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

(Image credit: (Butch Dill/AP Images for Human Rights Campaign))

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1. Gay marriages start in Alabama, but only in some counties
2. Boston gets more than six feet of snow in 30 days
3. Obama: No decision yet on lethal aid to Ukraine
4. Drew Peterson faces new charges while in prison for murder
5. IEA says oil prices to stick around five years
6. Obama set to ask for Congress' backing on ISIS fight
7. Measles outbreak hits three more states
8. Domestic violence charges against Panthers' Greg Hardy dismissed
9. Brian Williams' NBC news broadcast drops behind ABC in ratings
10. Better Call Saul breaks records with its cable premiere

published 10 February 2015

1. Gay marriages start in Alabama, but only in some counties

Some Alabama counties began granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Monday, the day a federal judge's overturning of the state's gay marriage ban took effect. The U.S. Supreme Court denied the state's request to stay the judge's ruling pending its appeal. Still, in 50 of the state's 67 counties, however, probate judges — who grant marriage licenses in Alabama — denied licenses to gay couples, after State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore ordered probate judges not to grant gay couples licenses.

Twenty inches of snow fell in Boston on Monday, bringing the total snowfall the state has seen in the past 30 days to 69 inches — smashing a record of 58.8 inches set in 1978. The city has 37 inches of snow on the ground, a record snow depth for the city. "We've never seen the likes of this here in Boston," Mayor Marty Walsh said. "We've gotten whacked pretty good over the last, literally, 13 days."

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President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday reiterated their commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. Speaking at a joint press conference, Obama said Russian sanctions "remain fully in place," and that unless Moscow reverses course in Ukraine its "isolation will only worsen." Obama added that though the U.S. prefers a negotiated resolution to the strife, all options remain on the table, including the potential to send lethal assistance to Ukraine. Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia are to meet later this week for peace talks in Minsk, Belarus.

Convicted Illinois wife-killer Drew Peterson has been charged with trying to hire a hit man to kill the lead prosecutor on the team that got him convicted of murder in 2012. Peterson, a former police sergeant, allegedly tried to arrange the killing while serving his 38-year prison sentence for murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio. That conviction came after Peterson's fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, went missing in 2007.

President Obama will ask Congress this week for new authority to fight the Islamic State. The U.S. already is leading a coalition conducting airstrikes against the Islamist extremist group. Obama launched the air campaign in August, but never got formal approval from Congress. Some lawmakers have accused Obama of overstepping his authority by entering into the fight against ISIS without congressional approval.

A measles outbreak spread to three more states and Washington, D.C., last week as the total number of cases rose to 121, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday. At that rate, and just over a month into 2015, total infections could surpass last year's total of 644 cases — the most since measles was declared eliminated in the country 15 years ago. Most of the cases resulted from a December outbreak at Disneyland in California.

Prosecutors on Monday dismissed domestic violence charges against Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy. Hardy was convicted last summer and missed most of the 2014 season. Hardy's former girlfriend, Nicole Holder, testified about her ordeal in his original trial, but she could not be found to testify at his appeal. She told prosecutors she did not want to tell the story of what she went through again. Despite his court victory, Hardy's future in the NFL remains uncertain.

Brian Williams' nightly news broadcast on NBC slipped behind ABC's World News Tonight in the ratings last week after he was widely criticized for falsely claiming that a military helicopter he rode in 2003 was forced down by enemy fire. The ratings dip came after Williams, 55, announced he was stepping out of the anchor jobs for a few days. Williams has apologized. He also has faced criticism for allegedly exaggerating reports of gang violence in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul's Sunday debut got the highest cable series premiere rating ever among viewers under 50. The show got help in the form of a lead-in audience from the popular zombie series The Walking Dead. Better Call Saul got a 3.4 rating among adults under 50, which means 4.4 million people in the key advertising demographic. The previous record-holder, HBO's Deadwood, was watched by 3.7 million people under 50 when it premiered.

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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.