© Peeps Bundle up! Most of the country is going to be in the throes of a major cold snap for the next 10 days or so.
© Alberto Mier/CNN Here's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.
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1. Coronavirus
More than 530,000 people in the US could die of Covid-19 by the end of this month, a new CDC projection claims. That would be about one death for every minute of the pandemic. The CDC has also expressed concern that emerging data may show the UK variant making its way around the world is even more deadly than the original strain. Researchers in the US are assuming there are far more cases of these international strains out there than are being reported. But there is some comforting news, too. Global vaccine confidence is rising, according to a survey, with more than half of people in 15 countries saying they'd take the vaccine if offered. And COVAX, a vaccine-sharing initiative, has announced its plan to distribute more than 330 million doses to developing nations in the first half of the year.
2. Congress
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican who's publicly touted dangerous and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, will face a House floor vote today over whether she should be stripped of her committee assignments. Greene has been taken to task for her fringe rhetoric but has retained support from House Republicans and avoided punishment. Meanwhile, some GOP members have turned their attention to Rep. Liz Cheney, pushing to challenge her leadership role because she voted in favor of impeaching former President Trump. However, Cheney prevailed in a GOP House vote yesterday. It's important not to draw a false equivalency between the two: Cheney, the daughter of a former Vice President, crossed party lines in an impeachment vote; Greene promotes QAnon conspiracies and expressed support for assassinating Democratic politicians.
© Michael Gruber/Getty ImagesVIENNA, AUSTRIA - FEBRUARY 03: The new COVID testing station in the orangerie of Schloss Schoenbrunn palace on February 3, 2021 in Vienna, Austria. The new testing station which is scheduled to open tomorrow, offers rapid-antigen tests with multiple testing lanes, both in the orangerie and outside for drive-in service. The Austrian government recently announced it will be relaxing lockdown measures that will allow shops, museums, hair dressers and other establishments to reopen next week. At the same time restrictions will be tightened for people arriving from abroad in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus mutations. (Photo by Michael Gruber/Getty Images)
3. Domestic extremism
The Justice Department has now brought more than 180 federal criminal cases against rioters and others connected to the US Capitol siege. Prosecutors are digging into some of the histories of those involved, uncovering at least one case of stolen valor (when someone lies about military service or awards) and a New Mexico county official who said he wanted to return for President Biden's inauguration with guns in his car. Newly minted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says the type of domestic terrorism seen at the Capitol is "one of the greatest threats" to the US right now, echoing the findings of a 2020 Homeland Security report. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a staggered pause of operations across the entire US military over the next 60 days so commanders can review the handling of extremism among their ranks.
4. Russia
The United States has extended a key nuclear arms control treaty with Russia for the next five years. The New START Treaty -- the only one left regulating the two largest nuclear arsenals in the world -- was set to expire tomorrow. It allows for verifiable limits on Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine launched ballistic missiles and heavy bombers. Biden made the treaty's renewal a priority once he was in office, even as he launched a review of Russian malfeasance ranging from the SolarWinds hack to the alleged bounties Moscow offered for the death of US troops in Afghanistan. The treaty is one of several delicate issues the US will have to work with Russia on, including efforts to sanction North Korea and ensure stability in Afghanistan.
5. Taiwan
The US sent a guided-missile destroyer through the Taiwan Strait today, marking the first time a US warship has gone through the waterway that separates China and Taiwan during the Biden administration. Taiwan is going to be another major foreign policy challenge for Biden. Taiwan is a self-governing island, but Beijing claims full sovereignty over it and is extremely sensitive when it comes to shows of power in the area. Warships, for instance, are seen by Beijing as provocations that threaten stability in the region by encouraging supporters of Taiwanese independence. The Trump administration made strong gestures of support for Taiwan, including arms sales and the dispatching of high-level envoys to the region.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
Record-breaking roller coaster will travel more than 155 mph
Just strap us in and come back in a few hours.
Peeps will be back for Easter after a 9-month hiatus
Ah, a bit of sugary normalcy in these trying times.
Archaeologists unearth Egyptian mummies with golden tongues
Put those back! This is how horror movies start!
Ford receives a patent for a clear respirator mask
But we kind of like never having to show the bottom of our faces ...
Eavesdropping marmosets understand other monkeys' conversations and judge whether they want to interact
Today we learned marmosets are RUDE.
PROFILES IN PERSEVERANCE
February is Black History Month, and every day we're highlighting Black pioneers in American history. Learn more here.
James Armistead Lafayette, spy, c 1748-c 1830
Armistead provided crucial intelligence that helped defeat the British and end the Revolutionary War. Originally a slave, he worked as a double agent under Lafayette, the French general who helped the American colonists fight for their freedom (Armistead added his surname to honor him). Virginia lawmakers, after lobbying by Lafayette, granted Armistead his freedom in 1787.
TODAY'S NUMBER
125,000
That's how many refugees President Biden has pledged to allow annually in the US. The plan is to set that cap in October to start in the next fiscal year. Until then, Biden is expected to make an intermediate increase in the current cap set by the Trump administration, which stands at 15,000.
TODAY'S QUOTE
"I placed too much confidence in assuming that it would all come back to me as 'second nature.'"
An anonymous pilot, in a June report explaining why he or she neglected to turn on the critical anti-icing system. The pandemic means pilots are flying less, and many say it's making their skills rusty.
TODAY'S WEATHER
Check your local forecast here>>>
AND FINALLY
You missed a spot!
This polite seal is here to remind you to keep your surfaces clean! (Click here to view.)