Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 Severe Weather Causes Flooding On West Coast, Power Outages On East Coast
The coasts are getting hit hard with severe weather and it’s not quite over yet. The snow on the East Coast is causing road closures and flight delays, while the rain on the west coast is threatening more flood damage. A nor'easter is bringing snow, rain, and high winds to the East Coast. Upstate New York and most of New England are feeling the brunt of the storm as more than 20 million people are under winter alerts with over 300,000 power outages. Flight delays are also piling up, thanks to 50-mile-an-hour winds. As of yesterday afternoon, parts of Massachusetts and Vermont received between 14-28 inches of snow, while Connecticut reported 17 inches of snow - and more on the way. It was so bad in Maine, that all state offices closed yesterday, and the governor urged people to stay home. Meanwhile, on the west coast, The American Red Cross is working around the clock in California as the state gets drenched by another soaking atmospheric river. Steve Walsh with Gold Country Red Cross says hundreds of volunteers are staging their response to the storm as millions face dangerous flooding. More than 30 million Californians are under flood alerts, which puts 40 of California's 58 counties under a state of emergency.
2 Russian Fighter Jet Downs A U.S. Drone
The U.S. government says a Russian fighter jet struck the propeller of a U.S. surveillance drone yesterday, which caused American forces to bring down the unmanned aerial vehicle, sending it plunging into the Black Sea. The U.S. is calling this act a “brazen violation of international law.” However, the Russian government doesn’t see it that way. They insist their warplane didn’t hit the MQ-9 Reaper drone and that it crashed after a "sharp maneuver". Russia's ambassador is speaking out following the incident. Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said Russia doesn't want "confrontation" with the U.S., but according to him "American aircraft have no business being near the Russian border." After being summoned to the State Department following the incident, Antonov spoke to reporters and said the Russian pilots were "professional" in their actions. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is holding fast to their accusations by calling Russia's interception of a U.S. drone over the Black Sea "unprofessional" and "unsafe." Brigadier General Pat Ryder says the Su-27 fighter jets dumped fuel on the drone in a "reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner" and though intercepts aren't uncommon, the behavior by the Russian pilots is.
3 Ohio Announces Lawsuit Against Norfolk Southern
Ohio is suing railroad company Norfolk Southern over the toxic train derailment in East Palestine last month. Attorney General Dave Yost announced the state is seeking damages, civil penalties, and a "declarative judgment that Norfolk Southern is responsible." The lawsuit claims there were multiple violations of state and federal law. Yost added, "a big point of this lawsuit is to make sure that those long-term effects are not only not forgotten, but they are addressed." Yost said in a press briefing that the 58-count lawsuit alleges several violations of state and federal law regarding water and air pollution, hazardous waste, and “common law negligence”. What’s more, Yost added that Norfolk Southern’s accidents have increased by 80% over the past decade. The complaint says that at least 20 Norfolk Southern derailments have involved chemical discharge since 2015. So how much does Ohio want? Yost says they want to be repaid for damages to natural resources, emergency responses, and financial harm to the state as businesses have allegedly lost revenues as people continue to avoid the area. Ohio is asking for minimum federal damages of $75,000 “as a formality” but notes “the damages will far exceed that minimum as the situation in East Palestine continues to unfold.”