10 things you need to know today: January 24, 2016

1. The Des Moines Register endorses Marco Rubio, Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio won endorsements Saturday from The Des Moines Register, Iowa's most influential newspaper. The editorial board cited Clinton's experience and Rubio's potential to take the Republican Party in a new direction. With just over a week left until Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses, both Clinton and Rubio trail opponents in the statewide polls.

The Des Moines Register The Washington Post

2. Jonas lets up after burying East Coast in snow

Winter storm Jonas let up on the East Coast early Sunday after a weekend of record-breaking snowfall for many cities. New York City, which implemented a travel ban Saturday, saw 26.8 inches, the second biggest total on record. Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., were also hit hard. At least 16 people from New York down to Georgia died due to the storm. Hundreds of thousands experienced power outages.

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3. Michael Bloomberg reportedly considering presidential run

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is considering an independent presidential run, The New York Times reported Saturday. Advisers to Bloomberg, 73, apparently said his campaign interest is fueled by Donald Trump's high polling in the crowded Republican field, as well as Bernie Sanders' gains on Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side. He would reportedly be willing to spend at least $1 billion of his own money on a campaign, anonymous Times sources said.

The New York Times

4. Trump says he could 'shoot somebody' and not lose voters

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump bragged about his voter loyalty at a campaign rally Saturday in Sioux Center, Iowa. "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters," he said. The billionaire business mogul has been critical of President Obama's executive action to expand background checks for gun buyers.

CNN

5. Biden says 'military solution' possible for Syrian civil war

Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on Saturday about the countries' shared goal of stopping the Islamic State in Syria. On the ongoing attempt at a political resolution to Syria's five-year civil war, Biden said: "We are neither optimistic nor pessimistic. We are determined." Biden went onto suggest a "military solution" for Syria is on the table, should political means fail.

Agence France-Presse

6. John Kerry: U.S.-Saudi relations are as strong as ever

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the nation's relationship with Saudi Arabia is as strong as ever following their cooperation on the Iranian nuclear deal. "We have as solid a relationship, as clear an alliance, and as strong a friendship with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia as we have ever had, and nothing has changed because we worked to eliminate a nuclear weapon with a country in the region."

The Associated Press

7. 3 inmates rappel to escape from California jail

Authorities are searching for three inmates who escaped from a maximum-security jail in Southern California on Friday. They cut through half-inch steel bars and rappelled off of the roof using a makeshift rope. "It was very well-thought-out and planned," a spokesman for the Orange County sheriff said at a news conference Saturday. One of the escaped inmates is an alleged murderer.

The Associated Press

8. 6.8-magnitude earthquake shakes Alaska

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit southern Alaska early Sunday. There were no reports of injuries, but the rumble was felt all the way up in Anchorage, about 170 miles away. "It started out as a shaking and it seemed very much like a normal earthquake. But then it started to feel like a normal swaying, like a very smooth side-to-side swaying," said one Kenai resident. "It was unsettling."

The Associated Press Reuters

9. Oscars producer says Chris Rock will still host ceremony

Oscars producer Reginald Hudlin told Entertainment Tonight that comedian Chris Rock won't drop his hosting duties in light of a planned boycott over the lack of racial diversity among this year's nominees. "Chris is hard at work. He and his writing staff locked themselves in a room," he said. "As things got a little provocative and exciting, he said, 'I'm throwing out the show I wrote and writing a new show.'"

Entertainment Tonight

10. Actress Julie Delpy walks back comment wishing she were African-American

Actress Julie Delpy walked back comments suggesting it's hardest to be a white woman in Hollywood. "It's funny — women can't talk," she said Friday amid ongoing discussion about the Oscars' lack of racial diversity. "I sometimes wish I were African-American, because people don't bash them afterward." The Before Sunrise star apologized Saturday in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. "I'm very sorry for how I expressed myself,” Delpy said. "It was never meant to diminish the injustice done to African-American artists."

Entertainment Weekly