10 things you need to know today: February 16, 2016

1. George W. Bush praises Jeb Bush in return to campaign trail

Former President George W. Bush hit the campaign trail in South Carolina to give a lift to his brother Jeb Bush's struggling Republican presidential bid. The former president, in his most political speech since leaving office, implicitly criticized GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. Americans don't need a president "who mirrors and inflames our frustration," George W. Bush said. "We need someone that can fix the problems that cause our anger and frustration, and that's Jeb Bush."

CNN The Washington Post

2. Saudi Arabia and Russia tentatively agree to freeze oil output

The oil ministers of Saudi Arabia and Russia — the world's largest oil producers — announced Tuesday that they would freeze oil output at January's levels, if other major producers do, too. They were joined by their counterparts from Qatar and Venezuela. The Venezuelan oil minister said he would discuss the freeze with Iran and Iraq on Wednesday. The ministers met in Doha to discuss how to address a global oil glut that has driven prices to their lowest levels in more than a decade.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

Bloomberg

3. American journalists arrested covering protests in Bahrain

Bahrain charged and then released four American journalists who were covering protests last Sunday marking the anniversary of the island kingdom's 2011 uprising. Relatives identified one in the group as Anna Therese Day, a freelance journalist who has reported for CNN, The New York Times, Al Jazeera English, and CBS. Bahrain accused the Americans of falsely claiming to be tourists get into the country. One was accused of participating in "attacks on police." Day's family refuted the charges.

The Associated Press CNN

4. 50 die in suspected Russian strikes on Syrian hospitals and schools

The death toll from suspected Russian airstrikes on five Syrian medical centers and two schools rose to about 50 on Monday. The attacks came as Russian-backed Syrian government forces intensified an offensive against rebels around Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city. Fourteen of the dead were killed when missiles hit a school in the town of Azaz near the Turkish border. Families fleeing the government offensive had sought shelter there.

Reuters

5. Trump pivots away from Bushes and attacks Ted Cruz

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump on Monday shifted his focus from the Bushes, a family he attacked in the latest GOP debate, to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Cruz won the Iowa caucuses and is Trump's closest rival in the upcoming South Carolina primary. Trump called Cruz "nuts" and "the most dishonest guy I've ever met in politics." Trump was responding to Cruz campaign ads saying the New York billionaire businessman is pro-choice, anti-Second Amendment, and likely to appoint liberal judges.

Politico

6. New York police investigate assault accusation against Eliot Spitzer

Manhattan detectives confirmed Monday that they were investigating an accusation that former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, whose political career collapsed over a 2008 prostitution scandal, assaulted a woman in the Plaza Hotel. Police rushed to the hotel Saturday night after a woman in her 20s called 911 on her cellphone. Sources told the New York Daily News that the woman was Svetlana Travis, who had been seeing Spitzer for two years and was trying to break up with him. She told police Spitzer tried to choke her.

USA Today New York Daily News

7. Royal Dutch Shell completes $50 billion acquisition of BG Group

Royal Dutch Shell on Monday completed its $50 billion purchase of Britain's BG Group, making it the second largest energy company in the world, behind Exxon Mobil. "This is an important moment for Shell," CEO Ben van Beurden said. "It significantly boosts our reserves and production." The deal gives Shell a dominant role in Brazil's lucrative offshore oil fields. The Anglo-Dutch company spent nearly a year convincing investors the deal made sense.

MarketWatch USA Today

8. Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic reopens

A Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic attacked last year by a gunman reopened on Monday. The clinic started its first day in operation since the November attack with a full schedule of patients. Vicki Cowart, president of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, said a lot of people "bully women and bully health care providers," but "Planned Parenthood is on the side of resiliency."

The New York Times

9. Philanthropist gives $18 million to fix up Lincoln Memorial

Philanthropist David Rubenstein is donating $18 million to refurbish the Lincoln Memorial, the National Park Service announced Monday. The money will go toward a new roof, cleaning of marble surfaces, and a new elevator to improve accessibility at the memorial, which accommodates seven million visitors per year. Rubenstein already has contributed millions to spruce up the Washington Monument and other icons. "Lincoln deserves to have his memorial in tip-top shape," Rubenstein said.

The Christian Science Monitor

10. Taylor Swift, Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars win top Grammy Awards

Taylor Swift won Album of the Year for 1989 at the 58th annual Grammy Awards on Monday night. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' Uptown Funk won Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Kendrick Lamar swept the rap field, taking Best Rap Album for To Pimp a Butterfly and Best Rap Performance for "Alright." Other winners included: Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge (Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Thinking Out Loud"); Meghan Trainor (Best New Artist); Chris Stapleton (Best Country Album, Traveller); and Alabama Shakes (Best Rock Song, "Don't Wanna Fight").

Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times