mental health kind of
what that feels like and it does break my went on a roller coaster throughout ev-
heart,” he told USA TODAY of Meghan erything ... It’s been very challenging
Markle. “I can understand to some de- just because there have been so many
gree what that feels like. It is very scary unknowns.”
and you kind of really don’t know what Phelps said his family has helped him
to do.” through the pandemic’s ups and downs.
Phelps said the pandemic has “The boys for me were a big help,” he
brought mental health issues to the said.
forefront. He and his wife Nicole Johnson also
“I think we’ve all learned there’s so have been teaching their kids about the
much more to mental health than we importance of mental health.
ever knew or ever wanted to talk about, “We’ve implemented this thing called
and that was something I was very a lion breath with them, where we
afraid of,” he said. “It honestly destroys taught them the importance of just tak-
me every time I read (about suicide) be- ing that step back,” he said. “A lion
cause there are other outlets that we can breath is really just taking a deep breath
take and we can try to learn more.” in and when you exhale – you can roar or
He also noted that sharing how you you can scream ... really just to get that
are feeling can be difficult but it is im- frustration or whatever you’re trying to
portant. get out and talk about the emotions
“Getting our thoughts and feelings you’re going through and understand
out in the open is something that Michael Phelps has been open about his struggles during the coronavirus why you’re feeling that way.”
changed my life,” he said. “If there is pandemic and quarantining. LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Similar to a “lion breath,” Phelps said
backlash or anybody does feel like that, the pandemic forced him to take a step
your story is your story ... You want to be back.
the authentic you as much as you pos- health, then I feel like the opportunities ming are some of his go-to strategies. “I honestly do feel that it almost was
sibly can.” will be endless of what we can really do.” “It’s something that makes me me and a blessing for me,” he said, explaining
He also thinks stars coming forward And just like his mental health, his the best me.” he’s been able to “zone in on the things
with these issues can help break down physical health hasn’t taken a back seat Phelps’ children, Maverick,1, Beckett, that are important” like family time and
stigma surrounding mental health. during the pandemic. Phelps first re- 3 and Boomer, 4, also keep him active. taking care of himself.
“The fact that there are so many ce- tired after the 2012 Olympics before “It’s been a great way to keep my en- If you or someone you know may be
lebrities or so many people standing up making a comeback in April 2014. He re- ergy up,” he said. struggling with suicidal thoughts, you
and talking about the struggles that tired from competitive swimming again Sticking with routines during the can call the U.S. National Suicide Pre-
they have – I think that’s a way for us to after the Rio Olympics in 2016. pandemic also has been important for vention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255)
really break down that stigma,” he said. “I know that my body works and my his mental health. any time day or night, or chat online.
He said coming forward with his mind works on having five, six days … “Whenever I get out of a routine, I Crisis Text Line also provides free,
struggles helped him learn and grow. usually seven days a week of some kind kind of spiral,” he said, explaining he 24/7, confidential support via text mes-
“Once we can really take care of our of working out,” he said. Lifting weights, went from traveling 100 days of the year sage to people in crisis when they dial
mental health as we do our physical elliptical, stationary bike and swim- when he was swimming to not at all 741741.

PUZZLES
To report problems, email feedback@usatoday.com.
For more puzzles, get the USA TODAY Crossword app.
CROSSWORD WORD ROUNDUP MW J M D WM GW S H R
EDITED Erik Agard By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek 3/30 M U O Z E E K O E N A E
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28 Short-term staffer 66 Tech worker 14 Do the first third of dance QUICKCROSS
30 Large tub 67 Perry the Platypus, a triathlon 52 Indiana NBAer K E N S ON YOUR PHONE PLAY ONLINE
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33 Resource in Ferb 22 Waving away of that”
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36 Self-esteem helper 69 Canvas sneaker 26 Unbridled fury (know-it-all)
38 Slip provided as brand 29 Flat tire cause, Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x2
57 Pepper grinder box contains the numbers 1 through 9 (no repeats). box contains the numbers 1 through 6 (no repeats).
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41 Shriveled up DOWN 31 Clock sound
42 Name found in 1 Unwise wager 34 Regret
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1 2 © WIGGLES 3D GAMES
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Monday’s Answer: “Always make an audience suffer

© USA TODAY and Rich Coulter Yesterday’s solution as much as possible.” - Alfred Hitchcock
LIFE USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ 7B

STREAMING

Karli smashes actor’s expectations

Brian Truitt
USA TODAY
Spoiler alert: The following post
contains plot points from the newest
episode of “The Falcon and the Winter
Soldier.”
Who was that masked young woman
who just beat up Falcon, the Winter Sol-
dier and the new Captain America? She
also broke Falcon’s mechanical buddy
Redwing in half in the new episode of
Marvel’s “The Falcon and the Winter
Soldier.”
Played by British actress Erin Kelly-
man (“Solo: A Star Wars Story”), Karli
Morgenthau made her powerful pres-
ence felt in her Marvel Cinematic Uni-
verse debut as the passionate leader of
the Flag Smashers. And in “Winter Sol-
dier” (streaming on Disney+), the
group’s anarchist actions around the
world put them on the radar of the
show’s title superheroes.
But Karli and her crew may not be
real supervillains, even if their en-
hanced strength and abilities might
make it seem so. With a mantra of “One
world, one people,” the Flag Smashers
seek a return to a world without borders
after half the population was wiped off
the Earth for five years (see: “Avengers:
Infinity War” and “Endgame”). They
want to help the displaced and disaf-
fected people who never left as global
governments care more for those
who’ve just come back.
“Marvel does a great job of making all
of their stories mean something still to
society,” Kellyman says. “I agree with
the Flag Smashers’ fight. I don’t neces-
sarily agree with the way that they’re
doing it, but it’s all very important and I
think people need to try and relate it
back to the world that we live in today.”
Karli’s fight ultimately is about
equality: “When 50% of the population
disappeared, things started to get bet-
ter. There seemed to be more hope,” Kel-
lyman adds. “Her drive is good, and she
Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) prepares to throw down with some
superheroes in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.“
Morgenthau, center, hides out from the authorities with fellow Flag Smashers
Nico (Noah Mills) and Dovich (Desmond Chiam) in "The Falcon and the Winter
Soldier." PHOTOS PROVIDED BY MARVEL STUDIOS
comes from a good place. It’s very inter-
esting to kind of see how that unfolds”
in the next few episodes.
Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and espe-
cially Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan)
got a face full of what Karli’s capable of,
realizing that the Flag Smashers appar-
ently have taken a super-soldier serum
similar to one that turned Steve Rogers
into the original Captain America.
When the heroes try to bust up the
Smashers’ transporting crates of the se-
rum, Winter Soldier initially thinks Kar-
li’s a hostage.
She plays up the innocent bit before
punching him from one truck to anoth-
er, and later kicking the new Cap (Wyatt
Russell) into an oncoming car window.
Kellyman, 22, had fight training “way
more intense than anything I’ve done
before.” But she also wanted to show
different sides of Karli “rather than just
this super-strong, angry person.” In one
scene, Karli sheds a tear after one of the
Smashers sacrifices himself so that the
others can escape from henchmen of
the mysterious Power Broker. “It
showed how strong and how willing
they are to fight for their cause,” Kelly-
man says.
This is the actress’s second Disney
character clad in cool headgear: In the
“Star Wars” prequel “Solo,” which Kelly-
man filmed at 18, she plays Enfys Nest,
the seemingly villainous leader of the
Cloud-Riders who took off her helmet to
reveal herself as a resistance fighter
against intergalactic crime syndicates.
“I’m starting to make a bit of a trend
about playing masked villains who have
a good root,” Kellyman says.
“Both Enfys Nest and Karli Morgen-
thau definitely have a lot of layers to
them, and on first impressions, yeah,
they might seem like people that are try-
ing to cause trouble or no good.
“But deep down their fight is pure
and it’s relevant, and people need to lis-
ten.”
Even before tussling with Captain
America, Kellyman was “a huge, huge
fan of Marvel” and dressed up as super-
heroes with her cousin as a kid.
“He had these Hulk hands and I had
this Spider-Man costume.”
She says that little girl would be “ab-
solutely blown away” to know she’d play
these roles in both the Marvel and “Star
Wars” universes one day.
“I wanted to be a gymnast until I was
14. This is way different to a gymnast,
and I have absolutely no flexibility any-
more,” she says, laughing.
“I’m still blown away now, even when
I’m seeing it happening. It doesn’t feel
like it’s my life.”

Throwdown Body pier or healthier.”

Continued from Page 5B
Godzilla, coming out of 2019’s “King
of the Monsters,” was Earth’s de facto
protector but now he’s attacking cities
for unknown reasons, which worries
one of his advocates, teenager Madison
Russell (Millie Bobby Brown). Godzilla’s
path of destruction leads him into con-
flict with Kong, who has been transport-
ed off Skull Island so that his allies – in-
cluding geologist Nathan Lind (Alexan-
der Skarsgard) – can take him back
home to Hollow Earth, a mythical locale
in the center of the planet.
Wingard chats with USA TODAY
about steps he took to make this mon-
ster mash memorable.
Godzilla and Kong: By the
numbers
With the thunder lizard standing at
393 feet tall and the big gorilla (who has
grown since “Skull Island”) just a bit
shorter at 338 feet, both could dunk on
the Statue of Liberty. In their faceoffs,
Wingard tried to abide by “the rules of
the actual size of the monsters” so much
so that when it was first mentioned that
Godzilla and Kong would tangle on an
aircraft carrier, “I thought that’s just
pushing it too far” due to their sheer size
alone.
But Wingard found out how large
those ships actually were and it made
scientific sense both could be on it at the
same time. “How cool is it that we get to
see Godzilla get punched in the face by
King Kong on an aircraft carrier? We’ll
do anything to figure out how to make
that work, but we also want it to be be-
lievable on some level.”
Get ready for a most epic sea
battle
Wingard felt the topography itself
needed to be an important part of the
action, which is why Godzilla tussles
with Kong at sea. “It’s less interesting if
you just put the monsters in a big field,”
he says. “There’s nothing for them to use
and so it’s just going to be two monsters
bumping into each other.” Having ter-
rain like the aircraft carrier also adds
wrinkles to the fight as Kong tries to stay
out of the drink: “You already have Kong
at a disadvantage. He’s not as powerful
as Godzilla. Godzilla’s unstoppable.
Godzilla can swim in the water and he
can breathe underwater. You take Kong
and he’s totally out of his element
there.”
Jia (Kaylee Hottle) can communicate
with King Kong in "Godzilla vs. Kong."
PROVIDED BY WARNER BROS. PICTURES
Bruce Willis and WWE were
influences?
The director thought of Godzilla as
The Undertaker, the pro-wrestling
character who comes and goes to take
on enemies. Yet for Kong, Wingard
looked to Bruce Willis’ John McClane,
even giving the big guy a dangerous
jump that’s a “Die Hard” homage in the
film. “He’s this ’80s action-hero arche-
type,” he says of Kong. “John McClane
is this awesome cop, but it’s like one
guy vs. a bunch of terrorists.” And like
Willis’ good guy, Kong’s in a little over
his head though he isn’t outgunned.
Insert: an ancient ax
Kong does get a leg up on his com-
petition when he finds an ancient ax
that not only foils Godzilla’s fiery
atomic breath, but its business end is
made from one of the reptile’s own
dorsal fins. The weapon is an “element
of the past war between Kongs and
Godzillas. We don’t know who won one
way or the other, but we know that
something happened and it was pretty
messy,” Wingard says. “You want to
show things that people haven’t seen.
And I couldn’t think of anything that
would penetrate Godzilla’s flesh other
than a piece of Godzilla.”
The human stories boost the
titans’ tale
Like in “King of the Monsters,” Mad-
ison and her dad (Kyle Chandler) are in
Godzilla’s corner, while Kong has Mon-
sterVerse newcomers Nathan, linguist
Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and the
gorilla’s deaf best friend Jia (Kaylee
Hottle) in his. “I wanted to make sure
that they represented what was mis-
understood about the monsters,” Win-
gard says. But even with “all these
great actors” in the film, “there’s just
no way that they can overshadow God-
zilla and Kong because these charac-
ters are just so powerful and that’s
what people are coming for.”
Continued from Page 5B
get in shape by the time the pandemic
ends.
Gabbi Berkow – a dietitian, exercise
physiologist, personal trainer and Pi-
lates instructor in New York City – also
has seen an uptick. One week in
March, she received double the num-
ber of new client inquiries compared
with a pre-pandemic week.
“There’s definitely the goal of look-
ing lean and toned in summer clothes
as we’re coming closer to summer and
as the pandemic is lessening,” she
said.
For some, getting in shape is about
more than just looks. Kaitlin McCar-
thy, a senior at Boston College, says the
trend has been a way for her and her
peers to cope with time and opportuni-
ties lost to the pandemic.
“I look back at photos of myself (be-
fore the pandemic), and I’m kind of
mourning that I’ve lost that,” said Mc-
Carthy, who gained weight in 2020,
just as 71 million other Americans did,
according to a December survey. “I
think it’s this manifestation of loss
that makes people want to lose more
weight.”
McCarthy said all her friends start-
ed off this semester on diets or health
kicks.
“It’s OK that people weren’t produc-
tive and if you just got through this
year and you didn’t lose 40 pounds or
get your dream body or work out every
single day with the time that you had,”
she said. “It’s OK that you just got
through the day.”
‘Post-pandemic body’ carries
mental stress
Though the “post-pandemic body”
is about physique, it can have mental
health ramifications, therapists say.
Karin Schwartz, a Los Angeles-
based clinical psychologist, said 90%
to 100% of her clients who struggle
with eating disorders have felt pres-
sure to lose weight in anticipation of
post-pandemic life.
That pressure has also had an im-
pact on about half of her clients who
don’t struggle with eating disorders,
she said.
“People really strive to be the best
version of themselves, especially
when they come out of lockdown, and
they think that means being thinner,”
she said, “which isn’t necessarily
meaning that they’re going to be hap-
Jane Teixeira, a licensed marriage
and family therapist in Sacramento,
California, said the prospect of seeing
people after the pandemic has height-
ened body image issues for her clients.
“It can be that corresponding panic
of, ‘Oh, I wasn’t expecting to see people
this soon,’ or maybe there’s some shame
associated with how our bodies have
changed in this past year that starts to
creep up,” she said. “All of that kind of
creates this perfect storm.”
Teixeira encourages everyone to be
gentle with themselves as the world
slowly emerges from the pandemic.
“Use this as an opportunity to really
celebrate your body and all the things
that it does for us on an everyday basis,”
she said. “Honor that relationship with
it.”
How to get healthier the right way
It’s certainly possible to get in shape
the healthy way, without succumbing to
“post-pandemic body” pressure. Here
are tips that trainers recommend.
h Start slow. “You can’t just jump
right back into working out six, seven
days a week like you did in the begin-
ning,” said Noam Tamir, founder and
CEO of the New York City gym TS Fit-
ness. “You’ll burn yourself out, you can
get injured, you can stunt your progress
because you’re just doing too much.”
h Get plenty of sleep and water. “If
you’re not considering those pieces,”
said Los Angeles-based personal trainer
Jason Zenga, “then it’s pretty hard to
make the right food choices, and it’s
pretty hard to have the energy to do any
type of workout.”
h Check in with how you feel. “It’s
also a great time to journal and talk
about how you’re feeling,” said Tamir.
“Like, ‘I’m energized‘ or ‘Today I’m really
beat up, and I’m really tired.’ “
h Understand that lasting results
take time. “Slow and steady wins the
weight loss race,” said Berkow. “The
slower you lose weight, the more sus-
tainable it’ll be. Don’t wait until the last
minute, and focus on making healthy
lifestyle changes instead of a crash diet
or starving yourself to fit in a bikini.”
h Accept that everybody’s journey
is unique. “Everyone went through
something different,” said Berkow. “Is it
possible, and may it be healthy to lose
body fat and increase muscle tone for
the summer, so you feel better about
yourself and feel confident in how you
look? Yes, absolutely. But, we’ve been
through a really, really hard year. I would
not recommend comparing your jour-
ney to anyone else’s.”
8B ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY LIFE

BOOK REVIEW

All is not well in Lee’s ‘Red Island House’ paradise

Mark Athitakis That caress is deceptive, though, and
Special to USA TODAY Lee is alert to the power imbalance that
Senna and Shay’s presence represents,
Andrea Lee’s lush, perceptive novel “First World money in a Third World
"Red Island House" (Scribner, 288 pp., Country, one of the poorest on Earth.”
eeeg) is her first since 2006’s “Lost One person’s paradise is built on some-
Hearts in Italy,” and body else’s back.
it’s clear the time was Shay first witnesses that imbalance
well and carefully through the native housekeeper who in-
spent. sists that a folk ritual and a traditional
The novel is a set of housewarming party (zebu sacrifice and
connected stories fo- all) will resolve the theft and wasteful-
cused on Shay, an ness around the Red House. The crisis is
Oakland, California- exacerbated by a European house man-
bred Black literary ager, and Shay sees old colonialist
scholar who falls for tropes recycling. Senna, oblivious, de-
Senna, a wealthy Ital- livers an ugly response to Shay’s efforts
ian merchant who has built his dream to step in: “Do you know how hard it is to
manor in Madagascar. The Red House, find a white man to run things in Afri-
like the entire island, is seductive, and ca?”
Lee describes it exquisitely. Arriving Throughout the novel, Lee offers
there on vacations from Italy, Shay feels snapshots of rivalries and conflicts
“the first caress of tropical air like an in- within and across cultures on the is-
fant’s hand on the face.” land. A pair of rival club owners shed
light on the pecking order among local
women; a squabble between two aging
Italian men over a Malagasy woman
satirizes their machismo. As the novel
follows Shay and Senna’s marriage
across multiple decades, Shay grows
wiser about the place but also feels in-
creasingly implicated in its exploitation,
and burdened by the emotional labor
she’s asked to do to put things right.
“She is automatically adjudged the
kind of woman who ... is devoted to
keeping social, racial, tribal, and sexual
hierarchies in place,” Lee writes. If a
French visitor stays at the Red House
with a young woman who is effectively a
prostitute, should Shay intervene or
speak up? Every option seems deter-
mined to exclude the woman, who, iron-
ically, “is the only one of them on native
soil.”
“Red Island House” is in league with
other major novels that use far-flung lo-
cales to explore cultural asymmetry and
racism, such as Toni Morrison’s “Tar Ba-
by” and Norman Rush’s “Mating.” And
as in those books, Lee celebrates what
distinguishes her setting – her descrip-
tions of Madagascar are rich and deep.
But she doesn’t succumb to the exoti-
cism that makes the country feel “orna-
mental and harmless,” as Shay puts it.
For a time, Shay and Senna’s mar-
riage feels like an underdrawn element
of the book – why stay in a marriage so
suffused with anxiety, ignorance, and
bigotry? But the closing pages explore
that dynamic so well that “Red Island
House” becomes a unique, surprising
work – at once a psychological novel, a
novel of place and a novel about rela-
tionships.
“You can’t just come into a country,
build a big house, and take what you
want,” Lee observes. “The land you set
out to plunder ends by plundering you.”
Her novel is a savvy exploration of the
many ways that plundering is done.

