Israeli hospital raid, Caitlin Clark, and boomer predictions.

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Big Stories

FBI informant lied about Biden’s Ukraine ties, indictment says

Special counsel David Weiss has charged an FBI confidential source with felony false statement and obstruction crimes for allegedly providing false information about President Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

• Alexander Smirnov was indicted by a federal grand jury in California and arrested at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for falsely claiming that officials from Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, paid the Bidens $5 million each in 2015 or 2016.

• According to the indictment, Smirnov had routine business contact with Burisma starting in 2017, after the Obama-Biden administration, when Joe Biden had no influence on policy. In 2020, he made up the bribery allegations because he was opposed to Biden's presidential candidacy.

• Democrats insist Smirnov's indictment delivers a blow to the House GOP's impeachment inquiry into President Biden. However, Republicans said they will continue their investigation and that their inquiry is based on a large record of evidence that shows President Biden used his influence to benefit his family’s business dealings.

Israeli forces raid largest functioning hospital in Gaza

Israeli special forces entered Nasser Hospital to fight against Hamas, accusing the group of holding hostages there.

• Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Hamas was using Nasser Hospital as a base for hostage-keeping. He also said that the special forces were trained for this specific mission and would conduct a “precise and limited operation” at the facility.

• Israel’s military said it told Nassar hospital staff that patients and employees could stay and that medics could continue to treat patients. However, Dr. Ashraf al-Quadra, a spokesperson for the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, denied this, saying Israeli troops had forced hospital workers “to keep intensive care patients without medical equipment, which puts their lives in danger.”

• Doctors Without Borders reported that at least five people were killed and 10 others were wounded by shots fired at the hospital this week. Additionally, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 28,000 people have died in Gaza since the war began.

Could vacant office spaces help with the housing crisis?

Across the US, empty office buildings are leaving downtown areas with less foot traffic, prompting people to consider their future use.

• A study by Cushman & Wakefield found that approximately a fifth of US office space was vacant, with varying rates across cities. Economic uncertainty, remote work trends, surplus new constructions, and subleased space are blamed for the high vacancy rates.

• Some believe that converting empty buildings into residential units could help solve the national housing problem. But converting spaces is expensive, complicated, and time-consuming. Often the proposals get caught up in legal proceedings and never materialize.

• Another roadblock is the way buildings were designed after 1950. The invention of air conditioning and fluorescent lighting allowed buildings’ footprints to be larger. These deep, square designs don’t get sunlight in the interior, which makes conversion into homes challenging. The surplus of empty buildings is mostly from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s — big, dark boxes.

Little Stories

• Caitlin Clark made NCAA women's basketball history by breaking the all-time scoring record on Thursday. Clark surpassed Kelsey Plum’s record of 3,527 career points in the first two minutes of the game. Notably, Clark is also approaching Pete Maravich's men's record of 3,667 career points. Additionally, she is the first Division I player to exceed 3,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 800 rebounds. (More)

• Greece has become the first Christian Orthodox-majority country to legalize same-sex marriage. The new law also permits same-sex couples to adopt children. The ruling has sparked division in the country, especially from the Orthodox Church whose supporters have led protest rallies in Athens. (More)

• The White House said Russia is developing a weapon that could disrupt satellites, but it hasn't been deployed yet. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Council said that while concerning, there's no immediate safety risk. The weapon isn't meant to harm people but could interfere with communication, transportation, and other systems. (More)

• Last week, Alaska health officials reported the death of a man in January due to Alaskapox, a virus that causes skin lesions. It was discovered near Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2015 and there have been several infections since. But officials believe this is the first fatality from the virus. Alaskapox is an orthopoxvirus, similar to smallpox and monkeypox that infects mammals. (More)

• Japan, once the world's third-largest economy, has been overtaken by Germany. Japan officially slipped into a recession by reporting two consecutive quarters of economic decline. In the last quarter of the year, the economy shrank by 0.4%, which was worse than expected. (More)

Extra Credit

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