Remembering Harry Reid and John Madden; COVID hot spot is Americas; plus more top news

Here are today's top stories, celebrity birthdays and a look back at this date in history:

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FIRST, THE WEATHER

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TOP STORIES

Harry Reid remembered as fighter, skilled dealmaker

LAS VEGAS (AP) — He was an accomplished amateur boxer who'd rather dance. But Harry Reid was fond of reminding his opponents that he knew how to fight, too. That skill took him far — from poverty in Searchlight, Nevada, to the pinnacle of the U.S. Senate.

Reid, who died Tuesday at 82 after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer, was one of Congress’ most skilled negotiators, thriving on the behind-the-scenes wrangling that frustrated many of his predecessors. As majority leader from 2007 to 2015, he kept the Senate in Democratic hands through a volatile era of polarizing health care and economic policy, recession and war, and with a Republican and then a Democratic president.

Keep scrolling for links to full versions of these top stories and more. 

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Hall of Fame coach, broadcaster John Madden dies

(AP) — John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster whose exuberant calls combined with simple explanations provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades, died Tuesday, the league said. He was 85.

Madden gained fame in a decade-long stint as the coach of the renegade Oakland Raiders, making it to seven AFC title games and winning the Super Bowl following the 1976 season.

But it was his work after prematurely retiring as coach at age 42 that made Madden truly a household name. He educated a football nation with his use of the telestrator on broadcasts; entertained millions with his interjections of “Boom!” and “Doink!” throughout games; and became the face of “Madden NFL Football,” one of the most successful sports video games of all-time.

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Daily US COVID cases a record; Americas a hot spot again

The U.S. hit a seven-day average of 265,427 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, blowing past the country's previous record of about 252,000 daily cases, reported nearly a year ago on Jan. 11.

The new peak, according to Johns Hopkins University data, comes amid a rapid acceleration of infections in the United States — and across the world — since last month.

The World Health Organization says the number of COVID-19 cases recorded worldwide increased by 11% last week compared with the previous week, with the biggest increase in the Americas.

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Click on the links below for full versions of today's top stories. Keep scrolling for a look back at this day in history and today's celebrity birthdays:

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MORNING LISTEN

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IMAGE OF THE DAY

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TODAY IN HISTORY

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ...