Biden in USA TODAY: Fight with vaccines, not lockdowns

Happy Friday, Daily Briefing readers! Welcome to the end of another work week. It's Steve here with Friday's news. Today...

🦠 President Joe Biden unveils his COVID-19 winter plan: Tighter travel rules, free at-home tests and booster shots are key elements of Biden's latest strategy to combat the rapidly evolving coronavirus. The president has also written a piece for USA TODAY Opinion in which he reiterates that he wants to fight COVID-19 with more with widespread vaccinations, not with lockdowns.

🏬 Nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen: Authorities say 14 have been arrested in connection to smash-and-grab thefts in Southern California.

🏫 "Deeply disturbing": Police in the state of Washington are investigating a school board meeting incident as a hate crime.

🏈 Heading to the sidelines: Tampa Bay wide receiver Antonio Brown is among three NFL players who got suspended after they 'misrepresented' their COVID-19 vaccine status.

📺 "Annie Live!" review: Celina Smith, who plays Annie shines brighter than the Chrysler Building in NBC's live musical. 

💜 Humankind: Group hug! A woman's entire family shows up at the airport to welcome her home after not seeing her for about two years.

🗞 Did you follow this week's news? Test your knowledge with our quiz.

🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, White House correspondent Maureen Groppe reports on President Joe Biden's new COVID-19 plan, as the omicron variant spreads through the United States. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.

Now let's dive in:

Government shutdown avoided; Biden could sign bill Friday

Both chambers of Congress passed a bill Thursday to fund the government through Feb. 18 – 11 more weeks – narrowly avoiding a shutdown. The passages give President Joe Biden an ample of amount of time to sign the bill before funding was set to run out at midnight on Friday. The Senate voted 69-28 late Thursday to pass the short-term measure that the House approved hours earlier by a vote of 221-212 that was almost entirely along party lines. The measure gives Congress several more weeks to work on a longer-term funding plan covering the entire fiscal year. A group of Republican senators nearly forced a shutdown after they threatened to delay passage of the bill in the upper chamber. They wanted language preventing the use of federal money to carry out a Biden administration mandate on workplace vaccinations, but the amendment to do that failed 50-48.  

Detroit area schools cancel classes after Oxford High shooting, threats

Some schools in Michigan will remain closed Friday due to threats of violence, after a 15-year-old shooter at Oxford High School in Oxford Township, Michigan, killed four students and wounded seven others Monday. Though many schools are closing out of an abundance of caution, others mention safety concerns and reported threats. Oxford High School, meanwhile, is closed through the rest of the week. Pat Watson, the superintendent of Bloomfield Hills Schools, about 20 miles south of Oxford Township, wrote in a memo Wednesday night that the district and others nearby "have received numerous reports of threats of violence circulating on social media." 

Just for subscribers

🔵 "When you receive a threat like that, it's like a bomb dropping on your house": As death threats surge, First Amendment advocates are struggling to say what's a crime and what's protected.

🗳 Former President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 during the 2020 presidential campaign. Did he endanger President Joe Biden when he showed up to debate him?

🔵 Singer Ed Sheeran thought he was gay as a child: Why do concerns about queerness begin as prepubescent childhood? Experts have an explanation.

🌏 "Something has been missing":Children of the Vietnam War are pushing for more family reunifications. 

💲 See where your state ranks: Employers in Massachusetts, West Virginia and Maryland are having the toughest time finding workers while those in Nevada, Wyoming and Hawaii are facing the fewest obstacles.

🌧 From the Downour series: Deadly mudslides threaten more Americans as heavy rains loom over scorched lands.

These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here for $1/week. Here is all of our subscriber content.

Omicron cases confirmed in 5 US states

Confirmed U.S. cases of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus are likely to tick up on Friday as known instances continue to rise across the country. Five cases of the variant were identified in New York, state and city officials said Thursday. Cases of the variant have also been confirmed in California, Hawaii, Minnesota and Colorado. In Minnesota, health officials said a man began experiencing symptoms the day after attending the Anime NYC 2021 convention at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Officials in New York said they were working to trace attendees of the convention, which was held Nov. 19-21 and drew about 50,000 people, according to event organizers. The omicron variant, first reported by scientists in South Africa, has been designated a "variant of concern" by global health officials, meaning it has the potential to be more contagious than prior strains or more resistant to vaccines.

What else people are reading:

🔵 One 17-year-old girl was having a seizure:Police shocked her with a Taser.

📺 Alec Baldwin recounts fatal 'Rust' shooting in an ABC News special: The actor said he cocked the gun but "didn't pull the trigger" and that "Someone is responsible ... but I know it's not me."

🏀  A game of historic proportions: The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder by 73 points on Thursday night, an NBA record.

Jobs report: Can November's numbers build on October's solid report?

Inflation is surging. Supply chains are snarled. And economists still are predicting that America's employers delivered another month of solid job growth in November on the strength of steady consumer spending. Economists have forecast that employers added 535,000 jobs in November, nearly the same as October's gain of 531,000, according to data provider FactSet via The Associated Press. FactSet also forecasts the unemployment rate dipped from 4.6% to 4.5%. Beneath the headline figures on hiring and unemployment, though, lurks a potentially even more consequential question: Are more people who lost jobs to the pandemic recession finally coming off the sidelines to look for work again? Many more job-seekers are needed to help companies fill their open jobs and sustain the economy's growth. The omicron COVID-19 variant won't affect Friday's jobs report for November because the government gathered the data for it before that variant emerged. But omicron could exert an impact on the job market in future months.

Mariah Carey Christmas special streams on Apple TV+

We don't want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing we need: Mariah. And that's a wish granted because the Queen of Christmas is in overdrive this holiday season. We've got Mariah songs, Mariah merchandise, Mariah at McDonald's and, now, a sequel to last year's "Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special," which lands on the Apple TV+ streaming service Friday. Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson appeared in last year's special. This year, viewers can expect Khalid, Kirk Franklin and a "song that is a fan favorite that I didn't perform in the first Christmas special," Carey said. "I go all out every year, darling," she told USA TODAY. "I love the holidays. It's just my thing."

📸 Photo of the day: Cowboys and Saints put on a show in New Orleans  📸

Running back Tony Pollard broke loose for a 58-yard touchdown run in the second half and the Dallas Cowboys defense intercepted Taysom Hill four times on their way to a 27-17 victory in New Orleans over the Saints on "Thursday Night Football."  The Cowboys improved to 8-4, while the Saints dropped to 5-7. 

Head here to check out all the photos from Thursday's game and click here to see all of the best images from last week's NFL action. 

Contributing: The Associated Press