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Good evening. Here’s the latest.
1. The Midwest is about to experience weather whiplash as parts of the region could see temperatures rise by 70 degrees within a few days.
The bitter cold lifted in the region after days of dangerously low temperatures left at least 29 dead and cities at a standstill. Detroit, above, hovered near zero degrees. But the thaw is setting in. The Chicago area may see a jarring 73-degree jump, from minus 21 on Thursday to possibly 52 on Monday.
The temperature swing will bring some relief and give cities and towns a chance to assess the damage. But it also brings a new set of worries: potholes, clogs, flooding and ice jams.
2. President Trump wanted to talk.
He initially invited A. G. Sulzberger, the publisher of The Times, to an off-the record dinner. Mr. Sulzberger declined, and instead requested an on-the-record interview including Times reporters.
3. The U.S. suspended one of the last Cold War nuclear arms control treaties with Russia, setting the stage for a possible new arms race.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the suspension of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, after years of insistence that Moscow violated the Reagan-era agreement, declaring that “countries must be held accountable when they break the rules.”
But the Trump administration’s real aim is China: Constrained by the treaty’s provisions, the United States has been prevented from deploying new weapons to counter China’s efforts in the Western Pacific.
4. Representatives Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, above,and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, the House’s first two Muslim women, have been celebrated as symbols of diversity. But on Israel, they have exposed a divide within the Democratic Party.
The debate pits the stalwart supporters of Israel against a wing of young liberals like Ms. Tlaiband Ms. Omar — including many young Jews — who are willing to accuse Israel of human rights abuses and demand movement toward a Palestinian state.
The tussle will take center stage next week as the Senate takes up a bill aimed to curb the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, or B.D.S., movement, which is intended to pressure Israel into ending the occupation of the West Bank. The bill is also intended to stifle voices like Ms. Tlaib and Ms. Omar that back it. It is expected to pass easily.
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5. Today in 2020 news: Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey is the latest Democrat to jump into a presidential race that could include one of the most diverse primary fields in history.
Mr. Booker, the former mayor of Newark, is hoping to run on his signature upbeat message. In an early-morning email to supporters, the senator laid out his vision for a country that will “channel our common pain back into our common purpose.”
In other 2020 developments, Senator Elizabeth Warren apologized for her decision to take a DNA test to prove her Native American ancestry. The apology came as Ms. Warren is set to formally kick off her presidential run this month.
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6. The U.S. economy added 304,000 jobs in January as employers appeared to shrug off the government shutdown.
January’s growth means that American employers have added jobs for 100 consecutive months, a record run. Unemployment ticked up to 4 percent, possibly a shutdown-related anomaly. Above, a T.S.A. agent working through the shutdown in January.
“This jobs report is showing no evidence of an economy slowing, certainly not falling into recession,” one economist said.
One industry did not fare as well: digital media. More than 1,000 employees were laid off at BuzzFeed, Vice, AOL, Yahoo and HuffPost in recent days. We take a look at what went wrong.
Separately, Foxconn said it was moving forward with a Wisconsin plant after talking to President Trump. It previously sent mixed signals.
7. Seven manufacturers of pelvic mesh are paying $8 billion to resolve more than 100,000 claims from women. But lawyers have found ways to take big chunks of their payouts.
A decade ago, doctors were quick to implant synthetic mesh to deal with urinary issues. But when women began complaining of complications, lawyers signed up patients by the thousands to file claims against the manufacturers. It turned into one of the biggest federal court litigations in United States history.
But the average settlement is less than $60,000, which dwindles after retainer agreements allow lawyers to recoup 45 percent of the settlements they negotiated, plus reimbursement for expenses including private jet travel.
9. Scott Joplin, a pianist and ragtime master. Zelda Wynn Valdes, a fashion designer who outfitted the stars of screen and stage. Gladys Bentley, a gender-bending blues performer.
These remarkable black men and women never received obituaries in The New York Times — until now. We’re adding their stories, along with 10 others, to our project about prominent people whose deaths were not reported by the newspaper.
The series is continuing, and will continue to expand its lens. Think we’re forgetting someone? We want your Black History Month suggestions.
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10. Finally, we end the day with Day-Glo flying squirrels.
One spring night, a biologist saw a hot-pink squirrel fly by while he was outside with his ultraviolet flashlight. He wasn’t seeing things: A new study found that three species of flying squirrel turn hot-pink under ultraviolet illumination.
Scientists are still studying why the squirrels turn this vivid color. It could be ecologically significant to the species, one researcher said, or “it could just be a cool color that they happen to produce.”
Have a vibrant weekend.
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Source : Nytimes
