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| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers! President Joe Biden will head to Pennsylvania to discuss "building a better America" – but some of the state's leading Democrats won't be there. The funeral will be held for NYPD officer Jason Rivera, who was shot and killed with his partner while on duty a week ago. And "Tiger King" star Joe Exotic is set to be re-sentenced in Oklahoma for trying to hire hitmen to kill animal welfare activist Carole Baskin. |
| It's Jane and Steve, with Friday's news. |
| ⚖️ President Joe Biden announced the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Biden, who pledged to name a Black woman to the high court, said he planned to name his nominee by the end of February. |
| 🚨Four more bodies were found after a suspected human smuggling boat capsized off the Florida coast, leaving 34 people missing, authorities said. "I have made the very difficult decision ... that at sunset this evening we will suspend active searching," said Coast Guard Capt. Jo-Ann Burdian Thursday. |
| 🍽 "She is, of course, unvaccinated": Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin dined at a New York City restaurant Wednesday, days after it was confirmed she tested positive for the coronavirus multiple times. |
| 🏀 A pair of 76ers fans were seemingly ejected from their seats at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center after they were verbally confronted by the Los Angeles Lakers' Carmelo Anthony. |
 | | Los Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony confronts a fan during the fourth quarter of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers. | | Bill Streicher, USA TODAY Sports | |
| 🗣"Ant-Man and the Wasp" star Evangeline Lilly is speaking out against COVID-19 vaccine mandates, revealing that she attended a protest "to support bodily sovereignty." For the latest COVID-19 updates, tap here. |
| 💔Why the Kim Kardashian and Ye divorce drama is so uncomfortable to watch: Mental health experts say the former couple are a litmus test for behaviors the public views as healthy or unhealthy. |
| 🏈The biggest commercials. The biggest stage. And you can be part of the pop-culture conversation. Register now for the 34th USA TODAY Ad Meter ratings and let your 2022 Super Bowl commercial opinions be heard! |
| 📱 The Winter Olympics are a week away! Sign up for USA TODAY's texts to get exclusive access and updates from Beijing. |
| 🗞 What happened this week? Test your news knowledge with our quiz. |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, patient safety reporter Karen Weintraub dives into the mystery of long COVID. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what's happening today: |
Biden hits the road to tout his accomplishments |
| President Joe Biden will travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to discuss matters including "building a better America, including through the bipartisan infrastructure law," according to the White House. But several outlets note two of the three leading Democrats on Pennsylvania's statewide ballot this spring who were invited to appear with Biden will not attend. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a leading Senate candidate, and state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the likely Democratic nominee in the race for governor, have scheduling conflicts. Another top Senate candidate, Rep. Conor Lamb, a longtime Biden supporter based in Pittsburgh, will attend, his office confirmed. The absences come as Democrats in other states have begun taking modest steps to distance themselves from Biden, whose approval ratings have fallen sharply in recent months. |
Funeral to be held for NYPD officer Jason Rivera |
| New York police officers will give a final salute Friday to Jason Rivera, a rookie colleague who was shot and killed with his partner a week ago . A morning funeral Mass is planned at St. Patrick's Cathedral for Rivera, 22, who was recently married and barely into his second year of service on the force. Roman Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan will preside over the service and many of the city's top leaders are expected to attend. Rivera and his partner, 27-year-old Officer Wilbert Mora , were fatally shot Jan. 21 by a gunman who ambushed them in a hallway as they responded to a family dispute. Mora's funeral is being held next week, also at St. Patrick's. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said flags at state buildings would fly at half-staff from sunrise of the day of Rivera's funeral until sunset the day of Mora's funeral, Feb. 2. |
 | | This photo combo of images provided by the New York City Police Department shows NYPD Officers Wilbert Mora, left, and Jason Rivera. The two officers were shot while answering a call about an argument between a woman and her adult son in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. | | AP | |
Just for subscribers: |
| ⚖️Justice Breyer's departure opens door for youth and diversity on the Supreme Court. |
| 🌧Climate change made rain estimates outdated. Now they put the U.S. at risk for more flooding. |
| 🔵Nord Stream 2: How a gas pipeline became a bargaining chip in the crisis between Russia and Ukraine. |
| 🏈 NFL playoffs: 10 players who might play their last game with their current team on championship weekend. |
| 🤑Opinion: Bitcoin isn't a right-wing plot. It's inclusive by design, despite what critics say. |
| These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. Here is all of our subscriber content. |
Jury selection begins in trial of ex-cop charged in Breonna Taylor shooting |
