10 things you need to know today: January 26, 2015

(Image credit: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

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1. Radical Greek anti-austerity party wins parliamentary election
2. New York and the rest of the Northeast brace for historic storm
3. Sixteen die in protests marking anniversary of Egypt's uprising
4. New York Assembly Speaker Silver agrees to temporarily step aside
5. 'Device' found on White House grounds
6. Christie forms PAC ahead of possible presidential bid
7. Obama moves to expand protections in Alaska wilderness
8. Church of England consecrates its first female bishop
9. Birdman takes top prize at SAG Awards
10. Duke's Coach K gets his 1,000th win

last updated 26 January 2015

1. Radical Greek anti-austerity party wins parliamentary election

Greece's radical left Syriza party, which is vowing to end the country's tough austerity program, moved quickly to form a government Monday, a day after winning a decisive victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections. Party leader Alexis Tsipras, at age 40 Greece's youngest prime minister in 150 years, said the vote gave the party a clear mandate to end "five years of humiliation and pain," signaling a showdown with lenders over the terms of Greece's $270 billion international bailout. Greek stocks fell by five percent early Monday.

Airlines canceled nearly 2,000 flights on Monday ahead of a potentially historic winter storm headed into the Northeast. New Yorkers were expecting as much as 30 inches of snow to begin falling in early afternoon. New York City has only experienced two blizzards packing 26 inches of snow, one in 1947 and one in 2006. "Don't underestimate this storm," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday. "My message for New Yorkers is prepare for something worse than we have ever seen before."

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At least 16 people were killed in Egypt over the weekend in clashes between police and protesters marking the fourth anniversary of the country's revolution. At least 15 people, including three police cadets, were killed on Sunday. One woman, Shaimaa El-Sabbagh of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, was killed — shot by police, colleagues said — as she marched with a group heading to Tahrir Square. Police deny firing the shots, saying they only used tear gas.

Longtime New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver agreed Sunday to step aside temporarily as he fights federal corruption charges. Silver was under increasing pressure from Democrats to give up his duties. One person familiar with the deal said Silver, who was arrested on Thursday, would "not specifically step down, but step back." Democrats will hold a closed-door meeting on Monday afternoon to consider the plan.

A device believed to be a small aerial drone, was found on the grounds of the White House on Sunday. Obama administration officials said Monday that the device posed no threat. The discovery came as President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are in India, although their daughters, Sasha and Malia, did not travel with them. The news came as the Secret Service has been trying to regroup after several security breaches, including one in September when a man with a knife scaled a fence and ran into the White House.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has formed a political action committee in what has been interpreted as an early step toward launching a bid for the presidency in 2016. The move made Christie the third high-profile Republican to consider launching a campaign, behind former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney, the GOP's nominee in 2012. Launching the PAC, Leadership Matters for America, will let Christie recruit the staff and fundraisers he would need to start a campaign.

The White House announced on Sunday that President Obama will ask Congress to classify 12 million acres in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska as wilderness. The designation would make it illegal to drill for oil and gas, or build roads on the land. The news was met with excitement from environmental groups and anger by Republican opponents, including Alaskan Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who called the proposal "a stunning attack on our sovereignty."

The Church of England is consecrating its first female bishop on Monday. The Reverend Libby Lane, 48, said her ordination as Bishop of Stockport is a "profound and remarkable moment," as it ends an uninterrupted tradition of male-only leadership for the 500-year-old institution. The church announced Lane's consecration last month after a divisive debate over whether to allow women to become bishops. Critics said Lane's appointment was merely symbolic, but she said she may be "the first, but I won't be the only."

Birdman took the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night, winning for outstanding ensemble in a motion picture. The prize boosted the film's Oscar hopes, although its star, Michael Keaton, was upset by Eddie Redmayne, who took the best-actor award for his work in The Theory of Everything. Uzo Aduba took the prize for outstanding female actor for her role as "Crazy Eyes" in the Orange is the New Black. The series also won for best cast in a comedy.

The Duke men's basketball team made a late-game comeback to beat St. Johns 77-68 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, giving the Blue Devils' legendary coach, Mike Krzyzewski, the 1,000th win of his 40-year coaching career. Duke trailed by 10 with just over eight minutes remaining, then went on a 28-9 tear. Krzyzewski was already the winningest coach in Division I college men's basketball. He won that distinction three seasons ago in the same arena with his 903rd win, surpassing his mentor, former Indiana coach Bobby Knight.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.