News Wrap: Pacific Northwest cleaning up after ‘bomb cyclone’

In our news wrap Wednesday, communities in the Pacific Northwest are cleaning up after a so-called ‘bomb cyclone’ unleashed torrents of rain and fierce winds, research shows climate change is making hurricanes notably stronger and the Biden administration gave Ukraine a green light to use American-supplied antipersonnel landmines in its fight against Russia.
Geoff Bennett:
The day’s other headlines start in the Pacific Northwest.
Communities are cleaning up after a so-called bomb cyclone unleashed torrents of rain and fierce winds overnight, killing at least two people. Authorities in the Seattle area responded as trees smashed into cars and toppled power lines. More than half-a-million homes and businesses were without electricity as of this morning. Forecasters say there’s a risk of excessive rainfall from Washington state to Northern California through at least Friday.
Climate change is making hurricanes notably stronger. That’s according to a new study published in the journal “Environmental Research Climate.” Researchers studied 40 Atlantic hurricanes over a period of six years and found them to be 18 miles per hour stronger than if climate change had not been a factor.
In real-life terms, that’s the difference between a Category 2 hurricane and a category 3. Warmer oceans were cited as the primary cause. Today’s findings add to other studies that say climate change has made hurricanes intensify quicker and move more slowly.
The Biden administration has given Ukraine a green light to use American-supplied antipersonnel land mines. That’s on top of the anti-tank mines it already provides. It’s the second major policy shift in as many days after the U.S. agreed to let Ukraine strike deeper inside Russia with U.S. missiles. Antipersonnel land mines are often criticized by human rights groups because they can endanger citizens long after conflicts end.
But Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the American versions would be safer because they would deactivate over time. Speaking today in Laos, Secretary Austin explained why they’re needed on the battlefield.
Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense: Because the Russians have been so unsuccessful in the way that they have been fighting, they have kind of changed their tactics a bit and they don’t lead with their mechanized forces anymore. So that’s what the Ukrainians are seeing right now. And they have a need for things that can help slow down that effort on the part of the Russians.
Geoff Bennett:
Meantime, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv was shut today amid warnings of a significant Russian strike on the Ukrainian capital. This afternoon, the State Department said it’s expected to reopen the facility tomorrow and resume normal operations.
The United States has vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. It’s the fourth time the U.S. has blocked such an effort since the onset of the war more than a year ago. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Robert Wood said the U.S. could not support the measure because it did not link the cease-fire to the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Robert Wood, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: These two urgent goals are inextricably linked. This resolution abandoned that necessity. And, for that reason, the United States could not support it. Simply put, this resolution would have sent a dangerous message to Hamas, there’s no need to come back to the negotiating table.
Geoff Bennett:
As the council met today, Israeli airstrikes killed some 15 people across the Gaza Strip. One attack hit this school where displaced Palestinians had been sheltering. Hospital officials say two women and a child were among the dead.
Meantime, in nearby Syria, state-run media says that an Israeli airstrike killed 36 people in the historic town of Palmyra. The Israeli military declined to comment on the reported strike, while, in Lebanon, U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein wrapped up two days of cease-fire talks with Hezbollah and signaled signs of progress. He now heads to Israel, where he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tomorrow.
A Venezuelan man was convicted today of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. Jose Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The 26-year-old was found guilty on 10 counts, including murder, aggravated battery, and kidnapping with bodily injury.
The case was a flash point in the national debate over immigration in the lead-up to the U.S. election. Ibarra entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was allowed to stay in the country while he pursued his immigration case.
Comcast is planning to spin off most of its cable networks into a separate publicly traded company as it shifts its focus toward streaming and other revenue sources. The new entity would house some of the company’s best-known brands, including MSNBC, CNBC, and the USA Network, among others. But it will keep its Peacock streaming service, as well as Bravo, which generates a lot of its streaming content.
It will also hold onto NBCUniversal properties, like NBC News, NBC sports, and Universal Studios. Comcast says the change, if approved, will take about a year to complete.
U.S. wildlife officials are trying to protect the world’s tallest animal. A new proposal from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would classify three populations of giraffes as endangered. Giraffes, of course, are not native to the U.S., but officials hope the move will reduce poaching of the animal in Africa by restricting imports here.
That includes giraffe body parts in products like rugs, jewelry, and shoes. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation says there are only about 117,000 such animals worldwide, and that’s down about 30 percent from the 1980s.
On Wall Street today, stocks drifted a bit, with the major markets ending mixed. The Dow Jones industrial average added nearly 140 points, or about a third of 1 percent. The Nasdaq slipped around 20 points on the day, and the S&P 500 added less than a point, so virtually flat.
And President Biden turned 82 years old today, the first sitting U.S. president to ever hit that milestone. Family, friends, and colleagues past and present paid tribute on social media, including Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama. The previous record holder for oldest sitting commander and chief was President Reagan, who was 77 years old when he finished his second term.