10 things you need to know today: February 3, 2015

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1. Second snowstorm hits already snow-covered Northeast
2. Paul and Christie criticized for vaccine remarks
3. Obama releases his proposed $4 trillion budget
4. Google reportedly is developing an Uber rival
5. Obama sets new rules on NSA data mining
6. Cuba publishes first photos of Fidel Castro since August
7. Bus firebombing kills seven in Bangladesh
8. Suge Knight charged with murder
9. Charles Manson's marriage license expires with no wedding
10. Revenge-porn site creator convicted of extortion

published 3 February 2015

1. Second snowstorm hits already snow-covered Northeast

Boston authorities postponed a victory celebration for the New England Patriots after their Super Bowl victory, moving it from Tuesday to Wednesday due to a record breaking winter storm. The second blizzard to hit the Northeast in a week dumped another foot of snow on Boston, which was blanketed with two feet of snow last week, the most snow ever to fall on the city in seven days. The storm has been linked to at least 10 deaths, and forced the cancellation of 2,900 flights in Chicago, Newark, Boston, and New York.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, both potential 2016 GOP presidential candidates, faced criticism from medical experts on Monday after suggesting some child vaccinations should be made voluntary. Paul said some vaccines have caused "profound mental disorders." Christie said parents need "some measure of choice" although, with a U.S. measles outbreak surpassing 100 cases, a spokesman said Christie believes "there is no question kids should be vaccinated" for measles. CDC director Tom Frieden said not vaccinating endangers other children.

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President Obama on Monday unveiled the specifics of a $4 trillion proposed budget that would roll back blanket spending cuts, raise taxes on wealthy Americans, and extend tax benefits to the middle class. "These proposals will put more money in middle-class pockets, raise wages, and bring more high-paying jobs to America," Obama said in a statement. The budget covers the 2016 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. The blueprint is largely a symbolic statement of the president's priorities, as Congress will make significant changes to it over the coming months.

Google invested $258 million in Uber in August 2013, and put more money in the next year, but now the internet search giant reportedly is preparing to compete with Uber by starting its own ride-hailing service, possibly linked to its driverless car project. A person close to Uber's board said David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer and an Uber board member, informed fellow Uber board members of the possibility. Uber leaders reportedly have seen a prototype app being used by Google employees.

The Obama administration on Tuesday will announce new rules about how U.S. intelligence agencies manage the data they collect. The National Security Agency and other spy agencies will have to delete private information they collect about Americans that has no intelligence value, and do the same for foreigners after five years, The New York Times reports. Obama will also begin a regular, formal White House assessment of NSA spying on foreign leaders.

Cuba on Monday released the first photos of former president Fidel Castro seen since August. With Cuba's communist government and the Obama administration attempting to renew diplomatic relations cut off in the Cold War, rumors have surfaced that Castro, 88, was dead or near death. Last week, Cuba released a letter attributed to Castro in which he said he didn't trust the U.S. but advocated a "peaceful resolution to conflicts." The photos, published in the official Granma newspaper, showed Castro in a meeting with a youth leader.

Attackers hit a packed bus with gasoline-bombs in Bangladesh on Tuesday, killing at least seven people and injuring 16 others. The local police chief blamed the bombing on opposition activists, but they denied responsibility. At least 53 people have died in political violence, mostly vehicle firebombings, since the opposition launched a nationwide transportation strike in early January in a bid to force Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign.

Former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight was charged with murder and attempted murder on Monday for allegedly running over two men with his truck, killing one and injuring the other. His $2.2 million bail was revoked because authorities considered him a possible flight risk. Police said Knight argued with the men on the set of Straight Outta Compton, a film about the group N.W.A., and later ran them over. Knight's lawyer said he accidentally ran over the victims while trying to get away from two men trying to attack him.

Eighty-year-old mass murderer Charles Manson's marriage license is set to expire on Thursday without a wedding. Manson and his fiancee, 26-year-old Afton Elaine Burton, missed their last chance to marry over the weekend — weddings are not performed on weekdays at the California prison where Manson is incarcerated. Burton, who uses the nickname Star, intends to get another 90-day license and proceed with the wedding plan, according to a source in contact with her.

A California court on Monday convicted revenge-porn site founder Kevin Bollaert, 28, on identity theft and extortion charges. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Bollaert set up one website, YouGotPosted.com, where women's former husbands and boyfriends posted nude photos of them, and he established another website, ChangeMyReputation.com, where victims could pay up to $350 to get the photos taken down. "This is essentially 21st century blackmail," Deputy Attorney General Tawnya Austin told jurors last week.

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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.