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| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers. Police are probing the motive of a gunman who launched an attack at a store in a Tennessee suburb, killing one person and injuring at least 12 before himself being found dead. Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots are on the way for older Americans and others at a higher risk from COVID-19. And it's official, finally: Former President Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden in last year's election in Arizona's largest county. |
| It's Steve and Jane, with Friday's news. |
| 🚌 New this morning: Dozens of school bus drivers have died of COVID – and it's contributing to a nationwide shortage of the drivers. |
| 🍽 "Seven Days of 1961": They tried to eat at a whites-only lunch counter in 1961. They were sentenced to a chain gang. |
| 🔵 "Our hearts are broken": A body found in the Illinois River was identified as Illinois State University graduate student Jelani "JJ" Day, authorities said. |
| 🗳 Officials in the Texas secretary of state's office are conducting a "full and comprehensive forensic audit" of 2020 general election results in four of the state's largest counties. |
| 🌎 Hispanic Living: America Ferrera shares what she's learned as an actor, a producer and an activist for the Latinx community. |
| 📰 Have you follow this week's headlines? Test your knowledge with our news quiz. |
| 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, hear from witnesses following the grocery store shooting in Tennessee. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what's happening today: |
Gunman kills 1, wounds at least 12 at Kroger store in Tennessee |
| Police in Tennessee are continuing their investigation Friday after a gunman killed one person and wounded at least 12 others at a Kroger grocery store before dying from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. The shooting was reported at about 1:30 p.m. CT on Thursday in Collierville, a town about 30 miles east of Memphis. Terrified shoppers ran from the building amid gunshots fired inside, according to survivors and eyewitnesses. At least four victims are in critical condition, a hospital spokesperson said. Kroger said the store will remain closed while the investigation continues, and employees are being offered counseling services. |
CDC endorses COVID-19 boosters for older or high-risk Americans |
| A major new phase in the U.S vaccination drive against COVID-19 will soon begin after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed booster shots for millions of older and high-risk Americans late Thursday. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off a series of recommendations from a panel of advisers, hours after they said boosters for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine should be offered to people 65 and older, nursing home residents and those ages 50 to 64 who have risky underlying health problems. The panel had voted against saying people can get a booster if they are 18 to 64 years of age, are healthcare workers or have another job that puts them at increased risk of being exposed to the virus. But Walensky disagreed and put that recommendation back in, noting that such a move aligns with a previous FDA booster authorization decision. |
Hand recount in Arizona affirms Biden defeated Trump in 2020 election |
| A monthslong hand recount in Maricopa County, Arizona's largest county, once again confirmed President Joe Biden won the 2020 election and the race was not "stolen" from former President Donald Trump, according to early versions of a report prepared for the Arizona Senate obtained by The Arizona Republic of the USA TODAY Network. The report by the Senate's lead contractor, Cyber Ninjas, includes results that show Trump lost by a wider margin than the county's official election results. The hand count shows Trump received 45,469 fewer votes than Biden. The county results showed Trump lost by 45,109. The official results are set to be presented to the state Senate Friday afternoon. |
 | | Boxes of Maricopa County ballots from the 2020 general election that have already been examined and recounted by contractors hired by the Arizona Senate in an audit are seen in Phoenix on May 24, 2021. | | Arizona Republic photo; USA TODAY graphic | |
What else people are reading: |
| 👨🏾🌾Exclusive: The Department of Agriculture launched a commission aimed at addressing "historical discrimination" in agriculture, a sign the USDA is looking to overcome a decades-long history of systemic racism. |
| 🔵A Detroit drug pipeline is targeting North Dakota Native Americans. Here's how they're fighting back. |
| 🔴 An internal Rochester Police Department investigation has determined just one of the seven officers suspended for their roles in the 2020 death of Daniel Prude will face potential discipline. |
| 💹 Most Americans are afraid to invest in a stock market downturn. Here's why that's wrong. |
