Daily Briefing: Be our Valentine?

Nicole Fallert Paste BN

February is doing its thing today as heavy winter weather hits parts of the U.S. and Valentine's Day brings the love. Also in the news: Until this week, the House had not impeached a cabinet secretary in almost 150 years. President Joe Biden decried former President Donald Trump's threat not to aid NATO allies as "un-American."

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Are you giving anything up for Lent?

Here's the news to know Wednesday.

Today is the day of love (no matter what that looks like)

Valentine's Day is Wednesday, and lovers around the world are exchanging flowers and cards to celebrate their affection. They say you can't buy love but this day is increasingly expensive: Americans will spend about $25.8 billion on the holiday this year — but high spending doesn't guarantee romance. Let's be honest, Valentine's Day can be a little rough. Some may be reminded of a break-up or the loss of a loved one, or feel that the world is judging them for being single (even if you're perfectly happy that way). If you're opting for an Anti-Valentine's day this year, here are all the best ways to un-celebrate.

"Will that be separate checks?" The merits of joint vs. separate bank accounts.
Looking for love in all the wrong places? See which states have the most unmarried adults
Read this love story: He still remembers the moment she walked through the door.
Galentine's Day is here! Celebrate with your besties by watching these 10 TV shows, movies.

Nor'easter hits NYC with the most snow in two years

New York City felt the brunt of a potent Nor'easter storm that brought heavy snow to the city: In Times Square, tourists braved pelts of snowflakes. Hundreds of flights were canceled at LaGuardia Airport. Snow plows were deployed for the first time in two years. New York Public Schools, which moved classes online for its 1.1 million students, reported widespread logon issues on Tuesday morning. It was the first test of the remote system since the largest public school district in the nation adopted a no snow day policy in which students connect to lessons remotely instead of having the day off. Read more

More news to know now

Democrats have another seat in the House: Tom Suozzi won a New York special election.
A Fortune 500 oil giant will pay $4 million for air pollution at New Mexico and Texas facilities.
Kamala Harris says she's "ready to serve" as president amid concerns about Biden's age.
He was an L.A. hero. Now, we may know who killed him. The question we can't answer is: Why
On today's The Excerpt podcast, Black cemeteries are being "erased." Advocates are fighting to save them. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

What are House Republicans' allegations against Mayorkas?

The crux of House Republicans’ allegations against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whom they have long sought to impeach, is that the secretary deliberately and willfully allowed the crisis on the southern border to reach an extreme state. But Democrats, a handful of GOP lawmakers and legal scholars across the political spectrum have argued that House Republicans’ accusations amount to nothing more than policy disagreements over immigration. And skeptics of the effort have raised concerns that impeaching Mayorkas could have a ripple effect, politicizing future impeachments. Read more

Life goes on at the border despite a bill failure and a threat to "shut it down."

President Biden condemns Trump's NATO threat

President Joe Biden forcefully condemned Donald Trump's threat not to aid NATO countries attacked by Russia as he implored House Republicans to follow the Senate's lead and immediately approve funding for Ukraine.

The background: Over the weekend, Trump said he would “encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that have not paid money they owed to be in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Now, Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to double the number of his country's troops stationed along its border with the Baltic states and Finland as part of Moscow's preparations for a potential military conflict with NATO within the next decade, officials say.
"Worst thing is he means it": Biden called out Trump not understanding the significance of America's agreement with NATO, an alliance that promises to come to another's rescue in the case of war.
Trump doubled back on his NATO comment and said it was about the U.S. doling out foreign aid. The Senate voted 70-29 early Tuesday to approve a $95 billion foreign aid bill with defense funding for Ukraine and Israel, but Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has said his chamber won't take the bill up.

Keep scrolling

Here's why some Uber and Lyft drivers are striking at 10 U.S. airports on Valentine's Day.
Sweetpea, the tiny pup who stole the show in Puppy Bowl 2024, has passed away from kidney illness.
Disneyland performers are seeking union protections like other park employees.
"Thank you for making it halfway across the world": What Travis Kelce said to Taylor Swift after his Super Bowl win.
These are the U.S. states with the fastest job gains.
Our film reviewer did not like "Madame Web."

6 years after Parkland shooting, a school librarian works to make her space safe

Six years since the day everything changed, the library at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School brims with resources to promote mental health. Librarian Diana Haneski, 63, a winner of this year's national “I Love My Librarian” award for her public service, sees such escapism and mental support as essential for herself and her students. The high schoolers who survived the shooting at the Parkland, Florida, campus six years ago, on Valentine’s Day 2018, have graduated. But Haneski and about half the people on staff during the massacre remain, along with the children who were in middle and elementary school when a former student opened fire, killing 17 and injuring 17 others. Read more

Photo of the day: Beyoncé surprises fashion crowds

Just days after breaking the internet (again) with her "Act II" album announcement and the release of two new singles, Beyoncé popped up at the Luar show at New York Fashion Week to mass hysteria and camera flashes from the stunned crowd. Check out more photos from Fashion Week.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to Paste BN here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

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