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Viceland Top Gear Rally cars race through woods. Dark Side of the Ring Guys discuss creation of pilot episode. (N) Black Market M Williams VICE News Tonight (N) VICE News Tonight
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Weather Heavy Rescue: 401 A bridge collapses in a river. Heavy Rescue: 401 Stuck in the middle. Heavy Rescue: 401 Andrew’s sister joins the crew. Heavy Rescue: 401 Most stubborn wreck.
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Cinemax National Lampoon’s Dorm Daze 2: College @ Sea College students end up Let’s Go to Prison A repeat offender inmate seeks a posthumous revenge on his This Means War Two CIA operatives discover that they
taking a cruise on a ship in the Pacific Ocean. Gable Carr, Patrick Casey (2006) sentencing judge. Dax Shepard, Will Arnett (2006) (9:42) are dating the same woman. (2012) (11:13)
Encore A Walk in the Clouds A man pretends to be a Lara Croft: Tomb Raider A sultry archaeologist battles a clandestine society St. Elmo’s Fire After graduating from college, seven friends deal with the
woman’s husband. Keanu Reeves (1995) (7:14) seeking a mystic talisman. Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight (2001) challenges of life. Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe (1985) (10:44)
FXM Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates Reckless brothers post an ad online to Why Him? An overprotective father meets his daughter’s billionaire boyfriend and is dismayed to learn that Mike and Dave Need
find dates to their sister’s wedding. Zac Efron, Anna Kendrick (2016) (7:35) he wants to marry his little girl. James Franco, Bryan Cranston (2016) Wedding Dates (2016)
Hallmark Movies Chronicle Mysteries: The Deep End When a man’s body is discovered in a pond, his wife finds herself in a Chronicle Mysteries: Helped to Death Podcaster Alex McPherson and her partner Drew investigate a
complex trial, which causes podcaster Alex and team to seek answers surrounding the case. (2019) self-help retreat and the controversial life coach who oversees it. Alison Sweeney, Benjamin Ayres (2021)
HBO The Invisible Man A woman trapped in a relationship The Last Cruise Class Safe House In South Africa, a CIA rookie who is manning a safe house has to deal with a rogue agent who is The Day Sports Stood Still
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Lifetime Movie Deadly Second Chances A woman becomes overwhelmed with memories of her own mother’s death as Trapped By My Father’s Killer Five years after a woman helps send a man to prison for the murder of her
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Showtime 21 Bridges A New York Police Department detective ends up getting involved with a citywide hunt for a pair City on a Hill An assistant U.S. attorney overdoses Shameless Liam and Frank embark on a journey to
of cop killers after he uncovers a conspiracy. Chadwick Boseman, Sienna Miller (2019) (8:20) and is abandoned. get Liam into STEM school.
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SPORTS
USA TODAY | TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 | SECTION C
UCLA men show fortitude in long NCAA run
Dan Wolken
Columnist
USA TODAY
In his first meeting two years ago
with the players he was inheriting at
UCLA, Mick Cronin wanted to make one
thing clear. He wasn’t going to blame
them for being on a roster he didn’t
recruit, he wasn’t going to encourage
them to go elsewhere if they wanted to
stay, and he wasn’t going to talk about a
Mets’ Francisco Lindor
$1 BILLION QUINTET
Bright future looms for epic free agent shortstops
Gabe Lacques
USA TODAY
The baseball stars have never aligned
in this fashion before, and they likely
never will again.
Five shortstops, all first-round draft
picks, every one of them an All-Star,
three of them World Series champions,
nestled between the prime ages of 26
and 28, each with just 162 games sep-
arating them from seemingly bottom-
less riches.
From youngest to oldest, Carlos Cor-
rea, Corey Seager, Francisco Lindor, Ja-
vy Baez and Trevor Story represent an
unprecedented class of pending free
agent shortstops, a quintet that will
combine for an otherworldly sum of sal-
ary commitments between now and the
start of the 2022 season.
Say, $1 billion.
As the 2021 season’s opening day – a
traditional endpoint for negotiations for
pending free agents – draws near, USA
TODAY Sports examines what sets each
shortstop apart and what the crucial
next few months might look like:
March Madness at night:
Final Four slots at stake
Check out sports.usatoday.com to see who won
first bids in the NCAA basketball tournaments
future with, quote-unquote, his players.
“You show up in workouts tomorrow,
you’re my player,” Cronin said. “Some
people take jobs and everyone is run-
ning for the hills. But everybody showed
up and we got to work. I told the guys, if
you’ll listen and hang in there, it’s not
going to be easy but you’ll be able to
have pride and be able to hold up your
end of the bargain at UCLA.”
The bargain, as it were, has been ful-
filled and then some. The UCLA Bruins –
the gutty, resilient, irrationally confi-
dent UCLA Bruins – have gone from the
men’s NCAA Tournament bubble to the
Rockies’ Trevor Story
Dodgers’ Corey Seager
Carlos Correa: A big bet on himself
Drafted: First overall, 2012
Honor roll: 2015 American League
Rookie of the Year, 2017 All-Star, 2017
World Series champion.
Stats that matter: .353 career on-
base percentage, 126 career adjusted
OPS.
Outlook: As the only “1/1” of the
group, Correa, 26, has shouldered sig-
nificant expectations since he topped
the 2012 draft and met them all, reach-
ing the big leagues at 20 and winning a
World Series title at 23. That 2017 World
Series and his finest offensive season
ever – his .315 batting average, 24 hom-
ers and .941 OPS – came in the heart of
the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, which
will forever follow him. Injuries, too,
have dogged Correa, who has played
more than 110 games just once.
Yet the negatives are more than over-
come by a skill set that rarely fails him
when he is on the field and an ability to
rise to the moment in October. The As-
tros made the postseason in all but one
of his seven seasons and won nine of 13
Latest news, results, opinion
24/7 at sports.usatoday.com
See who won in the NHL and NBA, plus news and
scores from the MLB spring training camps
Elite Eight in the East region after an
88-78 overtime win over No. 2 seed Ala-
bama that fulfilled every promise Cro-
nin made to his players from the day he
walked on campus.
After absorbing what could have
been an all-time tournament gut punch
when Alabama’s Alex Reese made a ty-
ing 3-pointer with fewer than two sec-
onds left in regulation, UCLA glared at
one of the top-five defenses in college
basketball like it was dessert. It rose
from the ashes of tournament ignominy
and scored seven points in a row. As
Alabama melted with missed free
Cubs’ Javier Baez
Astros’ Carlos Correa
playoff series as he compiled a .869
OPS and smacked 17 home runs, tied
for ninth all time. His ability to shake
off a so-so 60-game regular season
and slam six home runs as the Astros
fell a win shy of a surprise World Series
appearance last October was a re-
minder of his capabilities.
What happens now: Correa report-
edly turned down a six-year, $120 mil-
lion offer from the Astros and termed it
“really low,” saying Thursday’s open-
ing-day deadline for an extension is
firm. “Once the season starts and I
start playing, I’m playing my last sea-
son before I become a free agent,” he
said March 25. “For me, it doesn’t
make any sense to be dealing while I’m
trying to focus and trying to perform
and trying to help my team win ball-
games. So, yeah, absolutely not.”
The Astros signed infield corner-
stones Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve
to extensions but let center fielder
George Springer walk in free agency.
With Bregman’s ability to shift to
See SHORTSTOPS, Page 2C
throws and wasted possessions, the
Bruins embraced the pressure.
“We knew we had nothing to worry
about – this is March,” UCLA guard
Jaime Jaquez said. “We knew we’ve
been in that position before. We knew
we had to be the toughest team out there
and that would be the reason we won
the game. We’ve been in those posi-
tions. You don’t win every single game
but it’s a position we were very comfort-
able with.”
They were probably the only ones.
See WOLKEN, Page 5C
Nancy Armour
Columnist
USA TODAY
Prince’s big
impact will
be enduring
for women
SAN ANTONIO – Sedona Prince’s
impact on the NCAA women’s basket-
ball tournament will continue, even if
she’s no longer playing in it.
Prince and Oregon are headed home
after being routed by second-seeded
Louisville in the Sweet 16 in the Alamo
region Sunday night. But the inequi-
ties between the men’s and women’s
games, long acknowledged but rarely
addressed, will never again be ignored,
thanks to Prince.
“I couldn’t be more proud of that
young lady,” Ducks coach Kelly Graves
said after the 60-42 loss. “Sedona is a
marvel. I’m so inspired each and every
day by her.
“I’m glad that she stood up,” Graves
added. “She’s, quite frankly, made
change, and that’s super, super power-
ful.”
For decades, even as women’s bas-
ketball has grown and gotten increas-
ingly popular, the NCAA has treated
the women’s tournament as an after-
thought. Whether that was intention
or indifference, the NCAA has devoted
considerable resources, support and
attention to the men’s tournament
while giving the women’s event little
more than what it needed to survive.
The men got the “March Madness”
brand while the women got the generic
“NCAA Women’s Basketball.” The
men’s champion got a payout while the
women’s winner got a pat on the head.
It was never right, and there was
grumbling by coaches and players,
some louder than others. But there
was never a seminal, line-in-the-sand
moment.
Until Prince’s now-viral TikTok.
After Stanford’s sports perfor-
mance coach posted a photo of the
“weight room” at the women’s tourna-
ment, which consisted of one rack of
dumbbells and a few yoga mats, Prince
put the NCAA – and everyone who
continues to short-change women, for
that matter – on blast. Her video on
TikTok not only exposed as a lie the
NCAA’s claim that there wasn’t enough
space for a weight room, she juxta-
posed the measly equipment provided
to the women with the state-of-the-
See ARMOUR, Page 5C
2C ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

Shortstops teeing Lindor more than $300 million

Continued from Page 1C
shortstop in 2021, it’s possible the As-
tros might let Correa move on, too, espe-
cially if his 2021 performance puts his
future price tag into the stratosphere.
Corey Seager: House money
Drafted: 18th overall, 2012
Honor roll: 2016 National League
Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star,
two Silver Sluggers, two top-10 MVP fin-
ishes, 2020 NL championship series
MVP, 2020 World Series MVP, 2020
World Series champion.
Stats that matter: .362 career OBP,
.863 career OPS, 26 HRs per 162 games.
Outlook: After All-Star appearances
in his first two full seasons, Seager en-
dured a 1-2 punch in 2018 – Tommy John
surgery on his throwing elbow and ar-
throscopic hip surgery. While he led the
NL with 44 doubles in 2019, he returned
in full fury in 2020, hitting 15 homers in
51 games, posting career highs in OPS
(.943) and adjusted OPS (152).
It felt like Seager, 26, destroyed base-
balls with regularity, and the stats bear
it out – he ranked second in the major
leagues in “barrels” per plate appear-
ance (12.1%) and then hit seven homers
in helping vanquish Atlanta in the
NLCS, Tampa Bay in the World Series
and steal all the postseason hardware.
What happens now: The Dodgers, as
always, have the capability to do what-
ever they want – witness the acquisition
and $365 million extension of Mookie
Betts a year ago. Yet the franchise also
has a gaggle of superstars headed to-
ward free agency – Seager and Clayton
Kershaw this year, Cody Bellinger in
2023, Walker Buehler in 2024, with Tre-
vor Bauer holding opt-outs each of the
next two years.
Seager’s trendline is edging closer to
$300 million; even with the Dodgers’
bottomless revenue, a stealth strike be-
fore opening day that both sides could
stomach seems unlikely. Paying full cost
after this season will force the Dodgers
to ponder how many nine-figure con-
tracts they’re willing to carry through-
out this decade.
Francisco Lindor: Almost home?
Drafted: Eighth overall, 2011
Honor roll: Four-time All-Star, two-
Francisco Lindor has hit 138 homers,
the most among shortstops since
2015. JASEN VINLOVE/USA TODAY SPORTS
time Gold Glove and Silver Slugger win-
ner, Platinum Glove winner, three top-10
MVP finishes.
Stats that matter: 138 home runs
(most among shortstops since 2015), 11.1
UZR/150 rating (second to Andrelton
Simmons since 2015), .833 career OPS.
Outlook: The only member of this
group to get traded, Lindor, 27, only has
to put up an MVP-caliber year for a Mets
team loaded with great expectations in
the first year under a deep-pocketed
owner. All while adjusting to New York
and a new club. Then again, there isn’t
much this guy can’t slug, field and
charm his way through.
Lindor is by far the most durable
shortstop of this or any group, never
playing less than 143 games and leading
the AL in plate appearances three times.
He shoulders on- and off-field responsi-
bilities with elan, as good an ambassa-
dor as he is a slugging, Gold Glove-cali-
ber shortstop.
Outlook: Stay tuned. While Lindor
seemed adamant to test free agency af-
ter rejecting myriad low-ball overtures
from Cleveland, new owner Steve Co-
hen is a motivated party after the club
traded for him, then struck out on mul-
tiple high-profile free agents. Guaran-
before he hits the market wouldn’t
merely be a splash but a relatively low-
risk proposition for a franchise that
needs an everyday cornerstone.
Two years ago, the Mets and ace
Jacob deGrom agreed to a five-year,
$137.5 million extension two days before
opening day, despite pessimism a deal
would get done. Sunday, Cohen con-
firmed he enjoyed a dinner meeting with
Lindor, who already will be the highest-
paid shortstop in 2021, at $22.3 million a
year. In that sense, any extension would
temporarily set the bar for his comrades
in this free agent class.
None of this is lost on Lindor. So if
Cohen wants to pick up this check,
the tab – before tip – best exceed the
$300 million Manny Machado received
from the Padres in 2019.
Javier Baez: Last Cub standing?
Drafted: Ninth overall, 2011.
Honor roll: Two-time All-Star, Gold
Glove, Silver Slugger, 2016 NLCS MVP,
2016 World Series champion, 2018 NL
MVP runner-up.
Stats that matter: 26 homers per 162
games, 43 Defensive Runs Saved as a
shortstop.
Outlook: Baez faces one minor hur-
dle the others don’t: A below-par 2020
season in which he slashed .203/.238/
.360 and acknowledged that the fan-
less, grim pandemic campaign brought
down his energy level.
His offensive output isn’t as consis-
tent or potent as his peers, either – he
grades out at just above a league average
hitter (102 adjusted OPS), and his .304
career OBP, with a career best of .326,
doesn’t equate to superstar production.
Still, that belies the fact few, if any,
can pull off what Baez does on a baseball
field, be it his occasionally prodigious
power (34 home runs in 2018), his un-
paralleled tagging ability around the
second base bag and an overall charis-
ma only his old pal Lindor can match.
What happens now: Much of that is
up to owner Tom Ricketts, who famous-
ly claimed “biblical” losses during the
2020 season but also has a new TV net-
work to push, and it’d be helpful to have
some recognizable faces on the screen.
Baez, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant all
face free agency after this season, with
Willson Contreras to follow after 2022.
Rizzo on Monday said contract negotia-
tions with the club had stalled and he
was prepared to play out the season.
Baez is the youngest of that group
and also retains some upside. Both par-
ties might benefit from an agreement
before the season – Baez wouldn’t have
to shop his numbers on the market
against his cohorts, and Ricketts
wouldn’t have to worry about trotting
out the Iowa Cubs in 2022.
Trevor Story: Closing time
at Coors Field
Drafted: 45th overall, 2011
Honor roll: Two-time All-Star, two-
time Silver Slugger, one top-10 MVP fin-
ish.
Stats that matter: .874 career OPS,
37- and 35-homer seasons, 60 Defen-
sive Runs Saved.
Outlook: Story’s future took a turn
for the weird when his running mate
and franchise cornerstone Nolan Arena-
do was traded by the Rockies to St. Lou-
is. Suddenly, Story himself getting
shipped out seemed far more likely than
him re-upping with a franchise adrift.
Those wondering if Story’s game will
play outside of Denver might not realize
prodigious home run totals are only a
portion of his appeal.
Story is a fantastic defender, hits the
stuffing out of the ball – his 89.9 mph ex-
it velocity last year mirrors Lindor’s –
and is a freakish athlete. He has added
stolen bases to his game, stealing 27 and
23 in 2018 and ’19 and leading the NL
with 15 in 59 games last year. Mean-
while, his strikeout percentage has di-
minished every year since whiffing
34.4% of the time in his first full season;
it was 24.3% last season.
Story turns 29 in November and is the
oldest of the pending free agent short-
stops, which ostensibly could diminish
his value. Yet almost every key metric is
trending positively.
What happens now: Story has
adopted a diplomatic stance, though the
chances the Rockies determine building
around Story, tendering him an aggres-
sive offer and him accepting – particu-
larly after the Arenado debacle – seem
remote at best.
Story will have plenty of positives to
take to free agency next winter. There’s
also a decent chance some of his com-
petition takes themselves off the market
by then.
1C photo illustration by Ellen Hadley;
Story by Matt Kartozian; Baez by Rick
Scuteri; Correa by Robert Hanashiro;
Seager by Mark J. Rebilas; Lindor by Ja-
sen Vinlove; all USA TODAY Sports

MLB relaxes protocols for those vaccinated

Bob Nightengale
USA TODAY
PHOENIX – Major League Baseball is
getting back to normal. Players can now
travel with their families. They can go to
restaurants. They can play cards and
move around on planes and buses. They
can use whirlpools and saunas in the
clubhouse. And they no longer are re-
quired to wear a mask on the bench or in
the bullpen.
However, teams are first required to
have at least 85% of their tier 1 players
and staff members fully vaccinated,
with a two-week delay after the final
vaccination, according to a memo ob-
tained by USA TODAY Sports that was
sent to teams Monday.
Plus, these new protocols apply only
to those people who have been fully vac-
cinated.
Several teams, including the Astros
and Cardinals, were scheduled to have
COVID-19 vaccinations Monday night.
Among the new and relaxed proto-
cols:
h Players and staff members who are
vaccinated no longer are required to
wear masks in gatherings in hotel rooms
and other indoor spaces with other fully
vaccinated individuals but still must
wear masks in the clubhouse and train-
ing room. Masks are not mandated in
the dugout, bullpen or weight room.
h Family and household members
who are vaccinated, including non-vac-
cinated children, are now permitted to
stay with them in their hotel rooms on
the road. Players also no longer are re-
quired to notify their club compliance
officer when leaving the hotel.
h Vaccinated individuals now have
the option to decrease testing to twice a
week using saliva tests.
h Fully vaccinated individuals who
have been in close contact with some-
one who tested positive for COVID-19 no
longer need to quarantine unless they
have symptoms.
h Fully vaccinated individuals can
carpool or use ride-sharing services to
and from club facilities.
h Card playing is back on airplanes
and buses as long as no unvaccinated
individuals are within two rows of the
fully vaccinated people.
h Vaccinated individuals can meet
outdoors with anyone instead of just
household or family members.
h Vaccinated players and staff mem-
bers also are permitted to appear at in-
person sponsorship or marketing
events, provided that the event’s health
and safety protocols are approved by
the club.
h Vaccinated players and staff mem-
bers also may now attend indoor reli-
gious services, although outdoor serves
still are recommended.
h Family members and guests of
players and staff are no longer required
to sit in pods at games and can mingle
with other spectators.
“I’m really excited about the opportu-
nity that’s going to be available to the
group,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt
said. “I know it allows us to open our
world quite a bit.
“I respect everyone’s individual right Face coverings will not be required for
to take it or not take it, but I’m excited players and coaches on teams that
about the possibilities of moving for- have been largely vaccinated,
ward if we can meet a certain thresh- according to a new memo sent by MLB
old.” to teams. STEVE NESIUS/AP

