Earthquake death toll:Â The death toll in the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria has climbed past 5,000 and is expected to continue rising. There is no estimate of how many people were injured. Thousands of buildings collapsed, many in aftershocks that followed the main quake that hit 7.8 on the Richter scale.
State of the Union:Â President Biden delivers his State of the Union speech to a joint meeting of the Senate and House in the House chamber tonight. White House sources say right-wing extremist Republicans are expected to interrupt and heckle Biden during the speech. The White House plan is reported to be for Biden to respond calmly and show that he’s an adult while the hecklers aren’t.
Powerball winner:Â There was a winner of the Powerball jackpot prize of more than $754 million in last night’s drawing. The winning ticket was sold in Washington state. The jackpot now starts filling up all over again, with a $20 million top prize in the next drawing, which is scheduled for Wednesday.
Derailment:Â After ordering residents to evacuate, officials in East Palestine, Ohio, released the toxic chemical vinyl chloride from five of the tank cars in the train that derailed and caught fire. They did that to reduce the risk of explosion and help with firefighting efforts.
China issues a warning:Â China warned this morning that it will protect what it calls its legitimate rights and interests following the U.S. shooting down of its spy balloon over the weekend. China again insisted that it was only a weather balloon and demanded that the U.S. return the balloon’s debris.
Bed Bath & Beyond:Â Bed Bath & Beyond said this morning that it plans to raise about $1 billion through the sale of warrants to buy stock and the issuance of new stock. The move follows by a few days Bed Bath & Beyond announcing additional store closings including its stores in New Rochelle, Port Chester, Hartsdale, Yonkers and Poughkeepsie. The Business Journals recently reported that the Elmsford store and stores in Fairfield, Enfield, Southington and Wethersfield in Connecticut were closing.
