80 years later: USA remembers the Pearl Harbor attack

Good morning, Daily Briefing readers! We're remembering the shocking attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as it happened 80 years today. In the news, President Joe Biden, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will engage in a video call as tensions grow over Ukraine, and Hawaii is under a state of emergency due to potentially 'catastrophic' flooding.

Steve is here with Tuesday's news.

🦠 New this morning: The Omicron variant could be more contagious and less dangerous. That would be "good news for the human race."

🏫 "I'm disappointed, quite honestly": Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said late Monday that the Oxford School District declined an offer to launch an independent review into the recent school shooting. They're going to go with a private security firm instead.

⚖ Notable ruling in Tennessee: A Black man whose fate was decided by an all-white jury who deliberated in a room containing Confederate symbols will receive a new trial.

🔵 Rep. Devin Nunes' 10th term in Congress will be his last: The California Republican announced Monday he will retire at the end of the year to lead the media company being started by former President Donald Trump. 

🏈 Four Heisman Trophy finalists announced: The group includes three quarterbacks and a defensive end. Alabama's Bryce Young remains the overwhelming favorite to win the award.

📺 "All I have to say is that I'm heartbroken": Former "Bachelorette" contestant and current co-host Tayshia Adams confirmed on Monday night's episode that she and fiancé Zac Clark have split after he proposed to her on the show last year.

🎧 On today's5 Things podcast, money and tech reporter Terry Collins explains how "tiny homes" can give the homeless temporary options, You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.

Remembering the attack on Pearl Harbor, 80 years later

Tuesday marks eight decades since the shocking attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii that propelled the U.S. into World War II. More than 2,400 people were killed when hundreds of Japanese planes bombed American service members and civilians on U.S. soil on Dec. 7, 1941, dubbed "a date which will live in infamy" by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day will be observed at Hawaii's Pearl Harbor National Memorial with multiple events, including a ceremony for the 429 USS Oklahoma crew members killed during the attack. Each year, the National Memorial marks Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day by commemorating how it "was a catalyst that led to a changed world." This year, the memorial is focusing on the "long and difficult road to peace." 

🔵 Read and listen to President Roosevelt's 'Day of Infamy' speech, and more

🔵 Dec. 7, 1941: View timeline of events leading up to and after Pearl Harbor attack

Just for subscribers:

📝 Is math racist? Many students of color have struggled with the subject. Schools are limiting gifted classes and altering instruction to address real-life problems – sometimes in the face of intense debate.

🔵 Column from USA TODAY Opinion: It's possible, but not likely, Alec Baldwin's gun fired without him pulling the trigger on the set of the movie "Rust."

🌎 Amid a spike in suicides in Alaska, the Army invested in mental health: But the problem is getting worse.

⚖ "His statement pushed me to go support and be there": From slavery through the civil rights movement, Black pastors and religious leaders have always been the Black community's voice. And that was true during the Ahmaud Arbery murder trial as well.

⚖ "Why must I die in prison?"A Native American man is serving a 'de facto life sentence' for drug dealing.

🔵 "Too many of us have sacrificed too much" This is Sen. Bob Dole's final op-ed before his death Sunday. He began drafting it, with pen and paper, in October and finished it on Nov. 23.

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

Biden, Putin to talk as tensions grow over Ukraine

President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak in a video call Tuesday as tensions between the two nations escalate over a Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border seen as a sign of a potential invasion. Biden will emphasize his desire for a diplomatic solution to the U.S. conflict with Russia over Ukraine but will warn Putin that Russia's continued aggression against its neighbor will come with costs. Ukraine has been on edge in recent weeks amid a fresh build-up of Russian troops on the nation's eastern border, near where Moscow and Kyiv have been enmeshed in a simmering conflict for the last seven years that's killed more than 14,000 people. The Kremlin said Friday that Putin, during his call with Biden, would seek binding guarantees precluding NATO's expansion to Ukraine.  