Newsmakers in their own words: Fearful flight attendants press for action |
 | | Flight attendant Teddy Andrews spoke at a congressional hearing on Thursday, September 23, 2021 | | USA TODAY graphic | |
| Teddy Andrews, an American Airlines flight attendant, told the aviation subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Thursday that he has lost count of how many times he has been insulted or threatened on a flight since he returned to work a year ago after nearly dying of COVID-19 in 2020. He added the most "imminent danger" is air rage. |
| Andrews and Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, called on the government, airlines and airports to do more to reduce the number of unruly passenger incidents. One proposal included federal criminal prosecution of the most egregious cases. |
House expected to pass abortion rights bill |
| A Democratic bill to protect abortion rights nationwide is expected to be approved Friday in the House, but support in the more narrowly Democratic-held Senate is less certain. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican, said Tuesday she opposes the bill, The Los Angeles Times first reported. The measure is a direct response to the Texas "fetal heartbeat" bill that took effect earlier this month after the Supreme Court declined to block its enforcement. Despite 48 cosponsors in the Senate, Democrats are considering whether to bring it to a vote. |
Also happening Friday: |
| ⚖ Moving toward a conclusion: The R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial could go to the jury as soon as this afternoon. Kelly, 54, faces multiple sex-trafficking and racketeering charges dating back decades. |
| 📱New iPhone: Apple is introducing four versions of its latest smartphone, the iPhone 13. Along with the standard iPhone 13, there's the iPhone 13 Mini, the iPhone 13 Pro and the Pro Max. Prices start at $699 for the Mini and creep up by $100 for each model, topping off at $1,099 for the Pro Max. |
| 🎥 In theaters this weekend: Ben Platt reprises his Tony-winning role in the movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical "Dear Evan Hansen," a tale about an awkward teen (Platt), who concocts a friendship with a late classmate to help his grieving family, but also finds accidental popularity. USA TODAY critic Brian Truitt says the results of the adaptation are not great. |
 | | Evan Hansen (Ben Platt) fosters a crush on classmate Zoe Murphy (Kaitlyn Dever) in the movie musical "Dear Evan Hansen." | | UNIVERSAL PICTURES | |
Ryder Cup gets underway after pandemic postponement |
| Postponed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic , the 43rd Ryder Cup golf competition opens Friday with two days of best-ball and alternate-shot matches before Sunday's singles competitions. Team Europe will be trying to retain the Cup on American soil at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wisconsin. Europe beat the United States in Paris in 2018 to take back the trophy the U.S. had won in 2016. Team USA traditionally has struggled in foursomes and will be trying to win for just the third time since 2002. Earlier this week, European captain Padraig Harrington tried to win over American fans , throwing a few Cheesehead hats into the gallery and wearing Green Bay Packers colors. |
ICYMI: Some of our top stories Thursday |
| 🔴 "He doesn't deserve to be around kids": A prominent cheerleading choreographer allegedly pushed his boyfriend off third-floor walkway, then livestreamed the aftermath. |
| ⛳️ "Harry Potter" actor Tom Felton was carted off a golf course after collapsing while competing against the USA at a celebrity golf event. |
| 🏚 Is a housing crash on the horizon? Eight experts weigh in on the possibility. |
| 🔴 The Boppy Co., makers of nursing pillows and baby carriers, is recalling three types of baby pillows after eight infants died from suffocation. |
| 🔵Supermodel Linda Evangelista says she was "brutally disfigured" after a CoolSculpting cosmetic procedure. What is it? |
📸 Photo of the day: Bad Bunny's big night at the Billboard Latin Music Awards📸 |
 | | Bad Bunny, right, and Gabriela Berlingeri arrive at the Billboard Latin Music Awards on Thursday, September 23, 2021 at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla. | | Marta Lavandier, AP | |
| Bad Bunny had quite the night in Florida on Thursday. Not only was the urban music superstar the champion of the Billboard Latin Music Awards, taking home artist of the year honors and a whopping 10 trophies, he made his red carpet debut with his girlfriend Gabriela Berlingeri. |
| Click here to check out the hottest looks and best moments from the red carpet. |
| The Daily Briefing is free, but several stories we link to in this edition are subscriber-only. Please support our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today. |
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