Winds shred Southern Plains; California set to get more snow
Parts of the Southern Plains are surveying the damage and counting the injured after tornadoes and other powerful winds. Emergency officials say at least one person was killed in a tornado in western Oklahoma. Forecasters warned Monday of continued high winds in parts of the Plains and of thunderstorms and possible tornadoes in the Ohio Valley. In Michigan, residents faced a fifth consecutive day without power following last week’s ice storm. In California, weather officials said winter storms will continue moving into the state through Wednesday after residents got a brief break from severe weather. And parts of the Northeast that have seen little snow are under a winter storm warning.
IRS decision not to tax certain payments carries fiscal cost
More than 20 state governments, flush with cash from federal stimulus funds and a rebounding economy, shared their windfalls last year by sending residents one-time payments. This year, the Biden administration added a sweetener, telling tens of millions taxpayers that they do not need to pay federal taxes on those payments. That decision by the IRS, while applauded by some tax experts and lawmakers, could cost the federal government as much $4 billion in revenue when Washington is struggling with a ballooning federal deficit and entering a protracted fight over the nation’s debt limit.
Biden deploys high-powered aides, plus more aid, to bolster Ukraine
A week after U.S. President Joe Biden traveled to Ukraine to pledge American support in the fight to repel Russia, he has dispatched two senior Cabinet members to redouble efforts to prop up the Ukrainian economy and to try to curb the Kremlin’s ability to skirt Western sanctions. The visits — by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to the capital, Kyiv, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken into the heart of what Moscow considers its sphere of influence in Central Asia — underscore the Biden administration’s commitment to blocking Moscow’s ambitions in Ukraine as the war enters its second year.
Murdoch says some Fox hosts ‘endorsed’ false election claims
Court documents say Fox Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch acknowledged that some Fox News commentators endorsed false allegations of a stolen 2020 presidential election. Those allegations are at the heart of a defamation lawsuit against the cable news giant by Dominion Voting Systems. In court filings released Monday referencing Murdoch’s deposition, Dominion says he acknowledged that Fox commentators Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro and Sean Hannity endorsed the false notion of a stolen election. Attorneys for Fox Corp. note that Murdoch testified he never discussed Dominion or voter fraud with any of the accused hosts.
Legacy of Wounded Knee occupation lives on 50 years later
The occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, began 50 years ago and was one in a string of protests from 1969 to 1973 that pushed the American Indian Movement to the forefront of Native activism. ICT reports that mixed feelings linger over the tensions that emerged in Lakota communities after the 71-day occupation and the virtual destruction of the small community. But the legacy of activism lives on among those who have followed in the occupiers’ footsteps, including the new generations of Native people who turned out near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation beginning in 2016 to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline.
DeSantis takes over Disney district, punishing company
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that gives him control of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district, punishing the company over its opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. The bill requires the Republican DeSantis to appoint a five-member board to oversee the government services that the Disney district provides in its sprawling theme park properties in Florida. The governor signed the legislation on Monday. The move comes as DeSantis gears up for an expected presidential run and marks a high-profile legislative victory for a governor whose leveraging of cultural and political divides has pushed him to the fore of national Republican politics.
Italy migrant tragedy death toll over 60; dozens missing
The death toll has risen to at least 63 in the migrant tragedy off Italy’s southern coast after rescue crews recovered several more bodies. Children were among the dead after a wooden boat broke up in stormy seas on the reefs near the Calabrian coast on Sunday. At least 80 people survived but more were feared dead. Survivors told authorities that the boat which set off from Turkey last week was carrying about 170 people. The beach on Calabria’s Ionian coast was littered Monday with the splintered remains of the boat as well as the belongings the migrants had brought with them. There were only a few life jackets scattered amid the debris.
Ukraine gets support from Saudis with $400 million aid deal
Saudi Arabia signed agreements worth $400 million with Ukraine on Sunday after the kingdom’s foreign minister made a surprise visit to Kyiv, a move praised by Washington. Prince Faisal bin Farhan met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his chief of staff Andriy Yermak, his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, and others. He was the highest-ranking Saudi official to visit Ukraine in 30 years. The trip comes after Saudi Arabia was accused by the U.S. of siding with Russia in its year-old invasion of Ukraine through its oil policy.