10 things you need to know today: January 27, 2015

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1. Blizzard slams into the Northeast
2. Kurds regain control of Kobani
3. Ex-CIA officer convicted of disclosing secret information
4. Obama visits Saudi Arabia after king's death
5. At least 10 killed when jet crashes during NATO training in Spain
6. Federal worker says he was controlling drone that crashed near White House
7. Koch brothers reportedly plan to spend $889 million on 2016 election
8. CBO says deficit falling to lowest of Obama's presidency
9. Survivors mark 70th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation
10. Kobe Bryant to have season-ending shoulder surgery

published 27 January 2015

1. Blizzard slams into the Northeast

A massive winter storm hit the Northeast on Monday, shutting down roads and transportation systems in New York City and Boston, and dumping more than a foot of snow on parts of New England. The National Weather Service had warned as much as 30 inches of snow in New York, but the city appeared to have been spared the worst, with eight inches falling overnight at LaGuardia Airport. The National Weather Service said hours more of heavy snow were coming Tuesday, repeating the warning that, "This is a serious life-threatening storm!"

Kurdish fighters claimed on Monday that they had driven Islamic State militants out of the contested Syrian border town of Kobani. The Kurds, aided by U.S. airstrikes, fought ISIS in the streets for months to regain full control of the town. On the Turkish side of the border, thousands of Kurdish refugees who fled fearing an ISIS takeover celebrated the news. Kobani is in ruins, but the defeat marked a major setback for ISIS, which seized vast swaths of Iraq and Syria last year.

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Former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling was convicted Monday on charges that he leaked details of a covert operation to New York Times reporter James Risen. The case became the focus of intense debate about the Obama administration's prosecution of alleged leakers after federal prosecutors subpoenaed Risen in an attempt to force him to say who told him about the top secret operation to disrupt Iran's controversial nuclear program, which he described in a book. Risen refused to disclose his source.

President Obama headed to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to lead a U.S. delegation offering condolences to the oil-rich country's royal family following the death of 90-year-old King Abdullah. Obama, who just finished a three-day visit to India, will meet with Abdullah's successor, King Salman. The high-powered delegation will include high-ranking Republicans, such as Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), as well as other high-ranking Obama administration officials — an indication of the importance Washington places on Saudi Arabia, a key oil supplier and counterterrorism ally.

A Greek F-16 fighter jet crashed during NATO training at a base in southeastern Spain on Monday, killing at least 10 people. The jet lost power during take-off and hit other aircraft that were parked on the ground, sending flames and smoke into the air. Eight of the people killed were French military personnel. Two were Greek. At least 21 other service members, including 11 Italians and 10 French, were injured.

A federal employee came forward Monday and said he was responsible for the two-foot wide quadcopter drone that crashed on White House grounds hours earlier. The man, who does not work at the White House, said he was flying the remote-controlled quadcopter for fun around 3 a.m. when he lost control of it, not meaning for it to go near the White House. The Secret Service briefly locked down the White House when the drone was discovered. The Secret Service said the man appeared to be telling the truth.

A conservative advocacy network backed by the billionaire Koch brothers intends to spend $889 million on the 2016 election. The plan was announced at an annual meeting hosted by Freedom Partners, a tax-exempt business lobby at the heart of Charles and David Koch's political operations, according to a person who attended. The money would go toward field operations, technology, and other resources. Together, the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees are expected to spend about $1 billion.

The Congressional Budget Office said Monday that the budget deficit should shrink this year to its lowest level as a percentage of the economy since 2007. The nonpartisan agency said the deficit for the fiscal year, which ends in September, will be $468 billion, down a tick from last year's $483 billion mark. In addition, the CBO said there were 19 million fewer uninsured Americans this year compared to the year before thanks to changes implemented under ObamaCare.

About 300 Auschwitz survivors gathered Tuesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation the former Nazi concentration camp by Russian troops. The presidents of Poland, Germany, France, and Ukraine will be among the dignitaries who will be present for the commemoration at the site of the camp, in southern Poland, where 1.1 million people, most of them European Jews, were killed during World War II. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the anniversary should serve as a reminder of the world's responsibility to continue to "expose those who promote prejudices."

Los Angeles Lakers star guard Kobe Bryant has decided to follow his doctor's advice and have shoulder surgery that is expected to end his season, according to a statement released by the basketball team on Monday. Bryant tore his right rotator cuff last week. He has been having one of the worst seasons of his career, and with the Lakers at the bottom of the standings had little reason to hurry back and risk further injury.

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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.