She wants Trump's DNA

Thursday, January 30

E. Jean Carroll originally accused US President Donald Trump of sexual assaulting her in June 2019. Carroll claims the assault took place in the mid-1990s. Trump denies knowing Carroll.

A writer who accuses Trump of rape wants to test his DNA. Coronavirus is declared a global health emergency. Life expectancy in US is up. It's Thursday's news.

Well, it took 30 days of 2020, but we finally have some good news for you.*

*You'll just have to dig through some less-than-great news to find it.

It's Ashley with the headlines everyone is talking about Thursday.

But first, not just a guy and a ferret: A ferret may seem an unlikely hero to many, but to one man, Bandit was exactly that.

The Short List newsletter is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe here!

She says Trump raped her and seeks his DNA for testing

Lawyers for a woman who accused President Donald Trump of raping her asked for a DNA sample, seeking to determine whether his genetic material is on a dress she said she wore during the encounter. Author and advice columnist E. Jean Carroll's lawyers served notice to a Trump attorney Thursday for Trump to submit a sample for "analysis and comparison against unidentified male DNA present on the dress." Such legal demands often spur court fights requiring a judge to weigh in on whether they will be enforced. Carroll filed a defamation suit against Trump in November after the president denied her allegation that he raped her in a dressing room more than 20 years ago.

Coronavirus outbreak considered an international health emergency

As the death toll from the illness alarming the world climbed past 170, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency Thursday. The declaration came soon after health officials reported the first case of person-to-person spread of the coronavirus in the USA. The new case, confirmed by the CDC, is the sixth reported in the USA. The U.N. health agency defines an international emergency as an "extraordinary event" that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.

•	Coronavirus: What are the symptoms?
•	Face masks: Do they work? The CDC doesn't recommend them.
•	Why do people say Lysol sprays and Clorox wipes fight coronavirus? It's probably wishful thinking.

People line up to receive free face masks to protect themselves against the Wuhan coronavirus at a pharmacy in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, China on Jan. 28, 2020.

JEROME FAVRE, EPA-EFE

What everyone's talking about

•	Trump's impeachment trial: Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts refused to read a question from Sen. Rand Paul. Why? It included the name of a person identified in news reports as the alleged whistleblower.
•	Kobe Bryant: The crash that took the lives of the NBA icon and eight others could lead to safer helicopters, experts say.
•	College admissions scandal: Actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, will be among the first group of parents to be tried.
•	Harvey Weinstein trial: An accuser's ex-boyfriend testified that she was "shocked" and "upset" after a meeting with the movie mogul.

Good news for humanity: Life expectancy in USA is up

To soften the blow of all the coronavirus coverage, we've got some rare good news in health: Life expectancy in the USA is up for the first time in four years, new reports show. Americans can expect to live to an average age of 78.7 years, a gain of a 10th of a year from 2017 to 2018 (that's a little more than a month, but I'll take it). Perhaps more importantly, the gain reversed a three-year trend of decreases or no gains in life expectancy. Lower death rates in the two leading causes of death – heart disease and cancer – contributed to Americans' increased longevity.

House votes to curb Trump's war powers

The House voted Thursday to sharply limit Trump's ability to launch a military strike against Iran and to repeal the 2002 law that authorized the Iraq War, which has been used as justification for other U.S. military operations. Democrats said the two votes were vital to rein in what they see as an impulsive president, pointing to his decision to authorize a U.S. drone strike that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Republicans warned the bills would tie the president's hands at a perilous moment, and they applauded Trump's decision to target Soleimani, saying the Iranian leader was a terrorist with American blood on his hands. Both bills will face stiff opposition in the Republican-controlled Senate. Trump could veto both measures.

Real quick

•	Jackpot: One lucky Powerball ticket sold in Florida is worth $396.9 million. 💰
•	A 4,309-foot-long border tunnel from Tijuana to San Diego, the longest discovered, includes an elevator and extensive rail system.
•	Sharks in Kentucky? Researchers' minds are blown by this discovery at a national park.
•	The House of Representatives will vote this year on whether Washington, D.C., should become the country's 51st state.
•	More and more Americans die by suicide. What are we missing?

Are you ready for some football? 🏈

Super Bowl LIV is almost upon us, sports people. Here's a super-quick recap of what to know before Sunday's big game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs: What time should I expect to hear grown men yelling at TVs? Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. EST. If I feel like yelling, too, what channel will it be on? Fox. Who will belt the national anthem? Demi Lovato. Great, but what about the ✨halftime show✨? Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, Shakira (future footage of me watching the show, probably). Most importantly: Who is going to win this thing? Experts who know more than I do about sports say this game should be a close one.

•	The San Francisco 49ers planned to wait to find their quarterback of the future – then came Jimmy Garoppolo.
•	Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes is one of the NFL's biggest superstars, but you'd never know it from his demeanor, his teammates say.
•	Let's talk commercials: See all the Super Bowl commercials that have been unveiled.
•	If dudes grunting and knocking into each other isn't your thing, might I interest you in some puppies instead? One rescue dog made it to the Puppy Bowl. If that's not enough, this gallery of adorable Dogs of The Short List should do the trick.

Jan 27, 2020; Miami, FL, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (left) and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (right) are interviewed on stage during Super Bowl LIV Opening Night at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

A break from the news

•	Retirement planning: Millennials stash money away earlier than Gen Xers and baby boomers.
•	13 things that will make your winter commute less terrible.
•	When the fires broke out in Australia, this band of knitters and sewers worked together to help save baby bats.