5 things to know for Feb. 6: Federal workers, Gaza, Severe weather, Bird flu, Women’s sports
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The National Weather Service, which is suffering its lowest staffing in decades, is staring down further cuts and the nomination of an agency leader its employees are wary of. A former agency official has warned that more staff reductions could decrease the number of life-saving weather warnings sent to Americans. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. The clock is ticking down for federal employees weighing whether to accept the Trump administration’s so-called ‘buyout’ offer to resign. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk aim to oust hundreds of thousands of workers in a move they say will help streamline America’s federal agencies. Widespread layoffs are expected to begin soon after today’s 11:59 p.m. ET decision deadline set by the Office of Personnel Management. A White House official said at least 40,000 federal employees have accepted a separation agreement. That figure represents about 2% of the roughly 2 million workers who received the offer. The White House has said its target is for between 5% and 10% of employees to resign. President Trump’s proposal for the US takeover of Gaza is drawing widespread criticism from allies and adversaries around the globe. On Wednesday, the White House press secretary moved to walk back some elements of Trump’s stunning suggestion and said he was advocating for a “temporary” resettlement of nearly 2 million Palestinians. The view appeared at odds with the plan Trump had revealed a day earlier to “resettle people permanently” in another area. Meanwhile, Egypt and Jordan are rejecting Trump’s plea to take in Gaza residents and Palestinians in the region insist they won’t give up their land. A progression of winter storms is expected across the eastern half of the US over the next two weeks. The first storm took shape Wednesday over the central Mississippi Valley, bringing slick conditions to parts of the region. It will ultimately spread wintry precipitation over more than 1,000 miles of the eastern US from Missouri to Maine. The next storm will likely develop in the Plains on Friday and strengthen early Saturday with a potentially dangerous mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. In the western US, heavy rain and landslides are forcing road closures across California. Another atmospheric river-fueled storm with up to an inch of rain is set to arrive today — but may be beneficial in some areas to reduce the wildfire threat. Six dairy herds in Nevada have tested positive for a newer strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus that’s been associated with at least two severe infections in humans, according to the Nevada Department of Agriculture. This is the second known instance of avian flu being introduced into cattle herds by birds, and experts say it marks a turning point in the nation’s efforts to contain the virus. Scientists are studying the newer strain, D1.1, to try to learn more about its capabilities and how it appears to be spreading so aggressively.
The CIA has sent the White House an unclassified email listing all new hires that have been with the agency for two years or less in an effort to comply with an executive order to downsize the federal workforce, according to three sources familiar with the matter – a deeply unorthodox move that could potentially expose the identities of those officers to foreign government hackers.
Trump administration officials are hurrying to catch up to the president’s audacious and improbable plan for the United States to take ownership of Gaza and redevelop it into a “Middle Eastern Riviera,” trying to wrap their heads around an idea that some hope might be so outlandish it forces other nations to step in with their own proposals for the Palestinian enclave.