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SPORTS
Sports world failed on Ga. voting rights
Mike Freeman
Columnist
USA TODAY
It was March of 1991 when the NFL
helped beat back racism.
That year, after the state of Arizona
refused to make Martin Luther King Jr.
Day a paid holiday, the way the rest of
the country did, NFL owners voted to re-
move the 1993 Super Bowl from the
state. It was moved to the Rose Bowl in
California, and the Phoenix area lost an
estimated $200 million in Super Bowl-
related revenue.
The NFL’s decision led to a cascading
of sports leagues withdrawals. Phoenix
lost a bid for the 1994 NBA All-Star
Game. That estimated revenue loss was
$100 million. Notre Dame and the Uni-
versity of Virginia declined to play in the
Fiesta Bowl. The Harlem Globetrotters
treated Arizona like the Washington
Generals and canceled all events in the
state.
It was a remarkable moment in time.
Leagues and players, from the powerful
NFL to the Globetrotters, came together
to not just make a statement against
racism, but take actual action.
Not long after the NFL removed the
Super Bowl from Arizona, the King holi-
day initiative was on the ballot again. It
passed and the Super Bowl was played
in Phoenix in 1996.
Fast-forward to now. The state of
Georgia last week enacted some of the
ugliest, and clearly race based, voting
restrictions this country’s seen in dec-
ades. It’s worse by a magnitude of a
thousand than what happened in Arizo-
na because in this instance democracy
itself is clearly under assault.
Only this time, unlike in Arizona, as
the law made its way to the governor’s
desk for signing, there was no boycott
threat from the NFL or any other sports
league. No threats of future Southeast-
ern Conference championship games
being removed. No stance that Georgia
wouldn’t get any future Super Bowls.
In essence, sports failed. Especially
the big boys in the NFL, NBA and MLB.
This was Jim Crow 2.0 vs. sports, and
Crow won.
The sports leagues in Georgia took
the same approach as some of the
state’s largest corporations such as Del-
ta Air Lines and Coca-Cola, which is say,
Logano takes checkered flag in haze of Bristol dirt
Jenna Fryer
AP Auto Racing Writer
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Somewhere under
the thick red haze floating over Bristol
Motor Speedway, Joey Logano took the
checkered flag for NASCAR’s first Cup
Series race at a dirt track in 50 years.
He couldn’t see much – visibility was
next to nothing during this Monday dust
storm – but Logano clung to the familiar
bottom lane around the bullring to col-
lect the checkered flag on this NASCAR
experiment.
Logano got a jump on Denny Hamlin
on the overtime restart to earn his third
career victory at Bristol. But this was not
the Bristol of old; the track had been
covered with 2,300 truckloads of red
Tennessee clay so that NASCAR could
add a dirt track to the Cup schedule for
the first time since 1970.
“How about Bristol on dirt, guys! This
is incredible,” Logano said to the crowd,
a reduced capacity sellout of about
30,000 fans.
“There’s nothing like winning at Bris-
tol, but putting it on dirt and being the
first to do it is very special.”
Logano became the seventh race
winner through seven races this season
and gave Team Penske back-to-back
victories. Ryan Blaney won in a Penske
Ford last week.
The Logano victory closed a weekend
of uncertainty and even some hysteria
as NASCAR launched this drive through
the dirt. It was broadcast partner Fox
that wanted a dirt race on the Cup
schedule, and Speedway Motorsports,
seeking some new energy at its beloved
Bristol bullring. said it would take the
race.
So NASCAR awarded the experiment
to Bristol, bypassing dozens of quality
established dirt tracks across the coun-
try. The snub extended to Tony Stewart,
who had successfully hosted seven
Camping World Truck Series races at his
Eldora Speedway dirt track in Ohio but
said was never considered for a Cup
race.
Marcus Smith, the CEO of Speedway
Ann White of Roswell was at the Georgia State Capitol on Thursday to protest
voting law legislation. ALYSSA POINTER/AP
and do, very little leading to the run-up
of the law being enacted, then attempt-
ing to try to act like they truly care. This
two-step led to the Bloomberg headline:
“Coke, Delta Defend Failure to Stop
Georgia Election Curbs.”
“Georgia companies can’t have it
both ways,” Nsé Ufot, chief executive of-
ficer of the New Georgia Project Action
Fund, said in a statement. “It is com-
pletely unacceptable to praise the bills
that take away our most fundamental
American right to vote and simulta-
neously profit off of our dollars. Their
low-key betrayal has now become com-
pletely blinding.”
This would also apply to all sports
leagues.
Ironically it was the sports world,
particularly in Atlanta with the WNBA
and NBA, that was remarkably impact-
ful during the Black Lives Matter move-
ment and after the killing of George
Floyd.
But this time, as one of the most rac-
ist and insidious laws ever created in
this country was passed, the leagues
slept.
“We lost,” said one team executive,
“and it’s too late for any of us to do any-
thing about it.”
When the executive, who asked not
to be identified out of fear of repercus-
sions from Republican officials in Geor-
gia, says the word “us” he means profes-
sional and college sports teams in At-
Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 99 Camping World Chevrolet, and Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford,
race Monday during the NASCAR Cup Series’ Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. JARED C. TILTON/GETTY IMAGES
Motorsports, insisted concrete Bristol
was up to the challenge and he told The
Associated Press that he had spent
nearly $2 million to make the dirt dream
a reality.
He was pleased with the buzz gener-
ated by the event, even as NASCAR hud-
dled for solutions to extreme dust, poor
tire durability and shifting weather con-
ditions that made the buildup a muddy
mess. When race day finally arrived,
torrential overnight rains had flooded
the Bristol grounds and NASCAR had to
postpone Sunday’s show by a day.
The wait seemed worth it and the end
product has been deemed a win: before
the race was even over, the track an-
E3 USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ 3C
lanta and across the state.
And this is the cold, hard truth. Con-
gress is most likely the only entity that
can reverse this horrific moment in
time.
The time for sports to use their con-
siderable power was before the bill was
signed. If they’d come together and said
they weren’t going to hold Super Bowls
or all-star games or the SEC champion-
ship game in Atlanta, it would have put
immense pressure on lawmakers.
Now? The law is firmly in place. It
would take a massive wave of league
and player activism to force change and
it doesn’t seem like the leagues have the
appetite.
The Falcons, Hawks and Braves
could unite and play elsewhere until the
law is eradicated but there’s almost no
chance of that happening.
Individual players could refuse to
play in Georgia but that won’t be
enough. The leagues need to act by not
playing in the state.
The Republicans who enacted these
voter suppression restrictions are de-
termined and vicious, and the fight
against them needs to be just as deter-
mined and just as vicious.
No, we can’t expect sports to always
save us, but recently, particularly in At-
lanta, they’ve done just that.
The WNBA was a key reason why
Democrats control the Senate. In many
ways, America can thank the Atlanta
nounced over the public address system
that Bristol would run on dirt again next
season.
NASCAR is off for the upcoming East-
er weekend, and the Cup Series resumes
April 10 under the lights at Martinsville
Speedway. Martin Truex Jr. is the de-
fending race winner.
Earlier in the day, Truex entered the
Truck Series race for the first time in 15
years just to get extra laps on the dirt
surface at Bristol.
That reconnaissance mission turned
into a runaway victory for Truex, who
dominated the Monday afternoon race
and then quickly turned his attention to
the main event.
Dream for the pandemic relief bill.
The Atlanta Hawks were leaders af-
ter Floyd was killed and led major initia-
tives to open up more voting opportuni-
ties for everyone.
The sports world is offering some
tepid responses. Tony Clark, the execu-
tive director of the Major League Base-
ball Players Association, told The Bos-
ton Globe that players are “ready to dis-
cuss” moving the All-Star Game out of
Atlanta.
I’m “ready to discuss” starring in a
movie with Denzel Washington. “Ready
to discuss” doesn’t mean anything.
The strongest statement so far in
sports comes not from the professional
sports leagues or the NCAA, but instead
from the National Black Justice Coali-
tion, dedicated to the empowerment of
Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgen-
der, queer+, and same gender loving
(LGBTQ+/SGL) people, including peo-
ple living with HIV/AIDS. The organiza-
tion called for a boycott of the Masters,
which is in Augusta.
“Georgia’s new law restricting voting
access is designed to turn back the clock
on civil rights, and return Black and
poor and already disenfranchised vot-
ers in Georgia to second class citizens,”
said David J. Johns, executive director
of the organization, in a statement.
“This is an unacceptable attack on our
democracy – and companies that oper-
ate in Georgia must speak out against
this restrictive law.
“The PGA Tour and Masters Tourna-
ment have both made commitments to
help diversify golf and address racial in-
equities in this country – and we expect
them to not only speak out against
Georgia’s new racist voter suppression
law – but to also take action. To that
end, the National Black Justice Coali-
tion is calling on the PGA Tour and Mas-
ters Tournament to pull the upcoming
championship event from the Augusta
National Golf Course. Professional golf-
ers should refuse to play in Georgia until
the racist voter suppression law is re-
pealed.
“Professional golf should not reward
Georgia’s attacks on democracy and
voting rights with the millions of dollars
in revenue that the tournament gener-
ates and the prestige it brings to the
State. We all must act to protect our de-
mocracy and the right to vote.”
It’s a noble thought but there’s a
problem.
It’s too late.
Truex was one of seven Cup Series
drivers entered in the truck race opener
in their attempt to learn how to race the
surface.
Truex, who ran one Truck Series race
in both 2005 and 2006, had almost no
dirt experience before Bristol. He led 105
of the 150 laps, won all three stages and
beat series regulars Ben Rhodes, Rapha-
el Lessard and Todd Gilliland for the
win.
Chase Briscoe, a Cup Series rookie
with a dirt racing background, finished
fourth.
Truex won in a Toyota for Kyle Busch
Motorsports and gave the organization
its third consecutive win this season.
4C ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY E3 SPORTS

