10 things you need to know today: February 6, 2016
Bernie Sanders gains on Hillary Clinton in national poll, Syrians flee as conflict escalates near Aleppo, and more
- 1. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders nearly tied in latest national poll
- 2. Syrian official: Foreign ground troops 'will return home in wooden coffins'
- 3. U.S. adds 151,000 jobs in January, unemployment rate falls
- 4. Pope and Russian Orthodox Church leader plan historic meeting
- 5. Republicans set to debate in New Hampshire
- 6. Taiwan quake kills at least 13
- 7. 1 dead, 3 injured in Manhattan crane collapse
- 8. North Korea may launch satellite as early as Sunday
- 9. Twitter suspends 125,000 terrorist accounts
- 10. Bernie Sanders will reportedly cameo on SNL with Larry David
1. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders nearly tied in latest national poll
The 31-point lead that Hillary Clinton held over Bernie Sanders just a month and half ago has vanished to a near tie. A national Quinnipiac University poll out Friday finds that Clinton now leads Sanders by only 2 points, 44 percent to 42 percent — within the poll's 4.5 percentage-point margin of error. In mid-December, Clinton led Sanders 61 percent to 30 percent nationwide. The Quinnipiac poll also found that Sanders fares better in hypothetical matchups with Republican presidential candidates.
2. Syrian official: Foreign ground troops 'will return home in wooden coffins'
Tens of thousands of Syrians headed for the country's border with Turkey as Russian-backed Syrian government forces descended on Aleppo. The Syrian government aims to cut off the city's rebel supply route from Turkey, which backs the opposition. Foreign intervention is not welcome, Foreign Minister Walid-al-Moallem warned Saturday: "I regret to say that they will return home in wooden coffins."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Wall Street Journal The Associated Press
3. U.S. adds 151,000 jobs in January, unemployment rate falls
Following a December boom, job growth cooled in January, with the nation slightly disappointing expectations with the addition of only 151,000 jobs. The unemployment rate, however, dropped to 4.9 percent, the first time it has started with the numeral "4" since February 2008. Wage growth held steady. The jobs report stands as a positive point during a tumultuous time for the U.S. economy and global markets; U.S. economic growth was just 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter.
4. Pope and Russian Orthodox Church leader plan historic meeting
The Vatican announced Friday that Pope Francis and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, will meet in Cuba next Friday, marking the first such meeting in history. The Eastern Orthodox and Western factions of Christianity split nearly 1,000 years ago in 1054's Great Schism, over issues such as papal authority. The private, two-hour meeting will take place at José Martí International Airport in Havana. It's seen as the most significant effort ever made to repair relations.
The Washington Post The New York Times
5. Republicans set to debate in New Hampshire
Republican presidential hopefuls are set to face off in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Saturday evening, just days before the state's second-in-the-nation primaries. The debate will feature Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, and John Kasich. Carly Fiorina and Jim Gilmore didn't make the cut. Martha Raddatz and David Muir will moderate the debate, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
6. Taiwan quake kills at least 13
At least 13 people died and hundreds more were injured in a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Taiwan on Saturday. Rescuers saved hundreds of people from buildings and were still trying to reach others. Dozens of people are reportedly unaccounted for. The high-rise residential building that collapsed in the 4 a.m. quake included a care center for newborn babies. One 10-day-old baby was reportedly among the dead.
7. 1 dead, 3 injured in Manhattan crane collapse
A construction crane collapse in Manhattan killed one person and injured three others Friday. The circumstances that led to the collapse are uncertain, though wind and snow may have been a factor. "I could see it slowly coming down," witness Sean Campbell told reporters. "It lasted about five or six seconds. I didn't know what was happening, it was happening so fast." One person died at the scene. A second person was trapped inside a car and had to be freed by firefighters.
New York Daily News The New York Times
8. North Korea may launch satellite as early as Sunday
North Korea may launch its satellite as early as Sunday, the Japanese government said Saturday. The nation reportedly moved up its time range to between Feb. 7 and Feb. 14, after originally describing the timeframe as between Feb. 8 and Feb. 25. World powers have condemned the launch, which is widely seen as a cover for testing a ballistic missile.
9. Twitter suspends 125,000 terrorist accounts
Twitter has deleted 125,000 accounts threatening or promoting terrorism since mid-2015, the social network said Friday. Twitter's numbers indicate that the Islamic State and other terrorist groups have either upped their presence on social media, or Twitter has become better at targeting terrorist accounts. Spam-fighting technology flags posts by potential terrorists, which are then reviewed by humans. Prior to Friday, Twitter had not revealed the scale to which terrorists were active on the service.
10. Bernie Sanders will reportedly cameo on SNL with Larry David
Bernie Sanders will reportedly make an appearance on this weekend's Saturday Night Live episode hosted by Larry David, who just so happens to be a skilled imitator of the Vermont senator. "We'll be live in New York," Sanders' senior adviser Tad Devine told CNN on Friday. This would mark Sanders' first actual appearance on the show, though David has appeared many times this season to impersonate him. NBC has yet to make an official announcement.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
-
Assad's fall upends the Captagon drug empire
Multi-billion-dollar drug network sustained former Syrian regime
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The key financial dates to prepare for in 2025
The Explainer Discover the main money milestones that may affect you in the new year
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
Sudoku medium: December 19, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 24, 2024
Daily Briefing Trump closes in on nomination with New Hampshire win over Haley, 'Oppenheimer' leads the 2024 Oscar nominations, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 23, 2024
Daily Briefing Haley makes last stand in New Hampshire as Trump extends polling lead, justices side with US over Texas in border fight, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 22, 2024
Daily Briefing DeSantis ends his presidential campaign and endorses Trump, the US and Arab allies push plan to end Gaza war, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 21, 2024
Daily Briefing Palestinian death toll reportedly passes 25,000, top Biden adviser to travel to Egypt and Qatar for hostage talks, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 20, 2024
Daily Briefing Grand jury reportedly convened to investigate Uvalde shooting response, families protest outside Netanyahu's house as pressure mounts for hostage deal, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 19, 2024
Daily Briefing Congress averts a government shutdown, DOJ report cites failures in police response to Texas school shooting, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 18, 2024
Daily Briefing Judge threatens to remove Trump from his defamation trial, medicine for hostages and Palestinians reach Gaza, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 17, 2024
Daily Briefing The US strikes Houthi targets in Yemen a third time, Trump's second sex defamation trial begins, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published