| Jury selection in the trial of former Louisville Metro Police detective Brett Hankison begins Friday. Hankison faces three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, a class D felony, for the shooting at Breonna Taylor's apartment early on March 13, 2020 . However, the charges aren't for endangering Taylor but rather three of her neighbors in an adjacent unit pierced by some of his 10 rounds. The ex-detective has pleaded not guilty. In a notable development Thursday, Hankison's effort to keep the public and news media from watching juror questioning in his criminal case was denied. Circuit Judge Ann Bailey Smith ordered that individual jury questioning will remain open, but no one watching proceedings can take photos or videos inside the courtroom. Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was fatally shot by Louisville officers as they attempted to execute a search warrant looking for drugs and cash at her apartment. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Minnie Mouse's new look |
 | | Minnie Mouse will dawn a blue tuxedo during Disneyland Paris' 30th anniversary celebration in March 2022. | | Disneyland Paris image; USA TODAY Life graphic | |
| Disney's Minnie Mouse is taking "new year, new me" to a new level by switching out her red iconic polka dot dress to a modern pantsuit for Disneyland Paris' 30th anniversary celebration. |
| The new outfit, designed by Stella McCartney, will feature Minnie Mouse in a dark blue tuxedo with black polka dots, Disneyland Paris announced in a statement this week. |
| The fresh ensemble is responsibly sourced and will be worn in honor of Women's History Month in March, which coincides with the start of Disneyland Paris' anniversary. |
| 🔵 From Carli Pierson for USA TODAY Opinion: I would wear Minnie Mouse's new pantsuit. But maybe that's not the point. |
'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic set to appear in court |
| "Tiger King" star Joe Exotic is set to be re-sentenced Friday in Oklahoma City federal court in his murder-for-hire case . A federal appeals court in July ruled that Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, should get a shorter sentence. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver determined the trial court wrongly treated two murder-for-hire convictions separately in calculating his prison term. The judge originally sentenced Joe Exotic to 22 years in federal prison for hiring hitmen to kill Carole Baskin. The "Tiger King" star also was sentenced for killing five tigers, selling tiger cubs and falsifying wildlife records. |
 | | The Tiger King Joseph "Joe Exotic" Maldonado-Passage with one of his tigers. | | Netflix US/AFP via Getty Images | |
Also on Friday: |
| 🎮 "Pokémon Legends: Arceus" drops: The much anticipated Nintendo Switch game finally is being released Friday. The hype for the latest title is at an all-time high and exists as a reminder of the timelessness of the franchise. |
| 📺 What to watch this weekend: If you want to see the first great film of 2022, head to HBO Max and see "The Fallout," writes USA TODAY movie critic Brian Truitt. |
| 🏈 The king of cleats: Kevin James plays newly retired NFL head coach Sean Payton in the family sports comedy "Home Team," which is now streaming. |
 | | Sean Payton (Kevin James, left) signs on to help Coach Troy (Taylor Lautner) and the lowly Warriors in the Netflix sports comedy "Home Team." | | SCOTT YAMANO/NETFLIX | |
New 'Janet Jackson' documentary gives insight into the enigmatic singer's life |
| Nearly 50 years into her career, Janet Jackson is still exhibiting the "Control" that turned her into a cultural icon. Viewers will get an insight into the famously private and enigmatic singer's life in the two-night, four-part documentary, "Janet Jackson," which premieres Friday and continues Saturday (8 p.m. EST/PST, Lifetime and A&E). The grabby headlines are tackled early, says USA TODAY music writer Melissa Ruggieri: the stern guidance of family patriarch Joseph; Jackson's elopement with R&B singer James DeBarge and their alleged secret child. The second part of the series will dip into child molestation allegations against brother Michael; the scandalous Super Bowl halftime show in 2004 with Justin Timberlake; her late-in-life motherhood; and Michael's death. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories yesterday |
| 📺 "Jeopardy!" champion Amy Schneider has finally been defeated after a 40-game winning streak. |
| 🦠 Omicron's new variant cousin, BA.2, has arrived in the U.S. But don't panic yet, experts say. |
| 🚰 Dozens of New Jersey water systems exceeded new stringent standards last year for PFAS, a family of chemicals that have been linked to cancer and other ailments, officials said. |
| 🏥 Kansas City Chiefs fans donated thousands of dollars to a children's hospital fund named for Josh Allen's grandmother. |
📸 World remembers victims on International Holocaust Remembrance Day 📸 |
 | | Roses are placed in the hand of one of the statues part of the "Trains to Life - Trains to Death" bronze sculpture at Berlin's Friedrichstrasse street on Jan. 27, 2022, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The sculpture is dedicated to Jewish children saved by so-called "Kindertransporte" which brought them to the United Kingdom and other countries, as well as to children brought by trains to the Nazi death camps. Israeli architect and sculptor Frank Meisler, who made the sculpture, was himself evacuated with a children's transport and survived the Holocaust, whereas his parents were killed in Auschwitz. | | JOHN MACDOUGALL, AFP via Getty Images | |
| People gathered around the world to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Thursday, as survivors recalled their agony and politicians warned of a resurgence of antisemitism. |
| The day falls on the anniversary of the liberation by Soviet troops of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the notorious death camp run by Nazi Germany. About 6 million European Jews and millions of other people were killed by the Nazis and their collaborators. Some 1.5 million were children. |
| Scroll through the gallery of people around the world remembering the victims. |
| Contributing: The Associated Press |
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