FOR THE RECORD ODDS SPONSORED BY BETMGM.COM GOLF

All times ET Match Play LPGA Tour Kia Classic
Austin Country Club, Austin, Texas Saturday
NHL Seeds in parentheses Aviara Golf Club, Carlsbad, Calif.
Billy Horschel (32), United States, def. Victor Perez (31), France, 3 and 2. Purse: $1.8 million
Scottie Scheffler (30), United States, def. Matt Kuchar (52), United Yardage: 6,558; Par: 72
East States, 1 up.
GP W L OT Pts GF GA Third Round
Washington 34 23 7 4 50 119 99 PGA Tour Inbee Park ...............................................................66-69-69—204 (-12)
N.Y. Islanders 35 22 9 4 48 105 82 For the latest lines, picks and expert Corales Puntacana Resort Championship Mi Jung Hur .................................................................71-71-67—209 (-7)
Pittsburgh
Boston
35
31
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9 5 39 83 73
analysis, go to sportsbookwire.com Corales Golf Course Minjee Lee .................................................................72-69-68—209 (-7)
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Philadelphia 33 16 13 4 36 102 120 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Madelene Sagstrom ...................................................72-74-64—210 (-6)
N.Y. Rangers 34 15 15 4 34 107 92 Purse: $3 million Lexi Thompson...........................................................72-72-66—210 (-6)
New Jersey 33 13 16 4 30 79 101 Visit BetMGM.com for a risk-free first bet up to $500. Yardage: 7,670; Par: 72 Jin Young Ko................................................................71-71-68—210 (-6)
Buffalo 33 6 23 4 16 68 118
Final Round Amy Olson...................................................................75-69-67—211 (-5)
Central Use bonus code ROAR Joel Dahmen (300), $540,000 ............................67-71-68-70—276 (-12) Brooke M. Henderson.................................................73-70-68—211 (-5)
GP W L OT Pts GF GA Rafael Campos (135), $267,000...........................68-69-69-71—277 (-11) Hyo Joo Kim.................................................................67-72-72—211 (-5)
Tampa Bay 34 24 8 2 50 123 82 Sam Ryder (135), $267,000 ..................................68-72-70-67—277 (-11) Annie Park...................................................................72-74-66—212 (-4)
Carolina 33 23 7 3 49 112 84 Pregame.com Line COLLEGE BASKETBALL Michael Gligic (73), $135,000..............................73-66-68-71—278 (-10) Nicole Broch Larsen.....................................................70-71-71—212 (-4)
Florida 35 22 9 4 48 115 98 Graeme McDowell (73), $135,000 ......................70-69-70-69—278 (-10) Wei-Ling Hsu...............................................................71-69-72—212 (-4)
NBA Tuesday Sophia Popov .............................................................68-68-76—212 (-4)
Nashville 36 18 17 1 37 92 107 Favorite Line Underdog Emiliano Grillo (58), $105,000...............................70-73-65-71—279 (-9)
Chicago 36 16 15 5 37 104 114 Tuesday Hudson Swafford (58), $105,000 .........................70-71-68-70—279 (-9) Korn Ferry Tour Club Car Championship
Columbus 36 13 15 8 34 91 117 Favorite Line O/U Underdog Gonzaga 9 USC
Michigan 7 UCLA Danny Willett (50), $93,750 .................................70-70-67-73—280 (-8) Landings Club-Deer Creek Golf Course
Dallas 32 11 12 9 31 89 88 WASHINGTON OFF OFF Charlotte Brice Garnett (39), $78,750 ...................................70-72-71-68—281 (-7)
Detroit 36 12 20 4 28 79 115 DENVER 4 221 Philadelphia Savannah, Ga.
National Hockey League Ben Martin (39), $78,750 .......................................71-70-71-69—281 (-7) Purse: $600,000
West PHOENIX 5 222 Atlanta Greyson Sigg, $78,750...........................................72-70-70-69—281 (-7)
GP W L OT Pts GF GA LA CLIPPERS OFF OFF Orlando Tuesday Sepp Straka (39), $78,750.....................................72-68-69-72—281 (-7) Yardage: 7,094; Par: 72
Vegas 32 23 8 1 47 104 74 Favorite Line Underdog Line Joseph Bramlett (31), $55,350.............................69-73-72-68—282 (-6) Final Round
Colorado 33 21 8 4 46 113 75 NY RANGERS -105 Washington -105 Thomas Detry, $55,350 ........................................70-70-72-70—282 (-6) Adam Svensson wins on the second playoff hole.
Minnesota 32 21 10 1 43 94 78 Odds are subject to change. BOSTON -185 New Jersey +170 Chesson Hadley (31), $55,350 .............................70-70-73-69—282 (-6) Adam Svensson, $108,000 .................................68-68-69-66—271 (-17)
St. Louis 35 16 13 6 38 100 113 BetMGM.com does not offer lines FLORIDA -225 Detroit +205 David Hearn (31), $55,350 ....................................72-72-72-66—282 (-6) Max McGreevy, $54,000......................................65-67-69-70—271 (-17)
Arizona 35 16 14 5 37 92 103 for New Jersey-based college TAMPA BAY -241 Columbus +221 Thomas Pieters, $55,350 .....................................69-70-69-74—282 (-6) Brett Coletta, $28,600 ........................................67-67-69-69—272 (-16)
Los Angeles 32 13 13 6 32 91 90 Carolina -162 CHICAGO +152 Roberto Castro (28), $41,250...............................70-69-70-74—283 (-5) George Cunningham, $28,600...........................68-69-69-66—272 (-16)
San Jose 33 13 16 4 30 91 115 sports teams. Gannett may earn
revenue from audience referrals Dallas -117 NASHVILLE +107 Tyler McCumber (28), $41,250.............................72-69-73-69—283 (-5) Shad Tuten, $28,600...........................................67-70-66-69—272 (-16)
Anaheim 36 11 19 6 28 81 118 Chase Seiffert (28), $41,250..................................73-71-71-68—283 (-5) Taylor Moore, $20,700 ........................................68-70-68-67—273 (-15)
to betting services. Newsrooms MONTREAL -135 Edmonton +125
North Jhonattan Vegas (28), $41,250 ............................73-70-72-68—283 (-5) Dawson Armstrong, $17,800 ................................67-71-70-66—274 (-14)
GP W L OT Pts GF GA are independent of this relation- Eric Cole, $28,000 ................................................72-70-69-73—284 (-4) Zecheng Dou, $17,800 ........................................68-68-66-72—274 (-14)
Toronto 34 22 10 2 46 114 88 ship and there is no influence on Roger Sloan (23), $28,000....................................71-70-70-73—284 (-4) Carl Yuan, $17,800................................................69-71-70-64—274 (-14)
Winnipeg 35 21 12 2 44 114 98 news coverage. Alex Smalley, $28,000 .........................................73-69-69-73—284 (-4) Max Greyserman, $12,865...................................70-67-68-70—275 (-13)
Edmonton 35 21 13 1 43 119 101 Peter Uihlein (23), $28,000 ..................................70-70-73-71—284 (-4) J.T. Griffin, $12,865..............................................75-67-65-68—275 (-13)
Montreal 31 14 8 9 37 100 87 Andrew Yun, $28,000............................................67-72-75-70—284 (-4) Jimmy Stanger, $12,865 ......................................71-70-70-64—275 (-13)
Calgary 36 16 17 3 35 95 107 Fabrizio Zanotti, $28,000.....................................69-68-72-75—284 (-4) Dawie van der Walt, $12,865...............................70-65-69-71—275 (-13)
Vancouver 37 16 18 3 35 100 120 Bronson Burgoon (17), $20,100 .............................70-72-71-72—285 (-3) John VanDerLaan, $12,865 ..................................71-67-69-68—275 (-13)
Ottawa 36 12 20 4 28 94 135 Greg Yates, $12,865 .............................................70-64-71-70—275 (-13)
Sunday’s Games Central Chicago at Phoenix, 10 p.m.
W L Pct GB Milwaukee at L.A. Lakers, 10 p.m.
Washington 5, N.Y. Rangers 4 Milwaukee 29 16 .644 —
Detroit 4, Columbus 1 Thursday’s Games
Indiana 21 23 .477 7½ Philadelphia at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
Anaheim 3, St. Louis 2, OT Chicago 19 25 .432 9½
New Jersey 1, Boston 0 Washington at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Cleveland 17 29 .370 12½ Charlotte at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.
Florida 4, Dallas 1 Detroit 12 33 .267 17
Nashville 3, Chicago 2 Golden State at Miami, 8 p.m.
Orlando at New Orleans, 8 p.m. Colorado 10, San Diego 2 Indiana 13; Virginia 10; Kentucky 8; Alabama Longworth and Brady Hart senior associate
Ottawa at Montreal, ppd WESTERN CONFERENCE Kansas City vs. Northwest Arkansas 8; UC Irvine 7; Liberty 5; Indiana State 4; athletic directors.
Atlanta at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.
Monday’s Games Southwest Denver at L.A. Clippers, 10 p.m. Milwaukee vs. Texas Western Carolina 3; Texas A&M 2; San Diego UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY —
Edmonton at Toronto W L Pct GB L.A. Angels vs. L.A. Dodgers State 1; Baylor 1. Named Matt Figger men’s basketball head
N.Y. Islanders at Pittsburgh San Antonio 23 20 .535 — Tuesday’s Games The USA TODAY Sports board of coaches is coach.
Philadelphia at Buffalo
Anaheim at Colorado
Dallas
Memphis
23
21
21
22
.523
.488
½
2
SOCCER Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota, 12:05 p.m. made up of 32 coaches at Division I institu-
tions. All are members of the American Base-
Tampa Bay vs. Detroit, 12:35 p.m.
Los Angeles at Vegas New Orleans 20 25 .444 4 Atlanta vs. Boston, 1:05 p.m. ball Coaches Association. AUTO RACING
Winnipeg at Calgary Houston 13 32 .289 11 Milwaukee vs. Texas, 2:05 p.m.
Minnesota at San Jose CONCACAF Men’s Olympic
Northwest Chicago White Sox vs. Colorado, 3:10 p.m.
Tuesday’s Games W L Pct GB Qualifying Cleveland vs. Arizona, 3:40 p.m. DEALS NASCAR Cup Series
Columbus at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. Utah 34 11 .756 — All Games at Guadalajara, L.A. Angels vs. L.A. Dodgers, 9:10 p.m. Food City Dirt Race
Detroit at Florida, 7 p.m. Denver 28 18 .609 6½ Mexico Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt
Edmonton at Montreal, 7 p.m. Portland 28 18 .609 6½ SEMIFINALS BASEBALL
Edmonton at Montreal, 7 p.m. Oklahoma City 19 26 .422 15
Winners qualify COLLEGE BASEBALL Major League Baseball Bristol, Tenn.
New Jersey at Boston, 7 p.m. Minnesota 11 35 .239 23½ National League Lap length: 0.53 miles
Washington at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m. Pacific Sunday’s Games CINCINNATI REDS — Selected the contract of (Start position in parentheses)
Carolina at Chicago, 7:30 p.m. W L Pct GB Honduras 2, United States 1 USA Today Coaches Poll 1. (10) Joey Logano, Ford, 253 laps, 55 points.
Mexico 2, Canada 0 RHP Cam Bedrosian and OF Tyler Naquin from 2. (13) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chevrolet, 253, 42.
Dallas at Nashville, 8 p.m. Phoenix 31 14 .689 — The USA TODAY Sports Top 25 baseball poll, Louisville. Placed RHP Brandon Bailey on IR.
Wednesday’s Games L.A. Clippers 31 16 .660 1 CHAMPIONSHIP with team’s records through Sunday in paren- PITTSBURGH PIRATES — Optioned RHP Geoff
3. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 253, 50.
Philadelphia at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. L.A. Lakers 30 17 .638 2 Tuesday’s Game theses, total points based on 25 for first place 4. (18) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 253, 49.
Hartlieb to Indianapolis (Triple-A Midwest). 5. (14) Ryan Newman, Ford, 253, 41.
Toronto at Winnipeg, 7:30 p.m. Golden State 22 24 .478 9½ Honduras vs. Mexico, 9 p.m. through one point for 25th, ranking in last Reassigned OF Brian Goodwin, INF/OF Wilmer
Arizona at Colorado, 9:30 p.m. Sacramento 21 25 .457 10½ week’s poll and first-place votes received.: Difo and RHP Steven Wright. 6. (8) William Byron, Chevrolet, 253, 40.
Los Angeles at Vegas, 10 p.m. 7. (27) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 253, 32.
Sunday’s Games W-L Pts LW BASKETBALL
Calgary at Vancouver, 10:30 p.m. Phoenix 101, Charlotte 97, OT MLB 1. Vanderbilt (23) 19-3 789 1 NBA
8. (3) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 253, 35.
9. (24) Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 253, 31.
Minnesota at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Portland 122, Toronto 117 2. Arkansas (9) 19-3 773 2 SAN ANTONIO SPURS — Signed C Gorgui 10. (26) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 253, 28.
Thursday’s Games Denver 126, Atlanta 102 3. Mississippi 20-4 729 3 Dieng. 11. (20) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 253, 26.
Columbus at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. L.A. Lakers 96, Orlando 93 Spring Training 4. Texas Tech 19-4 701 6
12. (16) Michael McDowell, Ford, 253, 25.
Detroit at Florida, 7 p.m. Monday’s Games Sunday’s Games 5. Louisville 16-6 616 7 FOOTBALL
6. Tennessee 21-4 595 9 National Football League 13. (12) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 253, 24.
Montreal at Ottawa, 7 p.m. Indiana at Washington Pittsburgh 2, Baltimore 1 14. (11) Chris Buescher, Ford, 253, 24.
N.Y. Rangers at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Miami at New York Boston 8, Minnesota 3 7. Mississippi State 17-7 576 4 ARIZONA CARDINALS — Agreed to terms with
8. Texas 17-7 550 10 S Shawn Williams to a one-year contract. 15. (6) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 253, 22.
Pittsburgh at Boston, 7 p.m. Minnesota at Brooklyn Tampa Bay 16, Atlanta 5 16. (28) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 253, 21.
Washington at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. New Orleans at Boston Philadelphia 6, N.Y. Yankees 2 9. UCLA 15-7 487 11 CINCINNATI BENGALS — Signed S Ricardo Al-
10. Georgia Tech 13-7 469 13 len to a one-year contract. 17. (4) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 253, 20.
Carolina at Chicago, 8 p.m. Dallas at Oklahoma City Washington 11, St. Louis 3 18. (22) Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, 253, 19.
Dallas at Nashville, 8 p.m. Memphis at Houston Miami 10, N.Y. Mets 2 11. Texas Christian 16-7 461 12 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Signed T Julien Da-
12. East Carolina 17-5 441 8 venport and re-signed C Joey Hunt. 19. (5) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 253, 35.
Minnesota at Vegas, 10:30 p.m. Toronto at Detroit Detroit 4, Toronto 4 20. (25) Chase Briscoe, Ford, 252, 17.
Texas 12, Chicago Cubs 8 13. Florida 16-8 402 5 MINNESOTA VIKINGS — Agreed to terms with
Sacramento at San Antonio 21. (9) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 252, 16.
Milwaukee 7, Cincinnati 1 14. Notre Dame 11-4 380 14 CB Mackensie alexander and S Xavier Woods,
Cleveland at Utah 22. (7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 252, 15.
NBA Chicago at Golden State San Diego 3, Cleveland 3 15. South Carolina
16. Oklahoma State
16-6
15-6
365
338
23
17
pending passing the physical exam.
23. (32) Stewart Friesen, Chevrolet, 252, 0.
Milwaukee at L.A. Clippers Oakland 9, San Francisco 3 PITTSBURGH STEELERS — Re-signed P Jordan
17. Oregon State 16-5 244 20 Berry to a one-year contract. 24. (21) Cole Custer, Ford, 252, 13.
Tuesday’s Games Chicago White Sox 7, Arizona 4 25. (33) Quin Houff, Chevrolet, 252, 12.
EASTERN CONFERENCE Kansas City 6, Colorado 3 18. Miami 12-8 204 22 HOCKEY
Charlotte at Washington, 7 p.m. 19. Louisiana Tech 17-6 200 NR 26. (39) Ty Dillon, Toyota, 252, 0.
Atlantic Philadelphia at Denver, 9 p.m. L.A. Angels 6, L.A. Dodgers 5 National Hockey League 27. (19) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 251, 18.
20. Oregon 12-6 182 15
W L Pct GB Atlanta at Phoenix, 10 p.m. Monday’s Games 21. Arizona 16-7 156 NR NEW YORK RANGERS — Agreed to terms with 28. (34) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 249, 0.
Philadelphia 32 14 .696 — Orlando at L.A. Clippers, 10 p.m. N.Y. Mets 3, St. Louis 3 22. Florida State 12-8 135 21 D Hunter Skinner on a three-year entry-level 29. (1) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 248, 8.
Brooklyn 31 15 .674 1 Houston 2, Washington 2 contract. 30. (37) Josh Bilicki, Ford, 247, 7.
New York 24 22 .522 8 Wednesday’s Games Tampa Bay 8, Baltimore 3
23. Michigan 11-4 92 19
Miami at Indiana, 7 p.m. 24. Stanford 14-3 67 NR SOCCER 31. (38) Mike Marlar, Ford, accident, 244, 6.
Boston 23 23 .500 9 Detroit 5, N.Y. Yankees 2 25. Louisiana State 16-8 66 16 32. (31) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 242, 0.
Toronto 18 28 .391 14 Portland at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Minnesota 5, Pittsburgh 3 Major League Soccer 33. (36) C. Windom, Chevrolet, engine, 62, 0.
Dallas at Boston, 7:30 p.m. Dropped out: No. 18 Pittsburgh; No. 24 Ala- ORLANDO CITY SC — Signed D Kyle Smith to a
Southeast Houston at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m. Toronto 13, Philadelphia 7 bama; No. 25 North Carolina. two-year contract, with a club option in 2023. 34. (15) C. Bell, Toyota, accident, 54, 3.
W L Pct GB New York at Minnesota, 8 p.m. Boston 4, Atlanta 0 Others receiving votes: rizona State 59; Vir- 35. (17) R. Chastain, Chevrolet, accident, 52, 2.
Charlotte 23 22 .511 — Toronto at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m. Kansas City 5, Cleveland 4 ginia Tech 57; Pittsburgh 43; North Carolina
COLLEGE 36. (23) Aric Almirola, Ford, accident, 39, 1.
Atlanta 23 23 .500 ½ Chicago Cubs 7, Arizona 1 PERU STATE — Named Ian Holleran women’s 37. (35) Shane Golobic, Ford, accident, 39, 1.
Utah at Memphis, 8 p.m. 38; UC Santa Barbara 31; Southern Illinois 29; head basketball coach.
Miami 22 24 .478 1½ Sacramento at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. Seattle 5, Cincinnati 5 Georgia 26; San Diego 20; Old Dominion 17; 38. (30) C. Lajoie, Chevrolet, accident, 39, 1.
Washington 16 28 .364 6½ San Francisco 7, Oakland 2 UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE — Named Alicia 39. (29) Anthony Alfredo, Ford, accident, 39, 1.
Orlando 15 31 .326 8½

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69 65 Little Rock Birmingham Atlanta Charleston
WEDNESDAY
the strongest storms may con- 69
Phoenix
Lubbock Dallas/Ft. Worth 67 77 71 74 EXTREMES
Alaska 85 74 79 Note: For contiguous
tain hail and gusty winds. Montgomery Savannah
El Paso Midland- Shreveport Jackson 79 76 48 states through
Chilly air is forecast to rush 83 Odessa Austin
79 76 Jacksonville
3 p.m. ET yesterday

into the North Central states

Fairbanks Hawaii 88 83 Mobile
Tallahassee
78 HOTTEST:
33 Juneau
Honolulu San Antonio
Baton Rouge 75 82 90°
and sink southward across the Anchorage 41 81 83 Houston 80 New Immokalee, Fla.
38 82
Orleans
Intermountain West. 81 Tampa

Puerto Rico
85
Miami COLDEST: 6°
San Juan Champion,
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather Inc. ©2021 Brownsville 85 85 Mich. THURSDAY
85
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
Partly Mostly Not as Partly Snow Sunny, Sunny,
TUE TUE sunny TUE TUE TUE Breezy TUE Breezy TUE TUE Breezy TUE Rain TUE Showers TUE TUE
sunny cool sunny showers cooler warm
68/51 63/34 79/48 68/40 81/72 82/70
71/62 57/46 72/59 37/21 69/49 83/61
P.M. rain A little Breezy, Mostly Sunny, Very
WED T-storms WED WED WED T-storms WED Cooler WED WED WED Cooler WED Showers WED T-storm WED WED
68/42 rain cooler sunny nice warm
73/38 73/44 45/25 49/24 82/70 72/47
63/53 64/41 51/29 74/54 88/62
Sunny, Cooler Mostly Plenty of An A.M. Mostly Sunny, Very
THU THU THU Rain THU Cooler THU THU THU Sunny THU Colder THU THU THU THU
cooler 49/28 sunny sun shower sunny warm warm
58/31 54/30 68/39 38/22
53/33 40/27 68/43 82/69 70/43 81/58 90/63
AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Moderate AQI Good AQI Moderate
MIAMI MPLS-ST. PAUL NEW ORLEANS NEW YORK ORLANDO PHILADELPHIA PHOENIX SALT LAKE CITY SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO SEATTLE WASHINGTON
Breezy, Stray Partly Partly Mostly
TUE Breezy TUE cooler TUE TUE Sunny TUE T-storms TUE Sunny TUE Sunny TUE TUE Breezy TUE Breezy TUE TUE
t-storm sunny sunny sunny
85/76 42/23 60/49 84/68 65/50 85/58 69/54 75/53
81/70 48/29 54/36 69/55
Clouds, Sunny, Sunny, Plenty of Plenty of Mostly
WED WED cold WED T-storms WED P.M. rain WED Shower WED P.M. rain WED WED WED WED Sunny WED WED P.M. rain
sun warm sun sun cloudy
36/22 81/50 63/45 88/67 68/44 77/53 67/44
85/71 88/62 57/37 81/57 58/41
Sunny Mostly Mostly
THU Showers THU THU Windy THU Rain THU Showers THU Rain THU Breezy THU Sunny THU THU THU Breezy THU Windy
46/34 sunny sunny
85/63 65/48 48/30 75/48 49/28 92/65 67/45 54/41 50/31
78/57 73/48
AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Good AQI Unhealthy AQI Good AQI Moderate 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 WED

Cincinnati
TODAY
69/46pc
WED
50/29r Hartford, Conn.
TODAY
60/44s
WED
64/48r Nags Head, N.C.
TODAY
60/56c
WED
67/53t Sarasota, Fla.
TODAY
84/68c
WED
83/69pc
WORLD CITIES
Akron, Ohio 70/50s 51/27r Cleveland 70/45s 47/29r Indianapolis 68/40pc 47/26c Nashville, Tenn. 75/56pc 56/33r Savannah, Ga. 76/64r 85/57pc TODAY WED
Albany, N.Y. 61/42s 61/37r Colorado Springs 33/18sn 48/28s Islip, N.Y. 56/46s 60/47r Newark, N.J. 63/48s 64/47r Scottsdale, Ariz. 84/57s 86/61s Beijing 69/50c 74/54pc
Albuquerque 69/32w 62/36s Columbia, S.C. 76/62pc 80/50t Jackson, Miss. 76/67t 71/39t New Haven, Conn. 57/45s 59/49r Shreveport, La. 79/61t 62/39r Buenos Aires 71/62s 71/63s
Allentown, Pa. 63/46s 62/40r Columbus, Ohio 70/49s 49/27r Jacksonville, Fla. 78/64t 87/61pc Norfolk, Va. 69/58s 76/54t Sioux Falls, S.D. 43/21w 41/20s Cancun, Mexico 86/76s 87/77pc
Amarillo, Texas 58/31s 58/33s Corpus Christi, Texas 83/69pc 77/53c Jefferson City, Mo. 67/39pc 50/27pc Oakland, Calif. 76/52s 77/52s South Bend, Ind. 67/35pc 44/25pc Dubai, UAE 90/72s 92/72s
Anaheim, Calif. 86/58w 90/58s Dayton, Ohio 70/43w 49/26r Kansas City 56/33pc 52/27pc Oklahoma City 65/40pc 61/36s Spokane, Wash. 49/30s 60/39pc Frankfurt 76/42pc 75/44s
Anchorage, Alaska 38/24c 33/18c Daytona Beach, Fla. 80/68pc 85/66pc Key West, Fla. 84/78s 85/75s Omaha, Neb. 50/26pc 47/24s Springfield, Mo. 66/36pc 50/26pc Hong Kong 84/75pc 82/74pc
Aspen, Colo. 34/11sn 43/20s Des Moines, Iowa 51/27pc 43/23s Knoxville, Tenn. 74/59pc 67/32t Palm Springs, Calif. 85/63s 88/63s Springfield, Ill. 67/36pc 48/26pc Istanbul 50/43sh 52/43pc
Atlantic City, N.J. 54/52s 59/45r Duluth, Minn. 35/15w 31/17s Laredo, Texas 90/67pc 80/54w Pensacola, Fla. 77/69t 80/47t St. Louis 69/40pc 52/30pc Jerusalem 60/44s 57/44pc
Augusta, Ga. 77/61pc 83/49t Durham, N.C. 69/57s 73/40t Lexington, Ky. 70/52pc 53/30r Pierre, S.D. 41/18w 46/25pc St. Petersburg, Fla. 86/72pc 85/68pc Johannesburg 75/54pc 78/58c
Austin, Texas 83/57pc 69/43w El Paso, Texas 83/51w 69/48s Lincoln, Neb. 51/25pc 51/24s Pittsburgh 71/51pc 55/29r Syracuse, N.Y. 66/49pc 58/31r London 74/48s 70/48pc
Bakersfield, Calif. 80/54s 86/54s Fairbanks, Alaska 33/19sn 29/7c Little Rock, Ark. 67/46t 55/34r Portland, Maine 49/40s 56/45pc Tallahassee, Fla. 82/64t 86/50c Mexico City 81/54s 82/52s
Baton Rouge, La. 80/69t 75/44t Flagstaff, Ariz. 56/24s 54/28s Long Beach, Calif. 76/55pc 85/56s Portland, Ore. 57/36pc 68/41pc Tampa, Fla. 85/73pc 85/69pc Montreal 60/45c 55/32c
Billings, Mont. 41/27c 56/36s Fargo, N.D. 33/14w 36/19s Louisville, Ky. 74/48pc 53/32r Providence, R.I. 56/45s 62/52r Toledo, Ohio 69/41pc 50/25c Moscow 43/39r 46/42r
Birmingham, Ala. 77/65sh 67/37t Fort Myers, Fla. 88/70pc 88/69pc Lubbock, Texas 74/36s 61/33s Raleigh, N.C. 72/58s 75/46t Topeka, Kan. 57/32pc 55/27pc Mumbai, India 93/78h 93/78h
Bismarck, N.D. 33/12w 44/23pc Fort Smith, Ark. 72/44sh 60/35pc Madison, Wis. 52/26c 39/20s Rapid City, S.D. 41/18w 52/26pc Tucson, Ariz. 86/53s 87/60s Paris 78/45s 78/47s
Boise, Idaho 51/31s 64/38s Fort Wayne, Ind. 66/39pc 46/24c Manchester, N.H. 62/42s 65/50r Reno, Nev. 57/28s 68/37s Tupelo, Miss. 75/62t 64/35t Rio de Janeiro 87/75t 82/73t
Buffalo, N.Y. 69/52s 52/29r Fresno, Calif. 77/51s 84/54s Memphis, Tenn. 73/50t 50/36r Richmond, Va. 71/53s 69/45r Tulsa, Okla. 68/41pc 59/36s Rome 67/46s 66/47s
Burlington, Vt. 61/46pc 61/35r Grand Rapids, Mich. 63/33pc 42/21pc Milwaukee 59/33pc 42/24s Rochester, N.Y. 68/52s 55/30r Virginia Beach, Va. 64/58s 73/52t Seoul 62/36h 68/42h
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 49/27pc 41/22s Green Bay, Wis. 50/26c 35/20pc Mobile, Ala. 75/67t 79/43t Sacramento, Calif. 79/46w 82/49s Wichita, Kan. 57/37pc 57/32s Singapore 89/77t 88/79sh
Charleston, S.C. 74/63c 79/58t Greensboro, N.C. 68/57s 69/41t Modesto, Calif. 76/45s 81/49s San Antonio 83/61pc 68/47w Wilmington, Del. 64/50s 64/41r Sydney 68/62pc 70/62s
Charleston, W.Va. 75/55pc 60/33r Greenville, S.C. 70/57pc 72/39t Montgomery, Ala. 79/65t 79/41t San Jose, Calif. 78/49s 83/50s Winston-Salem, N.C. 69/57s 67/43t Toronto 64/47c 47/28r
Cheyenne, Wyo. 35/20pc 48/26s Harrisburg, Pa. 68/49s 63/40r Myrtle Beach, S.C. 69/62pc 73/55t Santa Fe, N.M. 63/24s 58/29s Worcester, Mass. 58/45s 62/50r Tokyo 67/58c 68/55s
SPORTS
ANALYSIS
Texas relies on upsetting defense, rebounds
Lindsay Schnell
USA TODAY
Legendary coach Pat Summitt, who
put women’s basketball on the map and
demanded the national spotlight, said it
best: Offense sells tickets, defense wins
games, rebounds win championships.
Maryland, the top-scoring team in
women’s basketball all season, would
have sold plenty of tickets this year had
fans been allowed in arenas. But on
Sunday night in the Sweet 16, it was de-
fense (a steal by Lauren Ebo, which
turned into a Kyra Lambert layup, which
put Texas in front 61-59 with 44 seconds
left) and rebounds (Texas turned 11 of-
fensive rebounds into 13 second-chance
points) that helped the Hemisfair region
sixth-seeded Longhorns pull the biggest
upset of the 2021 women’s NCAA Tour-
nament. They knocked off second-
Armour
Texas guard Joanne Allen-Taylor
embraces coach Vic Schaefer, who
rebuilt the Longhorns with a focus on
defense. KIRBY LEE/USA TODAY SPORTS
seeded Maryland 64-61.
Texas ended the game on a 7-2 run.
The Longhorns advance to play top-
seeded South Carolina in the Elite Eight
USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ 5C
on Tuesday. The winner will go to the Fi-
nal Four.
Maryland, which came into the tour-
nament playing as well as any team in
the country, looked out of sorts most of
the night. The Terrapins shot 40% from
the field but just 23% (5 of 22) from
deep. They turned the ball over just 11
times, but Texas turned that into 17
points, including the go-ahead layup.
And they had no answer for Texas’
Charli Collier, the likely No. 1 pick in the
WNBA draft who had 16 points, 11 re-
bounds, one block and one steal.
Maryland plays in a conference that’s
often criticized for not playing defense.
Defense wasn’t the Terps’ problem Sun-
day night, though – it’s that they were
uncomfortable all game. They didn’t re-
spond well to physical play from Texas
and looked surprised to be in such a
close contest.
1 Stanford 89 ynlloŽ›Ž˜Ž”“t
There was obvious confusion, too:
With 23 seconds to go, Texas hit one of
two free throws to go up three, 62-59.
Maryland got the rebound but didn’t call
timeout and rushed a shot at the other
end despite having plenty of time to get
a good look in rhythm.
It’s one of the biggest wins for Texas
coach Vic Schaefer, who came to Austin
in April 2020 after a successful stint at
Mississippi State that included two reg-
ular-season Southeastern Conference
titles, two trips to the Final Four and one
shot heard round the world. His hiring
signaled to the college hoops world that
Texas, once a power in women’s basket-
ball, wanted to be taken seriously again
in a conference long dominated by Bay-
lor. Everyone knew he’d build his pro-
gram with defense.
It’s just that no one thought the big
wins would come so early.
œ”’Š“˜‡†˜Š™‡†‘‘
Connecticut 92 1