🌏 From Reagan and Gorbachev to Biden and Putin: 6 meetings show how the US-Russia relationship has evolved

State of emergency in Hawaii due to potentially 'catastrophic' flooding

A powerful storm system pounded Hawaii Monday with heavy rain, and forecasters warned of a chance for "dangerous" and "catastrophic" flooding in some areas. More than 2 feet of rain is possible in some areas; widespread amounts of 10 to 15 inches are likely. "Expect widespread heavy rainfall with this system, especially under the large heavy rain band, capable of producing catastrophic flooding, and strong gusty southerly winds through Wednesday," the National Weather Service in Honolulu said. The islands of Oahu and Kauai could see the brunt of the storm Monday and Tuesday. But for Maui and the Big Island, which have already been soaked, "it's not going to take a lot of additional rain to really lead to big problems," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Robert Ballard said. Kona low storms are a type of seasonal cyclone in the Hawaiian Islands, usually formed in the winter from winds coming from the westerly "Kona" direction, the weather service said.  

🌎 Navy suspends use of military tank farm in Hawaii after petroleum leak: Nearly 1,000 households complained about ailments or tap water smelling like fuel

Newsmakers in their own words: Vanessa Bryant explains her anger over crash photos

Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant submitted a six-page document in court Monday that explains why she feels sick and angry at Los Angeles County employees who shared photos of her husband and daughter after they died in a helicopter crash in February 2020 in Southern California.

Vanessa Bryant is suing the county for invasion of privacy, accusing county sheriff’s deputies and firefighters of improperly taking and sharing photos of human remains from the crash scene. Her attorneys filed documents that said "close-up photos of Gianna and Kobe’s remains were passed around (to) at least 28 LASD devices and by at least a dozen firefighters. And that was only the beginning."

What else people are reading today:

🦠 Where did the coronavirus omicron variant come from? Scientists suggest it evolved in one person.

🏀 Shaquille O'Neal’s son cashes in: Shareef O'Neal, a 6-foot-10 college junior at Louisiana State University, has signed a NIL deal with cryptocurrency company.

🍕 Why celebrate pizza? A new Google Doodle shares the cultural heritage of pizza around the world.

🏈 "Monday Night Football" recap from Western New York: The New England Patriots proved they're the best team in the AFC East as the Buffalo Bills got blown off course.

🏠Stay at the "Home Alone" house: An Airbnb listing goes live Tuesday for the original Illinois house featured in the popular Christmas movie "Home Alone."

Ghislaine Maxwell's abuse trial resumes in New York

Ghislaine Maxwell's sex-abuse trial will continue in New York City Tuesday, one day after a British woman testified that Maxwell pressured her into giving Jeffrey Epstein sexual massages when she was still a teenager. The woman – using the pseudonym "Kate" to protect her privacy – said Monday she met Maxwell when she was 17 through a friend she had dated on and off, and was eager to be friends with the British socialite. Maxwell told her Epstein, then her boyfriend, was a philanthropist who could help her with her singing career, she said. On cross-examination, a lawyer for Maxwell got the witness to acknowledge instances where she had spoken out publicly about Epstein and Maxwell using her real name. The lawyer also asked whether her history of drug and alcohol abuse affected her memory.  Maxwell, 59, has denied charges she groomed girls as young as 14 for Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019. Her lawyers say the government is making her a scapegoat for Epstein's alleged sex crimes.

Disassembly process of Lee statue pedestal could begin Tuesday

Preliminary work to remove an enormous pedestal that until recently held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee got underway Monday in Richmond, Virginia. In one of the first steps, a crew was erecting scaffolding around the pedestal. The removal will be completed by the end of December. Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's administration announced plans Sunday to remove the pedestal, which sits in the middle of a traffic circle along the capital city's historic Monument Avenue and has for 130 years. The statue was removed this year after the Virginia Supreme Court ruled the state, which owns the property, was not bound by a century-old land deed between a group of Henrico County citizens who paid for the bronze sculpture and the commonwealth.   

📸 Photo of the day: Jennifer Lawrence shows off her baby bump 📸

A pregnant Jennifer Lawrence attended the world premiere of her upcoming Netflix film "Don't Look Up," in which she stars with Leonardo DiCaprio, on Sunday night. She is expecting her first child with her husband Cooke Maroney. 

Head here to see more photos from the life and career from the Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence.

Contributing: The Associated Press