February 16, 2022
CLIMATE | The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a report yesterday that says sea levels along the U.S. coastline are expected to rise an average of 10-12 inches over the next 30 years — an increase about the same as that seen over the past 100 years. The report further concludes that, by 2050, moderate coastal flooding is expected to occur, on average, more than 10 times as often as it does today. [full report] [more]
UKRAINE | NATO defense ministers are meeting in Brussels today amidst ongoing concerns of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. The meeting comes as Russian officials say some of its troops are ending military exercises in the border region and returning to their permanent bases. [more]
PRIVACY | Facebook parent company Meta announced yesterday that it has agreed to pay $90 million to settle a decade-old class action lawsuit regarding tracking users’ internet activity even when they had logged out of the platform. As part of the settlement, Meta denied any wrongdoing. [more]
SANDY HOOK SETTLEMENT | Gunmaker Remington Arms yesterday agreed to a settlement under which it will pay $73 million to the families of five adults and four children who were among those killed in the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Remington was the maker of the AR-15-style rifle used in the attack. [more]
EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY | The European Court of Justice — the European Union’s highest court — ruled today that the EU can withhold some funding from member states if they breach democratic and rule of law principles seen as central to the Union’s charter. Supporters of the ruling say violations of such principles not only have political impacts, but also affect budgetary matters, while opponents say the ruling amounts to political blackmail. [more]
O’ROURKE | Best-selling American columnist, satirist, and political commentator P.J. O’Rourke died Tuesday at the age of 74 from complications of lung cancer. [more]
NFL | NBC Sports reports that 112.3 million people watched Sunday’s Super Bowl — the highest Super Bowl viewership in five years and an increase of 16% over last year. [more]
COVID-19 | Chinese leader Xi Jinping today urged officials in Hong Kong to take all necessary measures to control the city’s largest surge in COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. [more]
BRAZIL | Officials in Brazil say at least 18 people have died due to flooding and mudslides in and around the city of Petropolis in the Rio de Janeiro state. [more]
GREECE | The Greek parliament yesterday approved a $3.4 billion agreement under which the country will purchase three French-made frigates. Greek defense officials say the warships are key to helping address the country’s maritime boundaries tensions with Turkey. [more]
U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS | The U.S. Treasury Department issued regulations yesterday to implement sanctions on 59 Chinese companies designated as military entities by the Pentagon. Under the new regulations, U.S. financial companies, as well as individual investors, are prohibited from securities trading that benefits the named Chinese companies. [more]
CANADA PROTESTS | Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly resigned his position yesterday amidst criticism of his handling of trucker protests in the Canadian capitol. [more]
TODAY IN HISTORY | Today in 1959, Fidel Castro became the premier of Cuba after defeating the forces of General Fulgencio Batista, beginning the transformation of the island nation into the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere. [more]
MORE HISTORY | The burial chamber of King Tutankhamun was unsealed by British archaeologist Howard Carter on this date in 1923. [more]