Continued from Page 1C San Antonio, ™”š—“†’Š“™ San Antonio,

Texas Stanford Connecticut Texas
March 28 March 27
All times Eastern
art facility at the men’s tournament.
The NCAA blamed it on a lack of com-
munication and said what Prince 5 Missouri St. 62 Iowa 72 5
showed the world was never intended to Alamo River Walk
be the actual weight room at the wom- San Antonio, Texas San Antonio, Texas
Tuesday, 9 p.m., ESPN Monday, 7 p.m., ESPN
en’s tournament. That was going to be
set up after the first two rounds of the 6 Oregon 42
n†’•Ž”“˜Ž• Michigan 75 6
tournament had finished. OT
As if that was supposed to somehow Oregon coach Kelly Graves says of San Antonio, San Antonio,
Texas Texas
make it acceptable. Sedona Prince, center: “I’m so inspired March 28 March 27
Prince’s TikTok unleashed a torrent each and every day by her. I’m glad Louisville Baylor
of other complaints, to say nothing of that she stood up. She’s, quite frankly,
years of pent-up anger. Some of the big- made change.” ERIC GAY/AP 2 Louisville 60 Baylor 78 2
gest names in the game – Tara VanDer-
veer, Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma – qŽ“†‘q”š— qŽ“†‘q”š—
called the NCAA out for its discrimina- ravaged by a series of missteps in her
tion in blistering fashion. treatment for a broken tibia and fibula, 1 S. Carolina 76 N.C. State 70 1
But the outrage went beyond the and her psyche shredded by what she
NCAA Tournament. It touched a nerve saw as indifference from the school and San Antonio, San Antonio,
with every woman who has been treated her team. Texas S. Carolina Indiana Texas
March 28 March 27
as a second-class citizen – which is Despite what she and the Oregon
pretty much all of us – and a distraction staff believed was a compelling case for
that NCAA President Mark Emmert no immediate eligibility after transferring,
5 Georgia Tech 65 Indiana 73 4
doubt hoped would be forgotten once the NCAA ruled that Prince needed to sit
the games began but has become a full- out last season. Hemisfair Mercado
San Antonio, Texas San Antonio, Texas
blown crisis. “When you think about it in the long Tuesday, 7 p.m., ESPN Monday, 9 p.m., ESPN
Congress has asked the NCAA for an- run, there’s not a lot of care for student-
6 Texas 64 Arizona 74 3
swers. Emmert announced that the athletes. That sucks because we make
NCAA had hired an outside law firm to the money. We do the hard work. We’re San Antonio, San Antonio,
investigate the disparities and the rea- in the gym, grinding, lifting, putting our Texas Texas
sons behind them. bodies on the line for our sport,” Prince March 28 Texas Arizona March 27
Still, the furor continues. told ESPN in a February story that de- Xl“ž˜ˆ”—Š‘Ž˜™Š‰†˜ Z —Š‹‘Šˆ™˜†ˆ†“ˆŠ‘Š‰Œ†’Š‰šŠ™”
“We want to win every game, we do,” tailed her injuries and her reasons for nztoZ&•—”™”ˆ”‘˜œŽ™™Šš“†‹‹Šˆ™Š‰™Š†’†‰›†“ˆŽ“Œ
Graves said. “But what we’re trying to do transferring. 2 Maryland 61 Texas A&M 59 2
is build strong, young women who have “We don’t feel like we’re cared for or ~”š—ˆŠ€~lzol„~•”—™˜
a voice and feel empowered. I think represented.”
that’s what we’re doing at the Univer- That’s always been the case. But now,
sity of Oregon.” the athletes are fighting back. women’s sports and the athletes who tion to my sport, because that’s what it
That Prince would be the player to Prince is among the athletes suing play them. deserves.”
challenge the all mighty NCAA should the NCAA over its restrictions on name, “It’s so amazing that now I have such Oregon was better this season be-
come as no surprise to anyone who image and likeness. And she has the a big platform,” Prince said last week, cause of Prince. All of women’s sports
knows her story. She left Texas for Ore- NCAA on its heels, trying to explain how “and I’m able to inspire and help so will be better in the future because of
gon after her freshman year, her body it can justify its unequal treatment of many people and bring so much atten- her, too.

Wolken seemed like the end.

