BRIAN WILLIAMS' DAUGHTER PUTS OFF HER WEDDING AS SCANDAL PLAYS OUT Wedding plans for Allison Williams are on hold. The Girls star says part of it's work, and part of it's because of her dad Brian Williams' six-months suspension from the anchor desk at NBC News. Allison got engaged last year to her longtime boyfriend Ricky Van Veen, a co-founder of College Humor. She strongly defended her papa in a Q&A with Seth Meyers last night. "You sort of think, 'What could possibly come along that would make me not think about this?' And then I get Peter Pan and I think, 'OK, I will think only about Neverland and then we'll go back to planning our wedding,'" she said. "Then current events started happening, so that derailed it a little bit." The current events she's referring to include the embarrassing acknowledgment by her dad that he had exaggerated — or lied, as some said — about his coverage of the Iraq War and whether his helicopter had come under fire as a reporter in 2003.
FDA ISSUES NIGHTMARE WARNING AFTER MOST FEARED SUPERBUG SPREADS AT LA HOSPITAL Watch out for dirty duodenoscopes. The Food and Drug Administration warned doctors and hospitals today that the design of a hard-to-clean medical scope is leading to the spread of powerful superbugs. Meticulous cleaning of the duodenoscopes — which are threaded down the throat of a half-million patients a year to treat gallstones, cancers and other disorders of the digestive system — doesn't entirely eliminate the risk. The warning comes amid news of an outbreak of CRE, the most feared superbug, that apparently was spread by contaminated scopes at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. At least five patients have been infected — two of them died — and UCLA believes as many as 179 patients may have been exposed to contaminated scopes during procedures between October and January. Problems with the scopes were identified first in a USA TODAY investigation last month.
WALMART, THE COMPANY PEOPLE LOVE TO HATE, JUST DID SOMETHING NICE FOR ITS WORKERS Walmart workers were mad. They protested for years. And today they finally got what they wanted: more money. Walmart announced that 500,000 employees will receive raises to at least $9 an hour starting in April. Walmart has gotten flak for years for not paying its employees enough to live on. The raise is at least $1.75 more than the federal minimum wage. By next February, hourly employees will make at least $10 an hour after completing about six months of training. CEO Doug McMillon said the decision was made as part of a strategy to attract and retain employees and improve customer service. "We want associates that care about the company and are highly engaged in our business and are leaning in," he said. "Those feelings generate a customer experience that drives growth."
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN'S BIG SPENDING MAY BE BREAKING RULES Rep. Aaron Schock has a taste for the finer things. Take his office, for example. He spent tens of thousands of dollars on renovations, leather furniture and even granite countertops. Earlier this month, The Washington Post reported that the Illinois Republican had his office lavishly redecorated in a bold red theme inspired by Downton Abbey . Schock also has a penchant for flying private. The issue is the high-roller used taxpayer-funded accounts for his renovations and private aviation services. House rules and federal law generally prohibit the use of private aircraft for official and campaign use. There are some exemptions, but neither Schock nor his representatives replied to repeated e-mails and calls from USA TODAY about whether he obtained permission for the flights. In 2013, Schock reported spending more than $102,000 on travel at the end of the year. Only 11 House members spent more.
NATURE LOOKING AWESOME IS THE ONLY THING GETTING US THROUGH THIS WINTER Yesterday we had Niagara Falls looking more beautiful than ever. Cold temps caused ice, mist and snow to cover parts of the waterfall along the U.S.-Canada border. Crowds flocked to see the frozen splendor. Today, it's the Great Lakes. The ice cover continues to grow, showing off some pretty stunning ice formations. Lake Erie usually gets extensive ice coverage because of how shallow it is. As of today, it had 98% ice cover. While we're all freezing — and counting down until spring — nature is inspiring awe. At least there's that.
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| Compiled by Alia E Dastagir. Contributing: Hadley Malcolm, Doug Stanglin, Peter Eisler, Paul Singer, Maria Puente, USA TODAY; Jessica Durando, Mary Bowerman, USA TODAY Network |
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