Morning! We’re the Neutral, your one stop shop for news without an agenda. Today we’re covering crazy weather, Russian airstrikes, and much more.

World Headlines

Rivers In the Sky

You read that right. Another set of storms are about to hit California and “atmospheric rivers” -or plumes of tropical moisture will be dumping large amounts of rain across central and northern parts of the state.

Why it matters: The heavy rain has potential to cause extreme weather conditions in areas that have already been battered by record breaking snow storms. Flash flooding, mud and rock slides, and avalanches could occur at elevations higher than 5,000 feet. Many residents in mountainous areas have been stuck in their homes for a week. Two more incoming systems are likely to keep them stranded.

Good news on the horizon for California: 26% of the state is officially out of drought, up from 16% last week. Meteorologists predict more relief as the storms continue.

Russia Launches Another Attack

Russia fired a barrage of 81 drone and missile strikes Wednesday night, targeting Kiev and other major cities in Ukraine officials said. At least 11 civilian casualties and 22 injuries have been confirmed.

Russian officials claim the attack was in response to the alleged “terroists actions” in Bryansk in which a small Ukrainian armed group “violated the state border”. The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the missiles disabled key Ukrainian military infrastructure, as well as the energy facilities that power them. Europes’ largest nuclear reactor lost power and was forced to use emergency diesel generators to prevent a meltdown.

6 of the 81 missiles used were hypersonic Kinzhal missiles that Ukraine has no way of shooting down. Russia claims to have a few dozen Kinzhal, which travel many times faster than the speed of sound and are built to carry nuclear warheads.

Cant Keep Their Trains On The Tracks

Hours before Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw was set to testify about last month’s toxic fiasco in Ohio, another one of the company’s trains derailed in Alabama. Nearly 37 cars came off the tracks in Calhoun county, thankfully there were no injuries or hazmat leaks. You can’t make this stuff up.

Business & Economy

*Crypto stocks continue to take a beating. Shares of stocks in the crypto industry took another hit this week when crypto banking company Silvergate announced plans to wind down business operations and voluntarily liquidate its assets. Silvergate is the latest victim in the FTX saga with multiple analysts reporting the decision was made to close up shop to reduce legal liability related to FTX’s bankruptcy.

*GM to employees: take a pay off or take a lay off. In a cost cutting effort, salaried General Motors employees are being encouraged to accept a buyout now to prevent possible firings from occurring later. GM’s switch from gas to electric vehicles is the driving force being the job cuts. The research and development of electric vehicles has proven more costly than the company originally thought. GM also stated that even though sales are currently strong, they want to be prepared in case of a economic downturn.

Politics

*We have a new IRS overlord. The Senate confirmed Daniel Werfel as the next commissioner of the IRS just weeks before April tax deadline. Werfel has promised to make sure wealthy Americans pay their fair share of taxes while ensuring that the IRS will not increase audits on small business and households earning under $400,000.

*Biden’s budget. President Joe Biden released his annual budget on Thursday. However, policy makers on both sides believe it has no chance of making it through the Republican-controlled House. Key points include placing a minimum tax on billionaires, increasing the corporate tax rate, and reversing Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy.

Sports

*Aaron Rodgers on the move? Sources are reporting that the New York Jet’s are growing more confident in their chances of signing the 39-year-old Green Bay Packer quarterback after their meeting this week.

*Jayhawks coach out with illness. The Kansas Jayhawks mens basketball coach, Bill Self, will miss the Big 10 tournament opener after being hospitalized with an “illness”. There is no time table for his return.

*Tiger in trouble. Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend is suing him for $30 million for…kicking her out of the house.

Extras

*🚨 Emergency 🚨 there is a Girl Scout cookie shortage!

*Slapping people in the face has become a spectator sport.

Street artist creates unique inventions to liven up public spaces with the sole purpose of “making people smile”.

Cold pancakes suck — use this hack to keep your cakes warm when cooking for a group.