“You’re in this situation and that hap- 1 Gonzaga 83 ynlloŽ›Ž˜Ž”“t
’Š“˜‡†˜Š™‡†‘‘
Baylor 62 1
pens to you at the buzzer, you have every
Continued from Page 1C reason to fold, every reason to fold,”
Indianapolis ™”š—“†’Š“™ Indianapolis
March 28 Gonzaga Baylor March 27
Cronin said. “These guys just refused to All times Eastern
But it’s actually true. UCLA, despite give in, and you know how much I’ve
its No. 11 seed, has been built for exactly been trying to instill that will in them.
these kinds of games. Somebody might beat you but you never 5 Creighton 65 Villanova 51 5
You can’t go back in this sport and let up, and I give kids all the credit.” West South
Indianapolis Indianapolis
wonder what if. UCLA’s season might It’s a glorious reminder of how ran- Tuesday, 7:15 p.m., TBS Monday, 9:57 p.m., CBS
have been different had senior Chris dom and ridiculous this tournament can
Smith, who was averaging 12.6 points, be. Cronin coached some excellent 6 So. California 82
n†’•Ž”“˜Ž• Arkansas 72 3
not torn his ACL in January. You can’t teams during his 13 seasons at Cincin- Indianapolis
Indianapolis April 5 Indianapolis
reverse some of the crazy losses UCLA nati but reached the Sweet 16 just once. March 28 March 27
had, like against Stanford in January Along the way, he learned all about the So. California Arkansas
when the Bruins lost on a last-second heartbreak of this tournament, most
layup or when they lost to Southern notably in 2018 when the Bearcats won
California at the end of the regular sea- 31 games, got a No. 2 seed and led Neva- 7 Oregon 68 Oral Roberts 70 15
son on a fadeaway 3-pointer or against da by 17 with 10 minutes left in the sec- qŽ“†‘q”š— qŽ“†‘q”š—
Oregon State in the Pac-12 tournament ond round. Cincinnati lost that game on Indianapolis, Saturday Indianapolis, Saturday
when they blew a big lead late. a basket with 10 seconds left, and when
All you can do is scrape into the Cronin took the UCLA job a year later a 1 Michigan 76 Loyola-Chicago 58 8
NCAA Tournament and hope you can large number of fans questioned why
keep the season going long enough for the Bruins had hired a coach with a long Indianapolis Indianapolis
the pain to pay off. track record of not going deep in the
March 28 Michigan Oregon St. March 27
“My experience tells me it’s fool’s NCAA Tournament.
gold when you run up and down and you Well, this is why. Because Cronin is a
don’t get resistance and it’s easy to disciple of Rick Pitino and Bob Huggins 4 Florida St. 58 Oregon St. 65 12
score,” Cronin said. “We haven’t had one and took the job knowing exactly what East Midwest
of those games in a long time.” kind of coach he is, what he demands Indianapolis Indianapolis
Tuesday, 9:57 p.m., TBS Monday, 7:15 p.m., CBS
In the most simplistic sense, UCLA from players and what a team that buys
has gotten its karmic payback in the last in will look like on the other side. It 11 UCLA 88 Syracuse 46 11
two weeks. Instead of catching bad doesn’t guarantee a national champion- OT
breaks and losing all the close ones, it’s ship, or even a long stay in this tourna- Indianapolis Indianapolis
coming from 14 down in the first half to ment, but it sure does look good when March 28 March 27
beat Michigan State in overtime in the you have the intestinal fortitude to take UCLA Houston
First Four, getting an overmatched Abi- down a No. 2 seed in overtime after Xl“ž˜ˆ”—Š‘Ž˜™Š‰†˜
Z
—Š‹‘Šˆ™˜†ˆ†“ˆŠ‘Š‰Œ†’Š‰šŠ
™”nztoZ&•—”™”ˆ”‘˜œŽ™™Šš“†‹‹Šˆ™Š‰™Š†’
lene Christian in the Round of 32 and they’ve nearly ripped out your heart. 2 Alabama 78 †‰›†“ˆŽ“Œ Houston 62 2
watching Alabama miss 14 of 25 free “You have to demand so much, but I
~”š—ˆŠ€~lzol„~•”—™˜
throw attempts in the Sweet 16. give the kids credit because there’s al-
But assigning all that to good fortune ready 1,000 people in the transfer por-
wouldn’t give the proper amount of tal,” Cronin said. “It’s hard to dig in and
credit to UCLA for the belief to hang in deal with a short Irishman telling you to every turn, and now stand just 40 min- in the way, and they know it won’t be
there and make this happen, even when get in a defensive stance.” utes from their first Final Four since easy. Cronin wouldn’t have it any other
that 3-pointer from Reese might have The Bruins have stayed with him at 2008. This time, No. 1 seed Michigan is way.
6C ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS
NATION+HEALTH
USA TODAY | TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 | SECTION D
Emo Ismail, 18, says that when he and his friends talked about George Floyd’s death, “we got into just the idea of like,
that could have been us, our family, our loved ones.” TREVOR HUGHES/USA TODAY
Black teenagers brace
for return of trauma
Minneapolis youth wrestle with anger, frustration, sadness
N’dea Yancey-Bragg
USA TODAY
MINNEAPOLIS – When Black teen-
agers talk about how George Floyd’s
death affected them, many use the same
word: trauma.
Floyd’s death, on top of other high-
profile police killings of Black Ameri-
cans in recent years, was painful for
many people of color, and Black people
in particular.
As protests died down and attention
faded, trauma lingered for Black teen-
agers in the city where he was killed.
Many were already afraid of interacting
with police. They’re anxious about the
outcome of the trial and the potential for
more violence if former police officer
Derek Chauvin is acquitted.
Chauvin is charged with second-de-
gree murder, third-degree murder and
second-degree manslaughter.
“I haven’t really even fully dealt with
it,” said Marcus Hunter, 17, who lives in
North Minneapolis.
As he talked about the fear he felt
during the riots that followed some of
the protests last summer, 17 gunshots
rung out on a nearby street, another re-
minder of the violence that rocked Min-
neapolis. He paused to alert his guard-
ians, so they could call the police, which
has become a routine.
Before Floyd’s death, Hunter had
See TRAUMATIZING, Page 2D
NATION’S HEALTH
Spanish speakers face social media disinformation
Nada Hassanein
USA TODAY
It took Maria Teresa Kumar weeks to
find out why her mom wouldn’t get a
COVID-19 vaccine and to convince her it
is safe.
Kumar’s mother, a Colombian Amer-
ican woman who runs a small eldercare
facility in Northern California, received
a video on WhatsApp featuring a speak-
er who claimed to be a pharmacist. In
Spanish, the speaker warned viewers
not to get the shot because it was a “new
technology never introduced into hu-
mans before.”
It was one of several alarming videos
her mother shared with her, all laced
CHAUVIN TRIAL
Rawan Abdalla worries that if Derek Chauvin is acquitted and mass protests
break out, it could trigger her anxiety. PROVIDED BY RAWAN ABDALLA
“There’s this worry about what happens next.
It’s hard to really process.”
Jason Clopton
Minneapolis-based mental health counselor who works with Black youth and families
with unsupported, fearmongering
claims surrounding COVID-19 vaccines.
Disinformation has been circulating
on social media and messaging apps
like WhatsApp. Experts worry it’s tar-
geting people of color most vulnerable
to the illness, contributing to vaccine
hesitancy and fueling mistrust.
“It took me seven weeks to convince
my mother to take the vaccine. And
she’s in the health care profession,” said
Kumar, head of civic engagement group
Voto Latino. “She was embarrassed to
tell me why. So, I think deep down she
Maria Teresa Kumar had to contend knew something was off, but she didn’t
with disinformation to convince her know how to explain it to me.”
mother to get a COVID-19 vaccine. According to a recent survey by Voto
PROVIDED BY VOTO LATINO Latino, almost 73% of Latino people
NY introduces nation’s
1st ‘vaccine passport’
Users can prove vaccination or
recent negative test. Page 6D
What
we know
about
the jurors
Selection process sheds
some light on panel
Kevin McCoy, Grace Hauck
and Christal Hayes
USA TODAY
We may not know the names of the
jurors for the trial of Derek Chauvin,
the former Minneapolis police officer
charged with murder and manslaugh-
ter in the death of George Floyd.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t
know anything about them.
Over about two weeks, lawyers for
the prosecution and defense quizzed
potential jurors about their knowledge
of Floyd’s death, their opinions of
Chauvin, and their attitudes about po-
lice, racial injustice, and the protests
and rioting that followed Floyd’s
death.
Some questioned how much force
was used against Floyd, who lay on the
ground for more than nine minutes as
Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s
neck. Several believe the criminal jus-
tice system needs to be reformed.
More than one questioned the move-
ment to defund police departments.
In this screen grab from video,
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill
presides over pretrial motions
March 10 in Minneapolis. AP
Discussing her opinion about Black
Lives Matter, one woman responded,
“I am Black, and my life matters.”
The jurors pledged to set their opin-
ions aside. But their answers provide a
glimpse into how they might respond
to the evidence in the coming weeks.
Opening arguments started Mon-
day.
Twelve people are sitting on the jury
and two serve as alternates. For Chau-
vin’s trial, a 15th person was selected,
too. He was dismissed Monday morn-
ing after the others showed up as
scheduled.
Chemist, white man in his 20s
Citing his science training, the first
juror selected said he is “pretty logical”
and passionate about his work. He
said that background would make him
a good juror.
He plays Ultimate Frisbee and fre-
See JURORS, Page 2D
surveyed knew someone who had
COVID-19, and a third knew someone
who died of the illness.
Despite that, just shy of half – 47% –
said they were reluctant to get the shot.
About a quarter said they would not get
it at all.
“It’s a huge number,” Kumar said in a
recent online panel discussion about
the topic. “Of the 47%, you had a good
23% that said ‘maybe I’ll take it.’ The
other part is going to be a lot harder.”
About the videos, she added, “It was
also with undertones of ‘you can’t trust
the government,’ ‘the government is not
on your side’ ” – sentiments that only
See SOCIAL MEDIA, Page 5D
2D ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY
CHAUVIN TRIAL
Traumatizing
Continued from Page 1D
been in therapy and was developing
coping mechanisms to handle stress. He
still has trouble processing the anger,
confusion, frustration and sadness
stirred by Floyd’s death.
“It’s still weighing on my heart,” he
said, “which is why this trial is such a big
deal.”
Mental health experts said Chauvin’s
trial could retraumatize teenagers who
are still learning what it means to be
Black in America and developing an un-
derstanding of the legal system, polic-
ing and justice.
The trial teaches children at an early
age “that they need to be vigilant and
wary and the world’s not fair and that
it’s very dangerous,” said Monnica Wil-
liams, a clinical psychologist and pro-
fessor at the University of Ottawa in
Canada.
“A lot of children of color become
anxious or depressed or sad because
they start to learn that there’s dangers
that they’re at risk of experiencing that
maybe other kids aren’t,” she said.
For communities of color with a his-
tory of trauma, emotional stress can be
passed down generationally, manifes-
ting as body aches, high blood pressure,
stroke and heart attacks, Williams said.
For kids who can’t fully articulate their
feelings, symptoms of trauma often
manifest as headaches or stomach-
aches, she said.
Suicide attempts rose by 73% from
1991-2017 for Black adolescents; expo-
sure to racism was listed as a factor, ac-
cording to a report from the Congres-
sional Black Caucus.
Jason Clopton, a Minneapolis-based
mental health counselor who works
with Black youth and families, said he’s
seen a variety of responses to Floyd’s
death and the start of the trial. Some
kids absorb anxiety from family and
community members. Others don’t
know how to talk about what happened.
And some don’t know whether they are
affected at all.
“There’s this worry about what hap-
pens next,” he said. “It’s hard to really
process. Teens don’t feel the impacts
until later in life, until they have similar
experiences.”
Hunter said the trial will “definitely
be retraumatizing.” He hopes the offi-
cers involved in Floyd’s death will be
convicted but suspects they won’t be.
He said he constantly thinks about
how “everyone sees us as the same, as
criminals, as thugs.”
If Chauvin is acquitted, he said, it will
be a repeat of similar situations in
which a Black man was killed by police
on camera with no apparent conse-
quences.
“You start to develop a feeling of
loneliness and feeling unsafe like
there’s no one else to turn to,” he said.
Trial is ‘first real insight’
The trial will be a particularly trau-
matic experience for the teens directly
involved in the case as witnesses, said
Andrew Gordon, deputy director for
community legal services at the Legal
Rights Center in Minneapolis.
The bystander video of Floyd’s death
that went viral was captured by Darnel-
la Frazier, 17.
Gordon said he’s spoken to teenagers
who are “desperate not to testify” be-
cause they don’t want to be involved in
the court system.
“There is a sense of historical trauma
that is attached to being involved in the
criminal legal system. That trauma
doesn’t necessarily go away,” he said.
“They’re going to connect to what’s hap-
pening because of their race.”
The trial is livestreamed, so many of
the young people of color who engaged
in protests last summer and who con-
tinue to push for change will follow de-
velopments closely, Gordon said.
Gordon, who does youth advocacy
work, said he worries some children will
suffer anxiety about being “abused,” as
he put it, by the court system and will be
discouraged from becoming the next
generation of lawyers.
“I’m concerned that they’re going to
see the court system and they’re going
to be turned off,” he said. “It’s going to be
their first real insight into what adult
court looks like.”
Still, Gordon said he hopes young
people may be inspired to reform the
system because of the trial.
Rawan Abdalla is one of many teen-
agers demanding change. The 18-year-
old spent May and June protesting
nearly every day even after getting pep-
per-sprayed, hit with tear gas and shot
with rubber bullets.
Most of the nights blur together, but
she vividly recalls the
more terrifying mo-
ments from the sum-
mer: rushing to a hospital
with a friend who was bleed-
ing after being hit in the head
with a tear gas canister; jumping off a
bridge to avoid being arrested for
breaking curfew because it could cost
her a college scholarship; watching a
semitruck plow into a crowd of peace-
ful demonstrators on Interstate 35.
When police sirens started to trig-
ger panic attacks, Abdalla decided to
leave her home in Burnsville, Minne-
sota, to stay with a relative in Wash-
ington for three months.
“Even to this day, when I see police
officers, I get really uncomfortable, I
get shaky. Over the summer, I kept
having nightmares about police, police
sirens, seeing smoke,” she said. “Once
July came around, I was so drained
and traumatized.”
Abdalla began protesting again af-
ter the police killing of Dolal Idd in De-
cember, the first fatal incident involv-
ing Minneapolis police since Floyd
died.
Police said a 27-second clip from
one officer’s body camera video
showed that Idd shot first before offi-
cers fired during an attempted felony
traffic stop. Family members and ac-
tivists demand more transparency
from the Dakota County Attorney’s Of-
fice investigation of the incident.
Abdalla said she worries that if
Chauvin is acquitted and mass pro-
tests erupt again, it could be a trigger
for her anxiety. A trigger is a psycho-
logical stimulus that causes a person
to recall the memory of a traumatic ex-
perience.
Community steps up
Marlee Dorsey, a Minneapolis-
based therapist who focuses on the Af-
rican American community, typically
sees 20 patients per week, but after
Floyd’s death, she had nearly 75 peo-
ple on her waiting list.
She did her best to offer other re-
sources and referrals, but the situation
contributed to her feeling powerless.
She said many of those seeking thera-
py were protesters and activists, some
of whom do not expect Chauvin to be
convicted.
Marcus Hunter, 17, said he’s still
processing the death of George
Floyd. N’DEA YANCEY-BRAGG/USA TODAY
“I think that that sense of hopeless-
ness prevails,” she said. “Most of the
people that I’m seeing now, they kind
of are burnt out on even the belief that
something’s going to be different.”
Community members and institu-
tions around the city are stepping up to
make mental health resources more
accessible.
Clopton partners with Black stu-
dent unions in high schools to host vir-
tual student-led discussions to talk
about what’s affecting them.
Gordon said he has created addi-
tional spaces in high schools for stu-
dents to talk about what it means to be
involved in the criminal justice sys-
tem. On Minneapolis’ north side, Shi-
loh Temple International Ministries
will livestream the trial and offer coun-
seling in its sanctuary.
Emo Ismail, 18, and his friends are
creating a resource guide on social
media for young Black people who
need mental health resources. Ismail,
whose parents immigrated from Su-
dan, said there’s a stigma in the Black
community, among men in particular,
about going to therapy that he believes
needs to change.
Ismail said he’s always been open to
talking about his feelings, but it wasn’t
until last summer’s protests that he
and his friends talked about the trau-
ma that Floyd’s death caused.
“It definitely took a toll on me,” he
said. “That conversation broke us
down. It was terrifying. Like we got
into just the idea of like, that could
have been us, our family, our loved
ones.”
JAVIER ZARRACINA/USA TODAY NETWORK
Jurors
Continued from Page 1D
quently hikes and backpacks during
the warmer months. He and his fian-
cee recently visited the area where
George Floyd died, in part because
they have considered moving to that
area of Minneapolis, he said.
He said he had not seen the now-
famous bystander video of the con-
frontation that ended with Floyd’s
death, only still images. But he said
he’d be willing to watch the video dur-
ing the trial: “For the sake of the jury
process, I would be willing to be un-
comfortable.”
Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s lead defense
lawyer, asked the juror what he meant
when he wrote on his juror question-
naire that Floyd had been “killed” by
Chauvin. “I wouldn’t say it’s demon-
strative of my opinion,” the juror re-
plied.
He said his personal impression of
the Minneapolis Police Department “is
fine.”
Questioned about his opinions on
Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Mat-
ter, he said, “I support the message
that every life should matter equally.”
Mixed-race woman in her 20s
Getting a chance to serve on the
Chauvin jury was the reason this
young woman registered to vote, she
told the court. “I was super-excited” to
be called for the jury, she said. “That’s
actually why I voted.”
The young woman, whose occupa-
tion didn’t come up during jury ques-
tioning, has an uncle who works as a
police officer in northern Minnesota.
One of her only concerns about jury
duty was whether she would have time
to check her blood sugar because she
has Type 1 diabetes.
Like some other jurors, she said she
could face personal risk by serving.
“But I’m not as concerned about it as I
probably should be,” she said.
Friends “kind of consider me to be a
type of mediator,” she said, which
could be helpful during jury delibera-
tions.
She said she believes her communi-
ty improved because of the massive
protests that took place after Floyd’s
death. Asked about her opinion on
Black Lives Matter, she said, “I like the
idea of what it’s supposed to be about.
But it’s been turned into a marketing
scheme by companies.”
She noted that she’d heard some
people mention that Floyd had drugs
in his system. “I don’t necessarily
agree” that drugs could have caused
his death, she said. “It could have ev-
erything to do with it. It could have
nothing to do with it.”
Business auditor,
white man in his 30s
This juror said one concern about
serving on the jury would be whether
he could block out enough time from
work for what’s estimated to be a four-
week trial.
A friend of a friend is a police officer,
but the acquaintance wouldn’t sway
his views, the juror said. Besides, the
officer is on the K-9 unit and mostly
“talks about his dog” with him, the
man said.
The juror has seen parts of the by-
stander video two or three times, he
said, but not the whole thing.
Questioned by prosecutor Steve
Schleicher, he said he’d read that Floyd
might have had “hard drugs in his sys-
tem,” meaning anything stronger than
marijuana. “Frankly, I don’t think that
should have much influence on the
case. Whether you’re involved in drugs
or not shouldn’t affect whether you
end up alive or dead,” he said.
He dismissed reports that Floyd
had what he described as a “checkered
past,” saying, “What happened in the
past shouldn’t be on trial here.”
NEWS
Regarding Black Lives Matter, he
said: “I think some of the ways that
groups have gone about it hasn’t been
the best. But I believe Black lives mat-
ter.”
Information technology manager,
Black man in his 30s
The West Africa-born man who emi-
grated to the U.S. 14 years ago said he
and his wife discussed “how it could
have been me, or anyone else,” who
died. He appeared to say that not be-
cause of his skin color, but because the
couple once lived in the area where
Floyd died.
Since coming to the U.S., he’s become
a big fan of American football, rooting
for the Minnesota Vikings and the Gold-
en Gophers of the University of Minne-
sota. He said he withdrew from social
media about a decade ago for security
and privacy reasons. He manages sev-
eral people at work and helps resolve
conflicts, he said.
He saw clips of the video on TV.
Based on what he saw and conversa-
tions with family and friends, he wrote
on his jury questionnaire that he had a
“somewhat negative” opinion of Chau-
vin.
However, he said he didn’t know
what had happened before the video
started. Referring to Floyd, he said: “I
think it was important for me to know
the facts that led to his arrest and how
he ended up dying.”
People in his community understood
the protests that followed Floyd’s death,
he said. However, they “were not okay
with the looting” that occurred.
He opposes the movement to defund
police departments. “For the police to
make my community safe,” he said,
“they have to have the money.”
Health care advocacy group
executive, white woman in her 50s
This single mother has two sons in
high school and said she loves the out-
doors.
Although she watched only some of
the bystander video, what she saw was
troubling. “It was emotional,” she said.
“I decided I didn’t want to watch it.”
In her juror questionnaire, she wrote
that she didn’t know police procedures.
“But a man died, and that’s not proce-
dure,” she wrote. Floyd was “not a model
citizen,” but he “didn’t deserve to die,”
she wrote.
She “had sympathy for Mr. Floyd, as
well as the officers,” she wrote, because
“everyone’s life changed.”
During jury questioning, the woman
said she is concerned about personal
safety and privacy, even though the
judge said jurors’ names would not be
made public until sometime after the
trial when he deems it safe.
She said the protests after Floyd’s
death produced something good – “the
raising of voices around the world for
change” – and something bad. “The
businesses suffered,” she said.
Although she said she “wouldn’t
want a community without” police, she
supports criminal justice reform. “It’s
years and years of laws made for a soci-
ety that no longer exists. And it’s got to
change,” she said.
She said a Black friend at work had
taught her about inherent bias by de-
scribing the detailed instructions she
felt she needed to give her son on what
to do if he were ever pulled over by po-
lice.
“I never thought about that for my
son,” the juror said.
Banking professional,
Black man in his 30s
He said he enjoys his job because he
works one-on-one with customers and
helps them set and meet financial goals.
A basketball fan, he coaches youth
sports, which he said often entails me-
diating disputes among parents over
their kids’ playing time.
Continued on next page
NEWS
CHAUVIN TRIAL
Continued from previous page
He wrote on his questionnaire that he
wanted to be picked for the jury because
“from all the protests … this is the most
historic case of my lifetime and I’d like
to be a part of it.”
He said he’s seen parts of the by-
stander video two or three times, but
never in its entirety.
He voiced strong opinions in his juror
questionnaire, but in court he said he
could assess the trial evidence impar-
tially.
He did not think Chauvin “set out to
murder anyone,” he wrote. However,
“Why didn’t the other officers stop
Chauvin?”
Apparently referring to Chauvin, he
wrote: “I don’t know if he was doing
something wrong or not. But somebody
did die.”
The juror recounted interactions
with police that painted them in differ-
ent ways. Once he saw cops slam a kid to
the ground, which he characterized as
overkill. However, some police officers
go to the gym where he works out, and
“they’re great guys,” he said.
Answering a question from Schlei-
cher, a prosecutor, he said he would be
able to explain a not-guilty verdict to the
children he coaches.
Executive assistant,
white woman in her 50s
The mother of two older children, an
assistant to a health care industry exec-
utive, said some of the rioting that
erupted after Floyd’s death happened
near her home.
She’s a motorcycle enthusiast who
began riding with her husband before he
died. She said she still rides her 2018
Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail “with
him, now, in spirit.”
She said she had heard about the by-
stander video in news reports, but she
“could never watch the whole thing” be-
cause it would be “too disturbing for
me.”
On her questionnaire, she wrote
about the police officers: “I think they
could have handled it differently.”
She offered mixed views about police
in general. Last summer, she saw cops
question a young Black man who had
been yelled at by a woman. She de-
scribed the police response as “harass-
ment.”
However, she said she had “placed
trust” in police officers. “I believe in
that, unless they show me something
different,” she said.
Referring to the protesters who
lashed out after Floyd’s death, she said,
“maybe they felt they were never heard.
... I don’t believe that to be true, but I’m
not them.”
Management professional,
Black man in his 40s
An immigrant who came to Minneso-
ta roughly 18 years ago, this man was
among the potential jurors who knew
about the $27 million civil settlement
the city of Minneapolis reached with
Floyd’s family over his death. The settle-
ment was announced during jury selec-
tion.
“I don’t know what it was about,” he
said. “I will put it aside.”
After saying he had seen the by-
stander video, the man said “it would be
helpful” if Chauvin testified in his own
defense. However, he said he would not
hold it against the former officer if he ex-
ercised his constitutional right not to
testify.
The man said he had not formed an
opinion about who or what killed Floyd.
He said he was satisfied with how po-
lice responded after his home was bur-
glarized, even though they were unable
to solve the crime. The “defund the po-
lice” movement is misguided, he said.
“If they were defunded, how could they
come and help me?”
Questioned about Black Lives Matter
and Blue Lives Matter, the man said,
“every life matters, and should not be
disrespected.”
The man said he’s teaching a young
relative how to drive, which prompted
an exchange about police stops. If his
young relative were pulled over by po-
lice officers, he said he would advise him
to stop and answer their questions.
“Cooperation is good,” he said. “That
is my opinion, yes.”
Company reorganization
employee, mixed-race
woman in her 40s
The working mother was among sev-
eral jurors who’d heard about the civil
settlement Minneapolis reached with
Floyd’s family. Familiar with such
agreements from work, she said she
doesn’t believe they “declare guilt.”
In this image taken from video, defense attorney Eric Nelson, left, and defendant former Minneapolis police officer Derek
Chauvin, right, and Nelson’s assistant Amy Voss, back, introduce themselves to potential jurors. AP
She said she saw parts of the by-
stander video several times. “I only
know that George (Floyd) died due to
this encounter,” she wrote in her juror
questionnaire, adding that the police of-
ficers appeared to take “little to no ac-
tion” about Floyd’s condition.
However, she wrote, “I do not know
what happened before.”
Like some other jurors, she had some
safety concerns about being involved
with the high-profile trial, saying jurors
could be targeted.
The protests after Floyd’s death
brought positives and negatives to her
community, she said. They gave a voice
to people who “really didn’t feel heard,”
she said. But there was “a lot of damage
done to businesses and probably
homes.”
“We all use our life
experiences to make
judgments.”
Nurse, white woman in her 50s
She said she has never had personal
experiences with inequality. Schleicher
asked what she thought would happen
if she inadvertently left a store without
paying for something.
She replied that she would expect to
be questioned and treated “respectful-
ly,” and she would cooperate with po-
lice, as she’d been taught. She said
someone who doesn’t cooperate with
police is like a speeding driver who
won’t pull over when the lights and siren
come on.
“That’s not me,” she said.
Nurse, white woman in her 50s
The single woman who lives alone
and likes visiting her nieces and neph-
ews said she cares for patients on venti-
lators, including many battling CO-
VID-19.
She knew about the civil settlement
with the Floyd family and said she didn’t
think it would affect her decision-mak-
ing one way or another. She said she saw
parts of the bystander video four or five
times.
Before deciding what happened, she
said she’d like to know more, including
what training Chauvin had received and
whether Floyd had been armed or resist-
ed police. “I’d have to weigh what the ex-
perts would say and what the judge di-
rects,” she said.
She said she hadn’t formed an opi-
nion about what caused Floyd’s death
or who was responsible. But she said
this about how long Chauvin knelt on
his neck: “I suppose knowing that Mr.
Floyd died, I would say, yes, it was too
long.”
In her jury questionnaire, she strong-
ly agreed that minorities receive un-
equal treatment in the criminal justice
system. Under questioning, she said she
did not automatically trust police offi-
cers. “They’re human,” she said.
USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ 3D
Challenged on why she should be
chosen as a juror, she said, “I think I
can be impartial and listen to instruc-
tions I’m given and ignore the outside
stuff.”
She said she would avoid using her
training to act like an expert in medical
issues for other jurors. However, she
said, “We all use our life experiences to
make judgments.”
Marketing retiree,
Black woman in her 60s
The grandmother who loves to visit
her two grandchildren and volunteer at
a youth organization was prepared for
jury questioning. She was one of the few
people who brought a copy of her pretri-
al questionnaire.
She’d heard about Minneapolis’ civil
settlement with the Floyd family and
said it had not affected her thoughts on
the case.
She said the bystander video has
popped up on social media. She proba-
bly watched it “for four or five min-
utes” before turning it off. “It just
wasn’t something I needed to see,” she
said.
In answering the questionnaire, she
said she was neutral on both Floyd and
Chauvin. About the protests that fol-
lowed, she said, there have been “so
many stores that have been looted or
destroyed.” However, “I think some peo-
ple may have come together or helped
businesses get back on their feet.”
Police officers don’t make her feel un-
safe, she said. “I do know they are there
to protect the community, and I appreci-
ate that,” she explained.
And she offered a personal view of
Black Lives Matter: “I am Black, and my
life matters.”
Insurance company client
advocate, white woman in her 40s
She was shocked to receive the jury
duty summons and questionnaire for
the Chauvin trial. “I didn’t expect to be
part of something of this magnitude,”
she said.
The spotlight on the trial makes her
concerned about personal safety after
the proceedings conclude, she said.
She said she saw snippets of the by-
stander video four or five times. She
wrote on her juror questionnaire that
she had formed a somewhat negative
view toward Chauvin and Floyd.
“I don’t believe he deserved to die,
but the police used excessive force, and
he wasn’t perfectly innocent,” she
wrote.
She offered a similarly mixed view
about the movement for police reform.
“I would be terrified if our police depart-
ments were dismantled, but it’s obvious
that change has to happen,” she said.
Answering questions from the prose-
cution, she said she had heard Floyd had
been involved with drugs. She has
known people with addiction problems,
specifically with alcohol, she said.
“There’s reasons they struggle with
addiction,” she explained. “That doesn’t
make them bad people.”
Former customer service rep,
white woman in her 50s
The self-described animal lover with
a fondness for dogs said she had seen
clips of the bystander video on televi-
sion two or three times.
On her questionnaire, she wrote,
“This restraint ultimately was responsi-
ble for Mr. Floyd’s demise.” However,
she added a caveat: “The video may not
show the entirety of the situation that
happened.”
When questioned about the confron-
tation, she said, “It could have been
handled differently.”
She is the only member of the jury
who said her workplace had been dam-
aged after Floyd’s death. “It was not due
to protests, it was due to rioting,” she
said. Some people “took an opportunity
to break in.”
The damage wouldn’t affect her im-
partiality, she said.
She wrote on her questionnaire that
she strongly agreed that police in her
community make her feel safe. “I have
had no issues with law enforcement,”
she said in court.
Under questioning by the prosecu-
tion, she agreed that people who coop-
erate with police officers have nothing
to fear. “If you’re not listening to what
the commands are, obviously, some-
thing needs to happen,” she said.
Social worker,
white woman in her 20s
The married woman who recently got
a goldendoodle puppy said she was in-
different when she received the jury du-
ty summons and questionnaire for the
Chauvin trial. “I’m a registered voter. I
knew it was coming” eventually, she
said.
She said she had heard about the
$27 million settlement with the Floyd
family but didn’t think it would affect
her judgment in the criminal trial. “I
don’t know anything about it; I just saw
the number and that was it.”
She said she’d seen parts of the by-
stander video four or five times on TV.
On her questionnaire, she wrote that
she had a somewhat negative to neutral
view of Chauvin. The negative impres-
sion likely resulted from constant news
stories after Floyd’s death, she said.
“But the neutral side of it was, I’m al-
ways thinking about the person, and
again where they came from, what
they’ve been through,” she said. Refer-
ring to Chauvin pressing his knee on
Floyd’s neck, she said, “My neutral side
of that was, was that his training to do
that?”
She said her decision-making would
be aided if she heard both sides of the
story at trial. However, reminded that
Chauvin has no duty to testify, she said
she would accept that.
Her professional background came
out when she was asked her opinion of
Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Mat-
ter. “As a social worker, I was trained to
respect everyone, no matter what,” she
said.
Contributing: N’dea Yancey-Bragg
4D ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY
ALABAMA Elberta: Crowds returned
to a popular food festival for a taste
of sausage – and normalcy – a year
after the pandemic forced changes to
the event. This tiny Gulf Coast city
welcomed visitors back to the Elberta
German Sausage Festival over the
weekend, WKRG-TV reports.
ALASKA Juneau: The Juneau School
District has announced it will host
vaccine clinics next month for resi-
dents ages 16 to 18 and school staff.
ARIZONA Flagstaff: The City Council
is casting a critical eye on Gov. Doug
Ducey’s executive order barring local
governments from enforcing mask
mandates. The council said it doesn’t
plan to rescind its proclamation re-
quiring masks but won’t enforce it
while studying Ducey’s order.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: Lawmakers
on Monday rejected an effort to end
the emergency declared because of
the pandemic, allowing the governor
to keep his emergency powers to curb
the coronavirus’ spread for another
two months.
CALIFORNIA Santa Cruz: The Santa
Cruz Beach Boardwalk will reopen
select rides starting Thursday under
state COVID-19 safety restrictions,
the attraction announced Monday.
COLORADO Fort Collins: Early re-
porting from Poudre School District
shows the most profound learning
losses from last spring as students
shifted to remote learning were in
reading and math at the elementary
and middle school levels.
CONNECTICUT Bridgeport: Staff
inside a mobile COVID-19 vaccination
unit began administering doses Mon-
day at Beardsley Zoo as part of a
60-day effort to reach people living in
the state’s most socially vulnerable
neighborhoods.
DELAWARE Dover: Gov. John Carney
received his first vaccine dose Sun-
day at Dover International Speedway.
At least 32 governors were vaccinated
before Carney, 64, who said he didn’t
want to skip the line and get a shot
before someone who needed it more.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washing-
ton: Landlords for smaller properties
have been advocating for the city to
let them evict certain tenants for
public safety reasons despite a mora-
torium imposed during the pandemic.
After one owner was recently thrown
down the stairs and punched, they
are pushing the D.C. Council even
harder, WUSA-TV reports.
FLORIDA St. George Island: Despite
the pandemic, or maybe because of
it, tourism along the Forgotten Coast
has been booming. In the first three
months of 2021, Franklin County has
surpassed the levels it had seen at
this point in 2020. COVID-19 proto-
cols are still in place, including a
mask mandate in Apalachicola.
GEORGIA Atlanta: Lawmakers are
enacting heavier penalties on street
racing, saying they’re reacting to an
outbreak of drag racing and stunt
driving in the early days of the pan-
demic, when traffic thinned on roads.
HAWAII Honolulu: The Honolulu
Police Department has arrested six
people and cited 93 over trespassing
onto an illegal tourist attraction – the
Haiku Stairs trail, also known as the
“Stairway to Heaven” – during a
roughly 10-day period this month.
IDAHO Boise: The Idaho Tax Com-
mission has voted to delay the state’s
tax deadline a month, to May 17, to
match the new later federal tax dead-
line, which was extended because of
the pandemic’s disruption.
ILLINOIS Rockford: In Winnebago
County, only 5% of people who had
registered for a COVID-19 vaccine by
the start of the month were Black,
according to the Winnebago County
Health Department. County Public
Health Administrator Sandra Martell
has urged minorities to register as
soon as possible, and a new vaccina-
tion site has been established at New
Zion Missionary Baptist Church.
INDIANA Indianapolis: Officials
opened up vaccination eligibility
Monday to all residents 30 and older
and announced a push to inoculate
up to 100,000 people in the state’s
heavily populated north.
IOWA Des Moines: Residents will not
have to file their individual state in-
come taxes until June 1, and many
will not need to pay taxes on un-
employment insurance benefits they
received last year as the pandemic
put tens of thousands out of work.
HIGHLIGHT: NORTH CAROLINA
Volunteers pick up trash at Shacktown Falls. PROVIDED BY WATERFALL KEEPERS OF N.C.
Asheville: Western North Carolina waterfalls aren’t just alluring to millions of
tourists. They also seem to be a magnet for mounds of trash. In the inaugural
Waterfall Sweep on March 20, hosted by the nonprofit Waterfall Keepers of
North Carolina, volunteers of all ages met at six waterfalls to haul out thousands
of gallons of trash – including two couches, two toilets and 24 tires. Organizers
said part of the reason for the massive volume of trash might be the COVID-19
pandemic, which brought swarms of visitors to the mountains in 2020 in search
of relatively safe recreation outdoors while locked out of many indoor venues.
KANSAS Topeka: Republican legis-
lators are pushing to keep in place
specific rules for tracing the close
contacts of people exposed to the
coronavirus despite public health
groups’ opposition. Proponents say
the rules protect privacy.
KENTUCKY Louisville: An “over-
whelming number” of Jefferson
County residents – 91% – say they
want a COVID-19 vaccine, according
to a survey conducted in February
by the University of Louisville
Christina Lee Brown Envirome In-
stitute. Nationally, according to a
Pew Research Center survey in Feb-
ruary, just 69% of the public had
gotten or planned to get a vaccine.
LOUISIANA New Orleans: The city’s
Downtown Development District is
offering grants to help owners of
vacant business properties commis-
sion art to make their storefronts
look attractive and discourage graf-
fiti. Richard McCall, interim presi-
dent and CEO of the legislatively
created business improvement dis-
trict, said the number of street-level
vacancies has nearly doubled dur-
ing the pandemic.
MAINE Portland: GOP leaders want
to curb the governor’s office from
exercising emergency powers as
broad as Gov. Janet Mills has during
the coronavirus pandemic. House
Republican leader Kathleen Dilling-
ham has proposed a bill that limits
those emergency powers to 30 days.
MARYLAND Annapolis: New coro-
navirus cases leaped in the state in
the week ending Sunday, rising
21.9% as 8,021 cases were reported.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: Hotels in
the area were hit harder by the pan-
demic than just about any other
major U.S. city, and the recovery
could take years, hospitality indus-
try officials said. The occupancy
rate in Boston and Cambridge fell to
less than 26% last year, driving
revenue per available room down
more than 80%, according to the
hotel consultant Pinnacle Advisory
Group, The Boston Globe reports.
Only New York fared worse.
MICHIGAN Detroit: The city on
Monday immediately expanded
COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all
residents 16 and older, a week earli-
er than planned, as the state con-
fronts spiking infection rates that
rank third-highest in the country.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Gov. Tim
Walz delivered his third State of the
State address Sunday from his for-
mer high school social studies class-
room and said brighter days have
arrived, and “normalcy is on the
horizon,” as a substantial portion of
the population is being vaccinated
against COVID-19 and as businesses
start to fully reopen.
MISSISSIPPI Gulfport: When the
Harrison County School Board was
deciding last summer whether to
reopen schools after months of
coronavirus-related closures, it
violated the state’s Open Meetings
Act, the state’s Ethics Commission
ruled. The Sun Herald reports the
ethics body said the board did not
record minutes during a July 13
work session and did not make
documents given to members avail-
able to the public ahead of time.
MISSOURI O’Fallon: An estimated
880,000 residents became eligible
to get a COVID-19 vaccination Mon-
day. Phase 2 of the state’s plan in-
cludes additional categories of es-
sential workers, homeless people,
faculty and staff at higher education
institutions, and “disproportionally
affected populations” such as racial
and ethnic minorities.
MONTANA Great Falls: The city’s
annual Easter egg hunt is scheduled
to go forward this year, with masks
and social distancing required, at
Gibson Park on Saturday, according
to a Park and Recreation release.
NEBRASKA Omaha: The state’s
economy continues to feel the pain
of the pandemic but has ridden out
the economic crisis better than most
counterparts. Nebraska has yet to
recover roughly one-third of the
nearly 100,000 jobs it lost last
spring, but its rate of job losses was
the sixth lowest in the country. And
Nebraska’s unemployment rate is
tied for third lowest.
NEVADA Reno: The University of
Nevada, Reno will hold in-person,
outdoor graduation ceremonies for
both 2020 and 2021 graduates this
May at Mackay Stadium. Each grad-
uate will be allowed four guests.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: The
latest phase of COVID-19 vaccina-
tion sign-ups got off to a smooth
start Monday, with nearly 30,000
state residents making appoint-
ments in the first few hours that
people as young as 40 were eligible.
NEW JERSEY Trenton: The number
of people who can gather outdoors
or attend a sporting event, concert
or other entertainment venue will
increase Friday, Gov. Phil Murphy
announced Monday. The move is
the latest in a series of modest steps
to ease restrictions but comes at a
time when New Jersey leads all
states in the coronavirus’ spread.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: The state
Health Department said Monday
that people 75 and older will no
longer need event codes to schedule
appointments for COVID-19 shots.
Those who are registered with the
state will get invitations and use
their confirmation codes and birth-
dates to make appointments.
NEW YORK Albany: Residents over
30 will be eligible for vaccinations
Tuesday, and everyone over 16 will
be eligible April 6, Gov. Andrew
Cuomo announced Monday.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: The
GOP-led Legislature approved bi-
partisan legislation Monday aimed
at creating a broader investment
policy for the state’s voter-approved
oil tax savings account.
OHIO Norwood: A congressman
gave COVID-19 vaccinations Sunday
to promote efforts to convince reluc-
tant people to get the shots. An
early advocate of getting vaccinated,
Rep. Brad Wenstrup is among Re-
publicans concerned about their
voters getting inoculated because of
unfounded claims about the vac-
cines. “A lot of it is distrust in the
government,” said Wenstrup, a po-
diatrist who served as an Iraq War
combat surgeon. “Everyone is going
to have a different reason, I think.”
NEWS
News from across the USA
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Offi-
cials at the University of Oklahoma,
Oklahoma State University and the
University of Central Oklahoma say
they have no current plans for a CO-
VID-19 vaccine mandate for their
students when they return in the fall,
according to KOKH-TV.
OREGON Salem: The state House
canceled its Monday floor session
after another confirmed coronavirus
case was reported at the Capitol.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: Amid
struggles to vaccinate all those in its
Phase 1A population, Gov. Tom Wolf
has suggested the commonwealth
may skip over 1B and 1C and open
eligibility more widely. “The goal
should be to get to that point as
quickly as possible so it’s open to
everybody,” Wolf said. “In a perfect
world, that will be the next phase.”
RHODE ISLAND Providence: Public
health officials are monitoring a re-
cent rise in coronavirus cases among
children ages 10 to 14. The age group
now has the third-highest rate of
weekly infections, WPRI-TV reports.
Only the 15-18 and 19-24 groups have
higher rates, state statistics show.
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: The
federal government denied the state’s
request to skip formal in-person test-
ing at the end of the school year be-
cause of the pandemic, Education
Superintendent Molly Spearman said
Monday. But the U.S. Department of
Education did agree to suspend pen-
alties if less than 95% of students
take the tests, Spearman said.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: The
state reported no new COVID-19-
related deaths for the second day in a
row Monday and 92 newly confirmed
coronavirus cases, according to the
Department of Health.
TENNESSEE Memphis: Another dan-
gerous coronavirus variant has ar-
rived in the area, the Shelby County
Health Department confirmed Mon-
day. David Sweat, the department’s
deputy director, said local labs de-
tected the P.1 strain currently roiling
Brazil. The county’s transmission
number – how many new cases each
infected person causes – has nearly
doubled, going from 0.59 on March 16
to 1.15 on Monday.
TEXAS Austin: A judge is allowing
the city to continue to require face
coverings in local businesses weeks
after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott
ended a statewide mask mandate
and other COVID-19 safety measures.
UTAH St. George: The April 10 lifting
of the state’s mask mandate will pose
some health risks, and spring break-
ers could cause a spike of COVID-19
cases, Intermountain Healthcare
officials said Friday.
VERMONT Burlington: New statistics
show the number of deaths involving
opioid drugs in the state increased
38% in 2020 over 2019, according to a
report from the Vermont Department
of Health. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention has attributed
a nationwide increase in overdose
deaths to disruptions to daily life
caused by the pandemic.
VIRGINIA Richmond: The state ex-
pects to move into vaccinating the
general population by the last week
of April, said Dr. Danny Avula, the
state vaccine coordinator.
WASHINGTON Bellingham: Western
Washington University has reported
30 coronavirus cases involving stu-
dents living in residence halls in the
past week. According to a school alert
sent out Monday, health officials have
tied the sharp increase to residence
areas, The Bellingham Herald reports.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: Walmart
will begin offering vaccinations in the
state this week through a federal
pharmacy partnership, according to a
pandemic response leader. James
Hoyer, a retired major general leading
West Virginia’s coronavirus task
force, called it “another great addi-
tion to our vaccination program.”
WISCONSIN Milwaukee: Gov. Tony
Evers killed a bill Monday that would
have given Republican legislators
oversight of the state’s share of bil-
lions of dollars in federal COVID-19
relief funds, instead announcing his
own plan for distributing the money.
WYOMING Laramie: University of
Wyoming trustees plan to allow sub-
stantially more in-person classes,
sports and campus activities this fall
if the pandemic continues to wane.
From USA TODAY Network and
wire reports
NEWS
NATION’S HEALTH
Town of 16K gives out 50K vaccines
Visitors make long treks
for open appointments
Georgie Silvarole
New York State Team
USA TODAY NETWORK
POTSDAM, N.Y. – Vetia Searcy could
get her vaccine. But she had to go to
somewhere called Potsdam, New York,
to get it.
Searcy had never heard of the place.
Scanning through New York’s vaccine
portal in February, refreshing the web-
site and hoping to snag an appointment
somewhere near her home in Manhat-
tan’s Greenwich Village, the name kept
coming up as the only location with spo-
radic open slots.
Searcy, who qualified for the vaccine
on Feb. 15 because of her asthma, made
some calls to see if she would be allowed
to receive the shot at the state-run facil-
ity at the State University of New York at
Potsdam. The answer was yes – as long
as she was willing and able to travel.
For two days, she checked constant-
ly. Finally, an appointment opened up in
Potsdam again.
“I happened to be online when the
spot opened up. I didn’t know how many
there were – I just kept refreshing and
refreshing until I grabbed one,” she said.
The trip took her more than eight
hours – the first two spent on digging
out her ice-encrusted car and another
six to drive up to Potsdam.
And her quest came with a side bene-
fit: It introduced her to New York’s so-
called North Country. The snow-cov-
ered landscape and quaint small-town
charm came as a pleasant surprise.
“It was fun – it was an adventure,”
Searcy said on March 11, back in town on
her second trip up to Potsdam for shot
No. 2. “I think it’s beautiful up here.”
Searcy isn’t the only New Yorker trav-
eling from one end of the state to anoth-
er to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
Officials for both the village of Potsdam
as well as the college have said it’s not
uncommon to have out-of-towners
make the trek for their vaccines.
Last week, the site hit a milestone
Social media
Continued from Page 1D
fuel mistrust already planted by govern-
ment-backed medical abuses on Black,
Latino and Native American people.
Héctor Alcalá, a public health profes-
sor at Stony Brook University, echoed
Kumar’s experiences.
His mother also received a concern-
ing video she saw on Facebook. In it, a
Spanish-speaking person who claimed
to be a medical professional said the
vaccine was being developed too quick-
ly and cautioned the shot would cause a
slew of diseases.
“I had to tell her this isn’t true, this
isn’t vetted,” said Alcalá, who special-
izes in family, community and popula-
tion health.
Though Facebook has said in compa-
ny statements it will work to fight disin-
formation pervading its platform in
Spanish, advocates say the damage has
been done. They say Facebook’s Span-
ish fact-checking system pales in com-
parison to English.
Dani Lever, a Facebook spokeswom-
an, wrote in a statement that the platform
is “labeling all content that discusses the
vaccines, including Spanish-language
content.” She added that Facebook offers
vaccine information in dozens of lan-
guages and is limiting frequently for-
warded messages on WhatsApp.
“We also understand that a key part
of getting accurate information out is
working with communities, which is
why we’re providing free ads to health
organizations to promote reliable infor-
mation,” Lever wrote.
“When you introduce that targeted
social media into communities like Afri-
can Americans who have natural mis-
trust, where the ground is fertile to re-
ceive that information, those weeds
take root and grow like wildfire if there is
no opposition, if there is no one uproot-
ing the weeds,” Dr. Melissa Clarke, an
emergency medicine doctor and popu-
lation health expert said in another “in-
fodemic” webinar hosted by the Center
for Health Journalism. Clarke is co-
founder of the Black Coalition Against
COVID-19.
History’s medical abuses – the Tus-
kegee syphilis study that withheld
treatment from Black men, or coerced
Vetia Searcy received her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Potsdam, N.Y.
She drove from her home in New York City. GEORGIE SILVAROLE/USA TODAY NETWORK
when it surpassed 50,000 vaccinations.
For a town with a year-round population
of about 16,000, that’s significant.
And locals say they’re proud to be
part of what everyone hopes is the clos-
ing chapter of a grim era in American
history by helping bring COVID-19 to
heel, one shot at a time.
‘All roads do lead to Potsdam’
The village of Potsdam sits at the
northwestern tip of the state, about 20
miles from the Canadian border.
Between the lively coffee shops, res-
taurants and stores on the main drag
and an infamous fake-flower garden
sprouting from more than a dozen toi-
lets, there’s no shortage of character.
Several main thoroughfares cut
through Potsdam, and St. Lawrence
County encompasses three other col-
leges: Clarkson University, SUNY Can-
ton and St. Lawrence University. The
town itself has a population of about
16,000, and that number jumps by
about 7,400 when the four nearby col-
leges are in session.
All that makes Potsdam an ideal loca-
tion for a vaccine site. But they’re also
sterilizations of Black, Latina and Na-
tive American women – don’t help to
cultivate trust.
“If you’re trying to say ‘trust us’ – you
have to have earned that trust,” Clarke
said.
But, Clarke noted, contemporary
health care inequalities experienced by
people of color also fuel vulnerability to
disinformation. Studies show Black pa-
tients receive fewer referrals for life-
saving treatments, such as heart cathe-
terization for heart disease, treating
pain, or kidney dialysis.
“That happens unequally for African
American and Latino patients – very well
documented in the medical literature,”
Clarke said. “A lot of times, because of
those health care disparities ... African
Americans don’t have a relationship with
a provider that they can go to to get their
questions answered. In that information
gap, they’re more than likely going to
turn to somebody who they do trust who
might be heavily influenced by social
media – and therefore, you get misinfor-
mation spreading.”
Misinformation on top of barriers
Alcalá’s mother received her first
vaccine dose, and her son’s expertise
quelled her fears. Still, others don’t have
such access.
“Right now, the main concern in
terms of people of color not getting the
vaccine is more an issue of access. But
yes, the issue of vaccine hesitancy will
become more salient and important
over time,” Alcalá said.
Alcalá said “barriers combined with
misinformation can create the perfect
storm” for low vaccination rates.
“Ultimately, what determines wheth-
er or not we get the vaccine isn’t going to
be a single factor,” Alcalá said. “If you
think about, ‘I’m potentially a person
who is seeing misinformation online. I
want to get the vaccine.’ But in the con-
text of still seeing this information, I go
online, find that it’s a little cumbersome
and then think, ‘Well, oh well – I’m also
hearing that this vaccine might actually
be harmful.’ ”
A USA TODAY Network analysis
found COVID-19 vaccination rates
among Latinos lagging in Texas, partic-
ularly in the state capital of Austin.
But experts like Clarke also agree that
polls should disaggregate by national
USA TODAY ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ 5D
great reasons for people who have never
experienced the North Country to enjoy
the time they spend there, Mayor Rein-
hold “Ron” Tischler said.
In the past, when people would ask
about where Potsdam is, he’d go
through a tiresome explanation: It’s in
upstate New York. No, it’s not near Syra-
cuse or Albany. Have you heard of Wa-
tertown? No? What about Lake Placid?
OK, yeah, it’s 90 miles north of that.
“I say it’s northern New York, but
sometimes we call it southern Canada,”
he said. “It’s a place to be proud of.”
So for those who want to head up-
state for the vaccine, there’s certainly
plenty of open slots – and a lot of things
to do and see while they’re there.
“It’s true – all roads do lead to Pots-
dam,” Tischler said. “There’s availability
now, even. If people want to travel, you
know, a lot of them will.”
‘If we can provide help, we will’
In mid-January, before other sites
popped up around New York, the state
contacted SUNY Potsdam and suggest-
ed setting up a location on campus.
Within two weeks, the massive site
PROVIDED BY COMMONSPIRIT HEALTH
“We need to be really,
really thoughtful about
the disinformation that
is happening.”
Dr. Alisahah Cole
System vice president for population health
innovation and policy at CommonSpirit Health
origin. For example, an immigrant from
Ethiopia or Nigeria may not be swayed
by the same lever as a Black person who
is not an immigrant.
She referenced a study by George
Washington University and the depart-
ment of health in Washington, D.C.,
which has the largest Ethiopian immi-
grant population in the country. The
study showed the population’s largest
concern about the COVID-19 vaccine
isn’t vaccination itself or the nation’s
history of abuses, but the monetization
of health care.
‘Hyperlocal’ messaging
Understanding specific communi-
ties’ concerns can lead to more informed
public health education targeted to
those groups, she explained. Her group
is creating polls and working on “hyper-
local” messaging campaigns for sub-
communities within the African Amer-
ican population, partnering with trust-
ed messengers from the communities.
She also streams a weekly live show
was up and running. Located inside
Maxcy Hall, Potsdam’s athletic com-
plex, the site spans the field house’s en-
tire 33,000 square feet of space. Adja-
cent to the field house, the 43,000-
square-foot ice rink is dry, too, instead
serving as a makeshift break room for
those staffing the vaccine site.
Patients register and are greeted by
bold-letter signs and National Guards-
men when they arrive. Go here, sit there,
sanitize your hands, have your temper-
ature taken. What’s your name? Your
date of birth? Sign here, please.
In a given day, somewhere between
1,000 to 2,000 people will receive their
shots. Hundreds of people keep things
running in a variety of capacities,
checking patients in or filling syringes
or sticking needles into arms or offering
congratulations as they hold open the
exit door.
So much is happening all at once. But
that’s the strangest part – it is so quiet
inside.
“It has been remarkably smooth,”
said Kristin Esterberg, SUNY Potsdam’s
president. “Anytime the community
needs us, if we can provide help, we will.
And we think that’s part of the mission
of a public university.”
For her, one of the greatest perks is
hearing the stories of people who’ve
made it to Potsdam one way or another
for the vaccine – a historic symbol of the
beginning of the end of COVID-19.
Like Will Rose, the 25-year-old from
the Upper West Side in New York City
who made the trek to Potsdam for his
vaccine on March 11. Or Steven Morgan,
the 30-year-old firefighter who simply
drove across town for his.
And for Vetia Searcy, who drove from
one end of the state to a place she’d
never heard of to receive a life-changing
shot she’ll never forget.
“I do think this is historic,” Esterberg
said. “Our COVID response really does
show the importance of the community
and the ways in which the community
really comes together to try and make
sure we all stay healthy, we all stay safe,
we’re all looking out for one another.
“And to do it in this most beautiful
setting – it’s really spectacular.”
called “Excuse Me Dr.!” to debunk mis-
conceptions.
Abigail Echo-Hawk, chief research
officer at the Seattle Indian Health
Board, has also been working to fight
disinformation in her community.
The Pawnee Nation member pointed
to a recent editorial written by a non-
Native that claimed Native Americans
specifically shouldn’t take the Johnson
& Johnson vaccine. The op-ed, pub-
lished on an American Indian news
website, lacked sound science and
caused alarm among communities, she
said.
She worked with other tribal epide-
miology centers, scientists and the
American Indian Physicians Associa-
tion to refute his claims, which she
called “reckless and dangerous.”
“We spent time going through every
single one of his allegations and creat-
ing documents to refute every single
one of them,” Echo-Hawk said.
Similarly, Voto Latino is working
with local groups to monitor and fact-
check disinformation. “It becomes a
feedback loop, and then we spit out the
right information so that they’re inocu-
lated,” Kumar said.
Kumar said much of the disinforma-
tion circulates in WhatsApp groups. The
messages, videos, or graphics are then
forwarded repeatedly.
“I do believe there’s a very different
strategy for nonnative English speak-
ers,” Kumar said, adding she’s seen the
same in the Caribbean and South Asian
communities.
Dr. Alisahah Cole, system vice presi-
dent for population health innovation
and policy at CommonSpirit Health,
said her team created a tool kit for out-
reach to people of color and vulnerable
populations.
“We used a stratification tool that
uses some of those demographics and
then said, ‘OK, if someone falls into that
high-risk category, we need to reach out
with a phone call,’ ” she said, adding it’s
a way to initiate conversation and lever-
age a trusted relationship between pro-
vider and patient to address vaccine
concerns.
“We need to be really, really thought-
ful about the disinformation that is hap-
pening,” Cole said. “One of the key ways
we can do that is to make sure we are
reaching out directly to those patients
and to those community members.”
6D ❚ TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 ❚ USA TODAY
NATION’S HEALTH
NEWS BRIEFING
Biden: 90%
of adults to
be eligible
by April 19
President Joe Biden said Monday
that 90% of American adults will be el-
igible for COVID-19 vaccines by April
19, and vaccination sites would be
within 5 miles of an individual’s home.
Biden’s new timeline beats his pre-
vious goal of nationwide eligibility by
May 1 by two weeks.
The president’s remarks came
hours after a top public health official
described a “recurring feeling I have of
impending doom” as infections once
again are on the rise in a country that
leads the world with more than 30 mil-
lion coronavirus cases.
The Biden administration is trying
to win the race against the spread of
virus variants that may propel another
surge in cases, especially with states
loosening restrictions that helped lim-
it transmission but also hurt the econ-
omy. Biden said a record 33 million
vaccine doses will be distributed this
week.
“More vaccines, more sites, more
vaccinators, all designed to speed our
critical work,” Biden said.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC direc-
tor, said at a morning White House CO-
VID-19 briefing that daily infections
are up 10% from a week ago. Hospital-
izations are once again on the rise, she
said, and deaths, a lagging indicator,
averaged nearly 1,000 per day last
week after four consecutive days be-
low 850.
Walensky also expressed concern
about increasing travel and a general
easing in restrictions across the na-
tion.
“Right now, I’m scared,” an emo-
tional Walensky said. “When we see
that uptick in cases, what we have
seen before is that things really have a
tendency to surge and to surge big. I
just worry that we will see the surges
that we saw over the summer and the
winter again.”
One shot of Moderna, Pfizer
vaccines highly effective
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines
are highly effective against COVID-19
in a real-life setting even with only one
shot, a CDC study finds. The vaccines
reduce the risk of infection by 80%
from a single dose two or more weeks
after vaccination, and 90% following a
second dose, according to a CDC study
released Monday. The agency looked
at the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioN-
Tech and Moderna mRNA vaccines
among nearly 4,000 health care per-
sonnel, first responders and other es-
sential workers in six states from
Dec. 14 to March 13.
Fla. variants more than double
Florida, which was already the
country’s hardest-hit for two kinds of
coronavirus variants, more than dou-
bled its tally of variants in a report re-
leased Sunday by the CDC. Florida had
reported 1,075 variant cases through
Thursday. Sunday’s report added an-
other 1,255, bringing the state to 2,330.
The U.S. as a whole reported anoth-
er 2,303 variant cases Sunday, more
than double the worst increase seen in
the thrice-weekly CDC updates. The
previous record was set on Tuesday.
That brings the U.S. to 10,985 known
variants, a tally that more than dou-
bled in the last two weeks as new coro-
navirus cases overall stopped a ex-
tended decline.
Other top headlines
h Moderna said it has shipped the
100-millionth dose of its vaccine to the
federal government. More than 67 mil-
lion of its doses have been adminis-
tered in the U.S.
h The United Kingdom, which has
the most deaths in Europe but has en-
joyed more success with its vaccina-
tion program, is replacing its stay-at-
home mandate with a message to stay
local, allowing small outdoor gather-
ings and sports.
Contributing: John Bacon, Jorge L.
Ortiz, Elinor Aspegren, Adrianna Rod-
riguez, Mike Stucka, The Associated
Press
NY launches nation’s
1st ‘vaccine passport’
Challenge remains to
build universal system
Karen Weintraub
and Elizabeth Weise
USA TODAY
Starting Friday, New Yorkers will be
able to pull up a code on their cell-
phone or a printout to prove they’ve
been vaccinated against COVID-19 or
recently tested negative for the virus
that causes it.
The first-in-the-nation certifica-
tion, called the Excelsior Pass, will be
useful first at large-scale venues like
Madison Square Garden, but next
week it will be accepted at dozens of
event, arts and entertainment venues
statewide. It already lets people in-
crease the size of a wedding party, or
other catered event.
The app, championed by Gov. An-
drew Cuomo to support the recovery of
industries most affected by the pan-
demic, is funded by the state and
available free to businesses and any-
one with vaccination records or test
results in New York.
As they would with an airline
boarding pass, people will be able to
prove their health status with a digital
QR code – or “quick response” ma-
chine-readable label. They’ll need to
download the Excelsior Pass app, en-
ter their name, date of birth and ZIP
code, and answer a series of personal
questions to confirm their identity.
The data will come from the state’s
vaccine registry and will be linked to
testing data from a number of pre-ap-
proved testing companies.
The New York system, built on
IBM’s digital health pass platform, is
provided via blockchain technology, so
neither IBM nor any business will have
access to private medical information.
An entertainment venue will simply
scan the QR code and get a green check
mark or a red X.
The pass is part of a growing but
disjointed effort to provide vaccine
“passports” or certifications so people
won’t have to hang on to a dog-eared
piece of paper, worry about privacy or
forgeries, or fork over extra cash to
prove they’re not contagious.
In addition to IBM, open-source
computer experts, who provide code
anyone can use free, have been devel-
oping such systems, as have retailers
like Walmart, which is also offering
digital proof of vaccination to anyone
who gets a shot in one of its pharma-
cies.
The biggest challenge will be link-
ing these systems together so people
won’t need different apps for every
venue or use.
Open-source computer advocates
already have been collaborating to
“figure out how to piece together the
different pieces of the puzzle,” said
Brian Behlendorf, executive director of
Linux Foundation of Public Health,
an industry-driven consortium that
builds open-source software.
New York hasn’t worked out those
connectivity details yet, but it hopes to
eventually, as well as linking tickets to
the Excelsior Pass, so people going to
an event at Madison Square Garden,
for example, will be able to link their
admission and health passes rather
than fumbling with multiple apps.
Another hurdle will be finding a
consistent set of standards, so what
counts as an acceptable test or vaccine
in one state or country will count in an-
other.
At least two competing sets of stan-
dards are being developed globally to
allow secure access to information
about vaccination status, particularly
for international travel.
At the moment, New York is using
its own, established by its state health
department, but it’s not clear what will
happen if or when Connecticut, New
Jersey and other states establish their
own certification systems.
Amy Fairchild, dean of Ohio State
University and a historian and ethi-
cist, said the biggest challenges with
such certifications will be cultural, not
technological.
The use for international travel is
obvious. Countries, including the U.S.,
will want to deny entry to people who
can’t prove they’re not contagious with
Users can use the app to prove they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 or
recently tested negative for the coronavirus. PROVIDED BY THE STATE OF NEW YORK
“We are ideologically
as a culture pretty
resistant to the idea of
mandates, unless it’s kids.”
Amy Fairchild
Dean of Ohio State University, historian and ethicist
the virus that causes COVID-19.
But whether American consumers
and businesses will accept the idea of
providing proof before entry is not so
obvious, she said. Just as many Amer-
icans have resisted wearing masks dur-
ing the pandemic, some will reject the
idea of showing a certificate to get into a
ballgame or nightclub.
Requiring vaccination “is not some-
thing we have done before within this
country outside of school systems and
hospitals,” said Fairchild, adding it
would be incredibly useful from a public
health standpoint and could eventually
be expanded to cover flu and measles
shots – if public opinion would allow it.
“To the extent that it could be used to
help build up our public health infra-
structure, that would be fabulous,” she
said.
But such efforts have typically fallen
apart because of cultural resistance to
the idea of being required to do things.
“We are ideologically as a culture pretty
resistant to the idea of mandates, un-
less it’s kids.”
That’s part of why developers are us-
ing blockchain technology to protect
privacy.
And why – although the Biden ad-
ministration says it wants to leave vac-
cine passports to the private and non-
profit sectors – the White House has
said that any certification process must
be free, equitable, safe and private.
Preventing forgeries is key, too.
Already, scammers are selling fake
CDC vaccination identification cards on
sites like Craigslist, eBay, and OfferUp,
Chad Anderson, a senior security re-
searcher for Domaintools, a group track-
ing cyber threats, told WMAQ, the NBC
station in Chicago. Some of the cards
are being sold for up to $200.
Other approaches for vaccine certifi-
cation might include putting a notice on
driver’s licenses, as many states do for
those who have opted to be organ do-
nors.
Vaccine passport standards?
The standardization question may be
stickier to resolve. Everyone agrees
there should be common standards
among apps, but whose standards?
Without federal involvement, that will
be challenging to resolve, Fairchild said.
One standard for vaccine passports
will be issued next month, said Dr. Brian
Anderson, chief digital health physician
at the MITRE Corporation, a nonprofit
health infrastructure company that
helped found the group.
Members of the Vaccine Credential
Initiative has been working together
since September. It includes household
names like Microsoft, the Mayo Clinic,
Oracle, Walmart, CVS and Salesforce as
well as less well-known nonprofits
working to ensure people’s health infor-
mation is freely and safely accessible.
NEWS
For all the latest developments,
visit coronavirus.usatoday.com.
Once the standards are set, compa-
nies and nonprofits can use them to
build systems that let someone prove
they’ve been vaccinated.
For full security, people might also
have to show a photo ID, though not ev-
ery place would demand such two-fac-
tor authentication.
A restaurant might simply ask pa-
trons to scan their code and not demand
“security-grade identity management,”
Anderson said.
There would also be a way for people
to print out, or have printed out, the QR
code so the confirmation is accessible to
everyone, not just those who have
smartphones.
“Vaccinations are a human right, and
these sorts of credentials should be
seen as equally important,” Anderson
said.
The goal is to create a set of guide-
lines that a company or nonprofit could
use to create a digital vaccine passport,
whether it’s Kaiser or BlueCross or Wal-
greens or a local health department.
Excelsior Pass expected to evolve
IBM also plans eventually to use the
same kind of technological platform to
provide other health data, said Eric Pis-
cini, vice president of emerging busi-
ness networks for IBM, which has been
working on the idea for years.
The goal would be “to empower every
individual on the planet to be able to
collect information on their phone (and)
expose that information to the right par-
ties with consent,” Piscini said. The data
would remain with the health care pro-
vider, not with IBM or its partners.
A system like that would allow data
to “pivot around the patient not the
health care provider or insurance com-
pany,” said Behlendorf, who has also
been working on such technology.
The first large-scale test of this kind
of system is launching now in New York.
Beta testing at a few venues includ-
ing a recent Buffalo Bills game showed
the pass system worked effectively and
was usable by people of different back-
grounds. For those without a smart-
phone, there is a printing option to pro-
vide a QR code on paper.
The state is paying $2.5 million for
the system, which will be provided free
to businesses and individuals.
Businesses will not be required to use
the pass, but may be allowed to fill more
seats or admit more patrons if they do.
People will be able to store multiple
Excelsior passes on a single cellphone,
so a parent could hold a child’s, for in-
stance.
It will not require constant connec-
tivity to the Internet or cellular phone
system.
Someone who gets a state-approved
coronavirus test at one of the participat-
ing labs will have their results expedited
through the Excelsior Pass system. Re-
sults will be valid for 72 hours for a PCR
test and six hours for an antigen test.
The QR code will no longer scan when
the time has elapsed.
Health and patient safety coverage
at USA TODAY is made possible in part
by a grant from the Masimo Foundation
for Ethics, Innovation and Competition
in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation
does not provide editorial input.